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THE STUDENT VOLUNTEER MOVEMENT

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isa6:8)

The Student Volunteer Movement (SVM) began in North America 1886 and continued well into the 20th century. It was begun by students and was a missionary-recruiting movement. In its first decade the SVM spread to many nations around the world. The SVM became a mainstream organization in American society. From 1886 to 1920, when over 13,000 North Americans were sent as missionaries, the SVM had recruited 8,742 of them.

The SVM actually had its roots in the college ministry of the YMCA. The YMCA began in London in 1844. In the 19th century, during the Industrial Revolution, cities in Great Britain, the U.S. and elsewhere were rapidly growing. Young men and women were moving to them to find work. But these cities were not the best environment for young people away from their families for the first time. The YMCA, and later the YWCA, were created to offer housing, as well as Bible study and other healthy and helpful activities, to these young people. Also, after the Civil War, American college campuses began to grow rapidly. In 1870 there were about 23,000 American undergraduates at 350 colleges. By 1900 there were 100,000 undergraduates at 500 colleges. These colleges were becoming more and more secular, no longer teaching a Christian worldview or morality. In response, college YMCAs really began to grow in the 1870s. It became known as the Student Movement of the YMCA.

In 1875-76 a Princeton student named Luther Wishard helped establish a collegiate YMCA on his campus. In 1877 he attended the International Convention of the YMCA in Louisville, KY. He and other Princeton students sent out invitations to over 200 colleges. 25 students came, and together they planned a special College Conference. The older YMCA leaders gave them autonomy, and in 1877 the Intercollegiate YMCA was formed, with Luther Wishard as its first secretary. After college graduation Wishard sacrificed his own plans, accepted the low salary of $250/year and began actively writing letters and visiting campuses to help the movement grow. He had a passion to spread the gospel of Jesus to the whole world. He was famous for saying, “I am willing to go anywhere, at anytime, to do anything for Jesus.” He wasn’t satisfied with just having YMCAs on campus for Christian fellowship; he wanted to use the local Intercollegiate YMCA groups to inspire college students to go out as missionaries. In 1879 Wishard helped organize the missionary department of the Intercollegiate YMCA, mainly to invite missions speakers to campuses and to help local campus chapters study about missions. That same year he also began publishing the College Bulletin, which became the major outlet for missionary news and promotion on American campuses. In 1880 the American Inter-Seminary Missionary Alliance (ISMA) was organized and held annual conferences for the next 18 years. By 1886, 235 student delegates attended, representing 33 American seminaries. In 1885 Wishard attended one of D.L. Moody’s conferences in Northfield, MA, where he met J.E.K. Studd (brother of C.T. Studd, one of the Cambridge Seven) who was visiting from England. With Moody’s help, Wishard persuaded J.E.K. Studd to change his plans and go on a three-month tour of American college campuses to tell American students the story of the Cambridge Seven and urge them to consider becoming missionaries. The news of the Cambridge Seven was shocking, because they’d given up lives of comfort and privilege and gone as missionaries to China. The story of the Cambridge Seven inspired many American college students.

In 1886 Wishard met D.L. Moody and asked him about hosting a summer conference for college students at his Mount Hermon School for Boys in Massachusetts. Moody thought young men in college wouldn’t want to spend a whole month of summer vacation at a Bible conference. But Wishard persuaded him. With only three months to prepare, Wishard and Charles Ober, the second secretary of the Intercollegiate YMCA, devoted all their time to visiting campuses and persuading students to come to the conference.

