Abstract
It is often considered that the Protestant modern missionary movement started with the work of William Carey (1761-1834). However, that is not true. The mission work of Bartholomaus Ziegenbalg (1682-1719) and Heinrich Plutschau (1677-1752) preceded Carey by almost a century. This article discusses the missionary cooperation of the Danish-Halle mission with the Anglican Church in the 18th century and examines its missiological implications for the subsequent missionary movement. The letters of the German Lutheran missionaries in Tanquebar were translated into English and other languages and disseminated in Protestant Europe. As a result, the work of the Danish-Halle missionaries aroused a world-wide concern for foreign missions in Europe including Copenhagen, Berlin, Halle, and even London. The Danish-Halle Lutherans were trained at Halle, the center of German Pietism, and sent by the Danish Lutheran Church. Later, they were supported financially by the British (Anglican) Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. This was a de facto joint missionary work with international and inter-denominational collaboration. So the missionary cooperation centered around Tranquebar is regarded as the earliest case of an ecumenical missionary venture in the world mission history. In many respects, the work of the German Lutheran missionaries and their ecumenical connections paved the way not only for the 19th century Protestant modern missionary movement but also for the 20th century ecumenical mission cooperation.
Published Version
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