The Mission-Centered Life: Following Jesus into the Broken Places, Study Guide

The Mission-Centered Life is a thoughtful and practical guide that invites believers to embrace missional living with humility, courage, and confidence in God’s grace.

Bethany Ferguson draws on fifteen years of missionary experience to explore why service and evangelism matter—and how God equips ordinary people to make a meaningful impact in places of deep need. Rather than focusing on adventure, challenge, or measurable outcomes, Ferguson highlights how weakness, dependence, and humility form the true foundation of mission work. Through Scripture study, honest reflection, and personal stories, she helps readers see missions not as a distant calling but as a faithful response to the heart of Jesus.

Designed for personal reading or small group use, the book blends rich theological insight with practical questions, guided application, and real-life narratives. Readers learn what to do when they fail, how to maintain hope in broken places, and why God’s grace is essential for lasting ministry. Ferguson offers a compelling vision of mission that values mutual learning, shared humanity, and the transformative work of Christ in the world and in our own hearts.

• The book offers a refreshing, Christ-centered approach to missions rooted in humility, grace, and genuine relationship.
• Readers receive practical guidance and biblical encouragement for serving in broken places with honesty and hope.
• It invites believers to trust God’s missional purposes, grow through weakness, and follow Jesus into meaningful engagement with the world.

Bethany Ferguson, MA, has spent most of the last fifteen years serving with Serge in Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya. Her cross-cultural work focuses on promoting education and mental health care for children and adolescents in under-resourced areas. She is currently pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California.