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{{Short description|Member of a religious group sent into an area to promote their faith}}
{{other uses}}
{{Redirect|Mission partner||Mission (disambiguation)|and|Partner (disambiguation)}}
{{Undue weight|date=July 2021}}
[[File:IVE Missionaries in Papua New Guinea.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.35|[[Catholic Church|Catholic]] missionaries in [[Papua New Guinea]]]]
A '''missionary''' is a member of a [[Religious denomination|religious group]] who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as [[education]], [[literacy]], [[social justice]], [[health care]], and [[economic development]].<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/missionary Missionary Define Missionary]. ''dictionary.reference.com''. Retrieved on 2019-05-16.</ref><ref name="Thomas Hale 2003">Thomas Hale 'On Being a Missionary' 2003, William Carey Library Pub, {{ISBN|0-87808-255-7}}.</ref>

In the [[Bible translations into Latin|Latin translation of the Bible]], [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] says the word when he sends the disciples into areas and commands them to preach the [[gospel]] in his name. The term is most commonly used in reference to [[Christian mission]]s, but it can also be used in reference to any [[creed]] or [[ideology]].<ref>For example, [[Buddhism]] launched "the first large-scale missionary effort in the history of the world's religions" in the 3rd century BCE. ([[Richard Foltz]], ''Religions of the Silk Road'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2nd edition, 2010, p. 37 {{ISBN|978-0-230-62125-1}}).</ref>

The word ''mission'' originated in 1598 when [[Jesuits]], the members of the [[Society of Jesus]] sent members abroad, derived from the Latin {{lang|la|missionem}} ([[nominative case|nom.]] {{lang|la|missio}}), meaning 'act of sending' or {{lang|la|mittere}}, meaning 'to send'.<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mission Online Etymology Dictionary]. ''etymonline.com''. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref>

==By religion==

===Buddhist missions===
[[File:Buddhism Growth in Hellenic World.png|alt=|thumb|Buddhist [[proselytism]] at the time of king Ashoka (260–218 BCE), according to his [[Edicts of Ashoka|Edicts]]]]
[[File:Central Asian Buddhist Monks.jpeg|thumb|[[Central Asia]]n [[Bhikkhu|Buddhist monk]] teaching a [[Chinese people|Chinese]] monk. [[Bezeklik]], 9th–10th century; although [[Albert von Le Coq]] (1913) assumed the [[blue eyes|blue-eyed]], [[red hair|red-haired]] monk was a [[Tocharians|Tocharian]],<ref>von Le Coq, Albert. (1913). [http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/LFc-42/V-1/page/0003.html.en ''Chotscho: Facsimile-Wiedergaben der Wichtigeren Funde der Ersten Königlich Preussischen Expedition nach Turfan in Ost-Turkistan'']. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer (Ernst Vohsen), im Auftrage der Gernalverwaltung der Königlichen Museen aus Mitteln des Baessler-Institutes, [http://dsr.nii.ac.jp/toyobunko/VIII-1-B-31/V-1/page-hr/0107.html.en Tafel 19]. (Accessed 3 September 2016).</ref> modern scholarship has identified similar [[Caucasian race|Caucasian figures]] of [[:File:BezeklikSogdianMerchants.jpg|the same cave temple]] (No. 9) as ethnic [[Sogdia]]ns,<ref name="gasparini 2014 pp134-163">Gasparini, Mariachiara. "[http://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/transcultural/article/view/12313/8711#_edn32 A Mathematic Expression of Art: Sino-Iranian and Uighur Textile Interactions and the Turfan Textile Collection in Berlin]," in Rudolf G. Wagner and Monica Juneja (eds), ''Transcultural Studies'', Ruprecht-Karls Universität Heidelberg, No 1 (2014), pp. 134–163. {{ISSN|2191-6411}}. See also [http://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/transcultural/article/view/12313/8711#_edn32 endnote #32]. (Accessed 3 September 2016.)</ref> an [[Eastern Iranian people]] who inhabited [[Turfan]] as an ethnic minority community during the phases of [[Tang dynasty|Tang Chinese]] (7th–8th century) and [[Kingdom of Qocho|Uyghur rule]] (9th–13th century).<ref>Hansen, Valerie (2012), ''The Silk Road: A New History'', Oxford University Press, p. 98, {{ISBN|978-0-19-993921-3}}.</ref>]]

The first Buddhist missionaries were called "Dharma Bhanaks", and some{{who|date=October 2017}} see a missionary charge in the symbolism behind the Buddhist wheel, which is said to travel all over the earth bringing Buddhism with it. The Emperor [[Ashoka]] was a significant early Buddhist missioner. In the 3rd century BCE, [[Dharmaraksita]]—among others—was sent out by emperor Ashoka to proselytize<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dokras |first=Dr Uday |date=2021-01-01 |title=Greece Kingdoms in India |url=https://www.academia.edu/51499705 |journal=Indo Nordic Author's Collective}}</ref> and initially the [[Buddhist]] tradition through the Indian [[Maurya Empire]], but later into the Mediterranean as far as Greece. Gradually, all India and the neighboring island of [[Ceylon]] were converted. Then, in later periods, Buddhism spread eastward and southeastward to the present lands of [[Burma]], [[Thailand]], [[Laos]], [[Cambodia]], [[Vietnam]], and [[Indonesia]].<ref name="Welty, Paul Thomas 1966 pg. 77">Welty, Paul Thomas. The Asians: Their Heritage and Their Destiny (Rev. Ed.). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. (1966); p. 77.</ref>

Buddhism was spread among the [[Turkic people]] during the 2nd and 3rd centuries BCE into modern-day Pakistan, [[Kashmir]], [[Afghanistan]], eastern and coastal [[Iran]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], and [[Tajikistan]]. It was also taken into China brought by [[Kasyapa Matanga]] in the 2nd century [[Common Era|CE]], [[Lokaksema (Buddhist monk)|Lokaksema]] and [[An Shigao]] translated Buddhist sutras into Chinese. [[Dharmarakṣa]] was one of the greatest translators of Mahayana Buddhist scriptures into Chinese. Dharmaraksa came to the Chinese capital of [[Luoyang]] in 266 CE, where he made the first known translations of the [[Lotus Sutra]] and the [[Dasabhumika Sutra]], which were to become some of the classic texts of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism. Altogether, Dharmaraksa translated around 154 [[Hīnayāna]] and [[Mahāyāna]] ''[[sutra]]s'', representing most of the important texts of Buddhism available in the Western Regions. His [[proselytizing]] is said to have converted many to Buddhism in China, and made [[Chang'an]], present-day [[Xi'an]], a major center of Buddhism. Buddhism expanded rapidly, especially among the common people, and by 381 most of the people of northwest China were Buddhist. Winning converts also among the rulers and scholars, by the end of the [[Tang dynasty]] Buddhism was found everywhere in China.<ref>Welty, Paul Thomas. The Asians: Their Heritage and Their Destiny (Revised Edition). Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co. (1966); pp. 146–147.</ref>

[[Marananta]] brought Buddhism to the Korean Peninsula in the 4th century. [[Seong of Baekje]], known as a great patron of [[Buddhism]] in [[Korea]], built many temples and welcomed priests bringing Buddhist texts directly from India. In 528, Baekje officially adopted Buddhism as its state religion. He sent tribute missions to Liang in 534 and 541, on the second occasion requesting artisans as well as various Buddhist works and a teacher. According to Chinese records, all these requests were granted. A subsequent mission was sent in 549, only to find the Liang capital in the hands of the rebel [[Hou Jing]], who threw them in prison for lamenting the fall of the capital. He is credited with having sent a mission in 538 to [[Japan]] that brought an image of [[Shakyamuni]] and several sutras to the Japanese court. This has traditionally been considered the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan. An account of this is given in ''[[Gangōji Garan Engi]]''. First supported by the Soga clan, Buddhism rose over the objections of the pro-Shinto [[Mononobe]]<ref name="Crim, Keith 1989 pg. 523">Crim, Keith (ed.). The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions. San Francisco: HarperCollins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions, 1981; p. 523.</ref> and Buddhism entrenched itself in Japan with the conversion of Prince [[Shotoku Taishi]].<ref name="Welty, Paul Thomas 1966 pg. 77"/> When in 710 [[Emperor Shomu]] established a new capital at [[Nara, Nara|Nara]] with urban [[Grid plan#Asia from the first millennium AD|grid plan]] modeled after the capital of China, Buddhism received official support and began to flourish.<ref name="Crim, Keith 1989 pg. 523"/>

[[Padmasambhava]], The Lotus Born, was a sage guru from Oḍḍiyāna who is said to have transmitted Vajrayana Buddhism to [[Bhutan]] and [[Tibet]] and neighbouring countries in the 8th century.

