This week in Christian history: Billy Graham born; Pliny Fisk sets sail for the Middle East
London Missionary Society holds first meeting – Nov. 4, 1794
This week marks the anniversary of when the founders of what would become the London Missionary Society held their first meeting at a coffee house in London, England.
During a time of Evangelical revival in the United Kingdom, a small group of mission-minded individuals began to focus on the need to engage in foreign missionary work.
Figures including David Bogue, Joseph Brooksbank, John Eyre, John Love, John Reynolds, James Steven, Matthew Wilks and John Townsend met at Baker's Coffee House to plan out the society, which would be officially launched the following year.
"From its beginning, the Missionary Society was independent of denominations. It was inter-denominational and multinational in its character," explained the Council for World Mission, which was formed in the 20th century when LMS merged with two other mission societies.
"Many missionaries commissioned by the LMS made a significant impact and influenced several generations in the history of missions. A famous historian Kenneth Scott Latourette acclaims: 'The record of the London Missionary Society continues a major chapter in the history not only of Christian missions but also of the entire Church.'"
