Missions History of Missions

Dr. Robert PattonMissionary to Suriname,

South America

Pre-Reformation Evangelicals Priscillian - beheaded as a heretic, but

his main problem was teaching that asceticism and celibacy should be the goal of all serious Christians. It is somewhat doubtful if the punishment was warranted – at one time he was a bishop

Paulicians - about 650-950 - opposed false teachings in the Roman Catholic church. There were a number of other groups with a variety of names – vigorously persecuted by the Catholic church

Pre-Reformation Evangelicals There were many other persecuted

evangelicals - often all we know of them comes from their enemies –

Bogomiles, Peter deBruys, Peter Waldo and the Waldensen, the Bohemian Bretheren, the Albigenses, John Wycliffe, the Lollards, John Hus, Menno Simon, the anabaptists, etc.

Early Reformation missions French Catholic Hugenots went to Brazil

to start a mission in 1705, but were murdered by Portuguese Catholics through the treachery of a leader. About 500 persons had gone to begin a colony. When commanded to become Catholics, they produced their beliefs, and were slaughtered.

First Protestant missionary to the Muslims

.Verceslaus Budovetz of Budapest went to Istanbul from 1577-1581, won one Muslim. He was of Mennonite (John Huss) background, and impressed with the hold of Islam on their people

Reformed opposition

Hadrian Saravia, one of the translators of the KJV, wrote a chapter on missions and its necessity

Theodore Beza, who succeeded John Calvin, said it was only for the apostles, as did Johann Gerhard

This was typical of many Reformers, though Calvin did train pastors and smuggled them back to France

Some Protestant outreach

King Gustav Vasa of Sweden wanted to reach the Lapps of the north

A German nobleman wanted to see books in the Slavic language go to reach the Muslims and Turks

Hugo Grotius wrote a book to be used for missions expansion

Hugo Grotius

Dutch in Indonesia

Trained in Leyden to work for the Dutch East India Company, care for the Dutch citizens but to reach the nationals. There was a cash bonus for each baptized. The Dutch claimed 40,000 baptized

The New Testament was translated into Malay

Taiwan – initial success stopped by a Chinese pirate who drove them out

Early Reformation missions 1595 - Dutch Calvinists started a colony

in Indonesia A Lutheran, Baron Von Welz, was the

first missionary to Suriname but died of disease. He had advocated missions but no one listened. He left off being a baron, went to Holland and was commissioned as apostle to the gentiles

Early Reformers

Johann Ursinus refuted von Welz Hard to recruit missionaries Depravity of the lost make conversion

difficult The great needs at home The Christians in other lands have the

responsibility to convert the heathen

The Reformation

The great reformers Luther, Calvin and Zwingli showed little burden for missions.

Some was perhaps due to the Calvinism emphasizing the sovereignty of God to the exclusion of the responsibility of man. Even Carey fought against this…

The Reformation

The great reformers Luther, Calvin and Zwingli showed little burden for missions.

Luther: Christ is coming soon The great commission was given just

to the apostles

Calvin

His doctrine was anti-missionary But he sent out dozens of

missionaries He tried to set up a group in Brazil,

but the leader turned traitor, joined the Portuguese and left the Jesuits to finish off the rest

Why were there initially few Protestant missionaries?

Protestant countries were landlocked, and did not have access to the sea except for England and Holland and Scandanavia

.Unfortunately even though the countries were more isolated, when they did set up trading companies, the companies themselves hindered the gospel

Why were there initially few Protestant missionaries? There were no monastic orders or

parachurch organizations for missions They were having trouble maintaining

themselves against the Roman Catholic church

Difficult times for the protestants, who were a persecuted minority.

They also fought between the Calvinists and Lutherans, and both persecuted the Anabaptists

Reformed Theological problems

Poor interpretation of missionary texts

Failure to see the separation of church and state - they believe in baptizing into a state church, which was territorial

They further expected the government to send out missionaries, not the church

Hypercalvinism is against missions

Problems with Protestantism and missions

Idea that missions should begin just at the borders of heathendom

Believing that the heathen were too depraved to get saved – not understanding the work and power of the Holy Spirit

Reasons for minimal missions

Idea that you must have a “missionary call” - otherwise don’t go

Opposition by kings and rulers Evil conduct of some Christians Basic reason – spiritual weakness,

with many not born again

Initial protestant passion – Baron Justinian von Welz

Baron Von Welz was a wealthy baron who lived a luxurious life until age 40. He was raised Lutheran, and had to move out of a Catholic area of Germany. He was saved and seriously began an ascetic life with a burden for the lost. He was against the cold unfeeling nature of the Lutheran church, and pushed for reaching the lost.

