Preaching​—The First Priority?

Whenever mention is made of Protestant missionaries in Africa, the name David Livingstone generally comes up. Born in Scotland in 1813, he became a medical missionary and traveled extensively throughout Africa. His deep love for the “Dark Continent” and the excitement of discovery provided him with additional motivation. The New Encyclopædia Britannica speaks of “Christianity, commerce, and civilization” as “the trinity that he believed was destined to open up Africa.”

Livingstone’s accomplishments were many. His first priority, however, was evidently not preaching the gospel. The Britannica sums up his 30 years of missionary work “in southern, central, and eastern Africa​—often in places where no European had previously ventured” this way: “Livingstone may have influenced Western attitudes toward Africa more than any other individual before him or since. His discoveries​—geographic, technical, medical, and social—​provided a complex body of knowledge that is still being explored. . . . Livingstone believed wholeheartedly in the African’s ability to advance into the modern world. He was, in this sense, a forerunner not only of European imperialism in Africa but also of African nationalism.” Livingstone showed great compassion for the Africans.

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Christendom’s missionaries, such as Livingstone, did not always give preaching top priority

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From the book Geschichte des Christentums