Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant Missions to the Nations: AD 1600 to the Present

TL;DR:
Since AD 1600, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions have all contributed to Christian world missions. Missionary passion has appeared across diverse theological movements rather than belonging to any single branch of Christianity. During these centuries, evolving strategies and methods also contributed to Christianity’s worldwide expansion and to the development of missiology as a formal field of study.

Crowd of people in front of a small masonry church building — Chapel of the Swedish Mongolian Mission in Inner Mongolia after a service. Photo by Joel Eriksson, c. 1938 | Image Source

Classic art masterpieces used as illustrations

Diverse theological perspectives have shaped Christian missions since AD 1600.
Mission strategies and methods have evolved in response to historical, cultural, and theological developments.
The emergence of formal theologies of mission has influenced modern missionary strategy and practice.

Important Periods in Christian Missions History

Church History: The Theological Factor

To someone examining global Christian missions over the past four hundred years, two things stand out:

The intensification of theological diversity among missionary forces
The development of systematic theologies of mission—a relatively recent development

Kenneth Scott Latourette’s A History of Christianity focuses on the expansion of Christianity rather than the doctrinal disputes often emphasized in church history. Although his book covers groups across the theological spectrum, it offers many insights valuable to the study of Christianity’s global spread.

In A History of Christian Missions, Stephen Neill describes the theological heterogeneity of those engaged in modern global missions. World evangelism has not been monopolized by any one of Christianity’s three main branches—Orthodox, Roman Catholic, or Protestant—nor by any single theological current within those branches.

In discussing the period sometimes called the “Great Century of Missions,” Latourette acknowledges the missionary contributions of all three major Christian traditions.¹ In his treatment of the subsequent expansion of Christianity from 1914 to 1950, he describes significant efforts by Roman Catholics as well as Protestants.² He also notes that one religious awakening that renewed missionary passion “cut across denominational and confessional lines.”³

Within Protestantism, no single theological tradition stands out as especially missionary-minded. For instance, those from Arminian backgrounds might find it surprising that movements rooted in Calvinism could have vigorous missionary agendas. From an Arminian perspective, it may seem curious that Calvinism—with its emphasis on election (God’s choice of those to be saved in Christ before the world was created)—would foster a strong missionary consciousness.⁴ Nevertheless, Calvinist traditions have produced vigorous missionary movements.

Even the ecumenical movement, which was often harshly criticized in evangelical circles, included missionary visionaries. John Mott, a key leader in that movement, was an influential missions leader and mobilizer. Peter Beyerhaus and other mission theologians also participated in the ecumenical dialogue.

This wide theological diversity should not suggest that theology is irrelevant to world evangelism. A denomination’s theological convictions can profoundly affect its missionary vision and priorities. Still, missionary engagement and passion have appeared across a remarkably broad range of theological traditions.

The second major theological trend of the past four centuries is the development of theologies of mission. Andrew Seumois writes: “Systematic research in the field of mission theology is a relatively recent development.”⁵ This has led to a new vocabulary for discussing missions. Terms such as missiology, syncretism, dialogue, faith mission, indigenous church, people movements, cultural baggage, and homogeneous units are now central to conversations about strategy, methodology, and theology.

Major theological debates within the World Council of Churches have revolved around this area. Seumois concludes that the emergence of mission theology helped make mission methodology a subject of systematic scholarly study.⁶ The growth of missions departments in theological seminaries and the extensive literature in this field reflect missiology’s development as a recognized academic discipline.

¹ Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of Christianity, rev. ed. (New York: Harper & Row, 1975), p. 1013.
² Ibid., p. 1357.
³ Ibid., p. 1018.
⁴ William Richey Hogg, “The Rise of Protestant Missionary Concerns,” in The Theology of the Christian Mission, Gerald H. Anderson, ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), p. 101.
⁵ Andrew Seumois, “The Evolution of Mission Theology Among Roman Catholics,” in The Theology of the Christian Mission, Gerald H. Anderson, ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961), p. 122.
⁶ Ibid., p. 133.

—Howard Culbertson, hculbert@snu.edu

Looking Back: What Stands Out?

Since AD 1600, Christian world evangelization has been shaped by historical, cultural, theological, and technological developments. Eight elements that stand out from these more than four centuries include:

Although it began before AD 1600, the Protestant Reformation laid important foundations for later Protestant missions. By the eighteenth century, Protestant missionary activity was expanding internationally.
The eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries saw the rise of influential Protestant missionary movements and organizations, including the Moravians, the Danish-Halle Mission, William Carey’s Baptist Missionary Society, and the Danish Missionary Society.
Bible translation efforts accelerated, making God’s Word available to many ethnolinguistic groups in their own languages for the first time.
The nineteenth century witnessed the rise of organizations such as the London Missionary Society, the China Inland Mission (now OMF International), and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM).
Evangelistic efforts in Africa and Asia contributed to the establishment and growth of Christian churches among many peoples and communities.
The early 20th century saw the rise of Pentecostal and charismatic movements, which contributed to Christianity’s growth in Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, advances in transportation and communication made many remote areas more accessible, while globalization created new opportunities and challenges for missions.
Recent decades have emphasized new and expanding approaches to evangelism, including short-term mission trips, urban ministry, campus outreach, and digital evangelism.

Need an overview of world missions history?

Here’s a presentation in PDF format that divides 2,000 years of missions history into easily remembered 400-year segments. [more]

Three missions history crossword puzzles

Perspectives on the World Christian Movement
Key figures in world missions history
Discovering Missions — Material in Chapter 3