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Introductory Letter 
from the Editor

Dear Friend:

Over a quarter of a century the IBMR has earned a solid reputation providing the very best in missionary research and sound biblical reflection on the Christian world mission. I invite you to subscribe to the International Bulletin of Missionary Research.

IBMR has included the 1996 essay by Wilbert Shenk, “Toward a Global Church History;” the feature from 1999 by Ted Ward, “Repositioning Mission Agencies for the Twenty-first Century;” and the 1987 contribution from David J. Bosch, “Evangelism: Theological Currents and Cross-Currents Today.”

Also of special interest were articles on “Terrorism, Islam, and Mission: Reflections of a Guest in Muslim Lands,” by J. Dudley Woodberry, Professor of Islamic Studies at Fuller’s School of World Mission; and “Christian Mission and Islamic Studies: Beyond Antithesis,” by David A. Kerr, then-director of the Center for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World in Edinburgh.  

Also marking the theological integrity and outstanding scholarship for which the IBMR is known were “Structural Problems in Mission Studies,” by Andrew F. Walls from 1991, and the 1987 classic by Lesslie Newbigin, “Can the West Be Converted?”

The IBMR is known for candid, thoughtful treatments of difficult and complex missiological issues. Our journal is not a “popular” level periodical. But if you’re seriously interested in the Christian world mission, I encourage you to accept this offer of an introductory subscription.

Widely read by missionaries, mission executives, pastors, and students of the Christian world mission, each issue of the journal promotes candid discussion of the sometimes complex theological and missiological problems that emerge from the intimate interface of Christians and their neighbors.

While the editorial team is totally committed to Christian mission, the IBMR assiduously avoids any hint of triumphalism, promotionalism, or superficial answers. The editors believe that the Gospel stands as the key to human history and that the work of Christ’s kingdom is the most important business we can be about. It is for this reason that the pages of the IBMR carry serious essays and analysis, worthy of the best minds and efforts of the people of God.

Dr. Choo Lak Yeow, retired executive director of the Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia, says: “Ever since its inception, the International Bulletin of Missionary Research has been synonymous with enabling people all over the world to track the latest movements in things missionary and theological in an arresting way. Every library should have it.” 

Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, noted author, editor, and President of Religion and Public Life in New York City, calls the IBMR “an excellent resource for understanding the missionary mandate, both in historical perspective and at work today.”  

Dr. Paul G. Hiebert of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School says: “The IBMR is a ‘must read’ in my mission studies. It is one of the best sources for solid reflection on key missiological issues in our day. It provides serious, balanced analysis of critical problems we face in contemporary missions, and helps us think deeply about our responses.” 

Dr. Thu En Yu, Principal of Sabah Theological Seminary in Malaysia, says, “The International Bulletin of Missionary Research is one of the best sources for mission study. The scholarly articles and book reviews by experts in the field provide mature insights that contribute a wonderfully rich perspective on world mission today.”

My pledge is that when you read the IBMR you will resonate with its uncompromising level of commitment to the Great Commission and to its high standards of content, tone, and solid research. The editorial team is committed to producing a journal that merits the thoughtful attention of all who have invested themselves in Christ’s mission—practitioners and academics alike. 

In past issues our subscribers also benefited from reading “World Christianity by the Numbers: A Review of the World Christian Encyclopedia, Second Edition,” by Gerald H. Anderson, the former editor of the IBMR; a careful analysis by Robert T. Coote, the former associate editor, of the AD2000 movement and its associated focus on the so-called 10/40 Window; an overview by Thomas A. Askew of Gordon College of the Ecumenical Missionary Conference in New York City in 1900; and “A Resurgent Church in a Troubled Continent: Review Essay of Bengt Sundkler’s History of the Church in Africa,” by Lamin Sanneh of Yale Divinity School. 

Other informative feature articles in recent issues of the IBMR have included “The First Globalization: The Internationalization of the Protestant Missionary Movement Between the World Wars,” by Dana L. Robert of Boston University School of Theology; an examination of human rights, human dignity, and Christian mission from Charles R. Taber, who served with United Bible Societies in West Africa; and “Shortcut to Language Preparation? Radical Evangelicals, Missions, and the Gift of Tongues,” by Gary B. McGee of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. 

The much-valued “Legacy” series continues with engaging accounts of pivotal mission leaders of the last two centuries. For instance, the July 2002 issue included “The Legacy of Robert Reid Kalley,” the Scottish medical missionary to Madeira and Brazil. “The Legacy of Shoki Coe,” a Taiwanese Presbyterian leader who put “contextualization” in the forefront of missiological thinking, was featured in April 2002. 

Essays in future issues will profile mission leaders including François Daubanton, John Duncan, James Gilmour, Hannah Kilham, George Leslie Mackay, Lesslie Newbigin, Constance E. Padwick, Julius Richter, Bakht Singh, William Cameron Townsend, and M. M. Thomas.

The “My Pilgrimage in Mission” series will also go forward. Essays by such distinguished leaders as Hans-Werner Gensichen, Arthur F. Glasser, Adrian Hastings, Barbara Hendricks, M.M., Katharine B. Hockin, David M. Howard, Jacob A. Loewen, Louis J. Luzbetak, S.V.D., Donald A. McGavran, Olav Guttorm Myklebust, James A. Scherer, Aylward Shorter, M.Afr., John V. Taylor, Johannes Verkuyl, Ion Bria, and Ralph D. Winter have already been published. 

Add to this features such as the “Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission” compiled by David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson and the annual “Fifteen Outstanding Books for Mission Studies” each January, along with book reviews, regional surveys, analysis of important mission documents and consultations, “Noteworthy,” and regular listings of new doctoral dissertations on mission.

The wide range of features ensures that each issue will stimulate and inform your mission interest.  The IBMR is for thoughtful missionaries and mission supporters, executives and church leaders, scholars and teachers of mission. Aimed at helping you understand and grapple with the multi-faceted challenge of world Christian mission, the IBMR now serves subscribers in some 130 countries around the world. 

Your first issue will be sent upon receipt of payment. You may pay by Visa, MasterCard, or personal check in U.S. dollars drawn on a U.S. bank. Residents of the United States have the extra option of asking to be billed. (Sorry, “bill-me” requests are not accepted from outside of the U.S.) Please use the convenient order form and return envelope provided.

Good news for readers outside the United States: The International Bulletin of Missionary Research is mailed to all corners of the globe without extra charge for postage—even though the postage costs have increased for us.

If at any time you are not satisfied with the quality and character of the IBMR, simply let us know, and the value of the unmailed copies of your subscription will be fully refunded. I look forward to hearing from you.  

Sincerely,

 

Jonathan J. Bonk
Editor  

Bonk@OMSC.org

 For more information, contact: 
International Bulletin of Missionary Research 
Overseas Ministries Study Center
490 Prospect Street, New Haven, Connecticut  06511 USA
(203) 624-6672, ext. 309   ibmr@OMSC.org    www.OMSC.org