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Business in great waters

Bill Down enjoys thestory of maritimemission and ministry

Book jacket © not advert

The Way of the Sea: The changing shape of mission in the seafaring world
Roald Kverndal

William Carey Library/STL £24.99 (978-0-87808-366-4)

ROALD KVERNDAL’S Seamen’s Missions: Their origin and early growth, published in 1986, laid down a marker buoy for the study of maritime ministry and mission. Described as “scholarly, factual, making history interesting, and filling a long-standing void in maritime and church history”, it was the product of a life spent from childhood among ships and seafarers, and of 15 years’ dedicated research.

His father-in-law was pastor of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in London — Roald’s family church. Roald had various jobs in the shipping industry, including sea time as a cabin boy, and later as a deck officer, before he became a seafarers’ pastor himself.

The impact of that book was immense. It provided a sound, accurate, comprehensive, and very readable history of maritime ministry. Piecing together vast amounts of untapped, unpublished information, it immediately became an essential resource for students and writers.

Now he has produced The Way of the Sea: The changing shape of mission in the seafaring world. The fruit of a further 15 years’ intensive research, it is based on his premise that “understanding the history of maritime ministry is a prerequisite for developing a theology of maritime mission.”

He distinguishes three important stages of development. The first is the early/pre-modern era. Here he traces maritime ministry from biblical times, through the Middle Ages, the organised ministries in Britain and America in the 18th and 19th centuries, up to the establishment of the Roman Catholic Apostleship of the Sea in the 1920s. Vivid pen portraits of leading personalities abound.

The second is the modern ecumenical period, covering the middle quarters of the 20th century, the impact of the Second Vatican Council, and culminating in the founding of the hugely important International Christian Maritime Association.

The third is the global post-modern era, which he analyses piercingly and comprehensively. A lucid, well-reasoned theological overview of maritime mission follows.

The last quarter of the book is devoted to 31 “perspectives” of maritime ministry and mission, written by men and women of stature representing a wide variety of backgrounds in the shipping and church worlds. I found these very enlightening.

The Way of the Sea is an important book. It deals with a huge, and often ignored, group of people: it is officially estimated that “sea people” — naval personnel, merchant seafarers, deep-sea, coastal, and local fisherfolk, shipyard workers, port employees, ship owners and agents, and the dependants of all of these — total 300 million people.

The book portrays the immense contribution to the ecumenical life of the Church made by maritime mission and ministry. It is the work of a meticulous scholar and a respected, loving pastor.

The Rt Revd Bill Down served with the Missions to Seamen (now the Mission to Seafarers) 1963-90, and was its General Secretary for more than 14 years.



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