The use of missions, councils, and monastic institutions influenced the emergence of Christian missions and organizations, which developed similar structures in places that were formerly Buddhist missions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sats.edu.za/userfiles/Final%20Thesis%20Joseph%20Paul%20Charles.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2013-12-09 |archive-date=2013-12-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212062522/http://www.sats.edu.za/userfiles/Final%20Thesis%20Joseph%20Paul%20Charles.pdf  }}</ref>

During the 19th and 20th centuries, Western intellectuals such as [[Arthur Schopenhauer|Schopenhauer]], [[Henry David Thoreau]], [[Max Müller]], and [[esoteric]] societies such as the [[Theosophical Society]] of [[H.P. Blavatsky]], [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett#Buddhist Society of Great Britain and Ireland|The Buddhist Society of Great Britain and Ireland]] and the [[Buddhist Society, London]] spread interest in Buddhism. Writers such as  [[Hermann Hesse]] and [[Jack Kerouac]],   in the West, and the [[hippie]] generation of the late 1960s and early 1970s led to a re-discovery of Buddhism. During the 20th and 21st centuries Buddhism has again been propagated by missionaries into the West such as [[Charles Henry Allan Bennett|Ananda Metteyya]] ([[Theravada Buddhism]]),<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harris |first1=Dr Elizabeth J |title=Ananda Metteya, the First British Emissary of Buddhism; see note 36 | journal=The Wheel Publication | isbn=955-24-0179-8 |date=1998a |volume=420/422 |url=https://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh420_Harris_Ananda-Metteyya--First-British-Emissary-of-Buddhism.pdf }}</ref> [[Suzuki Daisetsu Teitarō]] ([[Zen Buddhism]]),<ref>{{cite book | last1=Antes | first1=Peter | last2=Geertz | first2=Armin W. | last3=Warne | first3=Randi R. | title=New Approaches to the Study of Religion. Volume 1 – Regional, Critical, and Historical Approaches (p. 471 cites Fader 1986: 95, p. 472 cites Humphreys 1968: 78–79) | date=2004 | publisher=Walter de Gruyter | isbn=978-3-11-017698-8 }}</ref> the [[Dalai Lama]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-19 |title=3.8: Expansion of Buddhism |url=https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Philosophy/Philosophy_of_Religion_(Picorino)/03%3A_Buddhism/3.08%3A_Expansion_of_Buddhism |access-date=2022-06-24 |website=Humanities LibreTexts |language=en}}</ref> and monks including [[Lama Surya Das]] (Tibetan Buddhism). [[Tibetan Buddhism]] has been significantly active and successful in the West since the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959. Today Buddhists make a decent proportion of several countries in the West such as [[New Zealand]], [[Australia]], [[Canada]], the [[Netherlands]], [[France]], and the [[United States]].

In Canada, the immense popularity and goodwill ushered in by [[Tibet]]'s [[Dalai Lama]] (who has been made honorary Canadian citizen) put Buddhism in a favourable light in the country. Many non-Asian Canadians embraced Buddhism in various traditions and some have become leaders in their respective [[Sangha (Buddhism)|sanghas]].

In the early 1990s, the French Buddhist Union (UBF, founded in 1986) estimated that there are 600,000 to 650,000 Buddhists in France, with 150,000 French converts among them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalbuddhism.org/2/obadia012.html|title=Tibetan Buddhism in France: A Missionary Religion?|work=globalbuddhism.org|access-date=12 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924022707/http://www.globalbuddhism.org/2/obadia012.html|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> In 1999, sociologist Frédéric Lenoir estimated there are 10,000 converts and up to five&nbsp;million "sympathizers", although other researchers have questioned these numbers.<ref>Lenoir, Frédéric. Le bouddhisme en France. Paris: Fayard, 1999.</ref>

[[Taisen Deshimaru]] was a Japanese [[Zen Buddhism|Zen Buddhist]] who founded numerous [[zendo]]s in France. [[Thich Nhat Hanh]], a [[Nobel Peace Prize]]-nominated, [[Vietnam]]ese-born Zen Buddhist, founded the [[Unified Buddhist Church]] (Eglise Bouddhique Unifiée) in France in 1969. The [[Plum Village Monastery]] in the [[Dordogne]] in southern France was his residence and the headquarters of his international [[Plum Village Tradition|sangha]].

[[File:Temple des 1000 Boudhas 2.JPG|thumb|upright=1.15|[[Temple of One Thousand Buddhas]], in [[La Boulaye]], [[Saône-et-Loire]], [[Burgundy (French region)|Burgundy]]]]

In 1968 Leo Boer and Wener van de Wetering founded a [[Zen]] group, and through two books made Zen popular in the Netherlands.<ref>Janwillem van de Wetering (1973) ''Het dagende niets'' (The Dawning of Nothingness)</ref><ref>Janwillem van de Wetering (1973) ''The Empty Mirror'' (Routledge & Kegan Paul)</ref> The guidance of the group was taken over by Erik Bruijn,<ref>[http://www.erikbruijn.nl Erik Bruijn]</ref> who is still in charge of a flourishing community. The largest Zen group now is the Kanzeon Sangha, led by Nico Tydeman under the supervision of the American Zen master [[Dennis Genpo Merzel]], Roshi, a former student of Maezumi Roshi in Los Angeles. This group has a relatively large centre where a teacher and some students live permanently. Many other groups are also represented in the Netherlands, like the Order of Buddhist Contemplatives in Apeldoorn, the [[Thich Nhat Hanh]] Order of Interbeing and the International Zen Institute Noorderpoort<ref>[http://www.zeninstitute.org/en/home.html International Zen Institute – EN – home]. Zeninstitute.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref> monastery/retreat centre in Drenthe, led by Jiun Hogen Roshi.

Perhaps the most widely visible Buddhist leader in the world is [[Tenzin Gyatso]], the current [[Dalai Lama]], who first visited the United States in 1979. As the exiled political leader of [[Tibet]], he has become a popular cause célèbre. His early life was depicted in Hollywood films such as ''[[Kundun]]'' and ''[[Seven Years in Tibet (1997 film)|Seven Years in Tibet]]''. He has attracted celebrity religious followers such as [[Richard Gere]] and [[Adam Yauch]]. The first Western-born Tibetan Buddhist monk was [[Robert A. F. Thurman]], now an academic supporter of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama maintains a North American headquarters at [[Namgyal Monastery]] in [[Ithaca, New York]].

Lewis M. Hopfe in his "Religions of the World" suggested that "Buddhism is perhaps on the verge of another great missionary outreach" (1987:170).

===Christian missions===
{{main|Christian mission|List of Christian missionaries}}
{{see also|Jesuit reduction|Catholic missions}}
{{anchor|Catholic missions}}
[[File:Finska Missionssällskapet interior 02.JPG|thumb|''Lähetyskirkko'', a Christian mission church in [[Ullanlinna]], [[Helsinki]], [[Finland]]]]
A [[Christianity|Christian]] missionary can be defined as "one who is to witness across cultures".<ref name="Thomas Hale 2003"/> The [[First International Congress on World Evangelization|Lausanne Congress]] of 1974, defined the term, related to Christian mission as, "to form a viable indigenous church-planting movement". Missionaries can be found in many countries around the world.

In [[Bible|the Bible]], [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] is recorded as instructing the apostles to make [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciples]] of all nations ({{bibleverse|Matthew|28:19–20}}, {{bibleverse|Mark|16:15–18}}). This verse is referred to by Christian missionaries as the [[Great Commission]] and inspires missionary work.

====Historic====
[[File:Rugendas - Aldea des Tapuyos.jpg|thumb|Village of Christianized Tapuyos Indians, [[Brazil]] c. 1820 CE]]

The Christian Church expanded throughout the [[Roman Empire]] already in New Testament times and is said by tradition to have reached even further, to Persia ([[Church of the East]]) and to India ([[Saint Thomas Christians]]). During the Middle Ages, the Christian [[monasteries]] and missionaries such as [[Saint Patrick]] (5th century), and [[Adalbert of Prague]] (c. 956–997) propagated learning and religion beyond the European boundaries of the old Roman Empire. In 596, Pope [[Gregory the Great]] (in office 590–604) sent the [[Gregorian Mission]] (including [[Augustine of Canterbury]]) into England. In their turn, Christians from Ireland (the [[Hiberno-Scottish mission]]) and from Britain ([[Saint Boniface]] (c. 675–754), and the [[Anglo-Saxon mission]], for example)  became prominent in converting the inhabitants of central Europe.

During the [[Age of Discovery]], the [[Catholic Church]] established a number of [[Mission (Christian)|missions]] in the Americas and in other Western colonies through the [[Augustinians]], [[Franciscans]], and [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]] to spread Christianity in the New World and<ref>{{Cite book  |title=Export controls: clarification of jurisdiction for missile technology items needed. |date=2001 |publisher=U.S. General Accounting Office |oclc=54862406}}</ref> to convert the [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] and other indigenous people. About the same time, missionaries such as [[Francis Xavier]] (1506–1552) as well as other [[Jesuits]], Augustinians, Franciscans, and Dominicans reached Asia and the [[Far East]], and the Portuguese sent missions into Africa. Emblematic in many respects is  [[Matteo Ricci]]'s [[Jesuit]] mission to China from 1582, which was totally peaceful and non-violent. These missionary movements should be distinguished from others, such as the [[Baltic Crusades]] of the 12th and 13th centuries, which were arguably compromised in their motivation by designs of military conquest.

[[File:The Reception of the Rev. J. Williams, at Tanna, in the South Seas, the Day Before He Was Massacred, 1841 (B-088-015).jpg|thumb|English missionary [[John Williams (missionary)|John Williams]], active in the [[Oceania|South Pacific]]]]

Much contemporary Catholic missionary work has undergone profound change since the [[Second Vatican Council]] of 1962–1965, with an increased push for indigenization and [[inculturation]], along with  [[social justice]] issues as a constitutive part of preaching [[The gospel|the Gospel]].

As the [[Catholic Church]] normally organizes itself along territorial lines and had the human and material resources, religious orders, some even specializing in it, undertook most missionary work, especially in the era after the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West. Over time, the [[Holy See]]  gradually established a normalized Church structure in the mission areas, often starting with special jurisdictions known as apostolic prefectures and [[apostolic vicariates]]. At a later stage of  development these foundations are raised to regular diocesan status with a local bishops appointed. On a global front, these processes were often accelerated in the later 1960s, in part accompanying political decolonization. In some regions, however, they are still in course.

Just as the Bishop of Rome had jurisdiction also in territories later considered to be in the Eastern sphere, so the missionary efforts of the two 9th-century [[saints Cyril and Methodius]] were largely conducted in relation to the West rather than the East, though the field of activity was central Europe.

The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], under the [[Orthodox Church of Constantinople]] undertook vigorous missionary work under the [[Roman Empire]] and its successor the [[Byzantine Empire]]. This had lasting effects and in some sense is at the origin of the present relations of [[Orthodox Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] with some sixteen Orthodox national churches including the [[Romanian Orthodox Church]], the [[Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church]], and the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchy)|Ukrainian Orthodox Church]] (both traditionally said to have been founded by the missionary Apostle Andrew), the [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church]] (said to have been founded by the missionary Apostle Paul). The Byzantines expanded their missionary work in Ukraine after the [[Baptism of Rus'|mass baptism in Kiev]] in 988. The [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] had its origins in the conversion by Byzantine missionaries of the Serb tribes when they arrived in the Balkans in the 7th century. Orthodox missionaries also worked successfully among the Estonians from the 10th to the 12th centuries, founding the [[Orthodoxy in Estonia|Estonian Orthodox Church]].

