Must-Read Biographies
The must-read biographies are well-written and spiritually deep. They include many direct quotations from the subjects of the biographies and firsthand accounts of what God did in their lives and ministries. Start here as you begin to read missionary biographies.
- David Brainerd: David Brainerd: A Flame for God by Vance Christie
- Geoffrey Bull: When Iron Gates Yield by Geoffrey Bull
- William Carey: Faithful Witness: The Life and Mission of William Carey by Timothy George
- Amy Carmichael: A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot
- Stanley Dale: Lords of the Earth: An Incredible but True Story from the Stone-Age Hell of Papua's Jungle by Don Richardson
- Frank and Marie Drown: Mission to the Headhunters: How God's Forgiveness Transformed Tribal Enemies by Frank and Marie Drown
- Jim Elliot: The Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot by Elisabeth Elliot
- Jim Elliot: Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot
- James O. Fraser: Behind the Ranges: Fraser of Lisuland by Mrs. Howard Taylor
- Adoniram Judson: To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson by Courtney Anderson
- Ann Judson: Ann Judson: A Missionary Life for Burma by Sharon James
- Isobel Kuhn: By Searching: My Journey Through Doubt into Faith by Isobel Kuhn
- Eric Liddell: Eric Liddell: Pure Gold by David McCasland
- George Müller: The Autobiography of George Müller by George Müller
- John G. Paton: The Story of John G. Paton: Thirty Years Among South Sea Cannibals by John Paton
- Darlene Deibler Rose: Evidence Not Seen: A Woman's Miraculous Faith in the Jungles of World War II by Darlene Deibler Rose
- John and Betty Stam: The Triumph of John and Betty Stam by Mrs. Howard Taylor
- Hudson Taylor: Hudson Taylor in Early Years: The Growth of a Soul by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor
- Hudson Taylor: Hudson Taylor and the China Inland Mission: The Growth of a Work of God by Dr. and Mrs. Howard Taylor
- Lilias Trotter: A Passion for the Impossible: The Life of Lilias Trotter by Miriam Huffman Rockness
Worth-Reading Biographies
The worth-reading biographies tell amazing stories of God’s work throughout the world. However, they may take a little more effort to read them. Some are more scholarly. Others are older works written in somewhat archaic styles. All provide great encouragement to those who take the time to read them.
- Gladys Aylward: A London Sparrow: The Inspiring and True Story of Gladys Aylward by Phyllis Thompson
- William Borden: Borden of Yale '09: The Life that Counts by Mrs. Howard Taylor
- David Brainerd: The Life and Diary of David Brainerd by Jonathan Edwards
- William Burns: Memoir of William C. Burns, Missionary to China from the English Presbyterian Church by Islay Burns
- William Carey: William Carey by S. Pearce Carey
- Amy Carmichael: Things as They Are: Mission Work in Southern India by Amy Carmichael
- Oswald Chambers: Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest by David McCasland
- Elisabeth Elliot: The Savage, My Kinsman by Elisabeth Elliot
- Jonathan and Rosalind Goforth: Goforth of China by Rosalind Goforth
- Betty Greene: Flying High: The Amazing Story of Betty Greene by Betty Greene and Dietrich Buss
- Anthony Norris Groves: Father of Faith Missions: The Life and Times of Anthony Norris Groves by Robert Bernard Dann
- Ann Judson, Sarah Boardman Judson, and Emily Judson: Lives of the Three Mrs. Judsons: Mrs. Ann H. Judson, Mrs. Sarah B. Judson, Mrs. Emily C. Judson, Missionaries to Burmah by Arabella Stuart
- Jean Dye Johnson: God Planted Five Seeds by Jean Dye Johnson
- John and Isobel Kuhn: Ascent to the Tribes: Pioneering in North Thailand by Isobel Kuhn
- Eric Liddell: For the Glory: The Untold and Inspiring Story of Eric Liddell, Hero of Chariots of Fire by Duncan Hamilton
- David Livingstone: David Livingstone: Missionary, Explorer, Abolitionist by Vance Christie
- Arthur and Wilda Mathews: Green Leaf in Drought-Time: The Story of the Last C.I.M. Missionaries in Communist China by Isobel Kuhn
- Peter Torjesen: We Signed Away Our Lives: How One Family Gave Everything for the Gospel by Kari Torjesen Malcolm
- Henry Martyn: Henry Martyn: Saint and Scholar, First Modern Missionary to the Mohammedans by George Smith
- Henry Martyn: The Life and Letters of the Rev. Henry Martyn by John Sargent
- Robert Murray M'Cheyne: The Life of Robert Murray M'Cheyne by Andrew Bonar
- Steve Metcalf: In Japan the Crickets Cry: How Could Steve Metcalf Forgive the Japanese? by Ronald Clements
- D. L. Moody: D. L. Moody: Moody Without Sankey by John Pollock
- Robert Morrison: Robert Morrison: A Master-Builder by Marshall Broomhall
- George Müller: George Müller: Delighted in God! by Roger Steer
- Harriet Newell: Memoirs of the Life of Mrs. Harriet Newell by Harriet Newell
- Patrick of Ireland: Patrick of Ireland: His Life and Impact by Michael Haykin
- Ernest and Ruth Presswood: No Sacrifice Too Great: The Story of Ernest and Ruth Presswood by Ruth Presswood Hutchins
- Peter Rumachik: A Path Not Lined with Roses by Peter Rumachik, Pavel Rumachik, and Luba Rumachik
- Mary Slessor: Mary Slessor: A Life on the Altar for God by Bruce McLennan
- Peter Slobodian: Giving God the Glory: The Life of Peter Slobodian by Sam Slobodian and Rick Barry
- John and Betty Stam: John and Betty Stam: Missionary Martyrs by Vance Christie
- C. T. Studd and D. E. Hoste: The Cambridge Seven by John Pollock
- Hudson and Maria Taylor: Hudson Taylor and Maria: A Match Made in Heaven by John Pollock
- William Tyndale: William Tyndale: A Biography by David Daniell
- George Whitefield: George Whitefield: God's Anointed Servant in the Great Revival of the Eighteenth Century by Arnold Dallimore
- John Williams: John Williams: The Martyr Missionary of Polynesia by James Ellis
- Bonnie Witherall: Total Abandon: The Powerful True Story of Life Lived in Radical Devotion to God by Gary Witherall