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July 16, 2014 | By Jack Voelkel

21 MISSIONARIES YOU SHOULD KNOW

While any such list will inevitably leave many key missionaries out, the following names are
ones any aspiring missionary should be familiar with. Their stories provide a through-line to
the history of missions throughout the world.

1. Paul the Apostle: One of the greatest missionaries of all times. It is interesting that God
chose a missionary to write the foundational apostolic Christian theology. He not only
taught theory, he lived it and founded strategic churches.
2. Saint Patrick: (5th Century) Founder of the Irish Celtic Church, a formidable missionary
church.
3. Ramon Llull: (1232–1315) Missionary to the Muslims. Learned Arabic and promoted
serious apologetics. Evangelized in North Africa. Died a martyr.
4. Bartholomew de las Casas: (1484–1566) A 16th-century Spanish historian, social
reformer and Dominican friar, best known for protecting the American Indians from
mistreatment from the Spanish conquistadores.
 5. Matthew Ricci: (1552–1610) Italian Jesuit priest, pioneer in China. Learned Chinese so
well that he became a recognized scholar, the official astronomer of the Middle Kingdom.
Led 1,000 of the aristocracy to Christ.
6. David Brainerd: (1718–1747) An American missionary to the Native Americans. His
biography has become a source of inspiration and encouragement to many Christians,
including missionaries such as William Careyand Jim Elliot.
7. Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf: (1700-1760) German religious and social
reformer and bishop of the Moravian Church and a pioneer of missions. Had a great
influence on John and Charles Wesley.
8. William Carey: (1761-1834) was an English Baptist missionary and known as the "father
of modern Protestant missions.” Carey was one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary
Society.  As a missionary in the Danish colony, Serampore, India, he translated the Bible
into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages.
9. Adoniram Judson: (1788–1850) An American Baptist missionary, who served in Burma
for almost forty years. Translated the whole Bible into Burmese and established a
number of churches.
10. David Livingstone: (1813–1873) was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical
missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. Perhaps one of
the most popular national heroes of the late 19th century in Victorian Britain. Protestant
missionary martyr, working-class "rags to riches" inspirational story, scientific
investigator and explorer, imperial reformer, anti-slavery crusader.
11. J. Hudson Taylor: (1832–1905) A British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and
founder of the China Inland Mission (now OMF International). Taylor spent 51 years in
China. The society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to
the country who began 125 schools and directly resulted in 18,000 Christian
conversions, as well as the establishment of more than 300 stations of work with more
than 500 local helpers in all eighteen provinces.
12. Samuel Zwemer: (1867–1952), nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an
American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was a missionary at Busrah, Bahrein, and
at other locations in Arabia from 1891 to 1905. He was a member of the Arabian
Mission (1890–1913). Zwemer served in Egypt from 1913–1929. He also traveled widely
in Asia Minor, and he was elected a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society of London.
13. John L. Nevius: (1829–1893) was, for forty years, a pioneering American
Protestant missionary in China, appointed by the American Presbyterian Mission; his
missionary ideas were also very important in the spread of the church in Korea. He wrote
several books on the themes of Chinese religions, customs and social life, and
missionary work.
14. Charlotte (Lottie) Moon: (1840–1912) was a Southern Baptist missionary to China with
the Foreign Mission Board who spent nearly forty years (1873–1912) living and working
in China. As a teacher and evangelist she laid a foundation for traditionally solid support
for missions among Baptists in America.
15. Amy Carmichael: (1867–1951) was a Protestant Christian missionary in India, who
opened an orphanage and founded a mission in Dohnavur. She served in India for 55
years without furlough and wrote many books about the missionary work there.
16. Jim Elliot: (1927–1956) Was one of five missionaries killed while participating in
Operation Auca, an attempt to evangelize the Huaorani people of Ecuador. The death of
these five was a tremendous stimulus to missions among those of his generation,
especially due to the books written by his widow, Elisabeth Elliot.
17. William Cameron Townsend: (1896–1982) was a prominent American Christian
missionary who founded, Wycliffe Bible Translators and Summer Institute of Linguistics
(SIL International), both of which remain active and focused on producing
 translations of the Bible in minority languages, and on facilitating literacy in minority
languages.
18. Pandita Ramabai: (1858–1922) was an Indian Christian social reformer, a champion for
the emancipation of women, and a pioneer in education. She acquired a reputation as a
Sanskrit scholar.
19. Elka of the Wai Wai: A former chief witchdoctor of the Wai Wai tribe in Brazil in the 20th
Century, whose conversion and leadership not only influenced many of his own tribe to
confess Christ but stimulated missionary advance among other jungle tribes.
20. R. Kenneth Strachan: (1910-1965) Missionary statesman, General Director of the Latin
America Mission, strategist of Evangelism-in-Depth in Latin America.
21. Helen Roseveare: (1925- ) An English Christian missionary to the Congo from 1953 to
1973, she became a Christian as a medical student in Cambridge University in 1945.
She practiced medicine and also trained others in medical work. In 1964 she was taken
prisoner of rebel forces and she remained a prisoner for five months, enduring beatings
and rapings. Freed, she later returned to Africa and continued participating in rebuilding
the country.

Note: Ruth Tucker has compiled two excellent volumes of brief missionary biographies:

Ruth A. Tucker. From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya. A Biographical History of Christian Missions.
Zondervan, 2004.

Ruth A. Tucker. Guardians of the Great Commission. The Story of Women in Modern Missions,
Zondervan, 1988.

Tags:

Missions Stories

COMMENTS

LET'S NOT FORGET SOME GREAT

Submitted by WestCoast (not verified) on Tue, 2015-09-15 00:01

Let's not forget some great missionaries of colour and class for the next lists! Toyohiko
Kagawa, brother Yun , watchman Nee, Alexander crummel, etc
reply

MISSIONARY
Submitted by Kevin Winemiller (not verified) on Fri, 2015-10-02 06:45

Thank you for reminding us of these faithful missionaries of the past.

reply

THANK FOR THE REMINDER

Submitted by Israel (not verified) on Sun, 2015-10-04 12:30

Thank you very much

 reply

THANK YOU FOR SHARING!

Submitted by Yer (not verified) on Thu, 2015-10-08 08:01

everyday is a mission!
reply

WELL KNOWN MISSIONARIES

Submitted by Katherine Knight (not verified) on Sun, 2015-11-22 00:13

I don't see the name of C T Studd. Famous cricketer who was converted and became a
Missionary. Please add his name
reply

THANKS FOR THE RECOMMENDATION!

Submitted by kurt.bullis on Wed, 2015-11-25 08:35

Yes, Allan Matamoros, one of the speakers at Urbana 15 has actually recommended
participants read his biography as they prepare for Urbana 15!
reply

NOT ALL WEST-TO-REST?

Submitted by Dan Tyler (not verified) on Mon, 2016-05-02 04:41

Surprised to see Cyril and Methosidus missing here... Their missionary impact is way beyond
most on this list. Two they impacted and are themselves worthy of honourable mention:
Stephen of Purm and Innocent (John) Veniaminov. I'd love to have seen something about
Frumentius and the Ethiopian church - he seems like a true hero of the faith - and I've been
looking for anything on early missions to the Sundanese but not found much but I'm sure
there are untold stories to be discovered here... In antiquity I guess there's always Gregory the
Great and his missionary monks, but if you are determined to focus on the last 150+ years
then I'd make an effort to reflect the missions done by native Chinese, Koreans, Russians and
Brazilians.
reply

ZIEGENBALG
Submitted by Poovazhagan (not verified) on Tue, 2016-08-16 23:59

Ziegenbalg was the Father of the modern missions.

reply
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