[[File:Martires de elicura.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|[[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] who were martyred by the [[Mapuche|Araucanian]] Indians in Elicura in 1612 CE]]

Under the [[Russian Empire]] of the 19th century, missionaries such as [[Nikolay Ilminsky|Nicholas Ilminsky]] (1822–1891) moved into the subject lands and propagated Orthodoxy, including through [[Belarus]], [[Latvian Orthodox Church|Latvia]], [[Moldova]], [[Finnish Orthodox Church|Finland]], [[Estonia]], [[Ukraine]], and [[Chinese Orthodox Church|China]]. The Russian [[Nicholas of Japan|St. Nicholas of Japan]] (1836–1912) took Eastern Orthodoxy to [[Japanese Orthodox Church|Japan]] in the 19th century. The [[Russian Orthodox Church]] also sent missionaries to [[Alaska]] beginning in the 18th century, including Saint [[Herman of Alaska]] (died 1836), to minister to the [[Alaska Natives|Natives]]. The [[Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia]] continued missionary work outside Russia after the 1917 [[Russian Revolution of 1917|Russian Revolution]], resulting in the establishment of many new dioceses in the [[diaspora]], from which numerous converts have been made in Eastern Europe, North America, and Oceania.

Early [[Protestantism|Protestant]] missionaries included [[John Eliot (missionary)|John Eliot]] and contemporary ministers including [[John Cotton (Puritan)|John Cotton]] and Richard Bourne, who ministered to the [[Algonquin people|Algonquin]] natives who lived in lands claimed by representatives of the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] in the early 17th century. Quaker "publishers of truth" visited Boston and other mid-17th century colonies, but were not always well received.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Quakers in Boston: 1656–1964 |publisher=Fleming & Son |year=1980 |location=Somerville |last=Sellecl |first=D. |quote=discussed throughout Chapter 1}}</ref>

The Danish government began the first organized Protestant mission work through its [[College of Missions]], established in 1714. This funded and directed [[Church of Denmark|Lutheran]] missionaries such as [[Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg]] in [[Tranquebar]], India, and [[Hans Egede]] in [[Isle of Hope|Greenland]]. In 1732, while on a visit in 1732 to [[Copenhagen]] for the coronation of his cousin King [[Christian VI]], the [[Moravian Church]]'s patron Nicolas Ludwig, Count von [[Zinzendorf]], was very struck by its effects, and particularly by two visiting [[Kalaallit people|Inuit]] children converted by [[Hans Egede]]. He also got to know a slave from the [[Danish Virgin Islands|Danish colony]] in the [[West Indies]]. When he returned to [[Herrnhut]] in [[Electorate of Saxony|Saxony]], he inspired the inhabitants of the village{{spaced ndash}}it had fewer than thirty houses then{{spaced ndash}}to send out "messengers" to the slaves in the West Indies and to the [[Moravian missions in Greenland]]. Within thirty years, Moravian missionaries had become active on every continent, and this at a time when there were fewer than three hundred people in Herrnhut. They are famous for their selfless work, living as slaves among the slaves and together with [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], including the [[Lenape]] and [[Cherokee]] Indian tribes. Today, the work in the former mission provinces of the worldwide Moravian Church is carried on by native workers. The fastest-growing area of the work is in [[Tanzania]] in Eastern Africa. The Moravian work in [[South Africa]] inspired [[William Carey (missionary)|William Carey]] and the founders of the British [[Baptist]] missions. {{As of | 2014}}, seven of every ten Moravians live in a former mission field and belong to a race other than Caucasian.

Much [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] mission work came about under the auspices of the [[United Society|Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts]] (SPG, founded in 1701), the [[Church Missionary Society]] (CMS, founded 1799) and of the [[Intercontinental Church Society]] (formerly the Commonwealth and Continental Church Society, originating in 1823).

====Modern====
[[File:Canyon of the Little Christians.jpg|thumb|The first recorded baptism in [[Alta California]] at [[La Christianita Canyon]]]]
[[File:Mayerhoff.jpg|thumb|A Christian missionary of the [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod|Wisconsin Lutheran Synod]] going to the [[Apache]]]]
With a dramatic increase in efforts since the 20th century, and a strong push since the ''Lausanne I: The International Congress on World Evangelization'' in Switzerland in 1974,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lausanne Movement &#124; Connecting influencers and ideas for global mission |url=http://www.lausanne.org/Brix?pageID=12722 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090620162513/http://www.lausanne.org/Brix?pageID=12722 |archive-date=June 20, 2009 |website=www.lausanne.org}}</ref> modern evangelical groups have focused efforts on sending missionaries to every ethnic group in the world. While this effort has not been completed, increased attention has brought larger numbers of people distributing [[Bible]]s, [[Jesus (1979 film)|Jesus videos]], and establishing [[evangelical]] churches in more remote areas.

Internationally, the focus for many years in the later 20th century was on reaching every "people group" with [[Christianity]] by 2000. Bill Bright's leadership with Campus Crusade, the Southern Baptist [[International Mission Board]], The Joshua Project, and others brought about the need to know who these "[[unreached people group]]s" are and how those wanting to tell about the Christian God and share a [[Christianity|Christian]] [[Bible]] could reach them. The focus for these organizations transitioned from a "country focus" to a "people group focus". (From "What is a People Group?" by Dr. Orville Boyd Jenkins:  A "people group" is an ethnolinguistic group with a common self-identity that is shared by the various members. There are two parts to that word: ethno and linguistic. Language is a primary and dominant identifying factor of a people group. But there are other factors that determine or are associated with ethnicity.)

[[File:The missionary ship "Duff" arriving (ca. 1797) at Otaheite, lithograph by Kronheim & Co.jpg|thumb|left|The missionary ship ''Duff'' arriving at [[Tahiti]], c. 1797]]

What can be viewed as a success by those inside and outside the church from this focus is a higher level of cooperation and friendliness among churches and denominations. It is very common for those working on international fields to not only cooperate in efforts to share their [[Gospel|gospel message]], but view the work of their groups in a similar light. Also, with the increased study and awareness of different people groups, western mission efforts have become far more sensitive to the cultural nuances of those they are going to and those they are working with in the effort.

Over the years, as indigenous churches have matured, the church of the [[Global South]] (Africa, Asia, and Latin America) has become the driving force in missions. Korean and African missionaries can now be found all over the world. These missionaries represent a major shift in church history where the nations they came from were not historically Christian. Another major shift in the form of modern missionary work takes shape in the conflation of spiritual with contemporary military metaphors and practices. Missionary work as [[spiritual warfare]] (Ephesians, Chapter 6) weapons of a spiritual sense, is the primary concept in a long-standing relationship between Christian missions and militarization. Though when the Church establishes a governance, usually this results in a formation of a national or regional military. (Romans, Chapter 13) Despite the seeming opposition between the submissive and morally upstanding associations with prayer and violence associated with militarism, these two spheres interact in a dialectical way. Yet they when properly implemented they are entangled to support one another in the upholding of a civilizations morality and the prosecution and punishment of criminals. In some cases a nations military may fail to operate according to Godly principles and is not supported by the Church or missionaries, in other cases the military is made up of the Church congregants. The results of spiritual conflict are then present in different ways as prayer can be strategically used, for or against a military.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=McAlister |first=Elizabeth |title=The militarization of prayer in America: white and Native American spiritual warfare |date=2015 |journal=Journal of Religious and Political Practice |volume=1 |pages=114–130 |doi=10.1080/20566093.2016.1085239 |doi-access=free |issue=1}}</ref>

Nigeria, and other countries have had large numbers of their Christian adherents go to other countries and start churches. These non-western missionaries often have unparalleled success; because, they need few western resources and comforts to sustain their livelihood while doing the work they have chosen among a new culture and people.

{{main|London Missionary Society|Church Mission Society|China Inland Mission|Church's Ministry Among Jewish People|Baptist Missionary Society|Christianity in China}}
[[File:Preaching from a Waggon (David Livingstone) by The London Missionary Society.jpg|thumb|[[David Livingstone]] preaching from a wagon]]

One of the first large-scale missionary endeavors of the British colonial age was the [[Baptist Missionary Society]], founded in 1792 as the Particular Baptist Society for the Propagation of [[The gospel|the Gospel]] Amongst the Heathen.

The [[London Missionary Society]] was an [[evangelical]] organisation, bringing together from its inception both [[Anglican]]s and [[Nonconformist (Protestantism)|Nonconformist]]s; it was founded in England in 1795 with missions in Africa and the islands of the South Pacific. The [[Colonial Missionary Society]] was created in 1836, and directed its efforts towards promoting [[Congregationalist]] forms of [[Christianity]] among "British or other European settlers" rather than indigenous peoples.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bebbington |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N1c_3TggbrcC&dq=%22colonial+missionary+society%22&pg=PP1 |title=A view from Britain |work=Aspects of the Canadian evangelical experience |publisher=McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP |year=1997 |isbn=0-7735-1547-X |editor-last=Rawlyk, George A |location=Montreal |page=46}}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://research.yale.edu:8084/missionperiodicals/viewdetail.jsp?id=328 |title=Missionary Periodicals Database |date=2006-09-02 |publisher=Yale University Library|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060902144551/http://research.yale.edu:8084/missionperiodicals/viewdetail.jsp?id=328 |archive-date=2006-09-02 }}</ref> Both of these merged in 1966, and the resultant organisation is now known as the [[Council for World Mission]].

