Anthony Norris Groves
British missionary (1795–1853)
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.
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