Anthony Norris Groves

Christian Devotedness (Dodo Press) Anthony Norris Groves

Anthony Norris Groves (1795-1853), has been described as the ?father of faith missions?. He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, now the capital of Iraq, and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Brethren or Plymouth Brethren. His significance lies in his desire to simplify the task of churches and missions by returning to the methods of Christ and his apostles described in the New Testament. As a missionary, his goal was to help indigenous converts form their own churches without dependence on foreign training, authorisation or finance. His ideas eventually found wide acceptance in evangelical circles. In 1825, he wrote a small booklet; Christian Devotedness, expounding Jesus?s teaching concerning stewardship of material possessions. His early journals Journal of a Residence in Baghdad were published in 1831 and 1832. After his death, his memoirs were published in 1856 by his widow Harriet Groves, under the title Memoir of the Late A. N. Groves, Containing Extracts from his Letters and Journals.