Missiology of Roland Allen

Roland Allen was a prolific writer. During his lifetime, he authored numerous books, pamphlets, and articles. Upon examination of Allen’s writings regarding the Church, the researcher encounters certain themes over and over again. Allen was a master of redundancy. His repetition was necessary; in fact, it was strategic. The contemporary scholar must remember that Allen was arguing against a long-standing missionary tradition. The mission station approach to international missions was still in vogue. The tenacity of the mission boards and missionaries was great and a single writing against the problems of the day would not result in the needed paradigm shift. Though Allen continued to rehash many of the same arguments throughout his writings, he composed different variations on those repeated themes. It is not an understatement to say that Allen’s missiology was, and in some contemporary situations still is, a radical missiology