This week in Christian history: St. Athanasius exiled; Cotton Mather dies
Henry Venn born – Feb. 10, 1796
This week marks the anniversary of when Henry Venn, an Anglican priest and supporter of missionary work known for influencing overseas evangelism, was born in London, England.
The son and grandson of Evangelical pastors, Venn became a member of the Church Missionary Society in 1820 and, beginning in 1841, served as clerical secretary.
Boston University’s School of Theology identified Venn as “one of the most influential mission statesmen of the nineteenth century” due to his administrative work and his longer-term influence on mission theory and the concept of an “indigenous church.”
“The concept of the indigenous church emerged as the central construct of mission theory,” explained the School of Theology. “A church was judged to be indigenous when it was self-propagating, self-financing, and self-governing. “
“Venn developed his theory of mission in a series of pamphlets and policy statements written in the years 1846 to 1865. He also wrote a book on the life of Francis Xavier and numerous pamphlets and policy statements.”
