Lesson #6 -- The History of World Missions

Watch the following two video clips that show how the gospel spread across the planet in the first 2,000 years after Christ. (The dates on the video are "CE" -- which means "Common Era." It is another way of saying "AD" -- which means "Year of the Lord."). It's a fun way to see how things changed over the years.



Then I want you to read the three chapters in the textbook which cover the history of missions (pp 85-146 in the print edition, Kindle locations 2200-3747). I realize that this is A LOT of reading. And it may take some students two or three weeks to get through it all. Just pace yourself. Set goals to read a certain amount each day and you'll get through it.

As you read, write some notes to refer to as you complete this assignment. Your assignment is to choose the three most important mission moments from history -- one from each chapter. Write a 500-word description of that moment and explain why you think it is significant for our understanding of missions. So, you will have a total of three moments and 1,500 words of descriptive material. Use insights from the reading to explain why you think a particular moment is significant. For example:

MISSION MOMENT #1 -- THE MORAVIAN PENTECOST
On August 13, 1727, the Moravian refugees living on the estate of Count Zinzendorf, experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. They experienced a renewed sense of God's love, which led to unity in their midst and a passion to "reach souls for the Lamb" around the world. This was the launch of the modern missionary movement among Protestants. (Moreau, et all, p 117) Later on, some missionaries directly influenced by the Moravains were on their way to evangelize China when they stopped in Micronesia and began to evangelize there. Some of the people who met Christ through these missionaries, along with some later missionaries from the same group, started PIU, where I am studying.

 

Of course, each of your "mission moments" will be longer (500 words each) than my example. I was just trying to give you a little picture. A "mission moment" can be a single event or series of events.

This assignment is worth 195 points. So it is a big one. Reach out to me if you have any questions. Send me the assignment embedded in an email (no attachments) or share it with me as an editable Google Doc. My email address is: bboydston@piu.edu.

Future lessons 7-15 will be a lot more practical but it is important to understand the biblical, theological, and historical background of missions before we try to get too practical.

Remember to send me a "check-in email" each Monday for 5 class points. In that email briefly state what you are working on for the class and what you expect to complete during the week. Then tell me anything else you think I should know.

YOU CAN DO THIS!