Global Christianity: The History of World Missions and the Expansion of the Church

Introduction

The history of Christian missions is the story of the most remarkable expansion of any religion in human history. From its origins in first-century Palestine, Christianity has spread to every continent and culture, becoming the world's largest religion with over 2.4 billion adherents. This expansion has not been uniform or unambiguous: it has been accompanied by both extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice and service and by the complicity of the church in colonialism, cultural imperialism, and the suppression of indigenous cultures.

The modern missionary movement, which began in the late eighteenth century with William Carey's mission to India, transformed the global landscape of Christianity. The nineteenth century saw an explosion of missionary activity from Europe and North America, with thousands of missionaries going to Africa, Asia, and the Pacific. The twentieth century witnessed the dramatic shift of Christianity's center of gravity from the Global North to the Global South, with the majority of the world's Christians now living in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Biblical Foundation

The Great Commission

The theological foundation of Christian mission is the Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). This command, given by the risen Christ to his disciples, has been the driving force of Christian mission throughout history. Its scope—"all nations"—establishes the universal horizon of Christian mission, while its content—making disciples, baptizing, and teaching—defines the nature of missionary activity.

The Missio Dei

Contemporary missiology has developed the concept of missio Dei (the mission of God) to ground Christian mission in the nature and purposes of God rather than in human initiative. God is a missionary God who sends the Son into the world (John 3:16-17), who sends the Spirit to empower the church's witness (Acts 1:8), and who is working through history to bring all things under the lordship of Christ (Ephesians 1:10). The church's mission is participation in God's own mission, not a human program that God endorses.

Theological Analysis

The Modern Missionary Movement

William Carey's An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens (1792) launched the modern missionary movement by arguing that the Great Commission is binding on all Christians in every age, not merely on the apostles. Carey's mission to India, which began in 1793, established the pattern for the modern missionary enterprise: learning the local language, translating the Bible, establishing schools and hospitals, and planting indigenous churches.

The nineteenth century's missionary expansion was accompanied by significant theological debates about the relationship between the gospel and culture, the role of indigenous leadership, and the relationship between evangelism and social action. These debates, which continue to shape contemporary missiology, reflect the complexity of the missionary enterprise and the difficulty of distinguishing between the gospel and the cultural forms in which it is expressed.

The Shift to the Global South

The most significant development in twentieth-century Christianity has been the dramatic shift of the church's center of gravity from the Global North to the Global South. Philip Jenkins's The Next Christendom (2002) documented this shift, arguing that the future of Christianity lies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, where the church is growing rapidly and where Christianity is being expressed in new and vital forms. This shift has profound implications for the theology, worship, and mission of the global church.

Conclusion

The history of Christian missions is a complex and contested story that includes both extraordinary acts of faith and service and significant failures of cultural sensitivity and political complicity. Understanding this history is essential for contemporary Christians who seek to participate faithfully in God's mission to the world.

For ministry professionals, the history of world missions provides resources for understanding the global dimensions of the church's calling and for engaging in cross-cultural ministry with both theological depth and cultural sensitivity. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important and complex history.

Implications for Ministry and Credentialing

The history of world missions provides resources for understanding the global dimensions of the church's calling and for engaging in cross-cultural ministry. For credentialing in church history and missiology, Abide University offers programs that engage this important history.

For ministry professionals seeking to formalize their expertise, the Abide University Retroactive Assessment Program offers a pathway to academic credentialing that recognizes prior learning and pastoral experience.