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The rise and fall of the Student Volunteer Movement

The Haystack Prayer Movement

Samuel Mills grew up during this period. Born in 1783, his father was a Congregational minister and his mother had a passion for missions, reportedly saying “I have consecrated this child to the service of God as a missionary.” He was converted at 17, in 1800, when the Great Awakening touched his father’s church, although this was likely more a confirmation or dedication than a conversion such as Luther Rice’s. He entered Williams College in 1806, selecting it for the spiritual fervor that was at work in the college.

Luther Rice was born in the same year as Mills, the ninth child and youngest of the boys. He lived in Northborough and was part of the Congregationalist church. His father never seemed to express any love, affection or appreciation toward him; indeed, his father was apparently an alcoholic who often took out his rage on Rice. The church they attended was more liberal; through the Halfway Covenant it allowed people who were unsaved to join the church and take communion. Despite the less-than-interested believers around him, Rice finally came to Christ through three years of personal searching. He went to Leicester for two years of higher education, and then on to Williams College where he met Mills and others.

The well known Haystack Prayer Meeting occurred in 1806 when, deeply influenced by the writings and work of William Carey, Mills, Rice and 3 others were discussing missions in the course of a prayer meeting and dedicated themselves to the missionary cause. Together, they formed a secret missionary society. Some documentation suggests they kept it secret because they thought the church might be intimidated; another perhaps more likely reason is that they kept it secret to avoid persecution by non-Christian classmates—this being the height of the pro-athiest ‘French Fever.’

Mills and Rice both transferred to Andover, where they met and were led by Adoniram Judson. In 1810, they petitioned the General Association of Massachusetts to send them as missionaries, but the association was reluctant to do so given the financial expense involved. Nonetheless their addresses eventually resulted in the formation of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

Rice went with Adoniram Judson and others to Asia, and on the way along with the Judsons he changed to a Baptist line of thought. He returned to the United States to petition the Baptists to support their work. There, he became a passionate advocate for mission work, beginning to galvanize and organize the Baptists. Between 1813 and 1814 he helped to form 17 missionary societies stretching from Boston to Georgia. He envisioned a great national organization for missions despite Baptists’ firm adherence to the autonomy of the local church. He ended up having many struggles with Baptists yet was instrumental in the launching of much of the modern Baptist missionary program.

Although others were sent out, Mills himself remained in America as a home missionary and mobilizer. In 1816 he helped to found the American Bible Society, and facilitated the establishment of schools for Africans who wished to be preachers and teachers. Finally, he was chosen by the American Colonization Society to go to Africa for 2 months to select an eligible site for settlement (in connection to the Liberia project) but died at sea on his homeward voyage.

Mills and Rice both envisioned a great awakening for missions. Unfortunately, their vision would be left to others to complete. The home missionary societies they helped to start catalyzed the Third Great Awakening which surged up in the 1850s, only briefly interrupted by the Civil War. Methodists and Baptists made enormous gains during this period, and the Presbyterians made smaller but notable gains as well. Some camp meetings attracted as many as 20,000 people.

But it was the ABCFM that would plant the seed that would lead to the Student Volunteer Movement. The ABCFM that Mills, Rice, Judson and others helped to catalyze began busily sending out missionaries to India, Sri Lanka, Hawaii, China, Singapore, Thailand, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Syria, Israel, Iran, West Africa and Southern Africa. Of the 372 members of the Society at Andover seminary, 217 entered the foreign mission field.

One of them was Royal Wilder.

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© 2008 Momentum Magazine.
Related: The Mission Manual · Justin Long's Annotated Links and Notes