Ebook
No Solitary Effort describes how members of the China Inland Mission engaged the tribes of Southwest China as part of their comprehensive plan to evangelize all of China from 1865 to 1951. That endeavor required the combined lifelong efforts of numerous missionaries, spanned several generations, and was invariably affected by events and decisions that occurred thousands of miles from where the actual ministry was taking place. The task was incomplete when the missionaries were forced to leave, but the foundations for the Church which were laid have stood. This book addresses the great challenges to cooperation that faced the missionaries. It also reveals the rich rewards that were obtained by the united efforts of committed Christians who had no timetable for withdrawal, but only an unwavering commitment to work together until the task was accomplished.
This book weaves together stories of successes and failures, struggles and triumphs of the China Inland Mission. The work among the tribal peoples and in particular the Miao and Lisu has been carefully researched. Two other key areas are explored in this book. Firstly, how modernity challenged the work and how the China Inland Mission responded to such challenges. Secondly, the issue of indigenous principle, or indigenization is explored. There is much food for thought in this book for those who are grappling with critical issues in modern day missions. Rev. Dr. Patrick Fung, general director, OMF International
”No Solitary Effort” deserves a wider audience than just Christians interested in unreached people groups in China or SEAsia today. Suburban pastors engaged in global missions, short-term workers, Christians from tribal backgrounds, and others can all benefit. Christians today who partner with Majority World believers can see how a large mission organization like China Inland Mission/OMF needed to adapt from pioneer evangelism and leadership training to true partnerships between Western, Chinese, and tribal believers. Julian D. Linnell, PhD,executive director, Anglican Frontier Missions
With his God-given ability to tell a story well in conjunction with his scholarly interest and knowledge of history, Neel Roberts has produced a piece of writing that is well worth reading for anybody interested in cross-cultural mission, involved in missions, or responsible for anything that has to do with the mission enterprise. Sam Wunderlifield, director, OMF Mekong