William Carey and the Missionary Family

This week's annual Evangelical Missiological Society's annual meeting (meeting in concert with MissioNexus) was dedicated to the topic of the missionary family. Among the fine papers was one given by Andrew McFarland--a historic look at William Carey and his vision of the missionary family-- and I had the privilege to offer a brief response. McFarland's paper, which stems from his PhD studies on William Carey at Asbury Theological Seminary, will be published as a chapter in next year's EMS monograph. Here is a taste of his paper:

As William Carey, his family, his wife’s sister Kitty, and fellow missionary John Thomas left the shores of England in 1793, bound for India, he could declare he had counted the cost. He knew well the dangers that awaited them at sea and in the unforgiving climate of India. Moreover, he knew the whole missionary venture would have to remain covert as mission work in India had been declared illegal. But Carey could not have anticipated the overwhelming sense of loss he would feel watching his missionary efforts suffer from the conduct of his own family members. From the unbridled violence of his wife to the wayward living of his children, he experienced his share of family struggles. At times, this caused him to sink into deep depression. As we shall see, in spite of failure, disappointment, and numerous domestic catastrophes, Carey’s dogged commitment to the creation of a ‘mission family’ not only rescued the mission, it rescued his own family as well. Their commitment to labor together in the work of the mission became the impetus for pooling their resources and sharing the task of raising children. While this arrangement was not a panacea for the dangers of raising missionary children, it provided the unity, community and support his family needed most.