Misiones Bíblicas: The Urgent Need for a Sound Theology of Missions in Ibero-America

In this interview, we asked Sergio about the need for a Spanish version of Biblical

Missions. Sergio provided lucid insights into the needs of the church in the Spanish-

speaking world and how the new Misiones Bíblicas will meet an urgent need in the

churches of Latin America and Spain.

What gap in the church’s understanding of missions today does Biblical Missions set out to fill, and why does that gap matter for the global church right now?

Probably the greatest drawback is that churches seek to do before they know. Congregations in the Spanish-speaking world have a passion for carrying out the Great Commission; however, as a result of that passion, congregations often rush into church planting programs without turning to the Scriptures to learn what principles, priorities, and practices of the Great Commission bring glory to God. A missionary plan that ignores biblical principles, lacks organized priorities, and carries out bad practices can be disastrous for the advancement of the gospel in our language. Biblical Missions aims precisely to meet that need. When a congregation understands the why of the Great Commission, the need to have both a biblical and a doxological perspective, and the importance of doing things in a way that honors God and presents the gospel well, it is on the right path to taking Christian missions to those who have not yet heard the message of salvation. By “putting the house in order,” Biblical Missions teaches churches what should and should not be done when conceiving, structuring, and executing a missionary plan, and all this from a viewpoint that is eminently biblical, evangelistic, and Christ-centered.

There are many books on missions. What makes this volume distinct in its scope, its contributors, and its purpose—and why would you call it a textbook rather than simply another book to read?

Biblical Missions is comprehensive. There are many good books about Christian missions. But some emphasize certain principles while others focus on good missionary practices; there are even those that seek to establish a biblical framework and call out errors made in missions. Biblical Missions does all this and more, covering in three major sections (being produced as three separate volumes in Spanish) everything related to missions, from establishing a biblical evangelical foundation to suggesting various strategies that practically enable missionary work in different contexts.

What specific need among Spanish-speaking churches, pastors, and missionaries led to this translation? What has been missing for them until now?

It is safe to say that there is a widespread lack of knowledge regarding Christian missions. This void is present in the biblical foundation, in what is understood by Christian mission, and in what should be done when a church takes the missionary step. As I mentioned before, there is a strong desire in Spanish-speaking churches to carry out the Great Commission, but that zeal must be accompanied by clear biblical instruction that leaves no room for uncertainties. Misiones Bíblicas aims to provide these tools while time and again encouraging churches to launch into the missionary endeavor.

What were the greatest challenges in carrying this material faithfully into Spanish —theologically, culturally, and linguistically—and how did your team work to preserve both accuracy and clarity?

By the mercy of God, we have had technological tools that allowed us to optimize our resources in favor of a fast and reliable publication. But there have been specific challenges, including maintaining theological precision and generating the indexes. Regarding the first, it has been necessary to pay special attention to the theological details that the various authors have captured so that the reader can understand what is before them while taking ownership of the concepts. Regarding the second, we sought to give the reader access to comprehensive indexes, which has been a herculean task if ever there was one; due to linguistic patters, editorial decisions, and other factors, it has been particularly challenging to create them. But this work has been worth the effort because if a reader wants to look up a specific biblical text or topic, they can simply open the index and turn to the page.

How do you envision this textbook being used in Spanish-speaking contexts: in formal training, in local-church missions programs, in the field?

The novel feature of Misiones Bíblicas is that each volume includes both the glossary of terms and the Study Guide. This means that in a single book, the reader has everything needed to study. Such study can be done in a seminary classroom, in a local church missions study, in personal study, or even if one is already on the mission field. By including these resources, the reader can constantly strengthen their learning. So the only thing needed is a Bible and Biblical Missions. It is a resource that can be used in the classroom, in personal study, or as a nightstand book.

If a church or a missionary takes this book seriously, what would you expect to change in the way they think about and carry out the Great Commission?

There are three aspects that personally made a profound impact on me, and I know they will do the same for those who enjoy reading and studying Misiones Bíblicas. First, a deep conviction regarding what the Great Commission looks like, which includes sorrow for not carrying it out and, at the same time, encouragement to carry it out in a way that pleases God. Second will be the constant reflection on the sovereignty of God regarding the salvation of the lost; yes, the church must make disciples, but salvation belongs to the Lord, especially when the task is done as God has commanded. Third, there will be tremendous clarity on how the Great Commission should be carried out since the reader will understand that in order to do, it is first necessary to know.