Paul's Missionary Methods - by Robert L Plummer & John Mark Terry (Paperback)

About the Book

Robert L. Plummer and John Mark Terry edit this collection of entry points into the missionary methods of the apostle Paul. Conducting a major reappraisal of Roland Allen's Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours? Michael Bird, Eckhard Schnabel and others reconsider the relevance of Paul's missionary activities for the church today.

Book Synopsis

What does Paul's missions strategy mean for today?A century ago Roland Allen published Missionary Methods: Saint Paul's or Ours?, a missiological classic which tackled many important issues, including what biblically rooted missions looks like in light of the apostle Paul's evangelistic efforts. Although Allen's work is still valuable, new understandings have been gained regarding Paul's milieu and missionary activity, and how his practices ought to inform missions in our ever-changing world.Using the centennial anniversary of Allen's work as a springboard for celebration and reflection, the contributors to Paul's Missionary Methods have revisited Paul's first-century missionary methods and their applicability today. This book examines Paul's missionary efforts in two parts. First Paul is examined in his first-century context: what was his environment, missions strategy and teaching on particular issues? The second part addresses the implications of Paul's example for missions today: is Paul's model still relevant, and if so, what would it look like in modern contexts?Experts in New Testament studies and missiology contribute fresh, key insights from their fields, analyzing Paul's missionary methods in his time and pointing the way forward in ours.Contributors include

• Michael F. Bird
• Eckhard J. Schnabel
• Benjamin L. Merkle
• Christoph W. Stenschke
• Don N. Howell Jr.
• Craig Keener
• David J. Hesselgrave
• Michael Pocock
• Ed Stetzer
• M. David Sills
• Chuck Lawless
• J. D. Payne

Review Quotes

"It is recommended for scholars, pastors, students, and the untrained who are interested in this area and who desire a current scholarly, yet readable and understandable, approach that emphasizes demonstrating the gospel in every situation."

"It is recommended for scholars, pastors, students, and the untrained who are interested in this area and who desire a current scholarly, yet readable and understandable, approach that emphasizes demonstrating the gospel in every situation."

--James M. Howard, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, December 2013

"Overall, this is a very helpful book. As I have recommended Missionary Methods to hundreds of aspiring missionaries and mission leaders, I will now also recommend Paul's Missionary Methods as a companion volume."

"Overall, this is a very helpful book. As I have recommended Missionary Methods to hundreds of aspiring missionaries and mission leaders, I will now also recommend Paul's Missionary Methods as a companion volume."

--Don Dent, Themelios, Vol. 38, Issue 2, August 2013

"Paul said, 'Be imitators of me as I am of Christ.' This volume not only examines important issues associated with the apostle's ministry; it offers readers the requisite vision for pursuing Christ's mission in the first place."

"Plummer and Terry clothe the skeleton of the broad subject of missions with deep insights, encouragement and reminders within the framework of a healthy review of contributors from relevant mission experience and history. Any mission student, missionary, pastor, missions committee member or short-termer will gain by reading this biblically centered book with insight from some of the best mission minds of the centuries."

"The editors of this book have combined biblical and missiological scholarship that further enhances the relevance of Roland Allen's piece Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?, while also moving us beyond it to the challenges of a new century. Perhaps the most salient insight rendered is the reminder that each generation should avoid simple replication of the methods Allen assessed but should resubmit to the call to ascertain whether or how our missionary actions reflect biblical patterns and then take corrective measures where needed. Correction entails constructive self-study, which is always an emotive challenge. Missionaries, globally engaged pastors, students and mission administrators should read this, mark it up, think through its implications, and do the hard work of analysis for our time."

"The editors of this book have combined biblical and missiological scholarship that further enhances the relevance of Roland Allen's piece Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?, while also moving us beyond it to the challenges of a new century. Perhaps the most salient insight rendered is the reminder that each generation should avoid simple replication of the methods Allen assessed but should resubmit to the call to ascertain whether or how our missionary actions reflect biblical patterns and then take corrective measures where needed. Correction entails constructive self-study, which is always an emotive challenge. Missionaries, globally engaged pastors, students and mission administrators should read this, mark it up, think through its implications, and do the hard work of analysis for our time."

--Dr. Keith Eitel, dean of the Fish School of Evangelism and Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas

"This book is a fresh reminder of Paul's theology and practice of church multiplication. Here you will find solid biblical scholarship integrated with grounded reflection on missions."

"This book makes a significant contribution to the literature both as a marker to Allen's visionary work and as a model to evaluate current strategic concerns."

"This book makes a significant contribution to the literature both as a marker to Allen's visionary work and as a model to evaluate current strategic concerns."

--Jon E. Smith, Review and Expositor, August 2015

"This book stands tall in the forest of studies on Paul's missionary methods. Utilizing the significant contributions of widely respected missiologists, the editors have managed to focus on timeless issues while providing thought-provoking application for today. This will be a must-read for the thoughtful missionary and serious student alike."

"This text . . . is well worth reading from a general interest in mission and in Biblical studies and is likely to be one of the key contemporary books on Paul for the next number of years."

"This text . . . is well worth reading from a general interest in mission and in Biblical studies and is likely to be one of the key contemporary books on Paul for the next number of years."

--Stephen Skuce, METConnection, Autumn 2013

About the Author

Robert L. Plummer (Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is associate professor of New Testament interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has authored and edited many books, articles and essays, and served on mission assignments in several countries.

John Mark Terry (Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of missions at a seminary in the Pacific Rim and visiting professor of missions at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has served as a missionary in the Philippines and as vice president of the Evangelical Missions Society.