No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions
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- Create Date：2022-04-11 06:51:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Matt Rhodes
- ISBN：1433577755
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Summary
"A practical discussion of methods for Christian missionaries， recommending a return to traditional methods"--
Reviews
K R Garcia
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Matt critiques current popular evangelical missionary movements。 He offers his perspective of current methods based on his experience as a missionary-in-residence in Africa。The first part of Matt’s book is focused on critique of common missionary strategies。 Matt offers an overview and gentle critique of current popular church-planting trends。 He primarily laments how current popular methods chase speed and numbers and frequently make claims that are difficult to verify， in pursuit of unsustaina Matt critiques current popular evangelical missionary movements。 He offers his perspective of current methods based on his experience as a missionary-in-residence in Africa。The first part of Matt’s book is focused on critique of common missionary strategies。 Matt offers an overview and gentle critique of current popular church-planting trends。 He primarily laments how current popular methods chase speed and numbers and frequently make claims that are difficult to verify， in pursuit of unsustainable growth。 Matt tried to verify success claims made about geographies in which he has experience， but one can’t prove a negative; the burden of proof lies with those making the claims of success。 His experience on the ground in Africa has led him to believe that some methods’ success claims may be based in hope and good intentions rather than grounded in reality and that such methods fail to bring up mature believers。 The second half of the book focuses on his ideas for rectifying current methods。 Matt does not claim to offer another one-size-fits-all solution。 Matt primarily makes the case that evangelical missionaries should professionalize their role with intellectual preparation， including language fluency， theological training， and cultural awareness。 Matt offers his experience to describe how these fundamentals are necessary to communicate deep messages with nuance， clearly and credibly。 Such theological knowledge and language fluency is necessary to train and disciple new believers in order to build Christian communities that are mature and （eventually） self-sustaining。 The only way to do this， he argues， is to allocate proper time for preparedness， which requires slow and diligent human effort （hence， no shortcuts）。 He aims to give missionaries space to ask critical questions about popular methods and their results， in order to make room for other methods that are faithful and fruitful。While the message is bound to irritate those who are very invested heavily in promoting current popular methods and quick successes， Matt’s critiques are offered in a balanced and gentle manner; he acknowledges their common belief in the Holy Spirit’s power to spread the gospel message and he describes some of the positive elements he sees is the movements while describing their limitations。 Matt also offers his viewpoint on the nature of prayer and the supernatural， including the nature of spiritual warfare。 One does not need to agree on all of Matt’s spiritual viewpoints in order to learn from his field observations about current popular mission strategies; such differences in viewpoint （common among believers） do not invalidate his thesis。The book is highly researched。 Nearly every page contains numerous footnotes from authoritative primary sources that one could pursue for further reading， in addition to frequently quoted scriptural passages。 Matt demonstrates his in-depth knowledge of the subject matter while incorporating his own experience in the field。 The book is well organized， ideas flow well and are cohesive， and information is easy to absorb。In sum， I would highly recommend this book for current and prospective overseas missionaries and supporters thereof。 。。。more
Devon Bowman
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A very good book on the need to disabuse ourselves of a quick fix idea of missions。 I think that much of this books focus is well needed and important。 We must understand the need for well trained and committed missionaries who are willing to think in terms of decades of devotion not simply months or weeks。 I certainly see where Rhodes is coming from in his experience。 He also looks heavily at the more “practical” ways in which God works in church planting cross culturally and in missions genera A very good book on the need to disabuse ourselves of a quick fix idea of missions。 I think that much of this books focus is well needed and important。 We must understand the need for well trained and committed missionaries who are willing to think in terms of decades of devotion not simply months or weeks。 I certainly see where Rhodes is coming from in his experience。 He also looks heavily at the more “practical” ways in which God works in church planting cross culturally and in missions generally。 I think this is an important emphasis but one I feel at times he was a bit heavy handed。 I understand it’s hard to have a lot of nuance in a 250 page book but it is a danger anytime you are writing a book of this nature to not be even every time。 Overall I think this book is necessary and one that any missions lover should read seriously。 。。。more
