□ □ I 1814 1914 3 3 Centennial ^nrneg A Study of Baptist Missionary Achievement I " ..4 John Howard Deming Ammran Uajitist Stemgn mission #ori?tg Ford Building Boston, Massachusetts Foreword W E stand at the close of the first century of American Baptist missions. One hundred years have passed since that memo¬ rable day in July, 1813, when Adoniram Judson landed upon the shores of Burma. Since then hundreds of lives and millions of dollars have been devoted by American Baptists to the work in foreign lands, and now, at the end of this period, it is natural that we inquire what have been the results of this vast expenditure, and what has been our Baptist contribution to the advance of God’s Kingdom in foreign lands. It is the purpose of this pamphlet to survey the achievement of the century. We shall glance first at some of the outstanding results of the work, as shown in non-Christian lands and in Europe. We shall then trace the gradual development of the work from its beginnings in 1814. Finally, we shall try to estimate the significance of this achievement in the light of the work accomplished by other denomina¬ tions. The author is a missionary of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society and has been in service in China. During furlough he has made a study of the records and reports of the Society and its work, and the results of his investigation are presented herewith. Qmttmmtal ii>uni?tr I. The Century in Outstanding Results A. Baptist Contribution in Non-Christian Lands [N a survey of the work as a whole, it is possible to find four distinct lines of contribution. First, emphasis on evangelism has resulted in the conver¬ sion of more than half a million souls and in a present church membership in non-Christian lands of 166,330. Second, our missionaries in non-Christian lands have gathered the believers into 1,575 organized Baptist churches. Third, scripture translation has given to the people on all the fields the Bible in their own tongue. Fourth, each station has been a center of social uplift. There are, however, pedal features of our work in several of the fields which constitute a unique contribution. In Africa, for example, our mission has been to the socially degraded and politically oppressed people of the Congo. In that land of spiritual midnight, our missionaries have seen cannibals transformed into Christians, and they have helped to end forever the cruelties of an iniquitous exploitation. In South India our Baptist contribution has been a message of life to the socially neglected, to those rendered hopeless through the cruel conditions of an hereditary caste. Again, we have been pioneers in realizing the possibili¬ ties of mass movements toward Christianity. In Bengal-Orissa our Baptist contribution, made through the Free Baptist branch of the denomination, has been a ministry to the orphan child¬ hood of India, and more especially the gift of a written language and a life- giving religion to the outcaste Santals, a race of primitive sun-worshipers. In Assam the most striking feature of our work has been the transforma¬ tion of savage head-hunters into peaceable, law-abiding Christians. In the two islands of the Philippines allotted to us by mission comity, we have given to the people a gospel of intellectual and spiritual freedom. Through our Jaro Industrial School we have preached the “ dignity of labor ” and have thus helped to lay a foundation of economic prosperity on which to build the religious and political future of the islands. In Japan, our special contribution has been to the geographically isolated, hardy fisher folk of the far away Liuchiu islands, and to that unconquered race who, from time immemorial, have held the little islands of the Inland Sea. In China, the emphasis has been upon evangelism, upon church organiza¬ tion, and upon the work of translation. We speak of all this as Baptist achievement — what we really mean is the achievement that God has wrought through American Baptists. After 50 years 375 20,477 $5,600 $109,5x9 3t B. Table of Results in Non-Christian Lands Churches — Increase 4 fold Church Members —• Increase 8 fold Native Contributions — Increase 28 fold Flome Income — Increase 10 fold After 100 years 1,575 166,330 $160,253 $1,114,420.98 * 3 C. Baptist Contribution in Burma O UR contribution in Burma deserves special consideration. To the wild Karens the gift of a written language and a redemptive religion has meant literally the re-creation of the race. To the Burmans and the other native races, Christian churches and Christian schools have been given, displacing the old monastery schools and undermining the power of Buddhism. Rangoon Baptist College, enrolling over 1,500, has for years been training leaders in every branch of industrial, political and religious life. The number of self-supporting churches is to-day greater than in any other field. In Massachusetts there are 348 Baptist churches, of which 254 are entirely self- supporting. This is only 73 per cent, as against 76 per cent, for Burma. It was said by W. E. Curtis, that our work in Burma constitutes “ one of the most remarkable missionary successes on record.” After 40 years D. Table of Results in Burma After 100 years 62 Missionaries 191 145 Native Workers 2,483 11 7 Organized Churches 1,009 Self Supporting Churches 768 (71 8,736 Church Members 65,912 55 Schools of all Grades 743 1,178 Pupils 28,626 Native Contributions $130,483 E. Baptist Contribution in Europe N O work has yielded larger returns than that in Europe. When we began work in Germany and France there were no Baptist churches in those countries. To-day there are 244 organized churches in those two countries alone. The work in Sweden was begun by the American Baptist Publication Society. When taken over by the Foreign Mission Society in 1866 there were 6,411 members of Baptist churches in Sweden; to day there are 54,268. The number 139,270 given as the present membership of these Baptist churches in Europe represents only a part of those who have become Baptists. A large number of those who joined Baptist churches in Europe later emigrated and are now found in churches of their own nationality in America. The fact that to-day we can begin to withdraw our support from these fields is the best evidence of the value of our earlier efforts. The success of our work in the Scandinavian countries as well as in Germany has had a wonderful reflex influence upon our work among these nationalities in America. No denomi¬ nation has a greater hold upon these people than the Baptists. F. Table of Results in Europe In 1864 81 Churches— Increase 14 fold 12,933 Members — Increase 10 fold $22,865 Contributions — Increase 34 fold In 1913 1,182 139,270 $783,011 4 II. The Century in Gradual Development A. Field Development E turn now to a survey of the growth of our work in non-Christian lands, based upon the figures of every tenth annual report. 1. MISSIONARIES AND STATIONS no 780 120 no J 00 T N the first chart we can follow 90 J- the increase of mission sta- ^ tions as compared with mission¬ aries. In 1814 there was but 70 one station; to-day there are 127 eo main stations, with 2,975 out - 50 stations. In 1814 four mission- aries represented the Society ; in 40 1914 there were 701 missionaries. 30 20 10 i i i 720 660 600 540 480 420 360 300 240 180 120 60 INC :rea i 5 E ( 3 F 1 , / / / / mi; 3 S 10 NARI ESA nd ; STAT ONS 1 7 / / / j / / / / i / / > ■7 t, i/ il I II 1 1 1 t il 1 '- / / / / / A/ f \ \ \ \ % / / // 1 / i 9 // * r tf/sslo v V \ > ' y * s # M */ •V 1814 1824 1834 1844 1854 1864 1874 1884 1894 1904 1914 2. CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS 18/4 1824 1834 1844 1854 1864 1874 1884 1894 1904 19/4 W HEN we remember the strong emphasis which our missionaries have always put upon evangelization, it is a surprise to find that we have to-day more schools than churches. The total number of organized churches in non-Christian lands is 1,575, while the schools number 2,234. t 5 3. CHURCH MEMBERS AND PUPILS T HIS chart furnishes an even greater surprise. Since the schools outnumber the churches, we should naturally expect the pupils to outnumber or at least approximate the church members. On the contrary, the pupils number less than half the church members, 73,091 as against 166,- 330. The average school num¬ bers only 32 pupils, while the average church numbers 105 members. 4. MISSIONARIES AND NATIVE WORKERS Ml. 5510 NAR IES } =\ND 1 1 1 JIVE : WC )RKE .RS 1 1 1 1 1 ( 1 1 1 1 / 1 1 1 L I 1 1 1 1 1 | 1 1 f -| - 1 1 J A 0/ / &/ \Y ty / / * / / / Ml 5 5joA — 6400 6000 5600 5200 mo 4400 4000 3600 3200 2800 2400 2000 1600 1200 800 400 1814 1824 1834 1844 1854 1864 1874 1884 1894 1904 1914 |"N one hundred years our mis- •*- sionary force has grown from 4 to 701, but this seems slight compared with the growth in native workers. In 1914 the total native workers were 6,106. 6 5. BAPTISMS I F we search the earlier records and the later statistics we can make up a total of 308^05 baptisms in non-Christian lands. And that is by no means the complete number, for in some years the baptisms were not re¬ ported and in many others the figures were only partial. B. Financial Development T HE record of financial achievement is also re¬ markable. In 1815, the first year of organized effort, the receipts for foreign missions were $1,059. In 1914, the one hundredth year of organized effort, they were more than one thousand times as much, reaching the splendid total of $1,114,420 including receipts from the woman’s societies. The total amount actually contributed during these one hundred years has been $30,345,722. 1. HOW HAS THE MONEY COME? T HE receipts of the Society have come from two main sources, classified as the “ receipts from donations ” and the “ re¬ ceipts outside donations.” The former include contributions from churches, Sunday schools, young people’s societies and individuals. In 1914 these amounted to $950,329.71 including receipts from the woman’s societies. The latter include legacies and interest from investments which amounted to $164,091.27. The chart gives some idea of the proportion be¬ tween the two amounts and also shows the peculiar fluctuation in the “ receipts outside dona¬ tions.” 