Missiology.org.uk: A Biographical History of Christian Missions
Missiology.org.uk was launched in 2009 but grew only slowly until 2016. In April that year it received a major boost in the form of 1,000 books from the library at Redcliffe College (now merged with All Nations College in Hertfordshire). The majority of those books were biographies of missionaries which were not being used by the students at the College.
The provision of these books helped to focus the purpose of the website. Rather than being a site that promoted a particular theory of mission it would provide a biographical history of missions, told by the missionaries themselves. From these voices of the past it is possible to learn from their triumphs and mistakes and so approach present-day missions better informed to face its challenges. The site received a further boost in June 2017, when the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide donated a further 500 books to the digitisation project from their duplicate stock.
What Resources Will You Find on Missiology.org.uk?
The core of the site consists of hundreds of free to read missionary biographies, arranged alphabetically. These are also arranged geographically and linked to the countries in which the missionaries served using modern-day national boundaries. This is often difficult to do with accuracy as many countries did not exist or had different boundaries in the past. Most missionaries served as members of Mission Societies that organised and coordinated their work. Again these organisations have changed and merged with one another over the centuries. The theological basis of missions and their historical development are also covered, as well as an overview of the skills required and the religions that they would interact with in their work. Resources on seven international missions conferences are also included.
The site also hosts a number of missions journals, some of which are not available anywhere else on the Web:
The Morning Star: A Herald of The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
North Africa. The Monthly Record of the North Africa Mission
How Can You Support the Development of the Site?
You can support the site visiting the website and its update blog often and by sharing links with those whom you think might be interested in learning more about Christian missions. If you are interested in a particular country (India, for example) you could visit its country page and then use the links at the top of the page to learn more about the men and women who have served there. You might also consider supporting the development and maintenance of the site by making a donation via PayPal, Patreon or Buy-Me-A-Coffee.
Not certain how I found you on Substack to be honest! But may you be blessed in your work and the Herculean task that you have taken on… or should I say Sampson like task? It’s people like you doing hard work that will preserve this for future studies and generations. Please be encouraged that others are impressed by your work for the kingdom.