Church History for Everyone: From the Early Church to the Middle Ages

A Brief Sketch of Key Figures in Church History

“Even after the canon is closed and the Bible is complete, though we don’t have the same inspired record, we still have Jesus at work in the world. That’s why we have church history. That’s why it’s important to study the heroes (and even sometimes the villains) of the past—because it’s nothing less than the story of what Jesus has continued to do in the church and through the church in the world.”

In this video featuring a helpful animated timeline, Kevin DeYoung, author of Church History for Everyone, details the expansion of the early church and highlights key figures throughout church history from the fall of Jerusalem all the way to the Middle Ages and the approach of the Reformation.

Church History for Everyone

Kevin DeYoung

Through 20 extraordinary biographies, Kevin DeYoung explores the fascinating history of the church, helping readers reflect on the bigger story of God’s work in the world and gain bold faith for our lives today.

In Church History for Everyone, Kevin DeYoung examines the development of the church from AD 70 to 1415 through the lives of key figures—including world leaders, theologians, martyrs, and the early monks—and their historical moments, connecting the dots with what came before and after while also highlighting the tensions that endure today. Join bishops as they assemble at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. Learn how bold Christ followers, including Perpetua and Felicity, endured grisly persecution during the Roman Empire. Follow the ascetic abbot Bernard of Clairvaux as he preaches the gospel during the Crusades. DeYoung explores these and other extraordinary and significant events through captivating storytelling supported by rigorous research. His insights will help you think through important questions and appreciate the lives of our forebears in the faith. More than a collection of biographies, these momentous stories testify to God’s prevailing goodness yesterday, today, and forever. Volume 2 (available October 2027) will cover Reformation history to modern church history (1415–present).

Read an Excerpt

“What a delight to see this fresh approach to writing church history—namely, through the medium of both biographical and intellectual history. All too frequently, in narrations of the history of Christian ideas and institutions and movements, the utterly vital place that people (with all their strengths and faults) play in the history of Christianity is either glossed over or not highlighted as it should be. After all, it is people for whom our Lord died. A gem of a church history—highly recommended—and I cannot wait for volume 2.”
—Michael A. G. Azad Haykin, Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“Kevin DeYoung deftly traces the history of the church from its early years in the Middle East and Africa through to the medieval West. He brings to life twenty key figures, with vignettes that open vistas into times and places where believers followed Christ. DeYoung excels at taking complex, scholarly material and making it widely accessible, and here he does so with 1,500 years of church history. The result is a thoroughly engaging read, with voices and stories of our brothers and sisters from the past that fascinate, warn, instruct, and inspire us.”
—Gwenfair Walters Adams, Professor of Church History and Spiritual Formation, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; author, Visions in Late Medieval England

“Church history is not dry and dusty facts but, rather, the living and vibrant testimony of God’s faithfulness to his people throughout the ages, and Kevin DeYoung is an able guide and teacher in this excellent resource. Far from merely recounting dates and faceless names, DeYoung captures the living faith of the dead and shows its contemporary relevance for the everyday lives of Christians. This book is clear, concise, and insightful. I highly recommend Church History for Everyone to anyone who wants to learn more about God’s love for his people throughout the ages.”
—J. V. Fesko, Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson