Historical Models of Christian Missions
by Robert Reese
Foreword by Claudio Divino
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Given that we are in a new era in the World Christian Movement, when Christianity is practically no longer associated with any powerful nation, we can benefit from a survey of all major methods of Christian missions used in the past twenty centuries to see what works best in our time. The best template for current missions is the first three centuries of the spread of our faith.
Robert Reese was born and raised in Zimbabwe, the son of American missionaries. He and his wife, Mari-Etta, served as missionaries in Zimbabwe from 1981 to 2002. He is currently an adjunct professor of intercultural studies at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. He is author of Roots and Remedies of the Dependency Syndrome in World Missions (2010) and of Who Needs a Missionary? (2014).
“Robert Reese’s Historical Models of Christian Missions is a meticulously crafted and informative resource that provides a comprehensive account of the evolution of Christian missions. The book covers the history of Christianity’s spread from its earliest days in the book of Acts to the twentieth century, presenting and analyzing various mission models used. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Christian missions.”
—Omar Palafox, assistant professor of Bible and missions, Abilene Christian University
“This volume provides an engaging and accessible overview of the story of God’s people and how they have joined with God in advancing God’s kingdom purposes throughout history. Suitable as a textbook for undergraduates and for use in small groups or Bible classes for high school and up, this is a story that both challenges and inspires!”
—Allen Diles, professor of church history and missions, Harding University
“To prepare this important new study, Robert Reese worked through extensive source material and distilled a wealth of information that will serve missiology in the here and now and for years to come. As a representative of the third generation from his family to work in southern Africa, Reese is uniquely qualified to identify and analyze these ‘models’ that he culled from church history.”
—Gerald Mattingly, professor of cross-cultural leadership, Johnson University
“What makes Robert Reese’s book on historical models of Christian missions so unique is that Reese was a thread in the tapestry of that history. His grandparents and parents were missionaries to Africa, which means he grew up Zimbabwe. He experienced firsthand a big piece of mission history—how colonialism played out in a country and in missions. Reese is an advocate for cleaning out present-day colonialism that shows up in disguised modern-day forms, so a New Testament style of mission shines forth.”
—Jean Johnson, director, Five Stones Global
“To my knowledge, there was not a single update to the history of missions in the Christian churches over the last half-century—until Robert Reese pulled together this book! He has done us all a huge favor. By garnering and gathering observations and conclusions about the past, he has given us a compass to clarify a way forward to the future. Bravo to Robert Reese for sharpening our focus on the past so we can learn from it!”
—Doug Lucas, president, Team Expansion