Next to Luther Wishard, Robert Wilder was the other key figure in igniting the SVM. Robert was the son of missionaries. His father, Royal Wilder, had gone as a missionary to India in 1846, returned to the U.S. in 1877 and lived in Princeton, NJ. Robert was his youngest son. His parents had instilled in him a commitment to missions, so that when he was ten years old, Robert pledged to go back to India someday as a missionary. He began his studies at Princeton in 1881. In 1883 he and two other Princeton students attended a ISMA conference at Hartford, CT. Robert was so inspired that, as soon as he got back to campus, he gathered students and started the Princeton Foreign Missionary Society (PFMS). They wrote a constitution, bylaws, and 40 students signed the charter that included a pledge: “We the undersigned declare ourselves willing and desirous, God permitting, to go to the unevangelized portions of the world.” This group would meet Sunday afternoons at Robert’s parents’ house, where Royal Wilder would share God’s word and his own missionary experiences in India.

The summer conference of 1886, sponsored by D.L. Moody at his Mount Hermon School for Boys, was loosely organized with no set program or schedule. It lasted from July 7 through August 1. 251 young men attended, representing 89 colleges and universities, mainly from the East Coast. Along with Moody, many evangelical ministers, missionaries and professors engaged in daily preaching and teaching. Moody wanted to help the students learn to do personal evangelism. But at this conference there was no missions emphasis coming from the older generation.

It came from the students. Even before coming to the conference, students from Cornell and Princeton had been praying that God would call many young men to become missionaries. Someone from Harvard and someone else from Oberlin had the same focus. But these students were unaware of each other. The person who brought them all together was Robert Wilder. He sent out a notice that all at the conference who were interested in missions join in a private meeting. Soon there were 21 students in the group, who all took the pledge of the Princeton Foreign Missionary Society. And they all started talking to the other students about missions. They asked a famous pastor who was there, Arthur Tappan Pierson, to speak on the subject of missions at one of their general sessions. In his message he famously said, “All should go, and go to all!” Robert Wilder then asked Moody if ten students could make a presentation to the conference about missions. Moody eventually agreed. On Friday, July 23, three sons of missionaries and seven foreign nationals presented. It was called “The Meeting of Ten Nations.” Each one shared the needs of his mission field, and each one finished by saying, “God is Love,” in that mission field’s language. During the meeting many were being convicted by the Holy Spirit. Then students invited William Ashmore, a missionary on furlough from China, to speak on July 27. His message also stirred many young men with missionary vision. By the end of the conference, 100 young men pledged to go as missionaries. They became known as “the Mount Hermon 100.” It was the beginning of the SVM.

Afterwards the conference leaders wanted to send a delegation of four men to visit American college campuses and share how God had called these 100 to become missionaries. But one by one the delegates dropped out, except Robert Wilder. (slide#25) Despite his own poor health, the poor health of his father, and his plans to attend seminary, he decided to go, even if it had to be alone. Then another Princeton graduate, John Forman, also decided to postpone his seminary studies and join the tour. Despite Wilder’s poor health, they pressed on, visiting 162 YMCA and YWCA college groups in eight months during the 1886–87 school year. Another 2,000 volunteered as missionaries, signing the same declaration. Among them, 500 were women. Many who had attended the first conference at Mount Hermon spread the word on their campuses that fall and prepared the way for their visit. No doubt J.E.K. Studd’s tour the previous school year also helped students to be receptive to God’s calling. And Wishard’s ministry through the Intercollegiate Ys the past seven years was bearing fruit.

During the summer of 1887 Moody hosted another conference, this time at nearby Northfield, MA, with the same emphasis of Bible study and personal evangelism. That fall, because the movement lacked a fully devoted leader, it began to fragment. Local student groups began to differ in purpose, methods and constitution. In some places, the missionary fervor began to cool. 50 students gathered at Moody’s summer conference of 1888 to discuss what to do. They decided that this new student movement should become an arm of the already organized Intercollegiate YMCAs, YWCAs and ISMA. They formally called themselves the “Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions.” And they decided that one representative from each of the college Y and seminary groups form a new executive committee. Their plan was quickly approved. The first three representatives on the executive committee were: John Mott from the YMCA, Nettie Dunn from the YWCA, and Robert Wilder from the ISMA. They asked Robert Wilder to forgo another year of seminary study to go visiting again. This time he successfully helped the volunteer missionary groups on campuses become part of the YMCA, YWCA or ISMA. The following year, Robert Speer, a recent Princeton grad, took over the task. He was able to get another 1,100 volunteers from 110 campuses.

