History of Christian Mission

From its very beginning, the Christian church has been a missionary movement. As the church encountered different cultures and peoples, missionaries adapted their methods and practices to suit the context. Thus a historical understanding of Christian mission is an essential aspect of the missionary work of the church.

Candidates for ordination should be able to demonstrate competency in the following areas with respect to the History of Christian Mission:

1. Evangelism and Mission in the Early Church
2. Missionary connection with Monasticism
3. Modern Missionary Movements

Recommended Reading

Green, Michael, Evangelism in the Early Church (Eerdmans,2004).

Smither, Edward L. Mission in the Early Church: Themes and Reflections (Cascade Books, 2014).

Goheen, Michael W., Introducing Christian Mission Today: Scripture, History, and Issues (IVP Academic, 2014).

Resources for Further Study

Peters, Greg, The Story of Monasticism: Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality (Baker Academic, 2015).

Smither, Edward L., Missionary Monks (Cascade Books, 2016)