Spencer Berry
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You should read this book。 While the author focuses heavily on church planting， a lot of his argumentation applies to missions as a whole。 I enjoyed the reoccurring theme of seeing how an extraordinary God chooses to work through the limited and ordinary efforts of people。 We can be quick to attribute fruit in ministry to our methods instead of acknowledging and surrendering the fruit to the work of the omnipotent God that chooses to work through our efforts。 This book heavily focuses on Church You should read this book。 While the author focuses heavily on church planting， a lot of his argumentation applies to missions as a whole。 I enjoyed the reoccurring theme of seeing how an extraordinary God chooses to work through the limited and ordinary efforts of people。 We can be quick to attribute fruit in ministry to our methods instead of acknowledging and surrendering the fruit to the work of the omnipotent God that chooses to work through our efforts。 This book heavily focuses on Church Planting Movements （CPM） and Disciple Making Movements （DMM）。 The author challenges the methodology of “high rates of multiplication at all costs” that is put forth by CPM and DMM as unprofessional and unwise。 This methodology offers high numbers of “churches” and high numbers of new believers（？）， but it’s at the cost of placing immature believers in leadership positions and discouraging missionaries to learn the language and culture because it can inhibit the growth of the multiplication。 Instead， Rhodes offers a less glamorous approach of missions。 He challenges people considering the mission field to be “professional。” He makes a lot of comparisons of being Christ’s ambassadors to being the ambassador of a nation going to to a foreign nation， and the expectations of the ambassador to have proficient understanding of the foreign nation’s language and culture to be able to properly represent his own nation。 Alongside highlighting the importance time consuming language and culture acquisition at the cost of quick results， Rhodes writes on a number of topics like the importance of discipleship， proper signs of church maturity， how to properly equip and send missionaries， the overspiritualization of calling， and the purpose of short term mission trips， to name some。 Rhodes doesn’t argue for any crazy new methodology that we’ve never seen before。 His argumentation is full of scripture， and he looks at the ministries of older missionaries like Hudson Taylor or Adoniram Judson to see what we as missionaries today can glean from their work。 If you are in the missions field or are directly supporting missions， you should read this book。 5/5 。。。more
Bennett Cox
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Missions is too important to get wrong。 Read this。
David Steele
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The mandate to proclaim the gospel to the nations is clearly set forth in Scripture。 A plethora of mission boards and organizations have been launched in an effort to obey the Great Commission。 Matt Rhodes’ book， No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions provides an excellent overview of world missions， including critiques of some prevailing strategies。 But the greater thrust of the book is to provide a path forward that will enable missionaries to faithfully execute their charge t The mandate to proclaim the gospel to the nations is clearly set forth in Scripture。 A plethora of mission boards and organizations have been launched in an effort to obey the Great Commission。 Matt Rhodes’ book， No Shortcut to Success: A Manifesto for Modern Missions provides an excellent overview of world missions， including critiques of some prevailing strategies。 But the greater thrust of the book is to provide a path forward that will enable missionaries to faithfully execute their charge to carry out the Great Commission。The two organizations that are under the microscope in Rhodes’ book are Disciple Making Movement （DMM） and Church Planting Movement （CPM）。 The author provides a thorough evaluation of these organizations， citing both strengths and weaknesses。 Readers unfamiliar with these movements will be encouraged to see how the gospel has progressed but will receive a fair warning about some of the questionable strategies that are being employed on the field。The overall thrust of the book is positive and reminds readers that missions take much time， effort， prayer， discipline， strategy， education， and persistence。I received this book free from the publisher。 I was not required to write a positive review。 。。。more
Paul
