Women's missionary societies include a diverse set of scopes, including medical, educational, and religious. Societies provide services in-country and in foreign lands.
History
Canada
* Canada Congregational Woman's Board of Missions - 1886
* United Baptist Woman's Missionary Union of the Maritime Provinces - 1906
* Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of Ontario (West) - 1876
* Woman's Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of Eastern Ontario and Quebec - 1876
* Woman's Missionary Society of the Methodist Church, Canada - after 1834
* Woman's Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada
* Woman's Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (Eastern Section) - 1876
* Woman's Missionary Society of the Presbyterian Church in Canada (Western Division) - 1877
India
*
Delhi Female Medical Mission - 1866
United Kingdom
*
Church of England Zenana Missionary Society The Church of England Zenana Missionary Society (CEZMS; founded 1880), also known as the Church of England Zenana Mission, was a British Anglican missionary society established to spread Christianity in India. It would later expand its Christian mi ...
- 1880
*
Society for Promotion of Female Education in the East - 1853
* Wesleyan Ladies' Auxiliary for Female Education in Foreign Countries - 1832
United States
A missionary society formed in 1799 to assist in increasing an interest in its work in foreign countries, and in raising missionary efforts for the same, a woman's missionary society was organized in 1801. With the same object, "Cent Societies” among women, were active until 1815, when Maternal Associations were established throughout the churches and flourished until about 1842. The missionary society of 1799 emerged into the
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions
The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) was among the first American Christian missionary organizations. It was created in 1810 by recent graduates of Williams College. In the 19th century it was the largest and most imp ...
, early in whose history it began its efforts to reach foreign women through the labors of single women.
All Christian denominations had strong convictions of duty towards countries where Christianity was not prevalant. When it was felt that female teachers were a necessity, self-sacrificing, earnest Christian women responded to the appeals for teachers.
As early as 1800, the women of the U.S. were interested in "home missions". In 1803, the first Woman's Home Missionary Society was formed at the First Church,
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...
, with the name of "FEMALE MITE SOCIETY" of
First Baptist Church. Its object, "To aid in sending the gospel to the wilds of
western New York
Western New York (WNY) is the westernmost region of the U.S. state of New York. The eastern boundary of the region is not consistently defined by state agencies or those who call themselves "Western New Yorkers". Almost all sources agree WNY i ...
and
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
". Other societies of like character followed, and for a number of years, were independent of any general organization.
[ ]
Coincidently or providentially, the necessities of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
called forth their sympathy, fortitude and endurance. They became conscious of their power to relieve distress and to comfort the sick. Thus there was developed an ability to cooperate successfully and to work collectively. When peace was restored, women were prepared to engage both at home and abroad. They also felt that they could work more effectually in connection with their several denominational boards of missions.
Some notable women's missionary societies included:
* American Zenana Mission - 1864
*
Christian Woman's Board of Missions The Christian Woman's Board of Missions (CWBM) was a missionary organization associated with the Restoration Movement.Douglas Allen Foster and Anthony L. Dunnavant, ''The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement: Christian Church (Disciples of Ch ...
- 1874
*
Council of Women for Home Missions - 1908
* Female Missionary Society - 1818
* Free Baptist Woman's Missionary Society - 1873
* Ladies' Medical Missionary Society of Philadelphia - 1851
[ ]
* Woman's American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society - 1871
*
Woman's American Baptist Home Mission Society
The Woman's American Baptist Home Mission Society was an American Christian women's missionary organization. Harriet E. Giles and Sophia B. Packard co-founded, in 1877, the Woman's American Baptist Home Mission Society, supporting missionary wom ...
- 1877
* Woman's Board for Foreign Missions of the Christian Church - 1886
* Woman's Board of Foreign Missions of Congregational churches - 1868
* Woman's Board of Foreign Missions of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church
* Woman's Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church - 1870
* Woman's Board of Missions of the Interior - 1868
* Woman's Board of Missions for the Pacific
* Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Free Methodist Church of North America - 1882
*
- 1869
* Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Methodist Protestant Church - 1879
[ ]
* Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the Reformed Episcopal Church - 1889
* Woman's Foreign Missionary Union of Friends in America - 1887
* Woman's General Missionary Society of the Churches of God - 1903
* Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the USA
* Woman's Home and Foreign Missionary Society of the United Evangelical Church - 1891ref name="Foreign-1919" />
* Woman's Home and Foreign Mission Society of the Advent Christian Denomination - 1897
* Woman's Missionary Society of the UCC
*
Woman's Missionary Union
Woman's Missionary Union (WMU) is an auxiliary of the Southern Baptist Convention that was founded in 1888. It is the largest Protestant missions organization for women in the world.
History Origins
During the meeting of the Southern Bap ...
- 1888
*
Woman's Union Missionary Society of America for Heathen Lands Woman's Union Missionary Society of America for Heathen Lands (also known as, Woman's Union Missionary Society of New York) was an American Christian mission organization. Established in 1861, its headquarters were at 41 Bible House, Astor Place, Ne ...
- 1861
* Women's Missionary Association of the Church of the UB
* Women's Missionary Association of the Presbyterian Church of England
* Woman's Missionary Society of the Evangelical Association - 1880
* Women's Missionary Society of the United Lutheran Church in America
* Women Teachers' Missionary Association
References
{{reflist
Christian missionary societies
International non-profit organizations
International medical and health organizations
International nongovernmental organizations
International volunteer organizations
Christian women's organizations