International Missionary Council
IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0102 IMC
Held at: School of Oriental and African Studies Library
Domain: archival
Title: International Missionary Council
Date(s) of contents: 1910-1961
Level of description: Fonds
Extent and medium: 7,029 microfiche.
CONTEXT
Name of creator(s): International Missionary Council
Administrative/Biographical history: The International Missionary Council (IMC) was established in 1921, the result of currents in Christianity apparent as far back as the World Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh in 1910. The IMC divided its work between its London office and a New York office, opened in 1924. There was later a Far Eastern office. The IMC linked 14 interdenominational associations of missionary societies, such as the Division of Foreign Missions of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA, with 16 interdenominational field bodies, such as the National Christian Council of India. The Council served its member bodies through study, consultation and programmes of mutual assistance, addressing issues such as missionary freedom, general and theological education, opium addiction, labour, slavery, racial discrimination, the church in rural and industrial society, home and family life, and literature, and advised local and regional church bodies. Several major international conferences were held, the subjects of which included the message, especially in relation to modern secularism (Jerusalem, 1928); the study of the Christian message in a non-Christian world (Madras, 1938); the relevance of the gospel in a world recovering from war (Whitby, Ontario, 1947); church unity as a condition of effective witness and advance (Willingen, Germany, 1952); and the establishment of a theological education fund (Ghana, 1958). J H Oldham, John R Mott, William Paton and A L Warnhuis were among those instrumental in the Council's work. The IMC became a focus of the emerging ecumenical movement soon after its formation and had a close relationship with the World Council of Churches from 1939, becoming in 1961 the Division of (later Commission on) World Mission and Evangelism of the WCC. The periodical International Review of Missions was produced from 1912. See the biography of the Secretary of the World Missionary Conference of 1910: Keith Clements, Faith on the Frontier: a Life of J H Oldham (1999).
Custodial history: The IMC archive was moved from the London and New York offices to the World Council of Churches headquarters in Geneva in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Immediate source of acquisition: Acquired in 2001.
CONTENT AND STRUCTURE
Scope and content/abstract: Microfiche copy of the archive, 1910-1961, of the International Missionary Council, including records relating to early history and committees; staff and officers' correspondence; Committee on the Church and the Jewish People; papers on mission field subjects, industrial and social questions, war and missions, orphaned missions, intermission aid, missions and governments, alien missionaries, religious liberty, religious education, and Christian literature; finance papers; papers relating to the International Review of Missions; records of the Research Department, Department of Missionary Studies, and Study Centres; country files on Europe, Asia, East Asian Christian Conference, Burma, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Near and Middle East, Africa, North America, Latin America, Australia and the Pacific; records of the IMC assemblies at Jerusalem, 1928, Tambaram, 1938, Whitby, 1947, Willingen, 1952, and Ghana, 1957-1958; records of the Joint Committee relating to the integration of the IMC into the World Council of Churches; Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conferences at New Delhi, 1961, Mexico City, 1964, Bangkok, 1972-1973, and Melbourne, 1980; questionnaires and responses in preparation for the World Missionary Conference (Edinburgh, 1910).
Also the archive of the World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship through the Churches, 1906-1948.
System of arrangement:
ACCESS AND USE
Language: Mainly English.
Conditions governing access: Unrestricted.
Conditions governing reproduction: Copyright held by the World Council of Churches.
Finding aids: Handlist produced by the publisher. A description of the archive of the World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship through the Churches is also available online.
ALLIED MATERIALS
Related material: The School of Oriental and African Studies holds the joint archives of the International Missionary Council and Conference of British Missionary Societies: Africa; and a microfiche copy of the joint archives of the International Missionary Council and Conference of British Missionary Societies: India; the archive of the Conference of British Missionary Societies; and the archive of the International Committee on Christian Literature for Africa (Christian Literature Bureau for Africa).
Copies: Published on microfiche by IDC Publishers.
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: Compiled by Rachel Kemsley as part of the RSLP AIM25 project. Sources:
IDC Publishers, Missionary Archives on microfiche.
Revised by Caroline Brick on behalf of the Mundus Project, November 2002.
Date(s) of descriptions: May 2002; revised November 2002.
- INDEX ENTRIES
- Subjects
-
- Ancient religions
- Christianity
- Civil and political rights
- Ecumenicalism
- Finance
- Financial administration
- Freedom of religion
- Freedom of thought
- Human rights
- Industrial societies
- International conflicts
- International relations
- Jews
- Mission administration
- Mission policy
- Missionary societies
- Missionary work
- Religions
- Religious activities
- Religious doctrines
- Religious education
- Religious groups
- Religious institutions
- Religious movements
- Religious organizations
- Religious texts
- Social policy
- Social problems
- Social science education
- Social systems
- Social welfare
- Theology
- War
- Ancient religions
- Personal names
-
- Corporate names
-
- International Review of Missions | periodical
- Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
- Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conference | 1961 | New Delhi
- Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conference | 1964 | Mexico City
- Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conference | 1972-1973 | Bangkok
- Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conference | 1980 | Melbourne
- East Asian Christian Conference
- International Missionary Council
- International Missionary Council assembly | 1928 | Jerusalem
- International Missionary Council assembly | 1938 | Tambaram, Madras
- International Missionary Council assembly | 1947 | Whitby, Ontario
- International Missionary Council assembly | 1952 | Willingen
- International Missionary Council assembly | 1957-1958 | Ghana
- World Alliance for Promoting International Friendship through the Churches
- World Council of Churches | Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
- World Missionary Conference | 1910 | Edinburgh
- International Review of Missions | periodical
- Places
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- Africa
- Americas
- Asia
- Australia
- Bangkok
- Burma
- Canada
- Ceylon
- China
- Delhi
- East Asia
- Edinburgh
- England
- Europe
- Germany
- Ghana
- Hessen
- Hong Kong
- India
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Jerusalem
- Kassel
- Korea
- Madras
- Malaysia
- Melbourne
- Mexico
- Mexico City
- Middle East
- Midlothian
- Myanmar
- New Delhi
- North America
- Oceania
- Ontario
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Scotland
- South America
- South Asia
- South East Asia
- Sri Lanka
- Tambaram
- Thailand
- UK
- West Africa
- Western Europe
- Whitby
- Willingen
- Africa