Missionary Motivations: Challenges from the Early Church
Ebook
Radical Pursuit of a Christlike Life among the Nations
Beginning as an obscure sect in a backwater province of the Roman Empire, the Christian faith radiated out in all directions. What drove this expansion? Where some might think the motivations would be the Great Commission or expressions of concern for non-Christians, which are common today, the early church’s mission was profoundly Christocentric. The focus was exalting the reign of Christ and the pursuit of holiness. Just as the prophets had foretold, the Messianic king had come, and now, reigning at the Father’s right hand, he was drawing all nations to himself.
Missionary Motivations is the story of early Christianity’s startling expansion. From monks to pilgrims to prisoners, early Christian missionaries filled the earth with their message through the humblest of means, all for the glory of Christ the King. Matthew Burden provides missiological insights by helping the reader rediscover the early church's vision for global mission, which stands alongside, supports, and informs the contemporary models.
This book presents a deep look into the mindset that drove missional activity in the early church and explores original themes to inspire and inform the next generation of the church's missional thinkers.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Shape of Early Christian Mission
Chapter 2: Miracles & Martyrdoms: Expansion within the Roman Empire
Chapter 3: Empires and Trade Routes: Expansion to the East
Chapter 4: The Call of the Desert: Expansion to the South
Chapter 5: Barbarian Gospel: Expansion in Central Europe
Chapter 6: The Distant Islands Shall Rejoice: Expansion in Northern Europe
Chapter 7: The Mission of the Kingdom: Communal Aspects of Missionary Motivation
Chapter 8: Emissaries of the King: Individual Aspects of Missionary Motivation
Chapter 9: Mission in the Spirit of Early Christianity
Bibliography
Index
Matt Burden not only does a great job walking us through the history of missionary work found in the Church Fathers, but he also nicely connects the history to our present need to be a missional people. This book is not only theologically sound and informative but allows the current missionary-minded Christian to connect to the past efforts of the men and women who transformed the world by living the present Kingdom of Christ in their daily lives. I highly recommend this book to every Christian who takes the command to preach the Gospel always seriously.
Father Dominick D. Hankle, PhD
Professor of Psychology, Regent University
Every lasting enterprise needs a profound "why." This includes God’s global mission enterprise throughout the millennia, as well as your and my very personal mission enterprise during our lifespan. Matt Burden has done us all the service of identifying the Why of the early Church - her missionary motivations. Yes, missionary motivations in the plural, because they were much more diverse than those commonly referred to today in Evangelicalism, which are usually the Great Commission, love for the lost, and the glory of God. Matt has done meticulous work and he presents it with ease of access and great clarity. Whether you benefit from deepening your own motivation for your personal involvement in missions or desire to deepen the motivation of those you lead or those you want to mobilize – you will find Matt’s volume a gold mine.
Dr. Emanuel Prinz
Mission researcher, author of Movement Catalysts
Here is a serious and revealing look at the history and theology of the early centuries of Christian expansion that can powerfully impact and shape the church’s mission today. My four decades of local congregation, frontline missions, and classroom experience convince me that we must dig deeper in our study of the past. Burden is scholarly yet efficient and very approachable in his writing, and clearly summarizes and applies what he discovers. Church leaders, students, and missionaries in preparation must grab and devour this book. If I were back in the classroom, it would be required reading and a platform for healthy and prayerful discussion. What a wonderful addition to some of the great writers and thinkers in mission history, theology, and practice! I am so thankful for its potential with the Spirit’s backing to motivate the church live out the reign of Christ today.
Paul W. Shea, DMiss
Emeritus Professor, Missions and Intercultural Studies, Houghton University
Missionary in Sierra Leone, W. Africa with Wesleyan Global Partners
I recently discussed with an experienced Japanese missionary possible reasons why the church has failed to impact this society. It prepared me to read this book. I found it to be an enjoyable, stimulating, refreshing, and instructive read. It is scholarly but would appeal to many pastors and lay people.
It is a must-read contribution to the debate about why the church is failing to impact many societies in today's world. Matt examines some of the possible, diverse reasons for the early amazing, expansion of the early church into Europe, India, Asia, and China. At the same time it reflects upon how the contemporary church might employ them sensitively and contextually.
Rev. Roger Tucker, PhD
Emeritus Minister, United Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa
Research Fellow, Department of Practical Theology, University of the Free State
Rarely do I begin making a list of people to whom I’d recommend a book … before I’ve even finished reading the first chapter. But such was the case with Matthew Burden’s Missionary Motivations, a fascinating study of mission motivation in the early church. Where some authors might scratch the surface or succumb to guesswork when the historical data is sometimes sparse, Burden digs out the gold. His discoveries, the found wisdom, and his own insights offer a valuable study that is theologically and practically applicable today. The book’s rich insights from ancient church history can help forge the missional identity of the future. Matthew Burden has made a sizable and very readable contribution to historical mission studies. Missionary Motivations offers a grand challenge to those willing to reflect on the past and act with intentionality in today’s church and mission contexts.
Susan Van Wynen, PhD
Strategy Consultant and Leadership Team Member, Wycliffe Global Alliance
- Title: Missionary Motivations: Challenges from the Early Church
- Author: Matthew Burden
- Publisher: William Carey Publishing
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781645084778, 9781645084754, 1645084752, 1645084779
- Resource ID: LLS:9781645084778
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-06-11T00:52:00Z