After Forty Years by H. E. Rogers

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Oct 29, 1914

After Forty Years

By H. E. Rogers

Report of Foreign Missions for 1913

H. E. ROGERS

Statistical Secretary

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS believe that the Saviour's command, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” is of binding force, and is to-day obligatory upon them; and so in obedience to that command, they have gone into nearly all parts of the world to proclaim the tidings of a soon-coming Saviour. Representatives of this people are now carrying forward work in nearly every important country.

ELDER J. N. ANDREWS
(First missionary sent out by Seventh-day Adventists) — ELDER J. N. ANDREWS (First missionary sent out by Seventh-day Adventists)

This phase of work was considered quite early in the history of this movement, but it was eleven years after the organization of the General Conference until the first representative was sent outside this country in behalf of this special message. It was on the fifteenth of September, 1874, forty years ago, that Elder J. N. Andrews, the first missionary sent by the denomination outside the United States, left Boston on this new undertaking. Some time elapsed before additional missionaries were sent outside this country. In 1886 laborers were sent to Russia, and from time to time other laborers have gone out to other lands, and missions have been established in various places.

In 1894 work was begun in what may be denominated a heathen country, when representatives of this people entered Matabeleland (now Rhodesia), South Africa, selected a mission site, and began their work. Other heathen and non-Protestant countries were soon entered, and one country after another has been added to the list, until there is now quite a large force of laborers engaged in service in sixty-seven different heathen and non-Protestant countries, and including Christian lands, the list of countries numbers eighty-five.

A report of this work for the year 1913 accompanies this article. The report is arranged on a little different basis than our regular annual statistical reports, but follows the plan of reporting adopted by various missionary boards and organizations. The figures in the table speak for themselves, but reference is here made to certain items.

The income from mission territory, or what may be called native contributions, for 1913 amounted to $200,411.44. The income from the home base was as follows: North America, $499,713.65; northern Europe, $168,720.44; Australasia, $38,330.76; South Africa, $4,592.56; total, $711,357.41. Including the amount raised as native contributions, the grand total expenditure in mission territory for 1913 was $911,768.85.

The total force of foreign missionaries now stands at 648, and of native laborers 958, a total of 1,606 laborers in mission fields; total church members in mission fields, 19,335, of whom 3,289 were baptized during 1913. The total contributions for mission work outside the United States raised by the entire denomination from 1869 to 1913 aggregates $5,340,289.68. Nearly one half of this amount has been raised during the past five years, the exact figures being $2,580,802.82; that is, the total contributions for the past five years have been nearly as much as for the preceding forty years.

The contributions for mission work outside the United States by decades have been as follows:— 1869-79 .................... $ 40,560.90 1880-89 .................... 238,467.11 1890-99 .................... 837,280.85 1900-09 .................... 2,026,262.93 1910-13 (4 years) .......... 2,197,717.89 Total ...................... $5,340,289.68

Without attempting to draw an invidious comparison, or make any improper showing, but simply to show how our work stands as related to other missionary organizations at work in the field, attention may be called briefly to the reports of other missionary organizations engaged in foreign missions. The following facts are based upon the report issued during 1914 by the Foreign Missions Conference of North America for the year 1913, and represents the work of 179 Protestant organizations in the United States and Canada, all or a portion of whose revenue is devoted to work in other lands.

Considering our work as a unit, what is attempted in Europe and other Christianized portions being included to make up one complete statement, our total force of foreign men missionaries of all classes stands third in point of numbers engaged in service by the 179 Protestant missionary organizations in the United States and Canada. In the number of women missionaries of all classes, this denomination stands sixth, in total foreign missionaries fifth, and in native workers ninth; as to total force engaged in service, this body stands eighth. In the number of mission stations, it stands second, and in outstations sixteenth; in organized churches sixth, and in membership thirteenth. In contributions from the home base it stands eleventh as to total amount, and of native contributions sixth.

The total contributions from all Protestant missionary organizations in the United States and Canada for 1913 for the support of Protestant Christian missions outside those two countries were $16,458,069.67, and the native contributions by communicants in mission fields were $3,855,286.32.

The per capita amount for foreign missions from members of the Protestant bodies in the United States and Canada for the support of Christian missions during 1913 approximated sixty-eight cents; contributed by Seventh-day Adventists in the same territory for the

same purpose, was a per capita of $6.95.

The per capita amount of native contributions raised by the 1,366,551 native communicants of all denominations in mission territory during 1913 was $2.82; native contributions by Seventh-day Adventists in mission territory during the same time constituted a per capita of $10.36.

The term “foreign missions” is elastic; it may mean one thing or another. This fact has become well recognized in the compilation of missionary statistics; and so the committee issuing the report already referred to states that the report tabulates “the results of work done by the Christian people of the United States and Canada for people outside the natural borders of these two countries.” The report of this denomination is restricted to the territory named in the table. And it is quite possible that in the majority of cases the reports of other bodies cover practically the same territory.

While this denomination is today operating in sixty-seven different mission countries, so far as reports indicate no other religious body is carrying on work in more than half this number.

In mission territory we have 14 printing plants, 18 hospitals or dispensaries, and 9 mission boats. Languages in oral use number 100, with publications issued in 73. Including languages used in Christianized portions, the denomination now issues literature in 80 languages, and in oral use there are 107 languages. Surely this represents a vast amount of effort. In one case, our workers were the first to reduce the language of the natives to written form, issuing literature, including one of the Gospels. Another feature of promise is the fact that in mission territory we have 15 training schools, 59 head schools, and 132 outschools, taught by 91 foreign teachers and 269 native teachers, and having a total enrollment of 9,610.

But while something has been accomplished, much yet remains to be done.

Glance at the summary, and note that each laborer we have in Asia has for a parish nearly a million and a half of souls, while in the United States the population for each laborer is 41,879. The percentage of population outside Christianized portions is 84.91, and of denominational laborers 28.11; while the population in Christian portions of the world constitutes 15.09 per cent, and the laborers we have engaged in such parts are 71.89 per cent. These figures indicate that a greater equalization of conditions should be brought about.