The [[Church Mission Society]], first known as the Society for Missions to Africa and the East, was founded in 1799 by evangelical Anglicans centred around the [[abolitionism in the United Kingdom|anti-slavery]] activist [[William Wilberforce]]. It bent its efforts to the [[Coptic Church]], the [[Ethiopian Church]], and India, especially [[Kerala]]; it continues to this day. Many of the [[church planting|network of churches they established]] became the [[Anglican Communion]].

In 1809, the London Society for Promoting Christianity Amongst the Jews was founded, which pioneered mission amongst the Jewish people; it continues today as the [[Church's Ministry Among Jewish People]]. In 1865, the [[China Inland Mission]] was founded, going well beyond British controlled areas; it continues as the OMF, working throughout [[East Asia]].

[[File:LDS name tags.jpg|thumb|right|The iconic black name tags of [[Missionary (LDS Church)|missionaries]] of [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]]]]
[[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] (LDS Church) has an active [[Missionary (LDS Church)|missionary program]]. Young men between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five are encouraged to prepare themselves to serve a two-year, self-funded, full-time proselytizing mission. Young women who desire to serve as missionaries can serve starting at the age of nineteen, for one and a half years. Retired couples also have the option of serving a mission. Missionaries typically spend two weeks in a [[Missionary Training Center]] (or two to three months for those learning a new language) where they study the scriptures along with the [[Book of Mormon]], learn new languages when applicable, prepare themselves to teach the [[Gospel]] of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]], and learn more about the culture and the people they live among. As of December 2019, the LDS Church had over 67,000 full-time missionaries worldwide<ref>{{Cite web |title=Missionary Program |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/topic/missionary-program |access-date=April 13, 2020 |website=www.newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org}}</ref> and over 31,000 Service Missionaries.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 April 2020 |title=Latter-day Saint membership increased this much in 2019, according to new church statistical report |url=https://www.deseret.com/platform/amp/faith/2020/4/4/21208195/mormon-church-membership-numbers-statistical-report-lds-general-conference |access-date=April 13, 2020 |website=www.deseret.com}}</ref>

=====Maryknoll=====
{{Further|Maryknoll}}
In Montreal in 1910, [[James Anthony Walsh|Father James Anthony Walsh]], a priest from Boston, met [[Thomas Frederick Price|Father Thomas Frederick Price]], from North Carolina. They agreed on the need to build a seminary for the training of young American men for the foreign Missions. Countering arguments that the Church needed workers here{{ambiguous|date=April 2024|reason=Where? Does 'here' mean Boston, North Carolina, or the entirety of the New World?}}, Fathers Walsh and Price insisted the Church would not flourish until it sent missioners overseas.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lane |first=Raymond A. |title=The Early Days of Maryknoll |year=1951}}</ref> Independently, the men had written extensively about the concept, Father Price in his magazine ''Truth'', and Father Walsh in the pages of ''A Field Afar'', an early incarnation of ''Maryknoll Magazine''.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.maryknollmagazine.org |title=Maryknoll Magazine}}</ref>  Winning the approval of the American hierarchy, the two priests traveled to Rome in June 1911 to receive final approval from [[Pope Pius X]] for the formation of the Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, now better known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The gift of mission: yesterday, today, tomorrow: the Maryknoll centennial symposium |publisher=Orbis Books |year=2013 |editor=James H. Kroeger}}</ref>

===Hindu missions===
[[Hinduism]] was introduced into Java by travellers from India in ancient times. Several centuries ago, many Hindus left Java for [[Bali]] rather than convert to [[Islam]]. Hinduism has survived in Bali ever since.<ref>Hintz, Martin. Indonesia (series: Enchantment of the World). Chicago: Childrens Press (1993), pg. 30–31.</ref> [[Dang Hyang Nirartha]] was responsible for facilitating a refashioning of Balinese Hinduism. He was an important promoter of the idea of moksha in Indonesia. He founded the Shaivite priesthood that is now ubiquitous in Bali, and is now regarded as the ancestor of all Shaivite pandits.<ref>Pringle, p. 65</ref>

[[Shantidas Adhikari]] was a [[Hindu]] preacher from [[Sylhet]] who converted King [[Pamheiba]] of [[Manipur]] to Hinduism in 1717.<ref name="SLM">[http://www.manipuronline.com/Features/August2002/manipurimuslimfoundation15_2.htm Foundation of Manipuri Muslim History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927043152/http://www.manipuronline.com/Features/August2002/manipurimuslimfoundation15_2.htm |date=2007-09-27 }} Manipur Online – August 15, 2002</ref>

Historically, Hinduism has only recently had a large influence in western countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada. Since the 1960s, many westerners attracted by the world view presented in Asian religious systems have converted to Hinduism.<ref>"America's Changing Religious Landscape," 2015, [http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/ Pew Forum]</ref> Many native-born Canadians of various ethnicities have converted during the last 50 years through the actions of the [[Ramakrishna Mission]], [[ISKCON]], [[Arya Samaj]] and other missionary organizations as well as due to the visits and guidance of Indian gurus such as Guru Maharaj, [[Sai Baba of Shirdi|Sai Baba]], and [[Rajneesh]]. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has a presence in New Zealand, running temples in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch.

[[Paramahansa Yogananda]], an Indian [[yoga|yogi]] and [[guru]], introduced many westerners to the teachings of meditation and [[Kriya Yoga school|Kriya Yoga]] through his book, ''[[Autobiography of a Yogi]]''.<ref>Bowden, p. 629</ref>

[[Swami Vivekananda]], the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission is one of the greatest Hindu missionaries to the West.

====Ananda Marga missions====
[[Ananda Marga|Ānanda Mārga]], [[organization]]ally known as Ānanda Mārga Pracaraka Samgha (AMPS), meaning the ''[[samgha]]'' (organization) for the [[Wave propagation|propagation]] of the ''[[Buddhist Paths to liberation|marga]]'' (path) of ''[[ananda]]'' (bliss), is a [[Social issues|social]] and [[Spirituality|spiritual]] movement<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5JRen1UxLkoC |title=Social Constructionism and Theology |first=C. A. M. |last=Hermans, G. Immink |author2=A. De Jong |author3=J. Van Der Lans  |year=2002 |publisher=Brill |page=47|isbn=978-90-04-12318-2}}</ref><ref name="Chryssides">{{cite book|title=Exploring New Religions |last= Chryssides|first=George D.|author-link=George D. Chryssides|year= 1999| publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]] |page=370 |isbn= 978-0-8264-5959-6}}</ref> founded in [[Jamalpur, Munger|Jamalpur]], [[Bihar]], [[India]], in 1955 by [[Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar]] (1921–1990), also known by his spiritual [[name]],<ref>According with many Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, master and disciples often have a spiritual name in addition to that given to them by their parents.</ref> Shrii Shrii Ánandamúrti.<ref>Ánandamúrti, as he was called by his early disciples, is a Sanskrit word meaning "Bliss personified".</ref> Ananda Marga counts hundreds of [[Ananda Marga#Organisation and Activities|mission]]s around the world through which its members carry out various forms of selfless service on Relief. (The social welfare and development organization under AMPS is Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team, or AMURT.)<ref>For an example of AMURT activities see: [http://www.amurt.org/ amurt.org] or [http://www.amurt.net amurt.net] or [http://amurthaiti.org/AMURT-HAITI/AMURT-Haiti.html amurthaiti] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518212515/http://amurthaiti.org/AMURT-HAITI/AMURT-Haiti.html |date=2012-05-18 }}</ref> Education and women's welfare The service activities of this section founded in 1963 are focused on:<ref>For more detailed information: [http://am-bhagavatadharma.com/ananda-marga-pracaraka-sa%E1%B8%BFgha/eraws/ ERAWS] or [https://web.archive.org/web/20110129004529/http://eraws.com/ eraws.com] or [http://amyogaspace.com/eraws-education-relief-and-welfare-section amyogaspace-eraws] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526072146/http://amyogaspace.com/eraws-education-relief-and-welfare-section |date=2013-05-26 }}</ref>
* Education: creating and managing primary, post-primary, and higher [[school]]s, research institutes
* Relief: creating and managing children's and students' homes for destitute children and for poor students, cheap hostels, retiring homes, academies of light for deaf dumb and crippled, invalid homes, refugee rehabilitation
* Tribal: tribal welfare units, medical camps
* Women's welfare: women welfare units, women's homes, nursing homes

===Islamic missions===
{{main|Islamic missionary activity}}
[[File:Mission Dawah.gif|thumb|upright=1.6|Mission Dawah is one of the largest contemporary Islamic missionary organizations.]]
[[File:Lingshan Islamic Cemetery - two worthies - DSCF8405.JPG|thumb|upright=1.6|The tombs of historic Islamic missionaries in [[China]], Sa-Ke-Zu and Wu-Ko-Shun at Mount Lingshan, [[Quanzhou]]]]

[[Dawah]] means to "invite" (in Arabic, literally "calling") to [[Islam]], which is the second largest religion with 2.0&nbsp;billion members.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pewforum.org/2012/12/18/global-religious-landscape-exec/|title=The Global Religious Landscape|date=18 December 2012|work=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref> From the 7th century, it spread rapidly from the [[Arabian Peninsula]] to the rest of the world through the initial [[Early Muslim conquests|Muslim conquests]] and subsequently with traders and explorers after the death of [[Muhammad]].

Initially, the spread of Islam came through the Dawah efforts of Muhammad and his followers. After his death in 632 CE, much of the expansion of the empire came through conquest such as that of North Africa and later Iberia ([[Al-Andalus]]). The [[Islamic conquest of Persia]] put an end to the [[Sassanid Empire]] and spread the reach of Islam to as far east as [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], which would later become the cradle of Islamic civilization during the [[Islamic Golden Age]] (622–1258 CE) and a stepping-stone towards the introduction of Islam to the [[Turkic tribes]] living in and bordering the area.

The missionary movement peaked during the [[Islamic Golden Age]], with the expansion of foreign trade routes, primarily into the [[Indo-Pacific]] and as far south as the isle of [[Zanzibar]] as well as the Southeastern shores of Africa.

