Anthony norris groves biography

British missionary

Anthony Norris Groves (1 February 1795 – 20 May 1853) was an English Protestant missionary, who has been called the "father of faith missions". He launched the first Protestant mission to Arabic-speaking Muslims, and settled in Baghdad, Ottoman Empire; and later in southern India. His ideas influenced a circle of friends who became leaders in the Plymouth Brethren. Among these were George Müller, who had married Groves's sister Mary, as well as John Nelson Darby and John Vesey Parnell, 2nd Baron Congleton.

Groves wished 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.

Biography

Groves was born in Newton Valence, Hampshire, England and was the only son in a family of six. His father was a businessman and the family were Anglicans. Having trained as a dentist in London, he set up practice in Plymouth, at the age of 19. Two years later he married his cousin Mary Bethia Thompson, and moved to Exeter.

Call to missionary work

In 1826, while continuing his dentistry in Exeter, he enrolled as an external student of theology at Trinity College Dublin, with a view to ordination in the Church of England and appointment with the Church Missionary Society. His study of the New Testament led him to believe that the practices of the early church should be considered a model for every age and culture, and this caused him to consider withdrawing from Trinity Co

AnthonyNorrisGroves

Son of Anthony Groves and Lydia (White) Groves

Brother of Ann Groves, Mary (Groves) Müller, Louisa (Groves) Brown, Lydia Groves and Eliza Groves

Father of Henry Groves, Francis Anthony Groves, Mary Bethia Groves, Unnamed Groves, Edward Kennaway Groves and Agnes N Groves

Profile last modified | Created 8 Jul 2018

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Biography

Anthony Norris Groves was an English Protestant missionary. 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 Plymouth Brethren. Anthony Norris Groves may be rightly regarded as the "father of faith missions," --- the principle that a missionary, if called and sent by the Holy Spirit, should go to their mission in faith, believing that God will thus provide for all their needs — and without first raising funds from supporters. In addition, such a missionary should not publish their financial needs but rather wait in faith for God to provide.

Anthony Norris Groves was born on 1st February 1795 at Newton Valence, Hampshire, England and was baptised at Lymington, Hampshire. He was the only son of Anthony Groves and Lydia White. He had 5 sisters, including Mary, who married Georg Müller and started a ministry to orphans. His father was a businessman and the family were Anglicans, attending church in Fulham, London.

His 1st marriage was to a cousin, Mary Bethia Thompson in 1816 and he established a dental practice in Exeter, Devon.

In 1826, while continuing his work in dentistry in Exeter, he enrolled as an external student of theology at Trinity College, Dublin, with a view to ordination in the Church of England and appointment with the Church Miss