Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Church Missionary Society
Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Quick Facts
Date:
1799 - present
Related People:
Charles Simeon
See all related content
Britannica AI Icon
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites

Church Missionary Society

Anglican organization
Also known as: CMS, Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East, Society for Missions in Africa and the East(Show More)
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

Church Missionary Society (CMS), society founded in London in 1799 as the Society for Missions in Africa and the East, by Evangelical clergy of the Church of England (those who stressed biblical faith, personal conversion, and piety). In 1812 it was renamed the Church Missionary Society for Africa and the East.

During its first 10 years it sent only five missionaries to work among non-Christians, but it gradually gained support, and its work expanded. Various CMS areas, including Canada, became independent provinces of the Anglican Communion. CMS’s in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa are associated but fully autonomous.