The SVM had its first convention Feb. 26–Mar. 1, 1891 in Cleveland, OH. 558 student delegates from 150 campuses came. Mainline churches and mission boards sent representatives as observers, and they began to see the movement as legitimate. It set a precedent: from then on the SVM would hold conventions every four years, so that each generation of students might have the chance to participate. In Detroit in 1894, 1,082 student delegates attended. By 1906 there were 4,235 delegates, and in 1914 there were 5,031 delegates. At these international conventions, student delegates from around the world would attend. On the stage would be a large map of the world, with a banner above it that read: “The Evangelization of the World in This Generation.” Students would be asked to support the movement by pledging to raise a certain amount of money each year. At the 1891 event, students pledged to raise $3,000/year for four years; in 1894, it was $6,000/year; in 1898, it grew to $16,000/year; and in 1906 it was $21,000. The general sessions had the tone of a revival meeting; young people solemnly consecrated themselves to obey the Great Commission of Jesus. During the conventions, students also could learn about the history and purpose of the movement, as well as how to prepare for a missionary career, how to apply to mission boards, the various kinds of foreign missionary service available, and the needs of specific regions, cultures and religions.

John Mott had been a Cornell student when he attended the first SVM conference at Mount Hermon in 1886. After graduation, in September of 1888 he became the YMCA’s Intercollegiate secretary, replacing Wishard and Ober, and began a very fruitful one-year tour of local YMCA campus groups. In 1890 he wrote the first pamphlet produced by the SVM, telling its history to new students. In 1891 he presided over the SVM’s first convention in Cleveland. There he set the precedent of challenging students to pledge money to support the movement. He served as chairman of every SVM convention until 1920. Mott as a layman continued to serve as leader of the SVM throughout his adult life. Observers of the movement noted his leadership and executive ability. He encouraged students to study the Scriptures, especially the Gospels. He also strongly advocated the “Morning Watch,” which meant spending the first 30–60 minutes of each day to personal Bible study and secret prayer. He urged students not to tolerate any kind of sin in their hearts or lives. In 1900 he published a book based on the SVM’s watchword: “The Evangelization of the World in This Generation.” He also wrote another 18 books and a six-volume collection of addresses and papers. He was a tireless promoter of missions. He became known as a missionary statesman, an apologist for missions and communicator of missionary ideology. He believed the best way to inspire students was to tell them about the great difficulty of missionary work. And he believed that only real Christianity could alleviate the suffering and darkness people were living in all around the world. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1946.

Student volunteers for missions would join together on their campus for instruction and fellowship. They were called “Volunteer Bands.” They were part of the Collegiate YMCA, YWCA or ISMA on their campus. These student volunteer missionary bands would also select a representative to attend the large SVM conventions. Mainly, these bands would encourage missionary interest and intelligence. Together in their meetings they would study missions history, missionary biographies and missions policies. They would make missions literature available to students by creating a missions library on campus. Sometimes they would hold meetings open to the general student body on the topic of world missions. The SVM compiled an extensive library of missionary literature, which volunteers could buy at a discount. By 1891 they already had 100 titles and were creating books of their own. By 1895 they had 500 titles. The SVM also had an older Advisory Committee, composed of a small number of pastors from various denominations and lay missions advocates. The younger Executive Committee would consult with the older Advisory Committee before taking any major steps. The SVM did not directly send missionaries to the mission fields; they acted as a recruiting office for the mission boards. The SVM’s goal was to provide better qualified and better prepared missionary candidates to the boards. There was a rapid turnover rate among the SVM officers; many of them in fact would go as missionaries themselves. Only college students were admitted as SVM member, and only those willing to make a real life sacrifice. Roughly one-fourth of them were Methodist, one-fourth Presbyterian, one-fourth Congregational, and one-fourth Baptist. There were also a few Episcopal, Lutheran and Friends. Catholics were not included. In this way the SVM created greater unity among denominations. SVM members united, regardless of their church affiliation, to join in the greater missionary task to evangelize the world. In the first 20 years of the SVM, most of its missionaries went to China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia (43%); the second largest number went to India, Burma and Sri Lanka (21%); the third largest number went to Africa (11%); next was Iran, Arabia and the Turkish Empire (5%); miscellaneous was 11%.

