did not respond immediately to the monks’ message. However, the king allowed them to build a church and establish a mission base at Canterbury, giving them freedom to preach among his subjects. According to Gregory, in the first year of ministry, over ten thousand Anglo-Saxons were baptized. Eventually Ethelbert embraced the gospel for himself. Like other early Christian missionaries, the monks began their work by approaching a political leader, preaching the gospel to him, seeking his favor, and