Lessons from Christian History in Asia: What Works (and What Doesn’t) in Missions
I recently finished Volume II of Samuel Moffett’s A History of Christianity in Asia.1 This massive two volume work provides a comprehensive overview of the church in Asia from its beginnings in the first century up to 1900. It spans a vast geographical scope—from Israel through the Arabian Peninsula, across the Asian Steppe, through China and Japan, down to India, and into the Pacific Islands.
I love learning from the great cloud of witnesses across different cultures and time periods. Seeing the world through their cultural lenses gives me fresh theological and missional insights to ponder. As a missionary, I am always seeking to learn and grow, so I took notes on Volume II from a missional perspective. I categorized my key takeaways into three groups: ineffective practices, sometimes effective practices, and always effective practices.
Ineffective Practices
Not Sharing the Gospel
For nearly 100 years, Protestants neglected evangelism while expanding their global enterprises. The Dutch East India Company, which established numerous trading posts across Asia in the 1600s, actively prevented missionaries from spreading the gospel, fearing it would hurt business.
If you don’t share the gospel, you’re not on mission.
Restricting Missionary Authority
Catholic and Anglican mission agencies attempted to govern their missionaries from afar while remaining in Europe. This caused immense conflict, as missionaries in Asia needed to make quick decisions to disciple new believers but were constrained by slow, outdated directives from leaders unfamiliar with the culture.
Missionaries need a biblical framework adaptable to different cultures without compromising essential doctrine, rather than being micromanaged from a distance.
Undermining Existing Believers
When Portuguese Catholics arrived in India in the early 1500s, they dismissed the indigenous church, which had been established since the first century. They attempted to impose their (Catholic) doctrinal changes, which led to division, infighting, and widespread disillusionment. This pattern was repeated by both Catholics and Protestants, consistently leading to numerical and spiritual decline.
Missionaries should work alongside theologically aligned churches and focus on disciple-making to plant new churches.
Failing to Live as Christians
The divisions between European and Asian Christians in India led to neglect in discipleship, opening the door to rampant sin—drunkenness, greed, and sexual immorality. This lack of integrity made evangelism nearly impossible, as potential converts saw no difference between the so-called Christians and the surrounding culture.
Proclaiming the Kingdom of God and living out its ethics are both essential for effective witness.
Sometimes Effective Practices
Meeting Felt Needs (Medical Clinics, Schools, etc.)
Some missionaries started hospitals and schools to serve communities and create platforms for sharing the gospel. At times, this approach worked beautifully—local people were drawn to the kindness of the missionaries and became receptive to the gospel.
However, in China, Jesuit missionaries gained favor among scholars by teaching astronomy and predicting phenomena like eclipses. When the Chinese realized their ultimate goal was conversion, they felt deceived, and the Jesuits’ influence was permanently damaged.
If you engage in community transformation, be upfront about the gospel to avoid misunderstandings.
Focusing Only on Evangelism and Expansion
Some missionaries, eager to fulfill the Great Commission, prioritized evangelism at the expense of discipleship. They encouraged new believers to spread the gospel but failed to establish strong churches or provide ongoing discipleship. While many came to Christ, the lack of spiritual depth led to moral failures, stagnation, and eventual decline.
Sustained growth requires both abundant gospel-sharing and deep discipleship within newly formed churches.
Always Effective Practices
Empowering Local Believers
One of the most inspiring figures in the book is Alexandre De Rhodes, a Jesuit missionary to Vietnam in the 1600s. He quickly learned the Vietnamese language, adopted local customs, and rabidly shared the gospel. Through this he realized that the Vietnamese would be one hundred times more effective at reaching their own people than he would be. He empowered and equipped Vietnamese lay people to share the gospel and disciple others.
This approach, though rare among Jesuits, proved incredibly effective. Despite severe persecution, upwards of 60,000 Vietnamese came to Christ. De Rhodes was repeatedly exiled and had to sneak back into the country before being permanently banished. His legacy in Vietnam was so significant that his face appeared on Vietnamese currency in the 20th century.
Effective missionaries equip and empower indigenous believers to reach their own people.
Balancing Depth and Breadth
The most successful missionaries in Asia were those who combined widespread evangelism with deep discipleship. They shared the gospel abundantly while ensuring that new believers were rooted in strong, multiplying churches.
Sustained impact comes from both evangelizing broadly and discipling deeply.
Translating the Bible into the Local Language
During Japan’s so-called “Christian Century” (mid-1500s to mid-1600s), the church grew to over 100,000 believers before Christianity was outlawed. Persecution was brutal—tens of thousands were martyred, and many more recanted. While some believers maintained their faith in secret, Moffett speculates that the movement might have been even stronger if the Bible had been fully translated into Japanese. In that entire century, no one took on the task.
Bible translation is time-consuming, but it provides an enduring resource for believers long after missionaries leave. It is always worthwhile.
These are just a few of my learnings from A History of Christianity in Asia, Volume II. I hope you’re encouraged and inspired by the incredible faith of Asian believers and the missionaries who sought to reach them!
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I read Vol. I years ago and I don’t remember it well enough to give a lot of thoughts from that book