History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the Presbyterial Order at Amoy, China

"History and Ecclesiastical Relations of the Churches of the Presbyterial Order at Amoy, China" by John Van Nest Talmage, is a record from the 1800s about how Protestant missionaries worked to build churches in Amoy, China with the help of the Dutch Reformed Church. The book talks about how these churches were set up and how different Presbyterian groups worked together as missionaries. Talmage explains why he wrote the book, pointing out how important church structure is in new mission areas, and clears up misunderstandings about how missionaries worked in Amoy. He remembers when the first Protestant missionaries arrived in 1842 and tells about how different missions, especially the American Reformed Dutch Church and the English Presbyterian Church, joined forces. He worries about how people back home view these churches and wants to accurately show how they’re working to stay united and govern themselves well according to Presbyterian rules, also highlighting how important it is to change church rules to fit the difficulties in the diverse mission field.