7 2. WHERE HAS THE MONEY GONE? T H E accompanying chart shows how the thirty million dollars received have been ex¬ pended during the past one hundred years. The increase in expenditure and the relative amounts that have been spent at home and on the field are clearly indicated. Two points on the chart need a word of explanation. The high point on the lower line in 1874 was the year when the mission rooms were fitted up in Tremont Temple and the fire¬ proof vault was built. The high point on the upper line in 1894 was the year when the field ex¬ penditure exceeded receipts by over $200,000, involving a never- to-be-forgotten debt. 3. HOME EXPENDITURES AND TOTAL RECEIPTS 11275.000 T HIS chart indicates the rela¬ tion between home expendi¬ tures and total receipts. The upper line shows the increase of annual receipts. What these in¬ creasing gifts have produced has already been given in the preced¬ ing pages. The lower line shows the increase in the administrative cost. The relationship between the two is shown in that every increase in the administrative cost has resulted in an enormous increase in total receipts. 18/4 1824 1834 1844 1854 J864 1874 1884 1894 1904 1914 1,200,000 /,125,000 1,050,000 975,000 900,000 825,000 750.000 675,000 600,000 525,000 450,000 375.000 300,000 225,000 150,000 75,000 $1/25.000 8 III. The Century in Comparative Achievement A. Comparison of Total Work in All Lands A MONG the 340 foreign missionary societies of the world, the position of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, based on the total work of all the societies in all lands, is as follows: 1st in Native Church Members. 1st in Organized Native Churches. 2d in Additions Last Year. 3d in Number of Native Workers. 3d in Number of Schools. 4th in Home Income. 6th in Number of Missionaries. 7th in Number of Hospitals. 8th in Number of Pupils. 9th in Years of Service. B. Comparison of Work in Non-Christian Lands Only W E can compare our results in non-Christian lands with the similar accomplishment of other denominations, by selecting the ten largest societies in the world, reckoned on the basis of missionary force. These are the American Board, Northern Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, Northern Methodist, Northern Presbyterian, China Inland Mission, Church Mission¬ ary Society, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, United Free Church of Scotland, and the Wesleyan. Note: — In all the following diagrams, with the exception of those in section 5, the statis¬ tics are based on the reports of the various societies issued in 1913. 1. MISSIONARIES AND HOME INCOME NUMBER OF MISSIONARIES CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY METHODIST n 1318 1244 PRESBYTERIAN 1155 CHINA] INLAND MISSION] 1040 S.P.G. 822 BAPTIST 697 AMERICAN BOARD WESLEYAN UNITED FREE EPISCOPAL 571 535 513 484 T HE fundamental hu¬ man resources of every society are mis¬ sionaries and money. We may well feel encour¬ aged at our financial achievement, and yet large as are the present contributions, they are far less than the gifts of three other denomina¬ tions. Our missionary force has grown to enor¬ mous size and yet there are to-day three other societies whose force is about half as large again, and one whose number of missionaries is almost twice as large. HOME INCOME $2,376,628 METHODIST $ 1.913.608 $1,861,910 [CHURCH MISSIONARY {SOCIETY PRESBYTERIAN $1,195,523 $1,048,938 1,035,619 $823,624 $795,757 $ 73384-5 BAPTIST * AMERICAN BOARD S.P. 6. EPISCOPAL WESLEYAN UNITED FREE $302,143 CHINA INLAND MISSION ♦This figure is for income only, that is, the money available for current expenses. It does not include additions to the permanent and annuity funds. 9 2. SCHOOLS AND PUPILS SCHOOLS CHURCH MISSIONARY 50CIETY 31+7 METHODIST 2556 BAPTIST 2174 WESLEYAN UNITED FREE PRESBYTERIAN — 1836 1800 1721 AMERICAN BOARD 1464 S.P.G. 1275 CHINA IN LAND MISSION EPISCOPAL 242 233 A S compared with other societies we stand high in the num¬ ber of schools. But when we compare the number of pupils un¬ der instruction, there is a somewhat different story to tell. Why? One answer is probably found in the relatively large number of small jungle schools. An¬ other reason is probably the lack of adequate equipment and facili¬ ties. Certain it is that we are not reaching the numbers we should. PUPILS 221169 CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY I 16147 I 10057 WESLEYAN UNITED FREE S2S64 74-72 91 7470 O) 6 5593 60902 METHODIST r^f^E.r?lCAM BOARD l. o. P. G. BAPTIST PRESBYTERIAN 10062 55 78 EPISCOPAL CHINA INLAND MISSION / 3. HOSPITALS AND CHURCH MEMBERS HOSPITALS s INCE Dr. Jonathan Price went PRE5BYTERIAN 73 CHURCH 1 MISSIONARY} SOCIETY J - 54 METHODIST 37 UNITED FREE 35 AMERICAN BOARD ..... 27 BAPTIST 24 S.P.G. 22 EPISCOPAL 12 CHINA INLAND! 7 MISSION ] r 140,671 122,042 WESLEYAN [METHODIST 122,009] - [PRESBYTERIAN COMMUNICANT out in 1821 to be associated church MEMBERS with Judson in our Burma mission,. 