ABSTRACT
Although the first Churchmen's Missionary Society (CMS) Corresponding Committee organized in India was established in Calcutta in 1807, it was not until ten years later that the first CMS missionaries arrived in the country to begin, or continue, the work of evangelization. Any discussion of the complexities involved in the development and extension of Christian faith in modern history almost invariably raises questions about the role and importance of foreign missionaries in facilitating the Christian movement. All three movements that make up the subject of this chapter arose and developed in the context of early British rule and at a time when the introduction of colonial administration was beginning to affect village relationships and life. The East India Company, which administered British Indian possessions until 1858, was especially concerned about constructing a new environment of peace and stability in which it could pursue and extend its trade and commerce.
