Missionary Methods: St Paul's or Ours? By Roland Allen First published in 1912, this authoritative work comparing 20th Century missionary methods with those of St Paul, remains highly relevant to present day missionary work. ISBN-13: 9780718891688 Specifications: 216x140mm, 188pp, Paperback Price: £15.00 • US$32.50 Publication: August 2006 Order this Title Now

About this Book

Within a decade, St. Paul established the Church in the four provinces of Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia. This informative study focuses on the social background to the Apostle's missionary journeys with comparisons between his methods and those of the modern day.

The book divides into five parts; the first examines the social and religious world which the Apostle inhabited in AD 50; the second addresses how St. Paul presented the Christian Gospel and his financial policy of self-support for the new churches. Here, contrasts are made between St. Paul's financial and missionary principles, which differ alarmingly from those of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The rapidity of the Apostle's appointment of responsible church leaders is sharply contrasted with the slowness of the present in the third part. Part four deals with St. Paul's procedures for authority in churches, where those of the present day fail to address the conscience of the local church. Conclusions are provided in part five and the clarity and vigour of Allen's style ensures the reader's interest is maintained to the end.

"Many missionaries in later days have received a larger number of converts than St. Paul; [...] but none have so established churches. We have long forgotten that such things could be."
Extract from Chapter One

About the Author

Roland Allen trained for the ministry at Oxford and became a priest in 1893. As a missionary in North China, he worked for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and also in collaboration with the founders of World Dominion. His experiences in China prompted him to radically re-assess the theology and missionary methods of the Western churches. He retired to Africa, where he died in Kenya in 1947.

His published works enjoyed immense success during his lifetime, and are still highly influential today.

Other titles available by Roland Allen:
The Ministry of the Spirit: Selected Writings of Roland Allen
Missionary Principles
Reform of the Ministry: A Study in the Work of Roland Allen
The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church