It was said of him:
‘No other missionary in the nineteen centuries since the Apostle Paul has had a wider vision and has carried out a more systematised plan of evangelising a broad geographical area than Hudson Taylor.’[i] Hudson Taylor’s story is one of the most exciting and challenging in church history.
Lowbrow Lowchurch…
At first he was frowned upon by his fellow Europeans because when he arrived in China he was neither an ordained minister nor a qualified doctor. He was looked down upon by the academically qualified missionaries as an upstart, almost an imposter – relying merely upon a supposed ‘call’ from God.
And he made it worse for himself when he adopted Chinese clothing and insisted on his fellow workers doing the same. He became an object of polite mockery within the Shanghai missionary community.
But he knew what he was doing and soon, through faithful prayer and faithful preaching, he won converts, and ‘mission stations’ (prototype church plants) were gradually established across China.
Wisdom (+faith+perseverance) vindicated
Ultimately Hudson Taylor’s organization, ‘The China inland Mission’, was the single most productive movement for evangelisation in Chinese history, sowing seeds that are still bearing fruit today. Current reports from China indicate a magnificent number of converts to Christianity, unimaginable in Taylor’s day and breathtaking in ours.
We are going to spend a little time examining certain aspects of Taylor’s life and ministry. Much has been written about him and his work and I trust we will be inspired to ‘imitate his faith’ in our own contexts.
To read the next part of the Hudson Taylor Story click here
© 2011 Church History / Lex Loizides
[i] Ruth Tucker, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, Zondervan p.173
Church History Review 
Hudson Taylor is one of my hero’s of the faith – I grew up reading about him so great that you are going to share his amazing story with more people! He was a great man! Blessings!!
hey this is great. keep it coming. i have always like Taylor.
I have just completed reading the extent of Hudson Taylor’s story on this blog and am very blessed to have done so. I am studying the Protestant Missionary Movement in the 19th century in my Church History class and Taylor and the other missionaries who answered God’s call to preach the gospel to all men fascinate me. I think Taylor’s approach to the Lord’s calling to be a missionary is very telling of his heart for the Lord’s will and not his own honor and glory. He recognized that the Lord should have precedence in everything and he modeled that in his life. He also took great care in his preparation physically, mentally, and spiritually in his missionary work. He also taught himself to risk all for God (story of the half-crown), which is incredibly integral in missionary work….actually daily existence). It is definitely something I wish I could say I practiced everyday. He was incredibly patient with God, waiting until he had heard from Him. I think his story is unique because he was very supported by his parents, they valued God’s work and the advancement of the kingdom above their own parental concerns and worries. That was a great show of faith. I also like the emphasis on the treasure that never rusts or corrodes. Taylor had a great story and great faith, I hope more people are encouraged by this and can experience the Lord the way that Hudson Taylor did.