Short Introduction to Christian Missions by Eugene Stock

Eugene Stock, who also wrote the massive 4-volume History of the Church Missionary Society, provides a brief – but nonetheless comprehensive – introduction to Christian missions. My thanks to the Cambridge Centre of Christianity Worldwide for providing a copy of this public domain title for digitisation.

Eugene Stock [1836-1928], A Short Handbook of Missions. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1904. Hbk. pp.214. [Click to visit the download page for this title]

Contents

• Prefatory Note

1. What is a Mission?
2. The Purpose of Missions
3. The Motive of Missions
4. The Need of Missions
5. The Methods of Missions
6. The Mission Agencies
7. The Missionaries
8. The Administration of Missions
9. The Support of Missions
10. Missions and Governments
11. The World’s Population: Races, Languages, Religions
12. Non-Christian Religions and Christianity
13. Objections and Criticisms
14. Seventeen Centuries of the Christian Era
15. The Eighteenth Century
16. The Nineteenth Century—1801–1840
17. The Nineteenth Century—1841–1872
18. The Nineteenth Century—1872–1900
19. General Progress since 1872
20. Results of Protestant Missions
21. Testimonies
22. Some Notable Missionaries
23. Some Prominent Native Christians
24. Some Auxiliary Helpers of Missions
25. Missions of the Greek and Roman Churches
26. Mission to the Jews
27. Fields to be Worked
28. Obstacles to be Encountered
29. Opportunities and Resources
30. “In This Generation”?
31. Edification of Converts
32. Building the Visible Church
33. Aid for the Daughter Churches
34. “I Believe in the Holy Ghost”

Appendix

1. Some Books for Study
2. Chronological Table

Prefatory Note

The last few years have seen a great change in the attitude of the Christian public towards what are called Foreign Missions. There was in the past a great deal of earnest sympathy with them, and liberal support of them, although in comparatively limited circles; but the principles and methods, the history and environment, of Missions, were not systematically studied. It is in this respect that the change is apparent. Old missionaries on their forty or fifth or sixth furloughs say that, as they go about the country to preach and speak in behalf of the cause, they find an intelligent knowledge and appreciation of the work which is new. It is partly a cause and partly a result of this increase of knowledge that missionary books of all kinds are multiplying, and find a ready sale.

But still, for the direction of the study now becoming less uncommon, some more definite guidance seems to be called for…

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