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Is this the first 9Marks book that argues for more， not less， pragmatism？ Either way， it's easily one of the most important books in their series。 Another subtitle for the book could be， "Missionary Brothers， We Should Not Be Amateurs。"Rhodes argues persuasively that the old well-trodden path of "traditional" missionaries， involving years of working on language acquisition and years of theological training， is the remedy that modern missions strategy woefully lack。 Any plan short of that is "an Is this the first 9Marks book that argues for more， not less， pragmatism？ Either way， it's easily one of the most important books in their series。 Another subtitle for the book could be， "Missionary Brothers， We Should Not Be Amateurs。"Rhodes argues persuasively that the old well-trodden path of "traditional" missionaries， involving years of working on language acquisition and years of theological training， is the remedy that modern missions strategy woefully lack。 Any plan short of that is "an irresponsible and unprofessional approach to missions。" The Holy Spirit uses human means， like language study and communication， to accomplish his work。 。。。more
Cory McArtor
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This book is a well （and humbly） written critique of some current trends in overseas ministry。 I would highly recommend it for anyone considering overseas work， or who is involved in training and sending workers overseas。
Conrade Yap
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In a quick-fix society， people want fast results and easy solutions。 If there are short-cuts， take it。 If not， make one。 This has unfortunately impacted the philosophy of Christian missions。 Thinking that modern methods could spark a quick and easy approach toward missions， many people are looking for ways to bypass traditional approaches by adopting quick-fixes and practices。 This has appeared in various forms that seem logical at a superficial level but lack foundations。 Author Matt Rhodes giv In a quick-fix society， people want fast results and easy solutions。 If there are short-cuts， take it。 If not， make one。 This has unfortunately impacted the philosophy of Christian missions。 Thinking that modern methods could spark a quick and easy approach toward missions， many people are looking for ways to bypass traditional approaches by adopting quick-fixes and practices。 This has appeared in various forms that seem logical at a superficial level but lack foundations。 Author Matt Rhodes gives a critical analysis on the popular shortcuts being adopted in many modern approaches to missions。 Some feel that professionalism is to be avoided in favor of relational skills。 Others prefer speed or silver bullet strategies。 Still there are some who are skeptical of anything too "intellectual" or "academic。" The temptations are real。 Just hearing about "amazing successes" from anecdotal sources might scupper any attempts to be trained in the traditional ways。 Such sources tempt planners with numbers like some success story。 Rhodes critiques the Church Planting Movements for their overemphasis on rapid growth instead of biblical shepherding。 He questions the notion of a DNA for rapid growth， saying that they prioritize sociology over theology。 In a nutshell， such approaches tend to be based on management over biblical principles; numbers over patience; results over means; and human expectations over spiritual movements。 In a nutshell， the author shows us that there is no shortcut when it comes to doing God's work in missions。 There is no substitute for competence， diligence， and conscientious equipping work。 Going back to the Bible， Rhodes show us a better and more biblical approach。 A missionary is an ambassador for Christ。 That means to establish "Christ-centered churches" that are mature and will multiply in an enduring way。 It means to clearly communicate the gospel just like the disciples in the New Testament， clearly， credibly， and boldly。 He supplies several milestones in the ministry of missions。 Milestones that connect missionaries with their churches in prayer， in dialogue， and in ongoing support。 That also includes adequate training and equipping in Bible， practical skills， language， worldviews， communication skills， etc。 That is discipleship and spiritual growth for missions。 While the work might seem mundane and dependent on training the human person， that does not mean the Holy Spirit is absent from such endeavors。 It does not mean the supernatural is absent。 My Thoughts==============This is a needed pushback against the many expectations of a "fast-food" mentality in our world， even among churches keen to see a return on their investment。 There is no substitute for plain hard work and biblical training。 Moments of miraculous intervention do not just occur according to our expectations。 They occur when we are faithfully working out the will of God and exercising the gifts we have been given。 Christians should not over-amplify the work of the Spirit just to downplay the importance of theological training and missionary equipping。 Just like doctors who need to go to medical school before they are qualified， missionaries too need to go through the training schools in order to be ready for the mission field。 There are cases of miraculous equipping of individuals that led to numerous conversions， but those are the exceptions rather than the norm。 The thinking believer should not depend on anecdotal evidence to form a whole new doctrine of missions。 For that matter， just because one has memorized John 3:16 does not mean one ignores the 66 books of the Bible！ Simplicity is good but not simplistic thinking。 Desiring success is fair but not at the expense of biblical criteria。 Wanting quick results must not supersede our dependence on the Holy Spirit。 