159,920 p baptist we have sent out missionary doc¬ tors and emphasized medical work. According to the report for 1913, we have 54 physicians in the differ¬ ent fields. We have comparatively few hospitals simply because we have never invested heavily in buildings for the medical and edu¬ cational branches of the work. This has been due chiefly to a lack of sufficient funds to provide ade¬ quately for the imperative needs of existing work and at the same time supply the buildings needed for the future. If we take hospitals as typical of material equipment, 115,945 88,875 79,200 56,191 27,344 13,731 (CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY S.P.6. AMERICAN BOARD, UNITED FREE [CHINA INLAND (MI5SI0N EPISCOPAL these two diagrams present in rather sharp contrast the direction in which our results are small and that in which they are large. In material results represented by equipment and buildings, we have less to show than some of the other denominations; in spiritual results, such as baptisms, churches and members we stand among the first. 10 4. ADDITIONS AND CHURCHES ADDITIONS METHODIST fl 23331 PRESBYTERIAN 15505 Church missionary SOCIETY 143*2 BAPTIST UNITED FREE SPG 10040 9230 6797 AMERICAN BOARD 3346 CHINA INLANDMI55ION EPISCOPAL 25S6 2431 I N the number of organ¬ ized churches we stand first, as far as the figures are available. In the number of additions in 1913, three of the socie¬ ties exceeded our number, having more mission¬ aries and larger income. The significance of this fact (for us) is that if we would maintain our pres¬ ent leading position, we must increase our re¬ sources of money and men. ORGANIZED 1493 n CHURCHES BAPTIST 936 5.P.G. 6 73 654 PRESBYTERIAN CHINA INLAND MISSION 57 3 AMERICAN BOARD 216 UNITED FREE 4 5. BAPTISMS AND SELF-SUPPORTING CHURCHES BAPTISMS TOTAL 58535if BAPTIST Statistics for the one-hundredth year ORGANIZED AND SELF-SUPPORTING CHURCHES I F we add the baptisms in those European countries in which we have had a share in the work to the 308,605 recorded in non-Christian lands, we reach a total of 585,351. Over half a million in a century! These individuals have been organ¬ ized into 1,575 churches, of which 908 or 57 per cent, are to-day self- supporting. If the primary aim of mission work is the organization and development of native churches to a point where they become self- supporting, self-directing, and self¬ extending, then the number of our self-supporting churches is a measure of our Baptist achievement. 1575 ORGANIZED CHURCHES 908 SELF-SUPPORT¬ ING CHURCHE5 BAPTIST II 6. THE TASK OF A NEW CENTURY A S we look out upon the century that is just opening, our missionary task appears even larger and more complex than that of the past. The task of the first century was to lay foundations. The missionary was the bearer of an individual message to individuals. The very success of these earlier efforts has intensified our present problem, for the modern missionary, with the same burning message to deliver, must in addition organize the thousands reached into an army for the Christian conquest of their own lands. Thus the missionary of the new century must be not only a private soldier engaged in personal battle, but a general directing the forces of the campaign. The task of the first century was the fundamental work of planting the Christian church in non-Christian lands. The task of a new century is the expansion, and more especially the training, of this native church. This means not only continued emphasis on evangelism, but a new emphasis on Christian education, for the native church will never become self-extend¬ ing and self-directing without an educated and efficient laity as well as an educated and efficient ministry. The task of the first century was the translation of the Christian message into the language of the people, a task which has now been practically ac¬ complished. The task of the new century will be the translation of this same Christian message into the life of the people, into their industrial, social, and political as well as religious life. While the task of Christian missions means the salvation of individual souls, and the planting of Christian churches, it includes also the permeating of pagan civilizations with the spirit and influence of Christianity through the Christian education of native leaders. We shall need to utilize more fully than in the past the great social forces of Christianity, recognizing the fact that it is not sufficient to convert men nor to educate them. The whole social life must be reconstructed on a Christian basis. In this task the second century will build upon the foundations of the first. Finally the task of the second century will be that of cooperation with the missionary endeavors of other denominations. Winning the world to Jesus Christ is one work. Each denomination in its own way, and also through cooperative effort with the others, will contribute to the fulfillment of the divine plan — the establishment of God’s Kingdom throughout the world. This pamphlet is not issued in any feeling of denominational pride over what Baptists have accomplished. It is issued rather as an expression of appreciation and gratitude to God for the part he has been pleased to give to Baptists in the missionary achievements of the century. For additional literature or any other information regarding the work of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, write to any of the following: — The nearest District Secretary. Department of Missionary Education, 23 E. 26th St., New York City. Literature Department, Post Office Box 41, Boston, Mass. 1053-S-15-14-10M 12