| collection |
SOAS Archive
|
| id |
MMS.01.01.01
|
| recordtype |
archive
|
| scb_item_location |
Archive & Special Collections
|
| item_location |
Archive & Special Collections
|
| scb_loan_type |
Reference only
|
| callnumber |
MMS/01/01/01
|
| callnumber_txt |
MMS/01/01/01
|
| callnumber-sort |
MMS/01/01/01
|
| prefix_number |
01
|
| title |
Minutes (with indices) of the General Committee of Management of the (Wesleyan) Methodist Missionary Society
|
| scb_date_creation |
1798-1970
|
| scb_level |
Sub-series
|
| level_sort |
7/Collection/Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Collection/Sub-Sub-Sub-Collection/Series/Sub-Series/Sub-Sub-Series/File
|
| scb_extent |
53 volumes
|
| format |
Archive
|
| scb_admin_history |
In 1798 the Conference of the Wesleyan Methodist Church appointed the Rev Dr Thomas Coke to act as its agent with regard to its missions in the West Indies (expanded to foreign missions a year later). Funds to support mission work were to be collected from all of the Wesleyan Methodist congregations in Great Britain and to be in part managed through a Committee of Finance in London. With missionary work expanding (notably in the Caribbean and North America) the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of1804 established a 'Committee of Finance and Advice' for its missions consisting of all of its preachers stationed in London and with Coke being its first President. Coke was also appointed General Superintendent of Missions. The committee was tasked with reading all communications from missionaries and managing finances, with the secretary to produce an annual financial account and Coke an account of the 'spiritual state' of the missions.
By 1806 the committee had the authority to appoint candidates (a few years later candidates had to be also approved by Conference) and to task each district (initially in the West Indies only) to provide annual reports detailing finances, the state of chapels and other property, the number of preachers required and where they should be stationed, the state of religion in their district and the character and behaviour of their preachers.
After the established of Methodist missionary societies in Leeds and elsewhere in Yorkshire in 1813 Conference recommended the establishment of such societies in each district within Great Britain and created a General Missionary Committee to oversee its missions. By 1815 the increasing workload forced that year's Conference to institute an annual committee of review - 'A Committee of Examination and Finance' - and for the General Missionary Committee, now the Executive Committee, to gain an additional treasurer. In 1817 a 'Plan of a General Wesleyan-Methodist Missionary Society' was proposed and the following year the 'Laws and Regulations of the General Wesleyan-Methodist Missionary Society' were adopted by Conference placing the supervision of their missions under the auspices of a General Committee of Management. This committee continued as the principle committee of the Wesleyan Methodist Missionary Society - although many short and long term committees and sub-committees contributed to its work - and, upon Methodist unification in September 1932, became the General Committee of the Methodist Missionary Society until it was superseded by the Central Committee on 30 September 1970.
|
| description |
The contents of the minutes vary, as well as the amount of business conducted, as the number of missions increase and other committees are created. However, the following information is amongst the most common to be found: appointment, transfer and removal of missionaries; organisation and supervision of districts and missions; receiving and commenting on reports sent from districts; recording and control of expenditure; grants awarded to missions and individuals (including widows and orphans); grants to other Christian organisations; setting level for stipends and allowances for staff; agreeing purchases and sales of land and property; considering reports, recommendations, etc, made by subordinate committees; approving and distributing publications; reacting to issues raised by missionaries in their letters; directives on missionaries' conduct, attire, health, etc; advice and rulings on theological matters; statistical information on districts and missions (e.g. number of worshippers/staff/property); legacies and donations; receiving presentations from missionaries on furlough or returning from deputations; noting (and sometimes commenting) on the retirement or death of missionary staff.
The minute books also include minutes of some of the sub-committees. Of particular note is the inclusion of the minutes of the sub-committee of Reference (later Consultation) from 1829 to about 1885, the sub-committee of Finance (later Finance & General Purposes) from 1884 until 1912, Home Organisation Committee from 1895 until 1912, regional sub-committees (particularly between 1899 and 1912) as well as abstracts or extracts of the minutes of the meetings of the Ladies' (later Women's) Auxiliary Committee from 1884 until 1929, abstracts from the Army and Navy Committee from 1898 to 1913 and copies of the minutes of the Medical Advisory Board from 1911 until 1916.
After the reorganisation of the committee structure of the WMMS in 1912 separate minute books were created for 'Sectional' and other committees. Thus from October 1912 the minutes books contain only the signed minutes of the General Committee (with some enclosed information on other committees, etc) and the sequential paragraph minute numbering system is begun for each matter brought before the committee (a system generally used by all subservient committees as well). From March 1916 the minutes are typed (except between 29 September 1920 and 24 June 1942 when they are printed), with any corrections made by hand. Indices often cover more than one minute book during this period until October 1955 when there is an index at the front of each volume.
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| scb_access_status |
Restrictions
|
| scb_conditions_gov_access |
Some minutes are only available for consultation on microfiche. Data Protection declaration forms need to be completed and signed when consulting some of these minutes.
|
| scb_copyright |
Copyright held by Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes
|
| scb_use_restrictions |
For permission to publish, please contact Archives & Special Collections, SOAS Library in the first instance
|
| language |
English
|
| language_search |
English
|
| scb_related_material |
The Rough minute book sequence (MMS/Home & General/Minutes/FBN 2-3) includes the secretaries' draft minutes for the General Committee including minutes not extant here from September 1880 until the end of 1883. From September 1881 the minutes are signed (MMS/Home & General/Minutes/FBN 3).
|
| hierarchy_top_id_raw |
MMS
|
| hierarchy_sequence |
MMS.0001.0001.0001
|
