Young People's Missionary Movement

[3] A few years after the organization of the Student Volunteer Movement, the Churches were forced to recognize the fact that a considerable number of the strongest and best young men and women of the colleges had signed the Volunteer Declaration Card, stating, “It is my purpose, if God permit, to become a foreign missionary.” Many of them having completed their college and professional training, were offering themselves to their missionary boards for appointment to the mission field, and in numerous instances were given the almost stereotyped reply, "We would like to send you, the work greatly needs you, but we scarcely, have sufficient funds available to support our present corps of workers, to say nothing of meeting the appeals for reinforcements."

[3] It soon became evident that a parallel movement or missionary quickening would be necessary among the Christian ministry and laity if the Church were to respond to the opportunity of sending these young men and women into the fields to which they had been called.

It was felt by many leaders that nothing could constitute a stronger appeal or more worthily draw forth the latent power of these 5,000,000 young people than a presentation of the needs and the claims of the non-Christian world.

Moreover, it was believed that the personal contact and work on the part of detained and other student volunteers with the young people in the Churches would prove a mighty factor in increasing missionary intelligence, interest, and a sense of responsibility.

The work of the college students, however, being confined to the summer months, naturally reached largely the smaller towns and rural communities.

It was apparent that to reach adequately the churches of the larger towns and cities, a carefully prepared plan of campaign would be required, extending through the winter months, and that the services of graduate rather than under-graduate students would be needed.

This group of men, known as the Yale Missionary Band, visited during the year 1898-99 not less than 95 of the leading cities and towns, from the Missouri River to the Atlantic seaboard, addressed 900 meetings attended by 200,000 people, and held 364 conferences on practical methods of missionary work, attended by officers, committeemen, and official representatives of more than 2,000 young people's societies.

[3] Much might be said of the influence of this student campaign work, not only in the way of increased missionary intelligence, interest, prayer, and giving, but in the more important deepening of the spiritual life and devotion of the young people and of the entire church membership.

[3] The next problem was that of organizing, unifying, and giving comprehensive direction to the energy of the increasing company of missionary specialists who were being developed in the churches and young people's societies.

The secretaries of a number of missionary boards, realizing the possibilities of this rapid growth of interest, proposed that a conference of workers be held to compare methods.

At this meeting, it was resolved to hold a conference at which ample opportunity should be given for free discussion of the topics presented, and the details of preparation were entrusted to a committee.

The Committee on "Principles and Results of the Conference," presented at the close a series of resolutions to which may be traced directly the organization of the Young People's Missionary Movement, formally consummated seven months later.

In April 1907, it was incorporated by a special charter granted by the New York legislature under the name of "The Young People's Missionary Movement of the United States and Canada".

In addition to these it published reference libraries, text-books, maps, charts, mission study helps, Sunday-school programs and accessories to meet the rapidly growing demand for suitable missionary literature for young people.

With an army of millions of more or less inexperienced Christian young people to be organized and intelligently directed in missionary effort, it was evident that one of the first demands was for trained leaders.

Therefore, it was the policy of the Movement to hold each year, in different sections of the U.S. and Canada, missionary conferences or training schools for the better equipment of leaders in young people's work.

[3] An extension of the work of the summer conferences was found in the Metropolitan Missionary Institutes which were held in important centers during the fall and winter months.

These institutes had for their special purpose the training of the large number of workers in local churches who were prevented from coming in contact with the more extended program that was presented at the summer conferences.

They were in a sense miniature summer conferences bringing together for three consecutive days, the important missionary leaders and committeemen of the churches of a city and surrounding towns.