Remember how Jesus told the disciples in Acts 1:8 to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit？Rhodes has reset our modern expectations in an engaging and readable way。 By pointing out the dangers of over dependence on modern methods and rapid expectations， he shows us the relevance of William Carey's wise words to attempt great things for God and to expect great things from God。 The expecting should not cloud our understanding of the attempting。 God will work in ways we least expect。 While we wait， let us wait actively but being faithful in equipping ourselves to share the gospel， both in our local as well as foreign contexts。 Short-cuts are nice to have。 However， they are more the exceptions rather than the norm。Matt Rhodes grew up in San Diego， California， and has lived in North Africa since 2011。 He and his wife， Kim， serve as part of a church-planting team to a previously unengaged people group。Mark Dever （PhD， Cambridge University） is the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington， DC， and president of 9Marks （9Marks。org）。 Dever has authored over a dozen books and speaks at conferences nationwide。 He lives in Washington， DC， with his wife， Connie， and they have two adult children。Rating: 4。5 stars of 5。conradeThis book has been provided courtesy of Crossway Publishers and NetGalley without requiring a positive review。 All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied。 。。。more
Adam Watkins
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“Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God！” -William Carey。 Both sides of the argument presented in this book accuse each other of separating those “twin exhortations。” Rhodes argues well against rapid multiplication movements while reminding us that those exhortations from Carey cannot be separated， and he lays out what that looks like practically。 There is much to learn here。 “Let us plod ahead， relying on the Lord。”Some prior knowledge of CPM etc。 before reading this book wo “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God！” -William Carey。 Both sides of the argument presented in this book accuse each other of separating those “twin exhortations。” Rhodes argues well against rapid multiplication movements while reminding us that those exhortations from Carey cannot be separated， and he lays out what that looks like practically。 There is much to learn here。 “Let us plod ahead， relying on the Lord。”Some prior knowledge of CPM etc。 before reading this book would be helpful。 。。。more
Hannah Roberts
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This book is excellent。 The author humbly argues against common rapid multiplication methods while showing us the joy in being faithful in the ordinary means of how God typically works。 Language learning， cultural acquisition， and years of service just cannot be replaced by “get rich fast” methods， or not even living amongst the people。 Every overseas worker should read this！
Michael DeBusk
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No Shortcut to Success offers up a sane， comprehensive vision for the missionary task that relies on Spirit-empowered， faithfully plodding， ordinary humans using ordinary means to make disciples and plant churches and rejects the modern missiological equivalents of get-rich-quick schemes。 Rhodes advocates for going deep in language and culture， direct involvement with nationals， prolonged commitment to an assignment， discipleship using the whole counsel of Scripture， literacy advocacy， and more。 No Shortcut to Success offers up a sane， comprehensive vision for the missionary task that relies on Spirit-empowered， faithfully plodding， ordinary humans using ordinary means to make disciples and plant churches and rejects the modern missiological equivalents of get-rich-quick schemes。 Rhodes advocates for going deep in language and culture， direct involvement with nationals， prolonged commitment to an assignment， discipleship using the whole counsel of Scripture， literacy advocacy， and more。 His corrective is much-needed in the missions world and I found myself nodding in agreement with nearly all of Rhodes’ observations and arguments。 In fact， I wish I had written this book！And yet reading this book was no mere exercise in confirmation bias。 Several points challenged my own missiological assumptions， spurring me to pursue greater faithfulness in the task， and I learned some things as well （I had never made the connection between the glory Paul mentions in 2 Cor 4:17 and the work of the Spirit in the lives of the Corinthians， for example）。 And while I affirm nearly all of Rhodes’ larger arguments， a few of his emphases left me scratching my head。 For example， his insistence using the word “professional” struck me as a strange hill on which to die。 To be sure， Rhodes seeks to mitigate the negative connotations of that word for missions and ministry （See John Piper’s Brothers We Are Not Professionals）。 But using the word prejudices his argument from the outset， not only with the movement methodology advocates he critiques （who will probably reject most of his arguments anyway）， but also with those being influenced by movement advocates （who might otherwise be more receptive to his correctives）。 Movement advocates need only say with a roll of the eyes， “Oh， you mean ‘professionals’ like the fisherman Peter and John？？” in order to shut down the discussion。 