Baron von Welz

He proposed setting up a training program for missions including studying Pauline methods, culture, language, etc and gave money for the same.

When no one would go overseas, he asked a friend to appoint him “apostle to the heathen”, gave his wealth to establishing a school and moved to Holland

Baron von Welz He had called for preaching and

teaching missions among churches and setting up a mission organization to send out missionaries. He was condemned by most Lutherans

Eventually he went out through a Pietist group from Holland to Dutch Guiana (Suriname) , where he died of tropical disease, a man one century ahead of his times

Baron von Welz

You can think of von Welz as a loss of life for nothing. I must look at his life as consistent with his beliefs. He was truly a man of great vision and a century ahead of the times. Had they followed his lead, he would have well been the father of modern missions

Herbert Kane had noted

No great missionary outreach could occur until there was spiritual revival

With Lutheran pietism, there was a return to radical discipleship and many went to the mission field

What does that say now???

The University of Halle

Phillip Spener and August Francke started the University of Halle in Germany in 1698.

Phillip Spener was a Lutheran pastor who was disgusted at the sterile intellectualism of the Lutheran church, and set up small groups with an emphasis on being born again and having a personal relationship with the Lord.

The University of Halle

August Franke was a pietist professor at the University of Leipzig who was dismissed because of his pietist views

He was a pastor, and also started his own university, which then became the center of pietism.

The Danish Halle Mission

Later it joined with King Fredrick of Denmark for a college to train missionaries – the Danish-Halle mission the greatest missionary force till Carey, and the first Reformed foreign missions with over 60 missionaries at the time of Schwartz

Phillip Spener, father of German Pietism

August Franke – University of Halle

Danish-Halle Mission

When the king of Denmark became a pietist, he wanted to evangelize India.

Having no missionaries, they ordained two Lutheran missionaries, Ziegenbalg & Pluschau. However, secret information went to the Danish East Indies Company to hinder their work in every possible way

Danish-Halle to India Bartholomew Ziegenbalg & Henry

Plutschau were opposed by the Danish East India Company, but learned Tamil within 8 months. They set up the first girls school in India. They brought in a printing press for printing Tamil

Plutschau died in 5 years, and Ziegenbalg in 14, but they had over 350 believers, a missionary seminary, part of the Tamil Bible, and a Tamil lexicon

Bartholomew Ziegelbalg monument & Tamil Bible

Principles of Ziegenbalg & Plutschau

Church and school together – by which they mean that people must be able to read the Bible

The Bible must be available in their own language

In preaching the gospel, you must understand the mind of the people

Principles…

Preaching must aim at conversion As soon as possible, an indigenous

church with indigenous leaders must be started

Christian Fredrick Schwartz

Considered the founder of the native church in India – started in 1750 at age 24 and stayed 48 years.

Fluent in Tamil, Persian, Hindi, English, Hindu-Portuguese as well as his native German – he was born in what is now Poland

Christian Fredrick Schwartz

He was sent out by the king of Denmark. He was totally trusted and loved with genuine spirituality plus a powerful intellect. He was for a time an English chaplain

He served as a diplomat between the British and Indians

Very effective with children and established orphanages and schools

Schwartz

Christian Frederick Schwartz

He befriended a raja who was not saved but placed his adopted son in his care

Estimated 6000 Hindu & Muslims were saved under his ministry – considered the apostle to South India

A lady baptized by him resulted in 5000 baptized – later formed Tinnevelly church

Moravians

They originally came from the work of John Huss before Luther. They believed in the scripture as rule and practice, and had about 400 churches but were ruthlessly persecuted by the Jesuits. They fled to Saxony in Germany

Under leadership of Christian David, they found shelter in Herrnhut

John Huss – martyr for his faith

The Moravian church Count Nicholaus Ludwig von

Zinzendorf was the driving force for the Moravians - missionaries were 1:60 as opposed to 1:5000 normally.

The missionaries were self-supporting.

Every Christian is a missionary and should witness in his everyday life.

Count Zinzendorf

Born in 1700 into wealth. His father died, and his mother raised him in evangelical Pietism.

He was sent to Halle under Franck He was to be trained in state

service, but troubled, wanting to serve Christ

1722, he opened his estate to Protestant refugees

Count Zinzendorf

Count Zinzendorf

Many settled at Herrnhut, initially with much tension from different backgrounds

Revival came in 1727, with a burden for missions and a 100 year prayer vigil

He was introduced to two Greenland converts and an African slave, and brought them to Herrnhut

Zinzendorf preaching to the nations

Moravian

In1732 they sent missionaries first to the West Indies and Greenland –

Zinzendorf continued to lead for 30 years, by which time they had sent 226 missionaries out

Count Zinzendorf

Started sending out missionaries Went to West Indies in 1738,

released missionaries from jail and helped set a good mission program

Although he was not enamored with Native Americans, he sent 20 to evangelize them

The Moravian church They sent out more missionaries in 20

years than all the Protestant & Anglicans had done in 200 years.

