American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions

The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions ( ABCFM ) is the oldest U.S. Foreign Missionary Society for Christianity. It was proposed in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College and officially registered in 1812. 1961 was the ABCFM along with other companies to form the United Church Board for World Ministries.

Founding and early history

The establishment of the ABCFM is related to the revival movement that spread in the United States 1790-1840. The origin of the company was in Congregationalism, but also emissions of Presbyterians (1812-1870), the Reformed Church in America were funded (1819-1857) and other faiths.

The first five missions abroad have already been launched in 1812, and until 1840 was attended by representatives of the Company to the following areas on the road:

  • Tennessee ( Cherokee )
  • India ( near Bombay ), Sri Lanka
  • Sandwich Islands (present-day Hawaii)
  • East Asia with China, Singapore and Siam (today's Thailand)
  • The Middle East, Greece, Cyprus, Ottoman Empire (Turkey ), Syria, the Holy Land and Persia
  • Africa, in particular West Africa and South Africa in the Zulu

The ABCFM was the leading Missionary Society in the United States.

The opponents of the Indians expulsion from the eastern U.S., Jeremiah Evarts, worked 1812-1820 as Treasurer, and from then until his death in 1831 as corresponding secretary. Under his leadership, the role of women in society has been strengthened. He also led the expanding struggle against oppression and expulsion of Indians and organized public protest against President Andrew Johnson's Indian Removal Act (1830 ), but the adoption of this law could not prevent.

In the 1830s the ABCFM unmarried persons banned the missionary activity within the organization, because you had a bad experience with it. You sent only couples who had been recruited at least two months before the deportation.

Activities

In addition to the dissemination of Christian teaching, for example through the translations of the Bible into the local language, the missionaries ensured also for the production of printing presses and printing types. But medical and social projects were undertaken. A series of missionaries were trained, before being posted.

Known missionaries

Mumbai Near East Zulu people
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