Augustana Foreign Missionary Society records

Collection

Identifier: MSS 247

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Augustana Foreign Missionary Society papers include a state charter of incorporation, minutes, treasurer's records, membership records, annual reports, speeches, correspondence, photographs, news clippings, and programs, 1886-1961.

The collection is arranged into the following series: Series I. State Charter of Incorporation, 1895 Series II. Minutes, 1886-1928 Series III. Treasurer’s Records, 1891-1944 Series IV. Membership Records, 1887-1935 Series V. Publications, 1891-1932 Series VI. Conrad Bergendoff speeches Series VII. Correspondence, 1920-1921 Series VIII. Photographs Series IX. News clippings, 1920-1928 Series X. Annual Christian Conference of Young People, 1921 and 1926 Series XI. Miscellaneous Programs, 1914-1930

Dates

Creation: 1886-1961

Creator

Augustana Foreign Missionary Society (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

The Augustana Foreign Missionary Society was founded by students at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 1886. Members of the Augustana Synod had been searching for a way to involve the church in missionary work, and the founding students enthusiastically took on the task. In 1895, the Society was given a state charter of incorporation. While the group began as a campus club, it expanded to the whole Synod in 1891. The Society was then authorized as the Augustana Synod’s official agency for carrying out foreign missionary work in 1897. The Society altered its name several times throughout its history, but was known as the Augustana Foreign Missionary Society for most of its existence. Although it was a Synod group for many decades, it continued to receive strong support from Augustana College students. They held classes on campus and published literature for the public, including annual reports of progress and The Missionary Calendar. The Augustana Foreign Missionary Society was able to accomplish missionary work in many countries, including China, India, the Sudan, and Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania). The Society officially disbanded in 1961 when the Augustana Synod merged with other Lutheran synods to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.