The Netherlands Missionary Society (Dutch: ''Nederlandsch Zendelinggenootschap'') was a Dutch
Protestant missionary society founded in 1797 in
Rotterdam that was involved in sending workers to countries such as
Indonesia during the Dutch occupation and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
during the
Qing dynasty.
Indonesia
It sent out
Joseph Kam
Joseph Kam (September 1769 – July 18, 1833) was a Dutch missionary in Indonesia.
His father, Joost Kam, was a leather merchant in 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The family were members of the Reformed Church, influenced by the spirit of H ...
in 1814 to
Ambon
Ambon may refer to:
Places
* Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia
** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province
** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796
* Ambon, Morbihan, a co ...
and he served in the
Maluku Islands until his death in 1833. Other notable missions were to
Maluku,
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
and to
Java.
China
This society was the first to follow the example set by the
London Missionary Society in seeking to enter China. It sent out Rev.
Karl Gützlaff in 1826, with some duties as chaplain under the Dutch government. He reached
Java in 1827, but in 1829 he left the service, and gave himself largely to preaching, writing and distributing Christian books, visiting the ships in the seaports of
Siam,
Singapore,
Macau, and other places. On the death of Hon.
John Robert Morrison
John Robert Morrison (; 17 April 1814 – 29 August 1843) was a British interpreter and colonial official in China. Born in Macau, his father was Robert Morrison, the first Protestant missionary in China. After his father's death in 1834, Morri ...
, he succeeded him as Chinese Secretary in the government of
Hong Kong, which post he held till his death. He became a very expert Chinese scholar, and prepared a translation of the Bible. He also issued many historical and religious books. He was followed by Rev.
Herman Rottger
Herman may refer to:
People
* Herman (name), list of people with this name
* Saint Herman (disambiguation)
* Peter Noone (born 1947), known by the mononym Herman
Places in the United States
* Herman, Arkansas
* Herman, Michigan
* Herman, Minnes ...
in 1832, who labored in Macau and Hong Kong until 1846, when he retired, and the Netherlands Mission ceased to exist. Dr. Gützlaff died in 1851.
Reports
The society published regular yearly reports in the 19th century that were used to inform donors of the proceedings. In 1897 a memorial book was published by the chairman
Jacobus Craandijk
Jacobus Craandijk (7 September 1834, in Amsterdam – 3 June 1912, in Haarlem) was a Dutch Mennonite teacher and minister who enjoyed using his spare time for walks while taking notes and drawing.
He was trained at the Amsterdam Mennonite s ...
.
[''Gedenkboek uitgegeven ter gelegenheid van het honderdjarig bestaan van het Nederlandsch Zendelinggenootschap'', Rotterdam: M. Wyt en Zonen, 1897 (197 pages)]
See also
*
Protestant missionary societies in China during the 19th century
References
External links
websiteHistorici.nl
{{Authority control
Christian missionary societies
Christian missions in China
Religious organizations established in 1797
Christian organizations established in the 18th century
History of Rotterdam