Foundation The original proposal for the mission came from
Charles Grant and
George Udny of the
East India Company and
David Brown, of
Calcutta, who sent a proposal in 1787 to
William Wilberforce, then a young member of
parliament, and
Charles Simeon, a young
clergyman at
Cambridge University. The
Society for Missions to Africa and the East (as the society was first called) was founded on 12 April 1799 at a meeting of the
Eclectic Society, supported by members of the
Clapham Sect, a group of activist
Anglicans who met under the guidance of
John Venn, the Rector of
Clapham.
Henry Thornton,
Thomas Babington and
William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was asked to be the first president of the society, but he declined to take on this role and became a vice-president. The
treasurer was
Henry Thornton and the founding secretary was
Thomas Scott, a biblical commentator. Many of the founders were also involved in creating the
Sierra Leone Company and the
Society for the Education of Africans. The first
missionaries went out in 1804. They came from the
Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Württemberg and had trained at the Berlin
Seminary. The name Church Missionary Society began to be used and in 1812 the society was renamed
The Church Missionary Society.
Training During the late 19th and early 20th century, the CMS maintained a training program for women at Kennaway Hall at the former "Willows" estate where the training program started. Kennaway Hall was the Church Missionary Society training center for female missionaries. The training center was called "The Willows", under the Mildmay Trustees, until having been bought by the Church Missionary Society in 1891.
Elizabeth Mary Wells took over the presidency in 1918 of Kennaway Hall.
20th century During the early 20th century, the society's theology moved in a more
liberal direction under the leadership of
Eugene Stock. There was considerable debate over the possible introduction of a doctrinal test for missionaries, which advocates claimed would restore the society's original evangelical theology. In 1922, the society split, with the liberal evangelicals remaining in control of CMS headquarters, whilst conservative evangelicals established the
Bible Churchmen's Missionary Society (BCMS, now
Crosslinks). In 1957 the
Church of England Zenana Missionary Society was absorbed into the CMS. Notable general secretaries of the society later in the 20th century were
Max Warren and
John Vernon Taylor. The first woman president of the CMS,
Diana Reader Harris (serving 1969–1982), was instrumental in persuading the society to back the 1980
Brandt Report on bridging the
North-South divide. In the 1990s CMS appointed its first non-British general secretary,
Michael Nazir-Ali, who later became Bishop of Rochester in the
Church of England, and its first women general secretary,
Diana Witts.
Gillian Joynson-Hicks was its president from 1998 to 2007. In 1995 the name was changed to the
Church Mission Society. At the end of the 20th century there was a significant swing back to the
Evangelical position, probably in part due to a review in 1999 at the anniversary and also due to the re-integration of
Mid Africa Ministry (formerly the
Ruanda Mission). The position of CMS is now that of an
ecumenical Evangelical society.
21st century In 2004 CMS was instrumental in bringing together a number of
Anglican and, later, some
Protestant mission agencies to form Faith2Share, an international network of mission agencies. In June 2007, CMS in Britain moved the administrative office out of London for the first time. It is now based in east Oxford. In 2008, CMS was acknowledged as a mission community by the Advisory Council on the Relations of Bishops and Religious Communities of the Church of England. It currently has approximately 2,800 members who commit to seven promises, aspiring to live a lifestyle shaped by mission. In 2010 CMS integrated with the
South American Mission Society (SAMS). In 2010 Church Mission Society launched the Pioneer Mission Leadership Training programme, providing leadership training for both lay people and those preparing for ordination as pioneer ministers. It is accredited by Durham University as part of the Church of England's Common Awards. In 2015 there were 70 students on the course, studying at certificate, diploma and MA level. In October 2012,
Philip Mounstephen became the Executive Leader of the Church Mission Society. On 31 January 2016 Church Mission Society had 151
mission partners in 30 countries and 62 local partners in 26 countries (this programme supports local mission leaders in Asia, Africa and South America in "pioneer settings") serving in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In addition, 127 mission associates (affiliated to Church Mission Society but not employed or financially supported through CMS) and 16 short-termers. In 2015–16, Church Mission Society had a budget of £6.8 million, drawn primarily from donations by individuals and parishes, supplemented by historic investments. ==Leadership==