If it were once believed that the freedom of churches should be restricted to bring greater control to missions, Roland Allen sets out to overturn this conception. Warning against the danger of imposing greater limits on churches, the Author advocates that all members of the church, 'natives' and foreigners alike, must take an active role in its establishment and daily life. The study divides itself into nine chapters; the first, introducing Allen's standpoint, the second as an opening into the nature and character of Spontaneous Expression. The third chapter deals with modern attempts by 'natives' towards the liberty of their churches. The fear of the doctrine becoming weakened by natives taking it into their own hands is addressed by chapter four and this fear is widened into the realm of the Christian standard of morals in chapter five. Civilisation and enlightenment form the central themes of the sixth chapter. Chapters seven and eight tackle the distinction between the Church and missionary societies. It is in the final chapter that the future of Spontaneous Expansion is investigated and Allen puts forward his ideas which, as he rightly predicted, were broadly accepted fifty years and longer still after their original publication.

No one was more radically critical of the ministry and the inherited Church policy that surrounds it than Roland Allen (1868-1949), whose prophetic writings constantly challenge the whole mission of the Christian Church, and many of his most important essays are collected here along with contributions about him. After studying at Oxford, his clerical training was in Leeds. He went as a missionary to China for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), where he stayed for twenty years. His experience convinced him that missionary methods needed changing, and that St Paul had more to offer than contemporary practice, and in particular that ministry should be centred in the laity. These ideas, unpopular at the time, have grown in importance, and Roland Allen's influence is now greater than at any time. In this volume, Paton, with the co-operation of Grubb and King, has written on the central concerns of Allen's life and how his witness gave rise to many fruitful enterprises in different parts of the world. Many new writings of Allen's are included in the volume, and Grubb tells the story of the Survey Application Trust which, for over half a century played a formative and pioneering part in the mission of the church. This title adds a lot of new information and throws fresh light on the modern history of many Christian enterprises, and extends current debate over the role of the laity.

Within a decade, St. Paul established the Church in the four provinces of Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia and Asia. This informative study focuses on the social background to the Apostle's missionary journeys with comparisons between his methods and those of the modern day. The book divides into five parts; the first examines the social and religious world which the Apostle inhabited in AD 50; the second addresses how St. Paul presented the Christian Gospel and his financial policy of self-support for the new churches. Here, contrasts are made between St. Paul's financial and missionary principles, which differ alarmingly from those of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The rapidity of the Apostle's appointment of responsible church leaders is sharply contrasted with the slowness of the present in the third part. Part four deals with St. Paul's procedures for authority in churches, where those of the present day fail to address the conscience of the local church. Conclusions are provided in part five and the clarity and vigour of Allen's style ensures the reader's interest is maintained to the end. 'Many missionaries in later days have received a larger number of converts than St. Paul; [...] but none have so established churches. We have long forgotten that such things could be.' Extract from Chapter One.

First published in 1913, Missionary Principles is a classic textbook by genre, but in its controversial evaluation of the Church's missionary theories, it is by no means wholly traditional. At the centre of this discursive study, Allen asserts the distinction which needs to be made in missionary aims between the extension of the Church and the preaching of Jesus Christ. The book is divided into four major chapters, entitled: The Impulse, The Hope, The Means and The Reaction. The impulse, hope and means of missionary work can all be embodied by Jesus Christ, who is viewed as the source, the end and the worker. It is always with this objective in mind that Allen guides the reader through Christ's wishes as to how the Word should be spread. In the final chapter, Allen examines the results of believing in the Holy Spirit's inspiration and the effects this has on the missionary's understanding of moral purpose and motive of missions, both at home and overseas. 'It is not the same thing to seek the manifestation of Christ in the growth of the Church, and [...] the effect of that upon all missionary work is most profound.' Extract from Chapter Two.

