Thursday, March 19, 2015

CIM now called OMF


                     140 Years of CIM, now called OMF

The China Inland Mission (CIM) was established by James Hudson Taylor on June 25, 1865. Eager to reach the inland provinces of China with the gospel, the mission prayed hard and sent out waves of workers to China throughout the late nineteenth century.
In 1900, a group of Chinese called the “Boxers” set out to
 exterminate all foreigners in China in a reign of terror during 
which hundreds of missionaries and Chinese Christians were put to 
death. The China Inland Mission (CIM) lost 79 people. Taylor died 
in 1905 after 50 years of active service for China, and D.E. Hoste, 
one of the Cambridge Seven, was appointed mission director.
Many missions pulled out in 1948-49, but the China Inland Mission

 (CIM) was one which attempted to stay. Having so decided, the 

China Inland Mission (CIM) took a further step of faith and 

brought in 49 new workers to Shanghai in 1948 and in 1949. It 

eventually became plain that the continued presence of the 

missionaries was causing suspicion and harassment for the Chinese 

believers. In 1950, the momentous decision was made that, in the 

best interests of the Chinese church, the China Inland Mission 

CIM) would withdraw. The mission began again in East Asia, 

establishing headquarters in Singapore.

A new name, Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF), was 
adopted in 1964 (changed again to OMF International in 1993) and 
the old name (China Inland Mission) was dropped. Asian 
Christians also began to be accepted into membership during this 
period, and home councils were formed in Japan, Korea, 
Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and 
Indonesia. Today, nearly 20 percent of OMF International’s 
membership comes from Asia.
The nations of East Asia are still teeming with thousands who need 

to receive those “glad tidings” that Hudson Taylor sought to bring 

to the furthest points of China, and God is still leading. OMF 

International currently has nearly 3,000 staff, field workers and 

committed volunteers from 30 nations—1,400 of those are workers 

reaching out in East Asia. In 2015, a fellowship-wide celebration 

will take place to recognize God’s faithfulness to OMF 

International over the past 150 years.


OMF International is still breaking new ground in the most 
dramatically changing region of the world—whether in outreach to 
more than 100 people groups, working with disadvantaged 
children, seeking new ways of evangelizing the unreached of 
Manila, teaching and influencing students in Taiwan and 
Indonesia, pioneering a witness among the Malays in South 
Thailand, translating the Bible, or living as “salt and light” 
(Matthew 5:13-14) in countries closed to traditional missionary 
service. OMF International missionaries are giving their energies 
towards building a strong church in the countries of East Asia.