Post by: Sean Heath
This summer I took a Baptist History class through Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. One of the amazing insights that I gained from this class was that modern missions as we know it has only been going on for about 250 years! What I mean by that is Matthew 28:18-20, “The Great Commission” verse, has been interpreted for almost 1700 years as a command only given to the Apostles. Today Christians, especially Baptists, have so completely accepted that verse as a command to ALL Christians that we can hardly imagine our faith without it.
Maybe you already know about William Carey, but I wanted to share a little about him and the contribution he has made to our denomination, as well as, my personal mission experience.
William Carey (1761-1834) was an English (think England here) Baptist shoemaker who became the “father of modern missions” in 1793 when he dedicated his life to taking the Gospel to the people of India. As a young boy he had an interest in geography and languages which God used to bring him to his calling of international missions.
Carey was growing up in a time where Christianity was still trying to escape the grips of Catholicism and many in the faith were willing to look at the scriptures in a new light. Carey became influenced by the growing idea that the Gospel was to be given freely to all people, so that God’s grace could be known everywhere. Carey was greatly convicted of this truth and helped found the Baptist Missionary Society in 1792, where he and his family declared they would be one of their first missionaries.
Carey arrived in a land completely foreign to him with no rule book to follow. He was a pioneer navigating new territory. He and the missionaries from the society had to suffer greatly and deal with many frustrations before they ever began to see the fruit of their labors, but God blessed and equipped them for the work. Carey had already taught himself Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Dutch, and French. Now he taught himself Bengali so he could communicate with the natives.
I can now say with experience that language acquisition is critical to working in a foreign land, but a second aspect to language is the culture which is just as important if not more. I have learned so much about that here in Peru in the seven months we have been here. It can be so difficult to try and express something from your experiences into theirs. If you do not understand the people you are trying to minister to, then you are going to alienate yourself and they will not accept you.
I want to share one more thing of Carey’s: The Serampore Form of Agreement. I read it and I was reminded of the purpose of my mission here in Peru, along with the higher need to live a life worthy of the Cause. This document is so important because Carey set before all who read it a standard he and his companions were willing to commit to at a time when the English did not have to submit themselves to Indians because the Indians themselves believed that the English were better. Carey submitted to God and tried to live, the best he knew how, the Christian life. My prayer is that I do not forget my calling and the purpose God has given me.
The Serampore Form of Agreement (1805)
Written by: William Carey (italicized & bold)
followed by Sean Heath's Translations
1. To set an infinite value on men’s souls: Traveling thousands of miles to bring one person to faith in Jesus Christ is worth it!
2. To acquaint ourselves with the snares which hold the minds of the people: To learn about the culture and recognize what things divert them from Jesus.
3. To abstain from whatever deepens India’s prejudice against the gospel: To become all things to all people, so they may understand the love of Christ.
4. To watch for every chance of doing the people good: We want to serve others because they deserve us loving them.
5. To preach “Christ crucified” as the grand means of conversions: To preach one message that always tells about the finished work of Christ.
6. To esteem and treat Indians always as our equals: Even when the world gives us the freedom to do otherwise.
7. To guard and build up “the hosts that they may be gathered”: To shepherd the flock.
8. To cultivate their spiritual gifts, ever pressing upon them their missionary obligation, since Indians only can win India for Christ: We are not building a gringo kingdom, we want to equip them to work with their people.
9. To labour unceasingly in biblical translation: They don’t read KJV.
10. To be instant in the nurture of personal religion: We want to disciple them.
11. To give ourselves without reserve to the Cause, “not counting even the clothes we wear our own”: We are here on God’s time and we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God"
— William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions
