By Faith They Went Out: Mennonite Missions 1850-1999

In this collection of essays, Shenk surveys and synthesizes aspects of the Mennonite experience in mission. He traces the mission impulse of early Anabaptism, and documents the impact of subsequent historical developments, from persecution and withdrawal, through Pietist and evangelical revival, to the globalization of the church in the twentieth century.

Shenk identifies North American Mennonite/Brethren in Christ ambivalence toward mission, and reminds readers that mission has the potential to provide focus and relevance to a church struggling for identity and meaning. In the book's final essay, Shenk lays a foundation for a Mennonite theology of mission that is both biblical and consonant with Anabaptist tradition.

Contents:

• Preface
• Introduction
• (1) Anabaptist Roots
• (2) Mennonites and the Emerging Evangelical Network
• (3) Mission, Service, and the Globalization of North American Mennonites
• (4) Growth through Mission
• (5) A Global Church Requires a Global History
• (6) A Traditioned Theology of Mission