With the coming of the [[Sufism]] tradition, Islamic missionary activities increased. Later, the [[Seljuk Turks]]' conquest of [[Anatolia]] made it easier for missionaries to go lands that formerly belonged to the [[Byzantine Empire]]. In the earlier stages of the [[Ottoman Empire]], a [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] form of [[Shamanism]] was still widely practiced in Anatolia, but soon lost ground to [[Sufism]].

During the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] presence in the [[Balkans]], missionary movements were taken up by people from aristocratic families hailing from the region, who had been educated in [[Constantinople]] or other major city within the Empire such as the famed ''[[madrassah]]s'' and ''[[kulliye]]s''. Primarily, individuals were sent back to the place of their origin and were appointed important positions in the local governing body. This approach often resulted in the building of mosques and local ''kulliyes'' for future generations to benefit from, as well as spreading the teachings of Islam.

[[File:World Islamic Mission 1.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.75|The [[World Islamic Mission]]'s mosque in [[Oslo]], Norway]]

The spread of Islam towards [[Central Africa|Central]] and West Africa had until the early 19th century has been consistent but slow. Previously, the only connection was through Trans-Saharan trade routes. The [[Mali Empire]], consisting predominantly of African and Berber tribes, stands as a strong example of the early Islamic conversion of the Sub-Saharan region. The gateways prominently expanded to include the aforementioned trade routes through the Eastern shores of the African continent. With the [[Colonization of Africa|European colonization of Africa]], missionaries were almost in competition with the European Christian missionaries operating in the colonies.

There is evidence of Arab Muslim traders entering Indonesia as early as the 8th century.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |title = Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World Vol. 2 M–Z index |author = Martin. C, Richard |year= 2004 |publisher= Macmillan}}</ref> Indonesia's early people were animists, Hindus, and Buddhists.<ref>{{cite news |title = Islam in Indonesia |author= Duff, Mark |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2357121.stm|work = BBC News|department = Asia-Pacific|date = 25 October 2002 }}</ref> However it was not until the end of the 13th century that the process of [[Islamization]] began to spread throughout the areas local communities and port towns.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The spread, although at first introduced through Arab Muslim traders, continued to saturate through the Indonesian people as local rulers and royalty began to adopt the religion subsequently leading their subjects to mirror their conversion.

Recently, Muslim groups have engaged in missionary work in Malawi. Much of this is performed by the [[African Muslim Agency]] based in [[Angola]]. The [[Kuwait]]-sponsored AMA has translated the [[Qur'an]] into [[Chichewa language|Chichewa]] (Cinyanja),<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.frontline.org.za/mission%20reports_prayer/macedonian_call_Malawi.htm |title = A Macedonian Call from Malawi|website = Frontline Fellowship|first = Peter |last =Hammond |archive-date = 7 February 2012|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120207001253/http://www.frontline.org.za/mission%20reports_prayer/macedonian_call_Malawi.htm}}</ref> one of the official languages of Malawi, and has engaged in other missionary work in the country. All of the major cities in the country have mosques and there are several Islamic schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.islamicfinder.org/cityPrayer.php?country=Malawi|title=Malawi Accurate Prayer Times أوقات الصلاة, Qiblah, Qibla اتجاه القبلة Mosques (Masjids), Islamic Centers, Organizations and Muslim Owned Businesses |work=islamicfinder.org|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref>

Several [[South Africa]]n, [[Kuwait]]i, and other Muslim agencies are active in Mozambique, with one important one being the African Muslim Agency. The spread of Islam into West Africa, beginning with ancient [[Ghana]] in the 9th century, was mainly the result of the commercial activities of North African Muslims. The empires of both [[Mali Empire|Mali]] and [[Songhai Empire|Songhai]] that followed ancient Ghana in the Western Sudan adopted the religion. Islam made its entry into the northern territories of modern Ghana around the 15th century. [[Mande languages|Mande]] speakers (who in Ghana are known as [[Soninke Wangara|Wangara]]) traders and clerics carried the religion into the area. The northeastern sector of the country was also influenced by an influx of [[Hausa people|Hausa]] Muslim traders from the 16th century onwards

Islamic influence first occurred in India in the early 7th century with the advent of Arab traders. Trade relations have existed between Arabia and the [[Indian subcontinent]] from ancient times. Even in the [[Pre-Islamic Arabia|pre-Islamic era]], Arab traders used to visit the [[Malabar region]], which linked them with the ports of [[South East Asia|Southeast Asia]]. According to Historians Elliot and Dowson in their book ''[[The History of India as told by its own Historians]]'', the first ship bearing Muslim travelers was seen on the Indian coast as early as 630 CE H. G. Rawlinson, in his book: ''Ancient and Medieval History of India'' claims the first [[Arab Muslims]] settled on the Indian coast in the last part of the 7th century.<ref>{{ISBN|81-86050-79-5}} Ancient and Medieval History of India</ref> Shaykh Zainuddin Makhdum's "Tuhfat al-Mujahidin"  also is a reliable work.<ref>{{Cite book|isbn = 983-9154-80-X|title = Tuḥfat-al-mujāhidīn: A Historical Epic of the Sixteenth Century|year = 2006| publisher=Islamic Book Trust }}</ref> This fact is corroborated, by J. Sturrock in his ''South Kanara and Madras Districts Manuals'',<ref>Sturrock, J., South Canara and Madras District Manual (2 vols., Madras, 1894–1895)</ref> and also by Haridas Bhattacharya in ''Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV''.<ref>{{ISBN|81-85843-05-8}} Cultural Heritage of India Vol. IV</ref> It was with the advent of Islam that the Arabs became a prominent cultural force in the world. The Arab merchants and traders became the carriers of the new religion, and they propagated it wherever they went.<ref>[http://www.jaihoon.com/watan/indarbmappilacommunity.htm Genesis and Growth of the Mappila Community] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622220846/http://jaihoon.com/watan/indarbmappilacommunity.htm |date=2006-06-22 }}</ref>

Islam in Bulgaria can be traced back to the mid-ninth century when there were Islamic missionaries in Bulgaria, evidenced by a letter from Pope Nicholas to [[Boris of Bulgaria]] calling for the extirpation of Saracens.<ref>H. T. Norris: "Islam in the Balkans: religion and society between Europe and the Arab world" 1993 pp. 21–27</ref>

Pioneer Muslim missionaries to the Kenyan interior were largely [[Tanzania Mainland|Tanganyikan]], who coupled their missionary work with trade, along the centres began along the railway line such as [[Kibwezi]], [[Makindu]], and [[Nairobi]].

Outstanding among them was Maalim Mtondo [[Islam in Kenya]], a Tanganyikan credited with being the first Muslim missionary to Nairobi. Reaching Nairobi at the close of the 19th century, he led a group of other Muslims, and enthusiastic missionaries from the coast to establish a "Swahili village" in present-day [[Pumwani]]. A small mosque was built to serve as a starting point and he began preaching Islam in earnest. He soon attracted several [[Kikuyu people|Kikuyus]] and Wakambas, who became his disciples.<ref name="Quraishy:1987:182">Quraishy, MA (1987). Text Book of Islam Book 1. Nairobi: The Islamic Foundation, p. 182.</ref>

In 1380, [[Makhdum Karim|Karim ul' Makhdum]] the first Arabian [[Dawah|Islamic missionary]] reached the [[Sulu Archipelago]] and [[Jolo]] in the Philippines and established Islam in the country. In 1390, the [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]]'s Prince [[Rajah Baguinda]] and his followers preached Islam on the islands.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://majalah.tempointeraktif.com/id/arsip/1990/06/23/SEL/mbm.19900623.SEL18854.id.html | title=Kerinduan orang-orang moro | publisher=TEMPO – Majalah Berita Mingguan | access-date=12 October 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515202427/http://majalah.tempointeraktif.com/id/arsip/1990/06/23/SEL/mbm.19900623.SEL18854.id.html | archive-date=15 May 2011  }}</ref> The [[Sheik Karimal Makdum Mosque]] was the first mosque established in the Philippines on [[Simunul, Tawi-Tawi|Simunul]] in [[Mindanao]] in the 14th century. Subsequent settlements by Arab missionaries traveling to [[Malaysia]] and [[Indonesia]] helped strengthen Islam in the Philippines and each settlement was governed by a [[Datu]], [[Rajah]], and a [[Sultan]]. Islamic provinces founded in the Philippines included the [[Sultanate of Maguindanao]], [[Sultanate of Sulu]], and other parts of the southern Philippines.

Modern missionary work in the United States has increased greatly in the last one hundred years, with much of the recent demographic growth driven by conversion.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E2DB1F3EF931A15753C1A9679C8B63 A Nation Challenged; Islam Attracts Converts By the Thousand, Drawn Before and After Attacks]</ref>  Up to one-third of American Muslims are [[African American]]s who have converted to Islam during the last seventy years. [[Conversion to Islam in prisons]],<ref name=autogenerated9>{{cite web |url=http://judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=960&wit_id=2719 |website=judiciary.senate.gov |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211816/http://www.judiciary.senate.gov/testimony.cfm?id=960&wit_id=2719 |archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref> and in large [[urban areas]]<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C03E2DA1230F931A35752C0A9649C8B63 Ranks of Latinos Turning to Islam Are Increasing; Many in City Were Catholics Seeking Old Muslim Roots]</ref> has also contributed to Islam's growth over the years.