Any discussion the book generates among movement advocates will likely focus on contrasting Rhodes’ “professional” approach with an “every member ministry” approach that releases the priesthood of all believers to go and make disciples， thus easily dismissing the other important things Rhodes has to say。 Why not opt for a word like “skillful” or “competent” instead？Similarly， the extent to which Rhodes， in a penultimate chapter on the role of the Spirit in missions， seeks to correct discourse on prayer and fasting in missions circles could leave the reader （wrongly） feeling that Rhodes believes prayer is altogether unimportant。 The cause for such a misunderstanding would be a rhetorical approach Rhodes continually uses of initially stating his arguments boldly and with little nuance in order for them to land with force。 Finally， some of the terms Rhodes uses—chief among these being “national partner”—would benefit from expanded definition and clarity。 But now I’m on the verge of over-correcting myself。This really is a great book （4。5 stars for the weaknesses mentioned， rounded up）！ While I wish I had written it， I’m grateful it is written and I hope it finds a wide audience。 It will definitely be my go-to resource to commend to prospective missionaries。I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher without an expectation I write a favorable review。 。。。more
David
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I couldn’t wait for this book。 I have encountered a lot of the CPM/DMM issues firsthand。 This book did a great job at fairly and charitably explaining these “movements” and pointing out their strengths and weakness and doing so kindly。 I agree with the author that what is ultimately strong about these movements is not unique or new。 However， the author lost me during the second part of the book where he lays out a better path forward。 While I agree with his path and resonate with it， I found him I couldn’t wait for this book。 I have encountered a lot of the CPM/DMM issues firsthand。 This book did a great job at fairly and charitably explaining these “movements” and pointing out their strengths and weakness and doing so kindly。 I agree with the author that what is ultimately strong about these movements is not unique or new。 However， the author lost me during the second part of the book where he lays out a better path forward。 While I agree with his path and resonate with it， I found him to be unbalanced， use poor counter-arguments and sources， knit pick parts of stories （especially concerning Nabeel Qureshi） and make poor points about ambassadors in chapter 4 （he did circle back on this in latter chapters）， misapply Jesus teaching on prayer， poorly discuss spiritual warfare， and make unbalanced comments about engaging Muslims。 Although his points were not necessarily wrong， his overemphasis and examples， took away from them。 In fact， he often made a strong assertion （leaving you saying “what？“） and then he would further explain， making the claim not so extreme （for example “the sky is blue and there are no other colors！” And then he would say， “well actually…。”） this was annoying。 I appreciate that he is ultimately writing a response to the rapid church movements among specific groups of unreached peoples， and I tried to keep it at the front of my mind （he is writing in a narrow window）。 But there are several things （in my notes on my phone that I list in detail） that I thought were a stretch。 However， still， part two has so much to commend and I learned a lot。 Perhaps if he was more balanced this would be a five-star book。 Nevertheless， I am thankful for this book and commend to those in missions or those sending/supporting missionaries。 。。。more
Heather Persing
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No Shortcut to Success looks at the church’s current strategies for missions in “closed” and hard to reach places。 I appreciated the author’s humble posture towards those he disagrees with—acknowledging their desire to spread the gospel while still questioning their methods。 While I have some different views than the author， he makes a compelling case based on Scripture。 （Probably the area most lacking—in my opinion—was his section on prayer。 He seems to leave behind some of the logic of his boo No Shortcut to Success looks at the church’s current strategies for missions in “closed” and hard to reach places。 I appreciated the author’s humble posture towards those he disagrees with—acknowledging their desire to spread the gospel while still questioning their methods。 While I have some different views than the author， he makes a compelling case based on Scripture。 （Probably the area most lacking—in my opinion—was his section on prayer。 He seems to leave behind some of the logic of his book when he talks about prayer。）I think Andy Johnson （who is quoted in the book） sums up the heart of No Shortcut to Success well: “Far too many of our books， articles， trainings， and conversations seem to operate at the level of ‘what works’ rather than ‘what is most faithful to Scripture。’” Overall I would recommend this book to anyone interested in missions or involved in sending others to the mission field。 **I received this book from Crossway Publishers through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。** 。。。more
C。J。 Moore
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