Heroes on Mission: Hudson Taylor

Missions Conference 2025 | Week 3

For anyone who has read about the many famous missionaries in the history of modern Christianity, it is likely that the name Hudson Taylor and the monumental progress that his missionary work made in China rings a bell. At an early age, Taylor turned away from the faith of his father, a Methodist preacher. However, in 1849, after reading the words "It is finished" in a gospel tract, he had a powerful personal conversion experience. This ultimately led to him making for China, finally landing in 1854 after some time spent sharpening his theological, linguistic, and medicinal skills.

On the mission field, Taylor departed from many of the norms that characterized the missionary endeavors of his predecessors and contemporaries. For one, he was quick to adopt the tongue and customs of those to whom he ministered rather than imposing his own cultural values onto them. With this aim in mind, he would soon start his own China Inland Mission (now Overseas Missionary Fellowship) in 1865.

Perhaps even more striking was Taylor's method of "faith missions": relying fully on God and His provision, through prayer, for financial needs. The most profound display of his attitude toward material means came in the aftermath of the devastating Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901). In addition to property damages, 58 of his missionaries were killed, along with 21 children. However, Taylor refused to accept reparations for the damages.

Also of note is that Taylor inspired the famous Cambridge Seven to join him in China in 1885. Perhaps most noteworthy among these young former student-athletes was C. T. Studd, who would go on to have a distinguished missionary career of his own, and to contribute to the 1910–1915 The Fundamentals.

Taylor's lasting impact was huge: by the time of his death in 1905, CIM had 849 missionaries, many of whom had left their missionary stations on the coast and penetrated inland.

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