SWEDISH MISSIOLOGICAL THEMES SVENSK MISSIONSTIDSKRIFT

496 Tormod Engelsviken
There is no doubt, however, that the voluntarism that emerged in the
nineteenth century was a very important factor both in the formation of
mission societies and in the recruitment of missionaries. The societies did
not always work with the blessing and support of the large folk churches in
Europe that most often also were state churches. The mission societies
were often relatively marginal, but nevertheless able to recruit, send and
support a large number of missionaries without any official church or
government support, politically or financially.
For this was the great age of societies. In many cases the Protestant Churches
as such were unable or unwilling themselves to take up the cause of missions.
This was left to voluntary (sic!) societies, dependent upon the initiative of
consecrated individuals, and relying for financial support on the voluntary
(sic!) gifts of interested Christians. 38
Who have been the missionaries during the last 200 years?
Many of those who have done historical studies of the modern missionary
movement have devoted considerable space to the description of the
missionaries’ national, social, educational and ecclesiastical background.
Sundkler and Steed for instance write about the Protestant mission in Africa
that very few of the men who came as missionaries to Africa had any
experience from the academic or civic world. 39 The majority of the
missionaries in the early part of the century were young men, often in their
twenties. “The Christian movement in nineteenth century Africa was a youth
movement”. 40 These men, if married, brought their wives and children along.
Quite differently from the Catholic missionary force which consisted mostly
of celibate priests, monks and nuns, the Protestant consisted for a large part
of families. These families paid a great toll in terms of deaths on the mission
field throughout the century.
The social background of the missionaries mirrored the social conditions
in Europe at the time. But some missions had certain views or backgrounds
that made them recruit and send out a special type of missionaries. For
example the Moravian missionary recruits had often been weavers,
carpenters and blacksmiths, while the young men in the Hermannsburg
38 Neill 1973:252
39 Sundkler/Steed 2000:109-110
40 Sundkler/Steed 2000:110