An estimated US$45&nbsp;billion has been spent by the Saudi Arabian government financing mosques and Islamic schools in foreign countries. ''[[Ain al-Yaqeen]]'', a Saudi newspaper, reported in 2002 that Saudi funds may have contributed to building as many as 1,500 mosques and 2,000 other Islamic centers.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/031215/15terror.htm |title=The Saudi Connection |date=2003-12-15 |access-date=2006-04-17 |last=Kaplan |first=David E. |magazine=U.S. News & World Report  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616161452/http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/031215/15terror.htm |archive-date=2006-06-16 }}</ref>

====Early Islamic missionaries during Muhammad's era====
{{Campaignbox Campaigns of Muhammad}}
{{Main|List of expeditions of Muhammad}}
During the [[Expedition of Al Raji]] in 625,<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 187">Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 187. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110623154138/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch4s8.html online])</ref> the Islamic Prophet [[Muhammad]] sent some men as missionaries to various different tribes. Some men came to Muhammad and requested that Muhammad send instructors to teach them Islam,<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 187"/> but the men were bribed by the two tribes of Khuzaymah who wanted revenge for the [[Expedition of Abdullah Ibn Unais|assassination of Khalid bin Sufyan]] (Chief of the [[Banu Lahyan]] tribe) by Muhammad's followers<ref name="archive.org">{{cite book|author=[[Montgomery Watt|Watt, W. Montgomery]] |title=Muhammad at Medina|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1956|isbn=978-0-19-577307-1|page=33|quote=The common version, however, is that B. Lihyan wanted to avenge the assassination of their chief at Muhammad's instigation, and bribed two clans of the tribe of Khuzaymah to say they wanted to become Muslims and ask Muhammad to send instructors.|title-link=Muhammad at Medina (book)}} ([https://archive.org/details/muhammadatmedina029655mbp online])</ref> 8 Muslim Missionaires were killed in this expedition.,<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 187"/> another version says 10 Muslims were killed<ref name="Dr. Mosab">{{cite book |last=Hawarey |first=Mosab |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vJVqNwAACAAJ&q=9789957051648 |title=The Journey of Prophecy; Days of Peace and War (Arabic) |publisher=Islamic Book Trust |year=2010 |isbn=978-9957-05-164-8}}Note: Book contains a list of battles of Muhammad in Arabic, English translation available here [https://web.archive.org/web/20110726142128/http://military.hawarey.org/military_english.htm]</ref>

Then during the [[Expedition of Bir Maona]] in July 625<ref>{{citation|title=The foundation of the community |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ctvk-fdtklYC&pg=PA151|first= Al|last= Tabari |year= 2008| publisher = State University of New York Press|isbn=978-0-88706-344-2|page=151|quote=Then in Safar (which began July 13, 625), four months after Uhud, he sent out the men of Bi'r Ma'unah}}</ref> Muhammad sent some Missionaries at request of some men from the Banu Amir tribe,<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 188">Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar, p. 188. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20110623154138/http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/SM_tsn/ch4s8.html online])</ref> but the Muslims were again killed as revenge for the [[Expedition of Abdullah Ibn Unais|assassination of Khalid bin Sufyan]] by Muhammad's followers<ref name="archive.org"/> 70 Muslims were killed during this expedition<ref name="Mubarakpuri, The Sealed Nectar p. 188"/>

During the [[Expedition of Khalid ibn al-Walid (Banu Jadhimah)]] in January 630,<ref name="Abu Khalil 226">{{cite book|last=Abu Khalil|first=Shawqi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mZmBkoDa9fcC&pg=PA226|title=Atlas of the Prophet's biography: places, nations, landmarks|date=1 March 2004|publisher=Dar-us-Salam|isbn=978-9960-897-71-4|page=226}}</ref> Muhammad sent Khalid ibn Walid to invite the Banu Jadhimah tribe to Islam.<ref name="William Muir p. 135">William Muir,  The life of Mahomet and history of Islam to the era of the Hegira, Volume 4, p. 135.</ref> This is mentioned in the Sunni Hadith {{Hadith-usc|bukhari|usc=yes|5|59|628}}.<ref>Muhsin Khan, The translation of the meanings of Ṣahih AL-Bukhari, Arabic-English, Volume 5, p. 440.</ref>

====Ahmadiyya Islam missions====
[[File:Jamia Ahmadiyya International.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Jamia Ahmadiyya, Ghana]]

Missionaries belonging to the [[Ahmadiyya]] thought of Islam often study at International Islamic seminaries and educational institutions, known as [[Jamia Ahmadiyya]]. Upon completion of their degrees, they are sent to various parts of the world including South America, Africa, North America, Europe, and the Far East as appointed by [[Mirza Masroor Ahmad]], present head and [[Khalifatul Masih|Caliph]] of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim community. Jamia students may be appointed by the Caliph either as Missionaries of the community (often called Murrabi, Imam, or Mawlana) or as Qadis or Muftis of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community with a specialisation in matters of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence). Some Jamia alumni have also become Islamic historians such as the late Dost Muhammad Shahid, former Official Historian of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, with a specialisation in tarikh (Islamic historiography). Missionaries stay with their careers as appointed by the Caliph for the rest of their lives, as per their commitment to the community.

===Jain missions===
According to [[Jain]]a tradition, Mahavira's following had swelled to 14,000 monks and 36,000 nuns by the time of his death in 527 BCE<ref>Crim, Keith (ed.). ''The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions''. San Francisco: [[HarperCollins]] (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as ''Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions'', 1981; p. 370.</ref>
For some two centuries the Jains remained a small community of monks and followers. However, in the 4th century BCE, they gained strength and spread from [[Bihar]] to [[Orissa, India|Orissa]], then so [[South India]] and westwards to [[Gujarat]] and the [[Punjab region|Punjab]], where [[Jain communities]] became firmly established, particularly among the mercantile classes.<ref>[[Richard Cavendish (occult writer)|Cavendish, Richard]] (ed.). ''[[Man, Myth & Magic: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Supernatural]]'' (vol. 11). New York: [[Marshall Cavendish]] Corp. (1970); p. 1481.</ref> The period of the [[Mauryan dynasty]] to the 12th century was the period of Jainism's greatest growth and influence. Thereafter, the Jainas in the South and Central regions lost ground in face of rising Hindu devotional movements. Jainism retreated to the West and Northwest, which have remained its stronghold to the present.<ref>Crim, Keith (ed.). ''The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions''. San Francisco: HarperCollins (1989). Reprint; originally pub. as ''Abingdon Dictionary of Living Religions'', 1981; p. 371.</ref>

Emperor [[Samprati]] is regarded as the "Jain Ashoka" for his patronage and efforts to spreading Jainism in east India. Samprati, according to Jain historians, is considered more powerful and famous than Ashoka himself. Samprati built thousands of [[Jain Temples]] in India, many of which remain in use, such as the Jain temples at [[Viramgam]] and [[Palitana temples|Palitana]] (Gujarat), [[Agar Malwa]] ([[Ujjain]]). Within three and a half years, he got one hundred and twenty-five thousand new temples built, thirty-six thousand repaired, twelve and a half million murtis, holy statues, consecrated and ninety-five thousand metal [[murtis]] prepared. Samprati is said to have erected Jain temples throughout his empire. He founded Jain monasteries even in non-Aryan territory, and almost all ancient Jain temples or monuments of unknown origin are popularly attributed to him. It may be noted that all the Jain monuments of [[Rajasthan]] and Gujarat, with unknown builders are also attributed to Emperor Samprati.

[[Virachand Gandhi]] (1864–1901) from [[Mahuva, Bhavnagar|Mahuva]] represented Jains at the first [[Parliament of the World's Religions]] in [[Chicago]] in 1893 and won a silver medal. Gandhi was most likely the first Jain and the first Gujarati to travel to the United States, and his statue still stands at the Jain temple in Chicago. In his time he was a world-famous personality. Gandhi represented Jains in Chicago because the Great Jain Saint Param Pujya Acharya [[Vijayanandsuri]], also known as Acharya Atmaram, was invited to represent the Jain religion at the first [[Parliament of the World's Religions|World Parliament of Religions]]. As Jain monks do not travel overseas, he recommended the bright young scholar Virchand Gandhi to be the emissary for the religion. Today there are 100,000 Jains in the United States.<ref>McCourt, Frank. "God in America " in ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' (December 1998); p. 67.</ref>

There are also tens of thousands of Jains located in the UK and Canada.

=== Judaism ===
{{more citations needed|section|date=February 2021}}
Historically, various Jewish sects and movements have been consistent in avoiding or even forbidding [[proselytization]] (religion-to-religion conversion propaganda) to convert [[gentile]]s ([[non-Jews]]). They believe that gentiles do not need to convert to Judaism, due to [[Abrahamic religions]] being already under the [[Seven Laws of Noah]].

[[Chabad Lubavitch]] has a sub-sect that has engaged in an effort to spread [[Noahidism]] ([[Seven Laws of Noah]]) among non-Jews who follow none of the existing [[Abrahamic religions]].

[[Orthodox Judaism outreach]] (''kiruv'') encourages non-practicing [[Jews]] to become more knowledgeable and observant of ''[[halakha]]'' (Jewish law). Outreach is done worldwide, by organizations such as [[Chabad Lubavitch]], [[Aish HaTorah]], [[Ohr Somayach, Jerusalem|Ohr Somayach]], and [[Partners In Torah]].

Members of [[Reform Judaism]] began a program to convert to their brand of Judaism the non-Jewish spouses of its [[Interfaith marriage in Judaism|intermarried]] members and non-Jews who have an interest in Reform Judaism. Their rationale is that so many Jews were lost during [[the Holocaust]] that newcomers must be sought out and welcomed.<ref>{{Citation |title=The Catholic Reform, Jews, and Judaism in Sixteenth-Century Germany |date=2006 |work=Jews, Judaism, and the Reformation in Sixteenth-Century Germany |pages=249–268 |publisher=Brill |doi=10.1163/9789047408857_014 |isbn=978-90-474-0885-7 |s2cid=244752108 |last1=Bireley |first1=Robert }}</ref> This approach has been rejected by both [[Orthodox Judaism]] and [[Conservative Judaism]]<ref>[[Missionary#cite note-39]]</ref> as unrealistic and posing a danger on the entire [[Jewish faith]].

