William Carey was an English Baptist missionary and is considered the “Father of Modern Missions”. He was born in 1761 in the village of Paulerspury in Northamptonshire, England. Carey was raised in the Church of England but was converted to the Baptist faith when he was 18 years old. After becoming a Baptist preacher, Carey became passionate about taking the gospel to faraway lands. At the time, it was still uncommon for Protestants to engage in overseas missionary work.
In 1792, Carey authored a short booklet titled “An Enquiry into the Obligations of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens”. This booklet made the case that the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20 was still binding on all Christians. Carey argued that Christians were obligated to spread the gospel and make disciples of all nations. This Enquiry by Carey sparked the beginning of the modern Protestant missionary movement.
Later that same year in 1792, Carey became one of the founding members of the Particular (Calvinistic) Baptist Society for Propagating the Gospel Amongst the Heathen. This newly formed missionary society later became known as the Baptist Missionary Society. Carey volunteered to be one of their first missionaries. In 1793, Carey along with his family set sail for India. He labored as a missionary in India for over 40 years until his death in 1834.
Carey focused most of his missionary efforts on translating the Bible into various Indian languages. He believed that translating the Scriptures into the language of the people was vital for evangelism. During his lifetime, Carey oversaw the translation of all or part of the Bible into 44 languages and dialects in India. He is credited with successful translations into Bengali, Oriya, Marathi, Hindi, Assamese, and Sanskrit. However, Carey faced many challenges and hardships during the long translation process. He persevered despite opposition from the East India Company who controlled India at the time.
In addition to Bible translation, Carey contributed to education, journalism, and social reform in India. He founded Serampore College which became the first degree-granting college in India. Carey also campaigned against social evils like infanticide, child marriage, widow burning, and the rigid Hindu caste system. His social reform efforts made him highly respected in India, even among those who did not convert to Christianity.
Carey also helped start the Agri Horticultural Society in the Indian state of West Bengal. This society introduced new farming techniques and new types of crops and trees to the region. These agricultural contributions significantly aided economic development in India.
Overall during his 40+ years in India, Carey witnessed only about 700 Indians convert to Christianity. So in terms of raw conversion numbers, his missionary career was not viewed as hugely successful. However, Carey is rightly remembered as the trailblazer who inspired countless other Protestant missionaries to go out into the world. His missionary efforts, Bible translations, educational contributions, journalism, and social reforms left an enduring legacy in India and across the evangelical world.
William Carey died in 1834 at the age of 73, having spent most of his adult life in India as a missionary. Carey’s expansive missionary career demonstrated perseverance despite many hardships he faced. His steadfast commitment to spreading the gospel to the ends of the earth made him a major figure in the history of Christianity. His pioneering missionary work in India earned him international renown and the moniker “Father of Modern Missions”.
Throughout his life, William Carey held firmly to his missionary calling based on Christ’s Great Commission. Before Carey, Protestants had largely ignored overseas missionary work for over 200 years after the Reformation. Carey believed strongly in bringing the gospel message to every tribe and nation, which compelled his missionary work.
Carey acted upon Jesus’ command in Matthew 28:19 for disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations”. He also clung to God’s promise in Isaiah 55:11 that His Word “shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose”. Carey was convinced that making the Word of God available to all peoples in their own language was essential for individual salvation.
Carey also found inspiration from the apostle Paul’s ambition to “preach the gospel where Christ was not known” (Romans 15:20-21). Paul’s holy ambition drove him to spread the gospel across the Roman Empire. Similarly, Carey’s zeal took him to India to reach those who had little access to the gospel and God’s Word.
Carey was motivated by Jesus’ declaration that He is “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). This conviction of faith in Christ alone for salvation compelled Carey to preach the gospel to those who hadn’t heard it.
The missionary spirit of early disciples like the apostle Thomas who traveled east to spread the gospel also inspired Carey. He wanted to emulate Thomas by bringing the message of eternal life in Jesus to the ends of the earth, including the Indian subcontinent and Asia.
Carey held to a high view of the authority, truth and power of the Bible. He believed deeply in its power to transform hearts and minds. This drove his passion for translating the Bible into every language possible so that all people could read God’s Word. Carey was convinced that exposure to Scripture would bring conversion and bear spiritual fruit, as promised in Isaiah 55:11.
Carey also maintained that the Great Commission of Jesus to make disciples of all nations was binding for all generations of Christians. He saw this as the main business of every follower of Christ. Unlike most Protestants of his era, Carey took seriously his personal responsibility to obey Christ’s global missionary mandate.
Above all, William Carey was motivated by a sincere love for the lost souls of humanity who did not know the gospel. He understood that without Christ, the souls of all people were eternally lost. Carey’s love for unbelievers compelled his missionary work to share God’s gracious promise of salvation with all.
In his famous sermon to launch the missionary society, Carey declared to his fellow Baptists that they should “expect great things from God” and “attempt great things for God”. This became the motto for Carey and countless missionaries after him. He expected that God would use faithful disciples like himself to accomplish God’s global purpose, even if the challenge seemed impossible.
Carey deeply believed that the sovereign God desired all nations to hear the gospel and come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. He was eager to play his part in fulfilling that divine plan. Carey was willing to sacrifice and suffer hardship because he held unwaveringly to Jesus’ promise in Matthew 16:18 that His church would triumph globally.
Carey was committed to intercessory prayer and urged great prayer for the success of world evangelization. He practiced constant prayer himself and depended fully on God’s enablement to carry out his missionary work in India. Carey encouraged prayer for more laborers for the gospel fields which were “white for harvest” across the world.
The remarkable missionary career of William Carey transformed the face of Christianity globally. His courage, sacrifice and relentless efforts inspired generations after him to dedicate their lives to the cause of spreading the gospel among every tribe and nation. Though Carey faced many difficulties and discouragements, he persevered to follow Jesus’ command to make disciples of all peoples. The legacy of Carey’s obedient life lives on today in the efforts of over 400,000 Christian missionaries worldwide.