You Will Be My Witnesses: Theology for God’s Church Serving in God’s Mission

A Theological Introduction to the Witness of the Church within the Mission of God

Mission is God’s work. God spoke the first promise of gospel hope, sent his Son into this fallen world, and commissioned his Spirit to empower his church for witness. Until the day Christ returns, God has called his people to participate in his mission through evangelism, apologetics, church planting, cultural engagement, gospel suffering, and many other activities that faithfully communicate gospel hope in Christ.

This practical introduction provides a biblical framework for understanding the church’s role in God’s mission. It reviews the biblical story of God’s mission, draws insights from the church’s witness since Pentecost, and studies aspects of contemporary Christian witness. Each chapter ends with study questions to encourage further reflection and discussion by church members and ministry leaders. Readers will gain refreshing insights into how they can participate in faithfully bearing witness to Christ through the church’s work in the world today.

• Confessional and Contemporary: Precisely defines the biblical aspects of God’s mission and Christian witness, built upon time-tested theology, yet freshly applied for witness in the post-Christendom world
• Accessible: Written for church members, college and seminary students, ministry workers, and church leaders who are committed to creating a community that bears witness to Christ in an unchurched society
• Practical and Motivational: Clear and crisp writing style, enhanced by many helpful figures and charts, and infused with a gospel passion to declare God’s glory among the nations
• Spurs Discussion: Thought-provoking study questions at the end of each chapter to encourage further reflection and faithful action

Brian A. DeVries (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the president of Mukhanyo Theological College in South Africa and adjunct professor of missiology at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. DeVries has led three multiethnic church-planting teams in South Africa and currently serves as the pastor of Grace Reformed Church in Pretoria. He and his wife Lanae are blessed with five children.