His method for 33 years: All persons were layman trained as

evangelists They worked alongside their converts,

witnessing with word and life No political or economic involvement

The symbol of the Moravian church

The Moravian church They were not strong on doctrine, but

strong on love Family took second place, often

abandoned. His relationship with his own wife was not good; 10 years he was exiled, while she maintained affairs. She eventually died.

He later married a peasant woman who was influenced by mysticism

They eventually became enamored of mysticism of the death of Christ. He only partially recovered from this

Herrnhut

Hans Egede

A Norwegian Lutheran was a Pietist, and a pastor for 10 stormy years. He learned that Leif the Lucky had started a church there many years ago, which grew but then basically stopped and the people went back to paganism

His wife, originally opposed, strongly supported him

Egede

Arrived in 1721 but many difficulties getting housing; language difficulty; no evidence of Christian belief

Culture of Eskimos was markedly different. Evangelism was slow

His boys helped, who picked up the language. His singing also helped

Egede

He tried baptizing children and indoctrinating them, as he wanted them to totally abandon any heathenism

Lack of support Bergen company did not make profit The King who supported the venture

died, and the new King abandoned the commercial venture

Hans Egede – considered apostle to Greenland

Christian David Christian David, converted from being a

fervent Roman Catholic at age 27. He met Count Zinzendorf, and together they recruited for Herrnhut.

In 1733, he had heard that Egede was leaving Greenland, and headed a team there.

There were communication problems between the two missionaries

Egede & David clashed

Big difference over approach to evangelism Egede thought too rigid David thought too compromising

Actually a smallpox epidemic brought by a returning Greenlander broke through as Egede cared for many sick

Egede’s wife died one year later

Christian David There was growth between Moravians & the

Lutheran over the next 30 years or so + translation. The Moravians saw many converted and a church full

Egede returned remarried; his son Paul carried on the work with revival; Hans died age 72.

Paul’s vision deteriorated, but they worked on translation until Paul’s death 30 years later, completing the New Testament

George Schmidt - He was converted at age 16, and went

to Herrnhut before their revival Very difficult life - imprisoned twice by

Jesuits for preaching in Germany & Austria, often meeting in secret. His imprisonment for 3 years was followed by 3 years hard labor.

Finally he recanted to satisfy the oppressors.

Not received well at Herrnhut, he went back again, but then to Holland to learn Dutch and sent to South Africa

George Schmidt - There was great resistance from the

Dutch colonists and from the Reformed pastors who did not want to see the African’s status changed.

He supported himself by numerous jobs, and evangelized through contacts.

He started a church, but even his convert Africo relapsed into drinking. He was very discouraged.

George Schmidt

He was ordained in absentia, and began to baptize converts

The Dutch Reformed were furious, but in examining the converts, they understood their beliefs well and even after ordination, more trouble till eventually he was removed. He was sent back to Holland to face charges He was never allowed to return

50 years later believers were still there

Hans Hallbeck

The work languished for 50 years, but then revived under Hans Hallbeck, with 38 stations and 50,000 professing Christians...

More successful at Cape Colony, with 50,000 converts and 38 stations by the Moravians

Missions to Native Americans

Aggressively approached by both Protestant and Catholic

Overall results very poor Land-grabbing, abuse, cultural

clash and slow extinction…

American Indians

Franciscans first worked with Pueblo Indians, and brought in domestic animals, food, tools, etc.

Many converts – but basically syncretic beliefs

Major differences culturally

Land – sacred for the use of the community – cannot be bought or sold, and tied to ancestors too

Culture – decisions made by group, and not by individual

Work with Huron Indians

Jean de Brebeuf did much contextualization

Called the mass a thanksgiving, never mentioning the body & blood of Christ

Looked at sprinkling of tobacco before fishing and saying novenas as similar

Translated creeds and prayers, not scriptures

Paul le Jeune

Translated the scriptures with great difficulty

After 10 years, about half the tribe of 10,000 converted

Iroquois league attacked, killed most of the Hurons, and tortured and murdered Jean de Brebeuf – and the mission was ended

Paul le Jeune, Jesuit priest

American colonies were to reach the Indians

Massachusetts Bay had on their seal an Indian saying “Come over and help us”

Connecticut – the main reason These sentiments were just that –

and often colonists despised missionaries

Seals of Massachusetts Bay & Plymouth Bay

John Eliot 1604-1690 Father of the modern missions movement.