No one was more radically critical of the ministry and the inherited Church policy that surrounds it than Roland Allen (1868-1949), whose prophetic writings constantly challenge the whole mission of the Christian Church, and many of his most important essays are collected here along with contributions about him. After studying at Oxford, his clerical training was in Leeds. He went as a missionary to China for the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (SPG), where he stayed for twenty years. His experience convinced him that missionary methods needed changing, and that St Paul had more to offer than contemporary practice, and in particular that ministry should be centred in the laity. These ideas, unpopular at the time, have grown in importance, and Roland Allen's influence is now greater than at any time. In this volume, Paton, with the co-operation of Grubb and King, has written on the central concerns of Allen's life and how his witness gave rise to many fruitful enterprises in different parts of the world. Many new writings of Allen's are included in the volume, and Grubb tells the story of the Survey Application Trust which, for over half a century played a formative and pioneering part in the mission of the church. This title adds a lot of new information and throws fresh light on the modern history of many Christian enterprises, and extends current debate over the role of the laity.

Roland Allen is internationally renowned for his controversial solutions to dilemmas within churches and missions. His works were first written in the first decade of the twentieth century, yet their ideas are so radical that they are still relevant today. Indeed, Allen predicted that his principles would not be broadly accepted until around fifty years after their creation. This selection of works by this mission pioneer and creative thinker takes extracts from Allen's other writings, which although having potential to be just as influential as those better known, have long been out of print. It is now the present-day reader's chance to investigate the theories within texts such as: Pentecost and the World, Non-Professional Missionaries, Mission Activities Considered in Relation to the Manifestation of the Spirit, St. Paul and the Judaizers: A Dialogue, An Illustration from V.S. Azariah, The Case for Voluntary Clergy and To the Parishioners of Chalfont St. Peter. Throughout all of these writings is Allen's central belief that the Holy Spirit is in the Church everywhere. This selection of texts makes an ideal accompaniment to Allen's significant works on missionary methods and principles, including: Missionary Methods: St Paul's or Ours?; Missionary Principles; The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church all of which have been reprinted by The Lutterworth Press

This classic study of Paul's missionary work focuses not on the apostle's doctrine or character but on the method by which he accomplished his task. Throughout, Allen compares Paul's methods to modern missionary methods; he concludes by suggesting some ways the apostolic method might be usefully employed today.

Roland Allen discusses how to conducts successful missions, comparing his own church's methods with the historical descriptions of the famous missionary of yore, St. Paul. Comprehensive and instructional, this book seeks to show the interested reader how an effective Christian mission is planned and undertaken. Practical elements include the selection of a location, and an evaluation of the social and moral condition of the local area. The author attempts to draw comparisons with St. Paul's own circumstances; the world is shown to have moved on in many respects, with conditions such as slavery far rarer in modernity than the distant past. Chapters are dedicated to matters such as the teaching of the gospels - the classic Christian missionary texts to instruct upon are those of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. A expert narration of Christ's life and lessons, reliably told from memory and sufficient to capture and hold the interest of listeners, is shown to be of essential use on most any mission.

Roland Allen discusses how to conducts successful missions, comparing his own church's methods with the historical descriptions of the famous missionary of yore, St. Paul. Comprehensive and instructional, this book seeks to show the interested reader how an effective Christian mission is planned and undertaken. Practical elements include the selection of a location, and an evaluation of the social and moral condition of the local area. The author attempts to draw comparisons with St. Paul's own circumstances; the world is shown to have moved on in many respects, with conditions such as slavery far rarer in modernity than the distant past. Chapters are dedicated to matters such as the teaching of the gospels - the classic Christian missionary texts to instruct upon are those of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. A expert narration of Christ's life and lessons, reliably told from memory and sufficient to capture and hold the interest of listeners, is shown to be of essential use on most any mission.

A Deliciously Humor Filled Guide To Growing Roses Like The Pros If you did not know that gardening could be fun, humorous, quirky and informative with the added culinary delight to tickle your palate - then, you have not read Growing Roses with Sherry 'n Margarita." - M. Rutter, keen rose gardener. With a delicious touch of humor and their 'cottage chaos antics', the writers convey how, as once amateur gardeners, they managed to kill their friend Joyce's entire prize winning rose garden. Of course you are compelled to read on to find out what they did to revive the garden. The easy writing style and layout of the book makes for a great read and will appeal to even the most advanced gardener - someone who has been gardening for years will still benefit from reading it. Equally amazing are the plethora of uses for roses, particularly their collection of wickedly delicious culinary uses. Some gardeners tend to be a little secretive about their techniques, but Sherry and Margarita lift the lid on their secrets, which will truly delight readers.