Reform of the Ministry: A Study in the Work of Roland Allen

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 challenged the whole mission of the Christian Church. Many of his most important essays are collected here, along with contributions about him. Allen was a great missionary prophet, whose influence, modest in his own lifetime, has grown extensively after his death, and his influence is now greater than at any other time. His experience as a missionary led him to realise that methods needed changing, that St Paul had more to offer than contemporary practice, and in particular that ministry should be centered in the laity. These ideas, unpopular at the time, have become more widely accepted. 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.