The key Celtic and Anglo-Saxon
missionaries were Ninian, the “apostle to Scotland. His ideals of monks having
to be missionaries led him to working with southern Picts (painted ones).[1]
Patrick was also influential as the “apostle to Ireland.” Patrick, although not
the first missionary to the Country, established a foundation “for the vitality
of later Christianity.”[2]
Columba and Columanus were Irish monk-missionaries that helped to transform the
landscape of their portion of Europe. Columbanus was a key player in missionary
work by “missionizing the Germans”, building monastaries, and evangelizing the
Alemanni.[3] Columbanus
was also instrumental in creating a new manner of confession cloaked under
secrecy rather than publicly as it was done previously, many other forms of
discipline were “prescribed.”[4]
Another influential and key
missionary was Augustine. He held fast to following the Roman form of
Christianity by accepting the Roman example of Easter date, baptism, and
evangelization.[5] Ethelburga,
wife of King Edwin, influenced the evangelization of Northumbria by Paulinus;
the King and his subjects were all baptized by Paulinus.[6] Theodore
of Tarsus was a “greek speaking follower of Rome” who gave “ecclesiastical
organization to the church in England.”[7] He
was instrumental in creating a “parochial system” and making key separation
changes between the diocesan and civil government.[8]
Theodore’s peer Benedict Biscop established the “Benedictine Rule” and erected
monasteries in two key locations.[9]
The times were good. It would become known as the “Northumbrian Renaissance.”
Willibrord (Clement) and Winfrid (Boniface) were also key missionaries. They
established a strategic manner by which to do missions work which allowed them
to fully take advantage of the systems in place and widen their missional
reach. They were very practical and disciplined missionaries; Winifred, for
example, reorganized and restored the church experience in border towns after
they had been “devastated by the barbarian invasions.”[10]The
missions work led by these brave warriors established Christianity in places
devoid of such truth. People were being saved and baptized.
Missions work has always been
instrumental in helping to lead people to Christ and to a better way of life.
Christ was a missionary; he established the form by which missions work should
be done. The men and women that conducted missions work understood that at the
end of the day people needed saving, and that is exactly what Christ’s mission
was. Today missions work can be as close as your neighborhood, or in exotic and
uncharted lands. There are still millions of people to reach with the love of
God, the gift of salvation, and the power of the Holy Spirit. We should be
doing missions right where we are.
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