Women's Missionary Union (WMU)

     In 1888, a handful of women dedicated to the cause of missions founded Woman’s Missionary Union. Since that time, WMU has become the largest Protestant organization for women in the world, with a membership of approximately 1 million. WMU also was the first and remains the largest body of organized laity in the Southern Baptist Convention.

    Woman’s Missionary Union is built upon the following core values:

• We uphold the foundational principles of the priesthood of every believer and the autonomy and uniqueness of each local church in carrying out the Great Commission.
• We embrace the strategic role of prayer and giving for missionaries and missions needs.
• We recognize the role of family in discipleship and missions development.
• We recognize the giftedness of women and girls and accept the responsibility to help them use their gifts in serving Christ.
• We accept the responsibility for nurturing preschoolers, children, youth, and adults in missions.
• We accept the responsibility for developing and equipping missions leaders.
• We accept the biblical mandate to respond to human need with actions modeled by Jesus Christ and with the message of God’s redemptive plan.
• We partner with other Great Commission Christians to lead a lost world to Christ.
• We believe that Jesus Christ, Son of God, gave His life a sacrifice for the salvation of all the people of the world, fulfilling God’s plan for the ages as revealed in the Bible, God’s Holy Word.

     From the beginning, WMU’s main purpose has been to educate and involve women, girls, and preschoolers in the cause of Christian missions. It accomplishes these purposes primarily through age-level organizations, including:

• Women on Mission, for women 18 and up
• Adults on Mission, for men and women 18 and up
• Acteens, for girls 12-17
• Youth on Mission, for boys and girls 12-17
• Girls in Action, for girls 6-11
• Children in Action, for boys and girls 6-11
• Mission Friends, for preschool girls and boys.

     WMU supports these organizations through age-appropriate magazines and/or products.

     WMU offers ministry opportunities through Volunteer Connection; Baptist Nursing Fellowship; Project: HELP; Christian Women’s Job Corps, Pure Water Pure Love; and WorldCrafts.

     WMU offers short-term volunteer missions opportunities through Volunteer Connection, Acteens Activators/Acteens Activators Abroad, Acteens Interns, and Women on Mission Enterprisers.

     Throughout it’s history, WMU has been an auxiliary to the Southern Baptist Convention, which means that it acts as a "helper" to the SBC. The auxiliary status also means that WMU is self-governing and self-supporting.

     Financial support of missionaries has always been a priority for women involved in WMU. When the women founded the national organization in 1888, one of their first items of business was to accept the request to raise money for the two mission boards. Within the first year, the women contributed over $30,700 to the two entities.

     The women’s efforts to raise money for the two mission boards are known today as the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for International Missions and the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American Missions. The Christmas offering originated in 1888 and was named for Lottie Moon in 1918. The Easter offering originated in 1895 and was named for Annie Armstrong in 1934. The two offerings remained women’s offerings until 1956, when WMU agreed to promote the offerings churchwide. By the end of 1998, WMU had helped lead Southern Baptists to contribute nearly $2.5 billion to the two offerings.

Permanent WMU Watchword: "For we are laborers together with God" (1 Corinthians 3:9 KJV).

Mission Statement: Woman’s Missionary Union challenges Christian believers to understand and be radically involved in the mission of God.

The Tasks of Woman’s Missionary Union:
* pray for and give to missions
* do missions
* learn about missions
* develop spiritually toward a missions lifestyle
* participate in the work of the church and the denomination

Updated 12/5/05