William Carey

A Discipler of the Indian Nation

You can read a fuller account of the life of William Carey under the Missionary Catalysts section. 

However, Carey was more than just a missionary in the traditional sense. As well as evangelising the Indian people, Carey also sought to outwork Jesus' command to also 'disciple nations' (Matthew 28:19) by impacting different spheres of Indian society, as follows:

• Family - lobbied to see the killing of unwanted babies and the horrific practice of burning widows alive on their husbands' funeral pyres outlawed. These were achieved in 1804 and 1829 respectively.
  
• Religion- started churcheswhich continue to multiply today; founded Serampore College, which trained the first Indian pastors; oversaw the translation of the Bible into nearly 40 languages, so that Indians could read it in their mother tongue.
  
  
• Education - started schools forchildrenof all castes and for women, in addition to Serampore College which became the first liberal arts college in Asia with teaching in vernacular languages.
  
  
• Celebration (the Arts) - promoted literature by translating and publishing great Indian classics; authored the first Sanskrit dictionary for scholars; elevated the Bengali language, previously considered "fit only for demons and women", into the foremost literary language of India; and wrote Bengali ballads to effectively communicate the gospel.
  
  
• Media/Public Communication - brought mass media to India, setting up the first printing press and teaching Indians how to use it, as well as how to make their own paper; established the first newspaper ever printed in an Asian language.
  
  
• Economy - introduced the idea of savings banks and encouraged reasonable interest rates and foreign investment; introduced the steam engine to India; in medicine led the campaign for humane treatment of lepers, demonstrating a biblical concern for individuals; in science he founded the Agri-Horticultural Society, carried out a systematic agricultural survey; introduced modern astronomy to offset Indians' bondage to astrology; as a dedicated botanist he published India's first books on science and natural history.
  
  
• Government - in spite of formidable obstacles, given that all missionary activity was banned when Carey first entered India and that the British had done nothing to bring about reform since 1600, he gradually helped bring about a more 'civil service' in their colony, and to initiate reforms.

Sources and Further Reading:
The Book that Transforms Nations by Loren Cunningham, published by Youth With A Mission, 2006
The Legacy of William Carey: A Model for Transforming a Culture by Ruth & Vishal Mangalwadi, published by Wheaton: Crossway, 1999