The China Roster Today

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The China Roster Today"

Erika Stone
5 years ago
Views:

2 -2 The China Roster Today The Missionary Research Library has been gathering statistics on the distribution of the missionaries serving under the North American boards in With the survey almost completed, a total figure of 708 names have been reported for China. Included in this number are 21 still in the Communist controlled areas, 192 transferred to Hongkong, Macao, and Formosa from posts on the mainland, 76 still to be reassigned, and a number originally assigned to Formosa and the foreign colonies. At least half of the total appear to be persons who were on furlough during some part of 1952 and who were then to take posts in the homeland or to retire. What Has Happened to the China Missionaries? Fifty mission boards and societies have reported concerning 1,670 missionaries. There has, therefore, been no report concerning approximately 439 missionaries included in the China roster of 1950, which comprises 2,108 names. One hundred and thirteen of these missionaries belong to twelve mission boards ~ich did not answer the ~equest for information, In some instances, reporters did not include wives in thai.r figures, and in others they did not include those persons mo retired upon rer c~ing the normal age set by board regulations but only those who were permitted to!.' dt ire in advance of the usual age. There has been only a partial report on those who are still to be reassigned. 2Figures in last two columns for each year are based on the table included in the Annual Report, Foreign Missions Conference-of North America (beginning with 1950, Division of Foreign Missions, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.) 3Figures in first four columns are based on Interpretative Statistical Survey of ~ World Mission of the Christian Church, Figure in the second column is report of Dr. Charles L. Boynton; approximately the same figure was reported by the boards to the Missionary Research Library. This is the peak year after the War and before the fall of the Nationalist Government. 5Figures in the first four columns are based on Christian World Handbook, Based on Dr. Charles L. Boynton's figures for April-September, 1948: 4,062; U.S.A. - 2,246; Canada Total, 7Figures in columns two and four are based on lithe Distribution of North American Missionary Personnel in 1950," in Occasional Bulletin, Missionary Research Library, December 26, This amount represents the expenditures of 62 DFM boards, plus the Southern Baptist Convention. 9The figures in columns two and four are based on a survey of North American foreign missionary personnel in 1952 being made at present by the Missionary Research Library. The survey is not yet complete, but the additional reports mil not materially change the percentage. The figures for China proper, excluding Taiwan, Hongkong, and Macao, were reported by the Far Eastern Joint Office of the Division of Foreign Missions, in the China Bulletin of November 17, 1952, and corrected in the following issue, December 1~2.

3 -3 The most serious omission from this survey is the China Inland Mission for which figures could not be obtained. This Mission was not included, however, in the 1950 figures mentioned above, since the statistics for that Mission in that year could not be broken down into Americans, Canadians, and others. without the figures for the China Inland Mission, the report is manifestly incomplete. Nevertheless, a fair picture of the redistribution of China missionaries can be secured. The four Canadian boards report that 7 China missionaries have retired, 51 have taken posts in Canada, 3 have gone to Hongkong, and 11 have been transferred to other countries. The mission boards in the United states report that 21 missionaries still remain in Communist China, 75 have been transferred to Hong Kong and Macao, 114 to Formosa (Taiwan), and 634 have been reassigned to other countries. Those who have retired number 206, and 453 have taken posts at home. Nineteen have gone to new posts in Alaska and Hawaii. Nationalist China and the Foreign Colonies It was to be expected that mission boards and societies would be reluctant to withdraw their entire missionary force from China and that they would attempt to keep a foothold where possible. The possibilities are the island of Formosa and the foreign colonies of Hong Kong and Macao. Assignments to these areas appear to exceed the bounds of fruitful missionary leadership and assistance to the indigenous churches, even taking into account the large number of refugees flooding those places. Only the Southern Baptist Convention has reported transferring missionaries to Macao. Seventy-four missionaries have been sent to Hong Kong by fourteen boards. For almost a century the missions of the Presbyterian Church in England and the Presbyterian Church in Canada have carried on the evangelistic task in Formosa and, after the elimination of the Japanese Christian community by repatriation after the War, the P~~sbyterian Church in Formosa was the only Christian body on the island, with t~e exception of one Seventh-Day Adventist congregation. Now, fourteen mission boards have followed their refugee members to Formosa or have regarded that island as offering a favorable opportunity for beginning a new mission. They have together transferred 114 missionaries to Formosa without very much mutual consultation concerning comity and cooperation. Retirement and Resignations The number of retirements reported is 213, but the number is probably very much higher. The average age of China missionaries in 1950 was all too high and, consequently, a seemingly disproportionate number of retirements might have been expected. The financial depression of the late 20's and early 30's, together with civil wars and the Sino-Japanese conflict, had caused too many missionary casualties and had interferred with the normal process of replacement. Dr. Charles L. Boynton analyzed his list of 4,109 missionaries in China in 1948 as follows: Arrived ,006 ( ,356) ,051 ( ) Before The high average of China missionaries has been a factor influencing many missionaries to take a post at home rather than to seek another foreign appointment.