===Sikh missions===
According to [[Sikh]]s, when he was twenty-eight, [[Guru Nanak]] went as usual down to the river to bathe and [[meditate]]. It was said that he was gone for three days. When he reappeared, it is said he was "filled with the spirit of God". His first words after his re-emergence were: "there is no Hindu, there is no Muslim". With this [[secular]] principle he began his missionary work.<ref name=Shackle_2005>{{cite book | last=Shackle | first=Christopher |author2=Mandair, Arvind-Pal Singh | year=2005 | title=Teachings of the Sikh Gurus: Selections from the Sikh Scriptures | publisher=[[Routledge]] | location=United Kingdom | isbn = 978-0-415-26604-8 | pages=xiii–xiv | no-pp=true}}</ref> He made four distinct major journeys, in the four different directions, which are called ''[[Udasis]]'', spanning many thousands of kilometres, preaching the message of God.<ref>[[Khushwant Singh|Singh, Khushwant]] (2006). ''The Illustrated History of the Sikhs''. India: [[Oxford University Press]]. pp. 12–13. {{ISBN|0-19-567747-1}}. Also, as according to the [[Purātan Janamsākhī]] (the birth stories of Nanak).</ref>

Currently there are [[List of gurdwaras|gurdwaras in over 50 countries]].<ref>[http://garamchai.com/gurudwara.htm Gurudwaras, Sikh Gurdwaras In Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin – Sikh Places Of Worship For Nri And Indian Visitors In Us From]. Garamchai.com. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref><ref>[http://www.gurudwara.net Global Gurudwara Database, Find Gurudwaras around the world. Global Gurdwara Directory] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004225048/http://gurudwara.net/ |date=2011-10-04 }}. Gurudwara.net. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090519114441/http://manikaran.in/punjab/index.aspx Punjab]. Manikaran.in. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref>

Of missionary organizations, the most famous is probably [[The Sikh Missionary Society UK]]. The aim of the Sikh Missionary Society is the ''Advancement of the Sikh faith in the U.K. and abroad'', engages in various activities:<ref>[http://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org Sikh Missionary Society (U.K.)]. sikhmissionarysociety.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/sms/smssikhism/ Sikh Missionary Society (U.K.) – The Universal Faith]. sikhmissionarysociety.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/sms/smsarticles/ Sikh Missionary Society (U.K.) – Articles]. sikhmissionarysociety.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref><ref>[http://www.sikhmissionarysociety.org/sms/smspublications/ Sikh Missionary Society (U.K.) – Online Publications Library (Sikhism eBooks)]. sikhmissionarysociety.org. Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref>
* Produce and distribute books on the Sikh faith in English and Panjabi, and other languages to enlighten the younger generation of Sikhs as well as non-Sikhs.
* Advise and support young students in schools, colleges, and universities on Sikh issues and Sikh traditions.
* Arrange classes, lectures, seminars, conferences, Gurmat camps and the celebration of holy Sikh events, the basis of their achievement and interest in the field of the Sikh faith and the [[Panjabi language]].
* Make available all Sikh artifacts, posters, literature, music, educational videos, DVDs, and multimedia CD-ROMs.{{citation needed|date=April 2022}}

There have been several Sikh missionaries:
* [[Bhai Gurdas]] (1551–1636), [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] [[Sikh]] writer, historian, missionary, and religious figure; the original scribe of the [[Guru Granth Sahib]] and a companion of four of the [[Sikh Gurus]]<ref name="s">[http://www.sikhs.org/saints.htm Saints] – Sikhs.org</ref>
* [[Giani Pritam Singh Dhillon]], [[Indian independence movement|Indian freedom fighter]]
* [[Bhai Amrik Singh]], devoted much of his life to Sikh missionary activities; one of the Sikh community's most prominent leaders along with [[Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]]
* [[Jathedar Sadhu Singh Bhaura]] (1905–1984), Sikh missionary who rose to be the [[Jathedar]] or high priest of Sri [[Akal Takhat]], [[Amritsar]]

Sikhs have emigrated to many countries of the world since [[Partition of India|Indian independence]] in 1947. Sikh communities exist in Britain, East Africa, Canada, the United States, Malaysia, and most European countries.<ref>Aggarwal, Manju (with Harjeet Singh Lal). ''I Am A Sikh''. New York: [[Franklin Watts]] (1985); p. 30.</ref>

===Tenrikyo missions===
[[Tenrikyo]] conducts missionary work in approximately forty countries.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20000818090025/http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_tenrikyo.html Largest Tenrikyo Communities]}}. Adherents.com (2000-03-23). Retrieved on 2011-01-19.</ref>  Its first missionary was a woman named Kokan who worked on the streets of Osaka.<ref>{{cite book|author1=James H. Charlesworth |author2=Petr Pokorný |author3=Brian Rhea |title=Jesus Research: An International Perspective: The First Princeton-Prague Symposium on Jesus Research, Prague 2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xbXP_e5gJqwC&pg=PA242 |access-date=19 January 2011 |date= 2009 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-6353-9 |pages=242–}}</ref> In 2003, it operated approximately twenty thousand mission stations worldwide.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Evangelical Missiological Society |author2=Jon Bonk |title=Between past and future: Evangelical Mission entering the twenty-first century |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QrBZYdHfYGoC&pg=PA254 |access-date=19 January 2011 |date=2003 |publisher=William Carey Library |isbn=978-0-87808-384-8 |pages=254–}}</ref>

== Criticism ==
Contact of Christian missionaries with isolated tribes is asserted as a cause of the extinction of some tribes, such as extinction from infections and even simple diseases such as flu, to which many tribes have no immunity.<ref name=wiresen1>Gaurav Vivek Bhatnagar, [https://thewire.in/government/centre-ignored-scheduled-tribe-panel-recommendations-vulnerable-andaman-tribes Centre Ignored ST Panel Advice on Protecting Vulnerable Andaman Tribes], The Wire, 23 Nov 2018.</ref><ref name=wiresen2>Navina Jafa, [https://thewire.in/health/jarawa-north-sentinel-andaman-tribes The Sentinelese and the Dilemma of Conservation Without Contact], The Wire, 2 Dec 2018.</ref> Documented cases of European contact with isolated tribes show rapid health deterioration, such as the [[Nambikwara tribe]].<ref name=LeaveAlone1>[https://time.com/3909470/tribes-uncontacted-ethics/ Is It Ethical to Leave Uncontacted Tribes Alone?], [[Time (magazine)]], 4 June 2015.</ref>

Christian missionary work is criticized as a form of colonialism.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntdaily.com/missionary-work-is-just-another-name-for-colonization/|title=Missionary work is just another name for colonization|date=12 October 2020|last=Card|first=Rachel|work=North Texas Daily|access-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017151911/https://www.ntdaily.com/missionary-work-is-just-another-name-for-colonization/|archive-date=17 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Some Christian missionary thinkers have recognized complicity between colonialism and missions with roots in 'colonial paternalism'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bu.edu/cgcm/files/2009/09/101015dldanarobertpaper.pdf |title=Rethinking Missionaries from 1910 to Today |first=Dana L. |last=Robert |website=[[Boston University]] |access-date=2022-03-03}}</ref>

Aspects of Christian missionary activity have come under criticism, including concerns about a lack of respect for other cultures.<ref>{{cite journal|jstor = 1185603|title = Protestant Missionaries and Native Culture: Parallel Careers of Asher Wright and Silas T. Rand|journal = American Indian Quarterly|volume = 16|issue = 1|pages = 25–37|last1 = Abler|first1 = Thomas S.|year = 1992|doi = 10.2307/1185603}}</ref> The potential destruction of social structure among the converts is also a concern. The [[Huaorani people]] of Amazonian Ecuador have had a well-documented [[Operation Auca|mixed relation]] with [[Evangelical Christian]] missionaries and the contacts they brought to their communities, which some have argued led to the dissolving of unique Huaorani tribes and cultural practices.

==Impact of missions==
A 2020 study by Elena Nikolova and Jakub Polansky replicates Woodberry's analysis<ref name=":1">Robert D. Woodberry, "The Missionary Roots of Liberal Democracy." [http://www.hillcountryinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/missionaryrootsofliberaldemocracy.pdf ''American Political Science Review'' (2012) 106#2: 244–274. online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170809065449/http://www.hillcountryinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/missionaryrootsofliberaldemocracy.pdf|date=2017-08-09}}</ref> using twenty-six alternative democracy measures and extends the time period over which the democracy measures are averaged. These two simple modifications lead to the breakdown of Woodberry's results.<ref name=":1" /> Overall, no significant relationship between Protestant missions and the development of democracy can be established.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Nikolova|first1=Elena|last2=Polansky|first2=Jakub|date=2020|title=Conversionary Protestants Do Not Cause Democracy|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-political-science/article/conversionary-protestants-do-not-cause-democracy/89D4552E3CEED18F62E94E4ABEF322F6|journal=British Journal of Political Science|volume=51 |issue=4 |language=en|pages=1723–1733|doi=10.1017/S0007123420000174|issn=0007-1234|hdl=10419/214629|s2cid=234540943 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

A 2017 study found that areas of colonial Mexico that had Mendicant missions have higher rates of literacy and educational attainment today than regions that did not have missions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Waldinger|first=Maria|date=July 2017|title=The long-run effects of missionary orders in Mexico|url= http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/68841/1/Waldinger_The%20Long%20Run%20Effects.pdf|journal=Journal of Development Economics|volume=127|pages=355–378|doi=10.1016/j.jdeveco.2016.12.010}}</ref> Areas that had Jesuit missions are today indistinct from the areas that had no missions.<ref name=":0" /> The study also found that "the share of Catholics is higher in regions where Catholic missions of any kind were a historical present."<ref name=":0" />

A 2016 study found that regions in Sub-Saharan Africa that Protestant missionaries brought printing presses to are today "associated with higher newspaper readership, trust, education, and political participation."<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cagé|first1=Julia|last2=Rueda|first2=Valeria|date=July 2016|title=The Long-Term Effects of the Printing Press in sub-Saharan Africa|journal=American Economic Journal: Applied Economics|language=en|volume=8|issue=3|pages=69–99|doi=10.1257/app.20140379|issn=1945-7782|citeseerx=10.1.1.635.9580}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://voxeu.org/article/christian-missions-and-development-sub-saharan-africa|title=The devil is in the detail: Christian missions' heterogeneous effects on development in sub-Saharan Africa|last1=Cagé|first1=Julia|last2=Rueda|first2=Valeria|date=2017-03-04|website=VoxEU.org|access-date=2017-06-07}}</ref>

Missionaries have also made significant contributions to linguistics and the description and documentation of many languages. "Many languages today exist only in missionary records. More than anywhere else, our knowledge of the native languages in South America has been the product of missionary activity... Without missionary documentation the reclamation [of several languages] would have been completely impossible"<ref>pp. 223, 224. [[Tove Skutnabb-Kangas|Skutnabb-Kangas, Tove]]. 2000. ''Linguistic Genocide in Education – Or Worldwide Diversity and Human Rights?'' Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.</ref>  "A satisfactory history of linguistics cannot be written before the impressive contribution of missionaries is recognised."<ref>p. 7. Hovdhaugen, Even. 1996b. Missionary Grammars. An attempt at defining a field of research. Hovdhaugen, ed. ''...and the Word was God: Missionary linguistics and missionary grammar,'', pp. 9–22. (=Studium Sprachwissenschaft, 25.) Münster: Nodus.</ref>

==Lists of prominent missionaries==
{{Incomplete list|date=July 2014}}

===American missionaries===
* [[Gerónimo Boscana]], (Roman Catholic [[Franciscan]]) missionary
* [[Isabel Crawford]], ([[Baptist]]) missionary<ref>{{Cite book|chapter=Crawford, Isabel|title=American National Biography|chapter-url=http://www.anb.org/articles/16/16-03434.html|publisher=Oxford University Press|title-link=American National Biography}} ''Subscription needed.''</ref>
* [[Antonio de Olivares]], (Roman Catholic [[Franciscan]]) missionary
* [[Anton Docher]], (Roman Catholic) missionary
* [[Elisabeth Elliot]], American Protestant missionary in Ecuador, author and speaker, widow of [[Jim Elliot]] of [[Operation Auca]]
* [[Mary H. Fulton]], [[Women in medicine#Western medicine in China|female medical missionary to China]], founder of [[Lingnan University (Guangzhou)#Hackett|Hackett Medical College for Women]] (夏葛女子醫學院) in [[Guangzhou]], China<ref>{{cite web|author=PANG Suk Man |url=http://lib-nt2.hkbu.edu.hk/cil-image/theses/abstracts/b15564174a.pdf |title=The Hackett Medical College for Women in China (1899–1936) |publisher=Hong Kong Baptist University |date=February 1998 |access-date=10 October 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016090221/http://lib-nt2.hkbu.edu.hk/cil-image/theses/abstracts/b15564174a.pdf |archive-date=16 October 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cqvip.com/qk/83891A/200203/6479902.html|title=中国近代第一所女子医学院--夏葛医学院|work=cqvip.com|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=04TOSAAACAAJ |title=Inasmuch |author=Mary H. Fulton|editor=The United Study of Forring |publisher=BiblioBazaar |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-140-34179-6 }}</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">Rebecca Chan Chung, Deborah Chung and Cecilia Ng Wong, "Piloted to Serve", 2012</ref><ref name="facebook.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/PilotedToServe|title=Piloted to Serve|work=facebook.com|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref>
* [[Adoniram Judson]], first significant missionary in Burma
* [[Eusebio Kino]],  (Roman Catholic [[Jesuit]]) missionary
* [[Zenas Sanford Loftis]], medical missionary to Tibet
* [[Ajahn Sumedho]], Theravada monk and established [[Thai Forest Tradition]] in UK
* [[Robert E. Longacre]], Christian linguist missionary to Mexico
* [[Dada Maheshvarananda]], [[Ananda Marga]] [[yoga]] missionary
* Fred Prosper Manget, [[medical missionary to China]], founder of Houzhou General Hospital, Houzhou, China, also a doctor with the [[Flying Tigers]] and U.S. Army in [[Kunming]], China, during [[World War II]]<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="facebook.com"/><ref>Mrs. Robert S. McMichael, "The Story of Fred P. Manget", For the Woman's Auxiliary of the [[Bibb County, Georgia|Bibb County]] Medical Society, Georgia, April 4, 1963 Meeting</ref>
* [[Lottie Moon]], Baptist missionary to China
* [[Arthur Lewis Piper]], medical missionary to the [[Belgian Congo]]
* [[Dada Pranakrsnananda]], [[Ananda Marga]] [[yoga]] missionary
* [[Darlene Rose]], missionary in Papua New Guinea
* [[John Stewart (missionary)|John Stewart]], ([[Methodist]]) missionary
* [[José de Anchieta]], (Roman Catholic [[Jesuit]]) missionary
* [[Peter of Saint Joseph de Betancur]], (Roman Catholic [[Franciscan]]) missionary
* [[John Allen Chau]], ([[Evangelicalism|evangelical Christian]]) missionary killed while attempting to convert the [[Uncontacted peoples|uncontacted]] [[Sentinelese]]

===British Christian missionaries===
* [[John Hobbis Harris]], with his wife [[Alice Seeley Harris|Alice Seeley]], he used photography to expose colonial abuses
* [[Benjamin Hobson]], medical missionary to China, set up a highly successful Wai Ai Clinic (惠愛醫館)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.ifeng.com/article/46027.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130313042953/http://blog.ifeng.com/article/46027.html|archive-date=13 March 2013|title=回眸: 当年传教士进羊城--MW悦读室之岭南话廊--凤凰网博客|work=ifeng.com|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mall.cnki.net/magazine/Article/GDSI199901009.htm|title=合信的《全体新论》与广东士林|work=cnki.net|access-date=12 October 2015|archive-date=7 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007074316/http://mall.cnki.net/magazine/Article/GDSI199901009.htm}}</ref> in Guangzhou, China.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref name="facebook.com"/>
* [[Teresa Kearney]], Sister in Uganda
* [[Olive Hilda Miller]], missionary to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
* [[William Milne (missionary)|William Milne]], Bible translator to China
* [[Robert Morrison (missionary)|Robert Morrison]], Bible translator to China
* [[George Piercy]], Methodist missionary to China
* [[Sam Pollard (missionary)|Sam Pollard]],  Bible translator to China
* [[James Hudson Taylor]], missionary to China, insist on going into the inland of China.
* [[John Wesley]]
* [[Thomas Henry Sparshott]], missionary to East Africa.<ref name="EEA 2023" >{{cite web |title=Sparshott, Thomas Henry (Rev.) |url=https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/_site/custom/database/default.asp?a=viewIndividual&pid=2&person=21814 |website=europeansineastafrica.co.uk |publisher=Europeans in East Africa |access-date=8 August 2023 |date=2023}}</ref>

==See also==
{{div col}}
* [[John McKendree Springer]] – Pioneer missionary in Africa
* [[List of Protestant missionaries in China]]
* [[List of Protestant missionaries in India]]
* [[List of Roman Catholic missionaries]]
* [[List of Roman Catholic missionaries in China]]
* [[List of Roman Catholic missionaries in India]]
* [[List of Eastern Orthodox missionaries]]
* [[List of missionaries to Hawaii]]
* [[List of missionaries to the South Pacific]]
* [[List of Slovenian missionaries]]
* [[List of Russian Orthodox missionaries]]
* [[List of Protestant missionaries to Southeast Asia]]
* [[List of Roman Catholic missions in Africa]]
* [[:Category:Christian missionaries in New Zealand|Christian missionaries in New Zealand]]
* [[:Category:Christian missionaries in Oceania|Christian missionaries in Oceania]]
* [[Timeline of Christian missions]]
* [[Catholic missions]]
* [[Christianity and colonialism]]
* [[Christian missionaries]]
* [[Christianisation]]
* [[Evangelism]]
* [[History of Christian missions]]
* [[Indigenous church mission theory]]
* [[Mission (Christianity)]]
* [[Missiology]]
* [[Missionary kid]]
* [[Missionary religious institutes and societies]]
* [[Portuguese Inquisition in Goa and Bombay-Bassein]]
* [[Religious conversion]]
* [[Short-term mission]]
* [[Timeline of Christian missions]]
{{end div col}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Dunch, Ryan. "Beyond cultural imperialism: Cultural theory, Christian missions, and global modernity." ''History and Theory'' 41.3 (2002): 301–325. [https://www.jstor.org/stable/3590688 online]
* Dwight, Henry Otis et al. eds., ''The Encyclopedia of Missions'' (2nd ed. 1904) [https://archive.org/details/cu31924029338187 Online], Global coverage Of Protestant and Catholic missions.
* Robinson, David ''Muslim Societies in African History'' (The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK 2004) {{ISBN|0-521-53366-X}}
* Sharma, Arvind (2014). Hinduism as a missionary religion. New Delhi: Dev Publishers & Distributors.
* Shourie, Arun. (2006). Missionaries in India: Continuities, changes, dilemmas. New Delhi: Rupa.{{ISBN|9788172232702}}
* Madhya Pradesh (India)., & Niyogi, M. B. (1956). Vindicated by time: The Niyogi Committee report on Christian missionary activities. Nagpur: Government Printing, Madhya Pradesh.

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Missionaries}}
{{Commons category-inline|Missionaries}}
* [http://www.missionaryetexts.org/ Missionary eTexts]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20081225215728/http://www.prc.utexas.edu/prec/en/data/missions/mission_stations/index.html Project on Religion and Economic Change, Protestant Mission Stations]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20190407072339/http://www.lefaitmissionnaire.com/ LFM. Social sciences & Missions]
* [http://www.martynmission.cam.ac.uk/ Henry Martyn Centre for the study of mission & world Christianity]
* [[William Carey Library]], Mission Resources
* Hiney, Thomas: ''On the Missionary Trail'', New York: Atlantic Monthly Press (2000), pp. 5–22. {{ISBN?}}
* [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=mission&searchmode=none EtymologyOnLine] (word history)

{{Religion topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Christian terminology]]
[[Category:Missionaries| ]]
[[Category:Religious practices]]
[[Category:Religious occupations]]