RELIGIOUS ENCYCLOPEDIA
Missions to the Heathen
quite small, although it is increasing. From about the middle of the last century and to an everincreasing extent, qualified physicians and unmarried women have been sent out, the latter principally to be active as teachers, physicians, and deaconesses among the heathen and convert women. In the course of the nineteenth century the missionary organizations have increased so greatly that now it is scarcely possible to give a complete list of them. This increase has its
3. Rise of root, in the first place, in the great Missionary variety of church forms among Prot-
Organiza- estants. To an ever-increasing extent tions. each denomination took up the mission work independently, and, in this way, because of the multitude of sects, in England and North America especially, there arose a great number of missionary organizations; but the various theological tendencies and schools within the State churches also led to the founding of separate missions. In addition to this, new missionary societies have been called into being by different theories as to missions, and, usually in connection with such views, by the individual characteristics of potent personalities, and finally by motives touching political divisions at home or colonial policy. On the one hand, the great number of missionary organizations that arose in this way unquestionably augmented missionary zeal, but, on the other hand, it resulted in a division of strength, caused much friction, and increased the cost of mission work, so that at present a concentration of the existing missionary societies is rather to be desired than the founding of new ones. Unfortunately, the efforts tending toward a combination of the missionary organizations is accompanied by an individualistic tendency, the extreme expression of which are so-called free missionaries, who pursue the work of evangelization on their own account, without belonging to any society. Their numbers as well as their very doubtful success can not well be estimated.
Protestantism in all its various denominations is
strongly represented in the field of missionary labor.
In view of the fact that it is impossi-
4. Survey ble in this article to sketch the foundaof Mission- tion and development of the nearly ary Organ- 185 missionary organizations, the fol-
lzations. lowing statistical summary is offered,
arranged according to countries.
(1) Great Britain has the greatest number of missionaries: in round numbers 3,550 ordained and lay missionaries, in addition to 1,970 unmarried women workers; and she contributes, annually, about eight and one-half million dollars for mission work among the heathen, this amount being almost evenly distributed between the Church of England and the Dissenters. Of the forty or more missionary societies nine belong to the English Church, the others either belong to various free churches or are interdenominational. Prominent among the former are the Church Missionary Society, the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, and the Universities' Mission; and among the latter, the London Missionary Society, the Baptist and the Wesleyan societies, and that of the United Free Church of Scotland; among the interdenominational should be named the China Inland Mission. (2) North America (United States and Canada) counts over 50 missionary societies, nearly all denominational with about 2,290 ordained and lay missionaries, besides 1,580 unmarried women workers, and it raises for foreign missions from six and one-half to seven
million dollars annually.* The most important societies are the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the American Baptist Missionary Union, the Missionary Boards of the Methodist Episcopal Church North and South, and of both General Assemblies of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America, each of which supports from 100 to Over 200 male missionaries in foreign lands. Of great importance for the increase of American missionary activity are the Student Volunteer Movement, and the Young Men's Christian Association (q.v.). (3) Holland has 8 quite small missionary societies, no one of which supports more than 15 missionaries; in all they have 65. The revenue is $150,000; but several old fields of mission work, especially in Celebes, have been ceded to the Colonial Dutch Church, which cares for them by means of 26 " auxiliary preachers." (4) Germany with German Switzerland counts 25 missionary societies, the 8 oldest of which, those of the United Brethren, Basel, Berlin, Rhenish, North German, Gossner, Leipsic, and Hermannsburg, are the largest. All told, Germany provides 1,120 missionaries, nearly all ordained, and about 150 women workers. The receipts in Germany amount to over $1,750,000 and in the missionary fields to over $500,- 000. (5) France and French Switzerland support two missionary societies, that of Paris, with 120, and the Mission Renaude with 22 male and 20 female missionaries. The total annual income is about $250,000. (6) Scandinavia has in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland twelve missionary societies, the most important of which are the Norwegian Society, the Swedish Vaterlandsstiftung and the Swedish Missionary Union. All together they support 230 male and 100 female missionaries and have a total income of $750,000. (7) Finally there are independent missionary societies in the colonies of these nations, in all probably 26, and four which belong to the native Christian churches. The 5 largest are in South Africa with about 180 missionaries; in Oceania are 10 with 75; in Dutch India, 2 with 12; in British India, 5 with 35; and in the West Indies, 4 with 45 missionaries, not counting native assistants. The total income is perhaps $950,000.
Altogether, therefore, Protestantism has (including those not ordained) 7,940 male and 4,010 unmarried female missionaries to the heathen, and raises at home about 120,000,000 annually for their support. To what extent the 614 male and 308 female missionary physicians are in-
5. Sum- eluded in these figures can not be cermary. tainly determined on account of the inexactness of the statistics of many societies. A very essential aid is given to the different Evangelical missions of all denominations by a number of Bible and Tract Societies which, at their own expense, care for the printing and also to a certain extent for the distribution of translations of the Bible and other books (see Bible Societies). Of the Tract Societies (q.v.), the principal are the London (1799) and the American Tract Society (1825) and the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (1698). Worthy of mention beside these, among the thirty in the missionary fields, are the Christian Literature Society for India (1859) and the Society for the Promotion of Christian and General Knowledge among the Chinese (1887). The ever-increasing need for mutual understanding has led to the institution of general missionary conferences, as well as those which were assembled by the united missionary organizations of a special territory (India, China, Japan, South Africa), as those called together by the missionary organizations of all Protestantism for general consultation.
* Since the majority of these societies carry on an extensive work among Roman Catholics in the West Indies and in Central and South America, and frequently do not clearly separate this work from the work among the heathen, it ia possible to give only approximate data.
Missions to the Heathen