Most commentators agree that the Protestant Missionary effort really got under way in the late eighteenth century with the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society. Bearing in mind that the Reformation began in the early 16th Century the obvious question that arises is 'Why did it take Protestants nearly 3 centuries to act on Jesus' Great Commission mandate?'

This book goes some of the way to explaining why. We are introduced to five Protestant, Christian thinkers who had a mind for mission, long before the Protestant World as a whole became aware of the need. From the celebrated Jonathan Edwards to the comparatively unknown Jan Amos Comenius, we see how these five men were ahead of their time. They influenced thinking about mission and their comments ultimately led to the missionary explosion which began at the end of the eighteenth century and which carries on to the present day.