Augustana Foreign Missionary Society

English, Swedish, German

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Evangelical Lutheran Augustana Synod of North America.
Missionaries.

Rebecca Hopman, 2010. Updated by Helen Reinold, 2011.

Augustana College Special Collections
Thomas Tredway Library
639 38th Street
Rock Island, Illinois 61201
309-794-7643
specialcollections@augustana.edu

The exact provenance of the materials in this collection is unknown, although Society records were probably donated by former officers; items such as programs, photographs, and news clippings were likely donated by individual members.

The Augustana Foreign Missionary Society was founded by students at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois in 1886. Members of the Augustana Synod had been searching for a way to involve the church in missionary work, and the founding students enthusiastically took on the task. In 1895, the Society was given a state charter of incorporation. While the group began as a campus club, it expanded to the whole Synod in 1891. The Society was then authorized as the Augustana Synod’s official agency for carrying out foreign missionary work in 1897.

The Society altered its name several times throughout its history, but was known as the Augustana Foreign Missionary Society for most of its existence. Although it was a Synod group for many decades, it continued to receive strong support from Augustana College students. They held classes on campus and published literature for the public, including annual reports of progress and The Missionary Calendar. The Augustana Foreign Missionary Society was able to accomplish missionary work in many countries, including China, India, the Sudan, and Tanganyika (now known as Tanzania). The Society officially disbanded in 1961 when the Augustana Synod merged with other Lutheran synods to become the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.

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

The collection is arranged into the following series:

Series I. State Charter of Incorporation, 1895

This series contains a typewritten copy of the Augustana Foreign Missionary Society’s charter of incorporation in Illinois, as well as handwritten notes about the content of the charter.

Series II. Minutes, 1886-1928

This series includes the meeting minutes from the society for roughly the first half of its existence.

Series III. Treasurer’s Records, 1891-1944

This series contains records about the financial aspect of the society, including ledgers, receipts, property loans, and other fiscal documents.

Series IV. Membership Records, 1887-1935

This series is composed of membership lists for the first few decades of the society.

Series V. Publications, 1891-1932

This series includes many of the published annual reports of the society, as well as a handwritten version of a president’s report composed by Conrad Bergendoff.

Series VI. Conrad Bergendoff speeches, [1920?]

This series contains three speeches probably given by Conrad Bergendoff in 1920. The speeches concern the history of the society and contemporary views about missionary work.

Series VII. Correspondence, 1920-1921

This series is a collection of the correspondence to and from the society, as well as a sample of society stationery.

Series VIII. Photographs, [1920s?]

This series includes photographs from India and China. The photographs may have been taken when Augustana Synod visitors traveled to see the Synod’s ongoing mission work, and depict both the people and the buildings relevant to the mission. Most prints have typed or handwritten notes on the back.

Series IX. News clippings, 1920-1928

This series contains a group of newspaper and newsletter clippings that refer to the society and mission work.

Series X. Annual Christian Conference of Young People, 1921 and 1926

This series refers to papers relating to both the First and Second Annual Christian Conference of Young People. Contents include invitations, programs, stationery, and pamphlets.

Series XI. Miscellaneous Programs, 1914-1930

This series is composed of various miscellaneous programs, most of which relate to mission work in some manner. Some of these events were hosted by the society, while others were perhaps attended by its members.

MSS 5 Conrad Bergendoff papers, Box 39, Folder 10, correspondence concerning students who were sponsored by the Augustana Foreign Missionary Society.

MSS 20 Claude William Foss papers, Boxes 11-14, Part II, Series III. The Board of Foreign Missions correspondence (1884-1928), biennial reports (1911-1917), and miscellaneous printed matter.

MSS 86 Sister Ingeborg Nystul papers. Nystul was a missionary for the Augustana Synod in China.