This article originally appeared at DesiringGod.org. Republished with permission.
On 7 October 1805, nine men signed their names to a document that would govern their lives and efforts to proclaim the gospel throughout India. The document became known as the Serampore Form of Agreement (sometimes inaccurately called the Serampore Covenant). The signers, many of them pioneers in the history of Baptist missions, included William Carey, Joshua Marshman, William Ward, John Chamberlain, Richard Mardon, John Biss, William Moore, Joshua Rowe, and Felix Carey (William Carey’s son).
In the Agreement, the signers accepted eleven principles that would thenceforth guide the mission work in India, with the ‘hope that multitudes of converted souls will have reason to bless God to all eternity for sending His Gospel into this country.’ Reading the Agreement today, we might be surprised by the number of themes that continue to prevail among missionaries and missiologists: an emphasis on cultural anthropology, the desire for self-supporting churches, the priority of Bible translation and education, and more.
So, although originally written to guide missionary work two centuries ago, this document remains profoundly relevant today, not only for missionary service but for every disciple of Christ seeking to make him known in an increasingly globalised world. Wherever we need to remember our priorities as pilgrims in this present world – at home, school, or work, or while traveling, running errands, or hosting neighbours — the Serampore Agreement serves as a timeless teacher.
