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The rise and fall of the Student Volunteer Movement

1886: the bonfire catches

In 1886, the cultural and religious atmosphere was nearly in every way favorable to the birth and growth of the student mission movement that would become the SVM.

It was a time of dominance and prestige for Western civilization. Imperialistic expansion was condoned as an altruistic response to increased knowledge of the non-Western world. The rising nationalism of the era provided important motivation for the foreign missionary enterprise, for the success of American civilization was attributed to its Christian basis. Indeed, “though they strove as Christians to keep the priority on spiritual religion and to be aware of the difference between faith and culture, it was not difficult in the spirit of those times to lose the distinction and to see Christian civilization as a main outcome of faith, if not its chief outcome” (Handy 1971).

The SVM was born out of students who led by example. In his 1900 address, Dr. Stock (LMS) said, “The student volunteer movement we owe to America. In America every one of the leaders, one after the other, has gone to the mission field. They have said not, ‘You ought to go!’ but ‘Follow us!’” Indeed, some of the early activists in the SVM were the children of missionaries who had returned from the field with a passion for missions in their hearts. Young people were being taught missions through programs like Christian Endeavor by missions-passionate women who were organizing themselves to pray, give and go. Protestant foreign missionaries had become heroes and heroines for the American public.

They days were full of great men and great plans. Respected missionary thinkers and writers were articulating “entirely rational” plans calling for a global enterprise. In 1886, A. T. Pierson published his book, The Crisis of Missions, which contained the “Appeal to Disciples Everywhere” as well as a call for an ecumenical council which would divide up the unevangelized world between the various agencies. Robert Arthington, a leader with the Church Missionary Society, put forth a resolution at a CMS meeting to hold a meeting to map out the world. Pierson urged it be done by 1892, the 100th anniversary of Cary’s Baptist Missionary Society. Arthington agreed no time should be lost.

In the fateful summer, this great brew led almost inevitably to a flashpoint. D. L. Moody had been persuaded to host a summer Bible conference at Mount Hermon, Massachusetts, near Northfield. The event was to last 26 days. It was attended by 250 men from 96 colleges, including among them John R. Mott and Robert Wilder. Before Wilder left for the conference, his sister Grace prophesied there would be 100 student volunteers for the foreign mission field enlisted there.

Wishard’s influence led to several significant missionary events, including speeches by A. T. Pierson. Wilder took the initiative to create an interest circle for foreign missions. He and other organizers persuaded Moody to have a world mission night when ten students would share about foreign missions. Wilder found ten students (including himself), some foreigners and some missionary kids. The “Meeting of Ten Nations” had an incredible impact that indeed led to the pledging of 100 students for foreign missions. Yet the long-term result of the meeting would be far more significant.

On the last day of the conference the volunteers held a meeting and agreed that the missionary spirit “should be communicated in some degree to thousands of students throughout the country.” Prior to this time, few missionary meetings were held in any college in America; missionary libraries were virtually non-existent, missionary contributions almost unknown, and mission-study classes nearly “unthinkable.” Yet the impact of the Cambridge Seven had been so dramatic that the idea of mimicking it and visiting colleges was at once adopted by the American movement.

A deputation of 4 students was selected to represent the Mt. Hermon Conference and visit during a year as many American colleges as possible, but of the four selected, only one was willing: Robert Wilder. Yet there was a problem: his father was dying and needed his help to edit The Missionary Review. After two days of silence, it was the elder Wilder who decided upon the solution. He took Robert aside and said, “Son, let the dead bury their dead. Go thou and preach the kingdom.”

John Forman, who worked with Wilder to form the Princeton Foreign Missions Society, was “induced to join” him on the tour (Erb 1916). A businessman, D. W. McWilliams, defrayed their expenses. During the year, they visited 167 institutions, touching nearly all of the leading colleges in the US and Canada.

It is true that their approach was occasionally criticized by many who said their appeals were highly and perhaps overly emotional. Some evidence of this is seen by the large number of people who pledged to go but never deployed. Nevertheless, by the close of the year, 2,200 students (including 500 women) had taken the volunteer pledge. Among them were Samuel Zwemer, Samuel Moffett, and Robert Speer.

Youth movements were also formally starting. At the fourth youth conference, friends of the youth movement formed the “United Society of Christian Endeavor”—a national society for all of the CE societies that were being formed. Interestingly, Christian Endeavor refused to admit any delegates from non-CE societies. This excluded many denominations and led to some friction. However, it also probably kept out the liberalizing elements that caused such problems later on.

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