Biblical Wisdom by Verse: The Mission

Great Wall Panorama

The Mission in 1906

Chapter - 20

By: James Hudson Taylor
A Retrospect - 1895

"It will not do to say that you have no special call to go to China. With these facts before you and with the command of the Lord Jesus to go and preach the gospel to every creature, you need rather to ascertain whether you have a special call to stay at home." - J Hudson Taylor

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The events sketched in the last two chapters have been more fully delineated by Miss Guinness in her interesting Story of the China inland Mission, which continues its history to the year 1894. It is indeed a record of the goodness of God, every remembrance of which calls for gratitude and praise. We can only here briefly mention a few facts, referring our readers to Miss Guinness’s work for all details.

After a voyage of many mercies the Lammermuir party safely reached China, and during the fist ten years stations and outstations were opened in many cities and towns in four provinces which hitherto had been unreached by the Gospel. At home Mr. and Mrs. Berger continued their devoted service until March 19th, 1872, I having returned to England the year before. Shortly after this the London Council was formed, which was now for several years been assisted by an auxiliary Council of ladies. A Scotch Council was also formed in Glasgow a few years ago.

A visit to America in 1888 issued in the formation of the Council for North America, and a similar Council for Australasia was commenced in Melbourne two years later. In the field a China Council was organized in 1886, composed of senior missionaries who meet quarterly in Shanghai.

Closely associated with the C.I.M. are six Committees—in England, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany, and the United States—which send out and support their own missionaries, who in China have the assistance of the educational and other advantages of the C.I.M. and who work under its direction.

Duly qualified candidates for missionary labor are accepted without restriction as to denomination, provided they are sound in the faith in all fundamental truths: these go out in dependence upon God for temporal supplies, with the clear understanding that the officers of the Mission do not guarantee any income whatever; and knowing that as they will not go into debt, they can only minister to them as the funds sent in from time to time will allow. But we praise God that during the past forty years such ministry has always been possible; our God has supplied all our need, and has withheld no good thing.

All the expenses of the Mission at home and abroad are met by voluntary contributions, sent to the offices of the Mission without personal solicitation, by those who wish to aid in this effort to spread the knowledge of the gospel throughout China. The income for the year 1905 was £72,906:7:6 from all sources—Great Britain, the Continent of Europe, North America, Australia, China, etc.

Some of the missionaries having private property have gone out at their own expense, and do not take anything from the Mission fund.

The year 1894, in which the first edition of a Retrospect appeared, was marked by the erection of large and commodious premises for the work of the Mission, and early in the following year the houses in Pyrland Road, which had so long formed the home of the Mission in England, were vacated, and Newington Green, London, N., became the address of the Mission offices and home.

From that date until the Boxer outbreak of 1900 the Mission made steady progress, but during that terrible year, when no fewer than 135 missionaries and 53 missionaries’ children and many thousands of Chinese Christians were cruelly murdered, the China Inland Mission lost 58 missionaries and 21 missionaries’ children.

(1 For details see Martyred Missionaries of the China Inland Mission and last Letters, both published by the China Inland Mission at $1.00).

In the overruling providence of God all these things have been made to fall out rather for the furtherance of the Gospel, and on all hands in China there are opportunities for Christian work as never before. A brief comparison of the China Inland Mission statistics of January 1st, 1900, before The Boxer Outbreak, and January 1906 will reveal progress made.

Jan. 1, 1900 / Jan 1, 1906

C.I.M. Missionaries (including wives) 811 / 827

Stations 171 / 205

Outstations 223 / 632

Chapels 387 / 827

Paid native helpers 581 / 888

Unpaid native helpers 193 / 394

Communicants in fellowship 8,557 / 14,078

Baptized from commencement 12,964 / 21,648

Organized churches 266 / 476

Boarding-school scholars 788 / 1,166

Day-school scholars 1,382 / 1,831