One of the most prominent characteristics of the Church of Christ in
this century has been its phenomenal missionary activity. Its zeal in
this cause, the devotion and courage of its missionaries and the
amount of money expended have had no parallel in the previous history
of the Church. Already a beginning had been made when the century
dawned. In 1701 King William III. of England had granted a charter to
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. In
1714 Frederick IV. of Denmark established a College of Missions and
two Danish missionaries were laboring in India. In 1721 the famous
Danish missionary, Hans Egede, began a work in Greenland. In 1732 the
Moravian missionaries, Dober and Nitschmann, went to St. Thomas, and
in the following year the Moravian Church sent missionaries to
Labrador, the West Indies, South America, South Africa and India. But
it was not until the last decade of the eighteenth century that the
spirit which was to distinguish the next century really manifested
itself. In 1792 the devotion and consecration of William Carey led to
the formation of the Baptist Missionary Society, and in the following
year he sailed for India as its first missionary.
In 1795 the London Missionary Society was organized, a missionary ship
was purchased and the first band of missionaries sailed for the South
Sea Islands. Two years later, another party sailed for South Africa,
among whom were the veterans, Vanderkemp and Kitchener. Two Scottish
societies were founded in 1796 and a Dutch Society in 1797. In the
closing year of the century the famous Church Missionary Society was
formed in the Church of England. Thus the nineteenth century opened
with organizations for work in existence and pioneers few in number,
but intensely in earnest in several fields of labor.
The first quarter of the century witnessed the advent of new agencies,
as well as a multiplication of forces. The American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions was organized in 1810, the English
Wesleyan Missionary Society in 1814, the American Baptist in 1814, the
American Methodist in 1819, the American Protestant Episcopal in 1820,
and the Berlin and Paris Missionary Societies in 1824. Thus, in the
comparatively short space of thirty-two years, thirteen societies had
been organized by the various denominations here and in Europe, each
of which was destined to grow to proportions little contemplated by
their founders. Since that time the great China Inland Mission and
other undenominational societies have been founded and are sending out
men and women in large numbers to the heathen world. Besides these,
there have been societies of special workers which have done valuable
service in aiding the missionary societies, such as the medical
missionaries, the Zenana Missionaries and the university and students'
volunteer movements. Statistics recently compiled show that the number
of central stations in heathen lands occupied by Protestant
missionaries in 1896 was 5055, with out-stations to the number of
17,813. There are now thirty-seven missionary societies in this
country alone which have sent out 3512 missionaries. A library of
volumes would be needed to give even a sketch of the results of the
labors of these devoted men and women. The Church holds their names in
holy reverence. Many of them have attained the crown of martyrdom, and
a still greater number have fallen victims to the severities of
uncongenial climates. Every heathen land has now associated with it
the name of valiant soldiers of the Cross, who have given their lives
to add it to their Master's, kingdom. In India among many others,
there have been Carey, Duff, Martyn, Marshman and Ward. In China,
Morrison, Milne, Taylor, John Talmage and Griffith John. In Africa,
Moffat, Livingstone, Hannington and Vanderkemp. In the South Seas,
Williams, Logan and Paton, while Judson of Burmah and a host of noble
men and women in every clime, have toiled and suffered, not counting
their lives dear unto them, that they might preach to the heathen the
unsearchable riches of Christ.