Brilliant Greek & Hebrew scholar at Cambridge.

He was appointed missionary under Oliver Cromwell, focused on translation, and also did leadership training and mission organization.

He also translated the entire Bible into their language, and had schools & churches.

John Eliot 1604-1690 This non-conformist Congregational

English pastor, was very effective with the Algonquin Indians. Brilliant student in Hebrew & Greek

After teaching, he came to the USA, followed by brothers and fiance, married and was pastor at Roxbury, outside Boston

Age 40, he started learning the Algonquin language.

He began preaching 2 years later in a wigwam

Elliot set an area apart for Christians

Indians were given sizeable area Set up town, organized like Jethro’s

rule Elliot equated Christianity with

western culture He worked slowly, waiting 5 years

before the first baptisms His Bible is the first printed in

America!

John Eliot

He was the first missionary out of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, the first organized Protestant mission agency

Translated the Bible

Translated the entire New Testament in 7 years

Trained 24 Indian evangelists who had their own churches

Tragic end came with King Phillip’s war, with bloody fighting between Indians and settlers. Praying Indians helped the settlers, but were shipped off to a bleak island without supplies

Eliot continued

After the war, he continued 13 years to serve the Indians until his death age 85.

He also helped begin a missionary outreach of the Anglican church

His strengths: Unbending optimism Getting help from others Knowledge that it is God who saves souls

John Eliot portrait and copy of first Bible printed in N. America

Missions to Native Americans

Roger Williams - 1606-1683 - staunch defender of Indians, learned language but not particularly successful in their conversion

He was brilliant in multiple languages and trained as an Anglican but switched to Puritan beliefs

He came to America and wanted religious freedom

Roger Williams

Main proponent of:Separatism, freedom of religionseparation of church and stateFounded the first Baptist Church

Roger Williams

Because of his strong views on separation, he was to be arrested, but walked 100 plus miles in the snow and was rescued by the Indians

He basically set up Rhode Island as the first colony with complete religious freedom in the USA

Roger Williams and Indians

Roger Williams and first Baptist church in the USA

The Mayhews

The Mayhews were originally from England and settled on islands off the USA coast. Thomas, the father, set up a profitable business and was governor of the Island

Thomas Mayhew’s son was a missionary to Martha’s Vineyard, but died at sea

The Mayhews

His father, a landlord, took his job at age 72, and worked 20 years. They dealt honestly with the Indians

His grandson and great grandson also worked among the Indians there through five generations to Zachariah Mayhew, who died in 1806

Gov. Thomas Mayhew

David Brainerd

David Brainerd was his diary and prayer life was extremely moving.

He was a brilliant student but dismissed from Yale for a minor infraction, perhaps as a scapegoat when Yale resisted a spiritual revival among the students.

He was deeply religious and had a close rela-tionship with God, spending much time in prayer

David Brainerd

Although offered positions in several churches, he persisted in missions to the Indians

He became depressed, spent much time in prayer. His original interpreter was often drunk – later got saved, and his wife. First two years were very discouraging

David Brainerd

. He went off on his own rather than working under a successful senior missionary

Later after much prayer, there was true revival and he was able to organize a church. More revivals occurred

He ended up with TBC dying in the home of Jonathan Edwards. Jerusha Edwards, whom he had hoped to marry, died of TBC several months later.

David Brainerd

David Brainerd - his diary and prayer life was extremely moving, published by Jonathan Edwards

His diary proved the inspiration of several future missionaries, including William Carey and Henry Martyn

God greatly used his devotion to Him in the lives of other missionaries.

David Brainerd

Eleazer Wheelock

Wanted to bring Indian and white students together so that the Indians would learn white culture, and the whites the Indian language. Then both would work as evangelists, with an emphasis on the Indians

Total of 50 students, 1/3 went as evangelists.

Eleazer Wheelock

Biggest problem was that Wheelock did not respect the Indian culture or their evangelists as equals

His first young man turned out to be a fine evangelist

He eventually enlarged the school which became Dartmouth College

Eleazer Wheelock

Moravian David Zeisberger

Originally started in Hudson Valley, later Pennsylvania

Opposed by many, some called Moravians a cult

Set up a prosperous village in Pennsylvania

David Zeisberger French-Indian war of 1755 – his village

attacked, 11 killed, village burned Went to Ohio. The English called them

spies; they fled for a winter, came back for their grain next year, and 96 were killed by American militia

They finally settled in Ontario. Zeisberger returned to Ohio until his death over 80 years old

Zeisberger and Indians – missionary for 62 years

Zeisberger