Book Review: The Bridges of God

Book Report: The Bridges of God by Rameses Sorrell

It is all too well known that the primary goal of missions is evangelism: the proclamation of the Good News and assisting with the emergence of churches with leaders, schools and institutions that will bear witness to the Good News. (xiii) However, with news times and different societies encountered it is necessary to know what makes a good mission and what changes are necessary to implement in order ensure the success of future endeavors.

However, the most important question that the author is probably addressing is “How do people s become Christian?” It is always through a Christward movement. (1) However, some say it is through “People Movements,” where people become Christian as a wave of decision for Christ sweeps through the group mind of a caste, clan, or tribe like a chain reaction of individuals coming to Christ of their own accord but setting one another off to accept Christ like dominoes in a row. (12) Others say it is through the more costly “Mission Station approach,” where schools, hospitals, seminaries, and missionary’s residences are set up to become the institutionalized religious and cultural centers of a people. (75)

But to tell you the truth, though the gathered colony or Mission Station Approach is the universally accepted missionary method of today, it is a mixture of the resources and methods of both movements that enables people to become Christian. (100) For example because the gathered colonies are so well funded, if some of the money invested in these big ventures that hardly convert ten people from a caste were moved over to the less costly People movement type missions to a tribal location two hundred miles away, thousands would literally be converted to Christ and mass amounts of churches would be born because these people are ready and willing to accept Christ. (102)

Statistics state that church growth in the People Movements far exceeds that of the Mission Station Approach, “For example, we read that the Roman Catholic population of China doubled between 1914 and 1939. This means an increase of about 35 percent a decade. For hundreds of congregations to achieve an average growth of 35 percent over two and a half decades, there must have been some growing at much more than 35 percent. This probably occurred in People Movements…” (150)

“Suppose the entire Christian enterprise were to transfer men and money to People Movements as rapidly as was consistent with the welfare of both types of churches, a new era of rapid expansion would occur. It would add hundreds of thousands indeed millions, of new Christians, and thousands of new churches. A multitude of new territories where there is now no church at all would be sown with Christian churches rooted in sturdy peoples.” (145)

What needs to happen is the allotment of funds to the proper missionary ventures based on statistical findings that would allow for the greatest Christward venture per human capita. Via People Movements or Mission Stations, then only can the Great Commission be fulfilled with the greatest abundance and efficiency.