Introduction

The Spirit of Missions succeeded the Missionary Record as the official publication of the Board of Missions and the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society. In an early issue, it states that “the great object of the Church is to possess a periodical, under the direction of its own officers, that shall contain a full and faithful record of all its missionary transactions...” (SOM, p.183, June 1836).

The goals of The Spirit of Missions were specifically outlined in a November 3, 1835 resolution that called for a new Missionary Paper with the objectives to report the official documents of the Board of Missions, its Committees and Officers, to provide a monthly abstract of the proceedings of the Board and its Committees (Domestic and Foreign), and to provide a list of contributions and donations. It would also include correspondence of missionaries considered suitable for distribution and present a full view of the Missionary operations of the PECUSA.

The content and organization of the publication changed throughout its 103 years of publication, but it consistently “served as an agency by which the Church at home might be kept informed of the progress of these great [missionary] projects and thus be inspired to support workers in the field...” (SOM, Jan. 1936, p. 5)

The publication was divided into two main sections early on: Domestic and Foreign. By 1866, after the Civil War, a third section was added for the Freedman’s Commission (later named, Home Missions to Colored People until 1871 and then ACIN). Over time and throughout the life of the publication, the sections on mission work grew to include Jewish Missions, Mexican Missions, Indian Commission, Educational Department/Religious Education, Woman’s Work/Women’s Auxiliary and Christian Social Service.

The earliest editors of the publication were the Secretaries for Foreign and Domestic Work. Other later editors included John Wilson Wood, Hugh L. Burleson, Arthur S. Lloyd, Charles E. Betticher Jr. , Mrs. Kathleen Hore, Warfield Hobbs, and William E. Leidt who served as the associate editor and would go on to serve as editor of Forth, which succeeded The Spirit of Missions as the official publication of the Church. John Wilson Wood’s editorship in 1900 was considered to have marked a change for the magazine. He updated the news journal style to a magazine format and expanded the content with topical news and images.

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Last update October 10, 2022