Missionaries, Evangelists & Pastors

Most missionaries aren't household names, at least in non-Christian households. Unfortunately, many of them haven't been heard of in Christian homes, either, which is precisely why we've dedicated an entire category to them. The Bible is obviously our guide to holy living, but we need to hear the stories of other Christians as well, to be encouraged in our own pursuit of Christ as much as to see that God is still working in His people to spread and glorify His name throughout the world.

We've opted to carry only missionary and evangelist biographies from a Christian perspective. It's important to understand the lives of these men and women in the context of the people of God, not simply in a human context, and while secular writers could certainly offer the latter perspective they wouldn't be able to offer the first. Also, the focus needs to be on the spread of the Gospel; the character of God's servants, while important, is still less important than the work He has led them to do.

There are few things in the Christian life more important or more valuable than to follow Christ's command to make disciples. We read about those who have been faithful in order to emulate them. It's important to help kids remember this—while many godly Christians have led adventurous lives (everyone from Amy Carmichael to Eric Liddell to Hudson Taylor), the essential part isn't the exciting times they had but the way they overcame trials and difficulties in order to take God's Word where it hadn't yet gone, or how they remained pure in the midst of wicked cultures.

It's good to have heroes, but we need to pick them carefully. For Christians, the best heroes (really, the only heroes) are those who've given their lives to Christ's service and maintained lives of faithfulness. Because it's so important for our children to have those kinds of heroes, we encourage you to give them biographies of missionaries and evangelists whose exemplary lives are worthy of imitation. And, because many of them were really fascinating people, you should have no problem getting even reluctant readers interested.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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52 Items found Print
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'But Now I See': The Life of John Newton
by Josiah Bull
from Banner of Truth Trust
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Between Worlds
by Marilyn R. Gardner
from Doorlight Publications
for Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Bombs and Blessings
by Retha Hazel Eldridge
from Review and Herald Publishing Association
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Born Again
by Charles Colson
from Chosen Books
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$19.99 $14.00 (1 in stock)
Bruchko
by Bruce Olson
Updated from Charisma House
for 10th-Adult
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bruchko and the Motilone Miracle
by Bruce Olson
from Charisma House
Biography for 10th-Adult
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Captured!
by Carolyn Paine Miller
1st edition from Christian Herald Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
China Cry
by Nora Lam with Richard Schneider
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 9th-Adult
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Contending for Our All
The Swans Are Not Silent Book 4
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
for 11th-Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Dayuma
by Ethel Emily Wallis
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$14.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Five Pioneer Missionaries
by Various
from Banner of Truth Trust
Biography for 9th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$13.00 $7.00 (1 in stock)
For Those Who Dare
by John Hudson Tiner
from Master Books
for 8th-Adult
in Church History Overviews (Location: XCH-OVE)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Forgotten Founding Father
Leaders in Action Series
by Stephen Mansfield
from Cumberland House
Biography for 9th-12th grade
in Leaders in Action (Location: BIO-LIA)
$16.95 $10.00 (2 in stock)
From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya
by Ruth Tucker
2nd edition from Zondervan
History of missions for 11th-Adult
in History of Missions (Location: XCH-MIS)
$32.99 $14.00 (3 in stock)
George Whitefield: Wayfaring Witness
by Stuart C. Henry
from Abingdon Press
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Great Waters
by Creston Donald Ketchum
from Hutchinson & Co.
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Heavenly Man
by Brother Yun, Paul Hattaway
from Monarch Books
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$16.99 $8.50 (1 in stock)
Heroes of the Holy Life
by Wesley L. Duewel
from Zondervan
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in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
I Dared to Call Him Father
by Bilquis Sheikh & Richard H. Schneider
25th Anniversary from Chosen Books
Biography for Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$15.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
In Search of the Source
by Neil Anderson, Hyatt Moore
from Wycliffe Bible Translators
Missionary Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$8.00 (3 in stock)
John Charles Ryle
by Peter Toon, Michael Smout
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Jonathan and Sarah
by Edna Gerstner
from Soli Deo Gloria
Biography for 9th-Adult
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$10.00 (2 in stock)
Joni Eareckson Tada: Her Story
by Joni Eareckson Tada, Joe Musser, Steve Estes
from Inspirational Press
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Kisses from Katie
by Katie J. Davis
from Howard Books
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$18.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Life and Diary of David Brainerd
by David Brainerd
from Baker Books
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$17.00 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Life and Diary of David Brainerd
by David Brainerd
from Moody Press
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$24.00 (1 in stock)
Living on the Devil's Doorstep
International Adventures
by Floyd McClung
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$14.99 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Livingstone and his African Journeys
by Elspeth Huxley
from Saturday Review Press
for 10th-Adult
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Lords of the Earth
by Don Richardson
Reprint. from Regal Books
for 9th-Adult
in Church History (Location: XCH-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Maria
by Maria von Trapp
from Creation House
for 7th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Marriage to a Difficult Man
by Elisabeth D. Dodds
from Audobon Press
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Minka & Margaret
by Phyllis Thompson
3rd Printing from Hodder & Stoughton
for 9th-Adult
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Missionary Patriarch
by John G. Paton
from Vision Forum
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$16.00 (1 in stock)
My Heart in His Hands
by Sharon L. James
from Evangelical Press
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Narrow Road
by Brother Andrew, Elizabeth Sherrill, Jars of Clay, John Sherrill
from YWAM Publishing
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$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Papua Pilot
by Paul Westlund with Dane Skelton, foreword by Steve Sinant
from Paul Westlund
for Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Pigtail and Chopsticks Man
by Jim Cromarty
2010 Printing from Evangelical Press
for 8th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Rev. William S. White, D. D., and His Times [1800-1873]
by Rev. H. M. White, D. D., editor
from Sprinkle Publications
for Adult
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$9.00 (2 in stock)
Seven Men
by Eric Metaxas
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for 8th-Adult
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Shadow of the Almighty
by Elisabeth Elliot
from HarperCollins
Biography for 10th-Adult
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$16.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Shadow of the Almighty
by Elisabeth Elliot
from Harper & Row
for 10th-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Shorter Life of D. L. Moody
Moody Colportage Library #83
by A. P. Fitt
from Moody Press
for 8th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Skipper of the Sentinel
by May Cole Kuhn
from Review and Herald Publishing Association
for 6th-Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
These are the Generations
by Mr. and Mrs. Bae, as told to the Rev. Eric Foley
from Voice of the Martyrs
for 10th-Adult
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Through Gates of Splendor
by Elisabeth Elliot
40th Anniversary from Tyndale House
Missionary Biography for 8th-Adult
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$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
To Live Again
by Catherine Marshall
from McGraw-Hill
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Tommorow You Die
International Adventures
by Reona Peterson Joly
from YWAM Publishing
for 7th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Torches of Joy
International Adventures
by John Dekker & Lois Neely
from YWAM Publishing
Missionary Biography for 10th-Adult
in International Adventures (Location: BIO-INTADV)
$14.99 $8.00 (2 in stock)
We Died Before We Came Here
from NavPress
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$7.00 (1 in stock)
Wigglesworth
by George Storemont
from Harrison House
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Worlds Apart
by Marilyn Gardner
from Doorlight Publications
for Adult
in Diversity & Multicultural Books (Location: HISMC-MUL)
$11.00 (1 in stock)
Wurmbrand: Tortured for Christ
by Voice of the Martyrs
from David C. Cook
for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.00 (1 in stock)