The Watchword: “The Evangelization of the World in This Generation.” This phrase was the SVM’s rallying cry in the first decades of its existence. Robert Wilder had included it as the watchword of the PFMS. And it was officially adopted as the SVM’s watchword in 1889. People in that generation had experienced rapid improvements in communications and travel with the invention of the telegraph and steam engine trains and ships. These things made the whole world seem more accessible than ever before. They would mention that, just as Apostle Paul saw the development of the Roman Empire through Roman roads as a means to advance the gospel, so these developments in communication and travel could advance the gospel in their generation. As America became a world power and experienced explosive economic growth, it seemed that if churches would just step up to the challenge, the world mission enterprise could surely be financed. For students, this watchword became a living hope and a concrete goal.

The Declaration: The keystone of the SVM was the declaration card. It read: “It is my purpose, if God permit, to become a foreign missionary.” SVM leaders stated that the card should be used “only under the manifest guidance of the Spirit.” For many SVM volunteers, signing that declaration card became a turning point in their lives. Many later in life would mention that it helped them make a concrete commitment to obey God’s will to become missionaries.

The SVM was a major force in the heyday of the North American missionary-sending era. In 1890 there were only 934 Protestant missionaries on the field. But by 1900 there were 5,000; by 1915 there were 9,000; by the end of the 1920s there were 14,000. About half of these missionaries had signed a SVM declaration card. The leaders of the movement believed the evangelization of the whole world was possible if people would but give their whole hearts, believe and pray.

During its first 20 years the SVM could function because most North American young people had been led to Christ by their local churches and parents; in college they already had a Christian faith. So the SVM didn’t concentrate on evangelizing or discipling students. Its sole focus was world missions. During these years, however, American seminaries became more and more liberal, and liberal theology tricked down to the churches, so that when WWI started, the SVM began to confront liberal theological ideas in its students, which led to its demise. But in addition to its missionary vision, the SVM had some striking characteristics we can learn from.

Prayer: From the beginning, even before the month-long conference at the Mount Hermon School For Boys in the summer of 1886, many students spent time in prayer—both alone and with one another. No one told them to do it; they initiated it on their own. Some would spend the whole night wrestling in prayer. Students sought God’s will and guidance through prayer, to find out if God were truly calling them as missionaries. Soon, when they had to choose leaders for their movement, they also sought God in prayer. They believed that the world could be evangelized only through prayer, so they often called for a revival of prayer.

The Holy Spirit: Pastors invited to speak at SVM conventions often emphasized the key role of the Holy Spirit in calling, empowering and leading missionaries. They also encouraged student volunteers to expect the Holy Spirit to be with them and enable them to be Jesus’ witnesses on the mission field. Foreign delegates would report about the work of the Holy Spirit in their respective countries and ministries. Students were encouraged to have confidence not in themselves but in the Holy Spirit.

The Bible: In the SVM literature and conventions, it was often mentioned that the mandate for world missions in fact came from the Bible, from the words of Jesus in his Great Commission. Leaders of the movement taught that Bible study was the secret to being filled with the Holy Spirit. Absolute faith in the Bible was seen as the foundation that would give student volunteers confidence in spreading the good news of Jesus to all peoples of all nations.

References:

The Creation of a Student Movement to Evangelize the World: A History and Analysis of the Early Stages of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions. Timothy C. Wallstrom. William Carey International University Press, Pasadena, CA. 1980.

The Kingdom of Character: The Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, 1886-1926. Michael Parker. William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA. 2008.