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Since it was first published in 1953, the Mission Handbook, under different names, different publishers and in different formats, has been providing thousands of readers with comprehensive information on United States and Canadian-based Protestant mission agencies engaged in overseas missions. The Mission Handbook: U.S. and Canadian Protestant Ministries Overseas, 2007-2009 edition gives complete information on more than eight hundred North American ministries that are changing the world for Jesus Christ. This invaluable resource includes information such as agency name and contact information, purpose statement, areas of ministry, countries of ministry, number of personnel and more.
According to Jonathan Bonk, executive director of the Overseas Ministries Study Center and editor of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research, “No other source comes close to matching the Mission Handbook for comprehensiveness, reliability and usability.”
History of the Mission Handbook
The Mission Handbook first appeared in 1953 with the title Foreign Missionary Agencies in the United States: A Check List. It was compiled and mimeographed by the Missionary Research Library (MRL) in New York. The MRL was founded in 1914 at the initiative of John R. Mott who chaired the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910 and headed its continuation committee. 
In 1968 the publication became a cooperative effort of MRL and the Missions Advanced Research and Communication (MARC) Center, a division of World Vision International near Los Angeles, California, USA. The title was changed to North American Protestant Ministries Overseas Directory. In 1973 the title included “Mission Handbook” as the publication began to include related articles and expanded analyses of the survey data. In 1976 MARC became the sole publisher. The Mission Handbooks of the 1990s contained chapters by MARC director Bryant Myers which provided a global perspective of evangelism and missions using maps, charts, graphs and pictures.
In 2000 the Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS) of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College near Chicago, Illinois, USA, became the publisher of the Mission Handbook.
The 20th Edition of the Mission Handbook
This edition includes not only information on U.S. and Canadian-based mission agencies, it also includes more than fifty pages of in-depth analysis on trends and comparisons in North American missions.
“Global mission efforts are increasingly multifaceted initiatives. The Mission Handbook is the single source that I can go to for quick and thorough access to information for the networking and planning so necessary for mission effectiveness,” says Byron Klaus, president of Assemblies of God Theological Seminary in Springfield, Missouri, USA.
Steve Moore, president and CEO of the Evangelical Fellowship of Mission Agencies, adds, “The Mission Handbook provides a unique combination of accessible and comprehensive information concerning the North American mission effort. It is a must for every mission leader, educator or researcher.”
For more information or to order, visit www.missionhandbook.com.