Abstract
Mission Affirmed is a challenging book, but not for the wrong reasons. That is, it is not an overly demanding read; Clark’s writing is conversational and engaging, peppered with historical, personal, and scriptural anecdotes. Similarly, it is not that it contains bombshell controversies; each “controversial” topic Clark discusses has already been—and will continue to be—debated ad nauseum. Nor does the challenge arise from a narrowly limited theological bent: Clark, at times, seems almost at pains to speak to as broad an evangelical audience as possible.
No, the reason for the challenge is simply this: Clark asks you to reflect. Mission Affirmed expects its reader to reflect on their missionary presuppositions, to evaluate commonly held missiological expectations, and then to ask the question, “On the Last Day, will God commend—or dismiss—my ministry?”
To that end, Clark calls into question (among other things) the mindset of easily reproducible, packaged ministries designed for multiplication; the zealous but poorly vetted (or indeed self-chosen) missionary; the pervasive influence of prosperity theology that western missionaries unwittingly import; and even the common wisdom that the “ultimate goal of missions is self-sustaining, self-supporting, and self-propagating churches who need nothing from the missionary or sending church” (104).
Clark demonstrates a practical insight and a desire for fruitfulness born from his experiences as a cross-cultural church planter in Central Asia, but also a sharp-witted and unstinting theological bent that rigorously demands biblical faithfulness. He stands between the twin poles of fruitfulness and faithfulness, now leaning towards one, now the other, but always ready to bring each back into the discussion lest we become too single-minded in our missionary thinking and practice and neglect what should not be neglected.
Ultimately, Clark points the missionary to recapture the motivation of Paul himself in 1 Cor 9:27, where he desires that he might run in such a way so as to not be disqualified, but instead to be commended by the Lord: “This is the glory that we seek: not just giving praise to God but receiving praise from God” (46, emphasis in original). Clark insists: “For missions to flourish in our day, I believe we’ll need to recover this promise of reward from our Savior—and this neglected motivation of the apostle” (205). For Clark, the missionary is mindful of how they invest the talent entrusted to them, and they seek the Master’s commendation of their efforts.