4 ..4.. Many have felt that their remaining years of ministry were too few to make it ~rorthwhile to learn another language and make an adjustment to another culture. Moreover, some of the boards have advanced the r~tirement age for China missionaries due to the stress and strain of service in China since the late 30's. In all too many cases the boards could not absorb the China missionaries into their existing program in other fields and did not have the resources to open new work. For various reasons, 504 missionaries have taken up posts in the United States and Canada. Reassignment The closing of the mainland, excepting the foreign colonies, turned the attention of the mission boards and societies once again to the overseas Chinese, among whom missions had originally begun early in the eighteenth century before the treaties had opened China to residence for foreigners. Only a few American agencies, including the Methodist Chur ch, the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., and the Seventh-Day Adventists, had continued to minister to the Chinese in the South Seas. Many boards now send their missionaries into these areas. The Reformed Church in America is ministering to the Chinese in the Philippines; the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society is once again at work in Siam where it had established a mission in 1832; and many societies too young to have shared in the early venture, such as the Christian and Missionary Alliance, have entered into various countries in Sout heast Asia. For the last-~entioned society, it is an expansion from its base in Indo-China where it has been the Protestant pioneer mission. The Presbyterian Church in the U.S. works among the Chinese in Japan, but has not reported transferring China missionaries for that work. Societies "hich had originally limited their work to China, like the China Inland Mission and the South China Boat Mission, have been compelled to seek other fields or to cease operation. China missionaries have been used to open new fields for their mission boards only in the Far East. Elsewhere they have been used to supplement the staffs of existing missions or have been given special assignments. The record of reassignments is as follows: FAR EAST Nationalist China: Formosa 114 Hongkong and Macao 78 ~ 138 Korea -25"" Philippine Islands 129 Indo-China 4 Siam 49 Malaya 37 Borneo 8 Indonesia 35 Burma 9 South Pacific 5 Total 631 SOUTHERN ASIA India and Pakistan Ceylon Total NEAR EAST 15

5 -5 AFRICA SOUTH OF THE SAHARA 41 CENTRAL AND SOUTH AMERICA Central America West Indies South America Total U.S.A. TERRITORIAL POSSESSIONS Alaska Hawaii Total EUROPE Grand Total 9 B5b The largest group of former China missionaries are now serving in posts at home in the United States and Canada or are retired and living in the homeland. A few are serving as administrative offieers of the mission boards and of cooperative agencies. A few more are now teachers of missions in denominational theological seminaries. The leadership of the missionary enterprise at the home base is wellseasoned with China missionaries, They should be able to bring the lessons of experiences in China to bear upon mission policy in general, The overwhelming majority of former China missionaries now at home serve in parishes, schools, and in a wide variety of posts. They form potentially a mighty force to be employed in creating more effective missionary education and promotion, but there is not evidence to show that the boards are making any real effort to enlist the special knowledge, talents, and devotion of these pe~ple. Former China missionaries have been sent to every area of the far-flung missionary enterprise and through them the insights gained from the experiences of the past decade in China should be brought to bear on mission strategy. Very little fulfillment of this hope has yet been seen. One positive result of the reassignment of the missionaries has been more adequate attention to the overseas Chinese, Weak missions here and there have also been strengthened. The positive results, however, are set over against unfortunate competition in many a place. Hastening to put their missionaries to work, the North American boards as a whole, but with splendid exceptions, of course, reassigned their people as if they were in the pioneering stage of a century and a half ago. Too little attention bas been paid to comity and other aspects of cooperative planning. In many places, consequently, there is competition and overlapping of program While other areas are insufficiently occupied. The existence and responsibility of the indigenous churches in some areas have been completely ignored b.y many missions newly entering them, and the long-established cooperative agencies have been made less effective because of the presence of numerous missions which are either indifferent or hostile to them. What Has Happened to the China Funds? It is still somewhat too early to do more than raise the question as to what has been done ~th the China funds. The data for one or two more years ~dll be required to show what pattern has developed. Funds have been freed more slowly than personnel for reallocation, yet the decrease has been rapid, In 1948, the percentage of all recurring overseas expenditures allocated to China was 23; in 1949, it was 22 1/2; in 1950, it v~s 15; and in 1951, it had declined to 9.8, even though that

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH AN ANALYSIS OF STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS (SWOT) Roger L. Dudley

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH AN ANALYSIS OF STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND THREATS (SWOT) Roger L. Dudley The Strategic Planning Committee of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists