John Mason Peck
Encyclopedia
John Mason Peck was an American
Baptist
missionary
to the western frontier of the United States, especially in Missouri
.
to a farming family, Peck received little formal education but in 1807 began to teach. He was converted to Christianity
at a revival at his Congregational Church.
, near her first home. There they joined the Baptist Church. Peck became interested in foreign missionary work.
In 1818, they traveled westward, where Peck organized the First Baptist Church of St. Louis and the first missionary
society in the West: the United Society for the Spread of the Gospel. In 1820, the Triennial Convention
discontinued his missionary support, but he refused to move back East. Peck continued his church-planting efforts independently. Two years later, the Massachusetts Baptist Mission Society employed him at $5.00 a week.
The American Baptist Home Mission Society was organized in 1832 under his influence with Jonathan Going as the first secretary. This society, like Peck, directed its efforts toward the people of the frontier: settlers, Native Americans
, and former slaves.
He was also influential in the establishment of Rock Spring Seminary, the Illinois State Baptist Convention, the Illinois Baptist Education Society, and the Western Baptist Society.
During his 40-year ministry, Peck contributed to the establishment of 900 Baptist churches, saw 600 pastors ordained, and 32,000 were added to the Baptist faith. He died in Rock Spring, Illinois, where he was first buried. He was reinterred at Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to the western frontier of the United States, especially in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
.
Biography
Born in Litchfield, ConnecticutLitchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and is known as an affluent summer resort. The population was 8,316 at the 2000 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town...
to a farming family, Peck received little formal education but in 1807 began to teach. He was converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
at a revival at his Congregational Church.
Marriage and family
On May 8, 1809 Peck married Sally Paine, a native of New York state. In 1811 they moved from Connecticut to Greene County, New YorkGreene County, New York
Greene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
, near her first home. There they joined the Baptist Church. Peck became interested in foreign missionary work.
In 1818, they traveled westward, where Peck organized the First Baptist Church of St. Louis and the first missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
society in the West: the United Society for the Spread of the Gospel. In 1820, the Triennial Convention
Triennial Convention
The Triennial Convention, founded in 1814, was the first national Baptist denomination in the United States of America. Headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it was formed to advance missionary work...
discontinued his missionary support, but he refused to move back East. Peck continued his church-planting efforts independently. Two years later, the Massachusetts Baptist Mission Society employed him at $5.00 a week.
The American Baptist Home Mission Society was organized in 1832 under his influence with Jonathan Going as the first secretary. This society, like Peck, directed its efforts toward the people of the frontier: settlers, Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, and former slaves.
He was also influential in the establishment of Rock Spring Seminary, the Illinois State Baptist Convention, the Illinois Baptist Education Society, and the Western Baptist Society.
During his 40-year ministry, Peck contributed to the establishment of 900 Baptist churches, saw 600 pastors ordained, and 32,000 were added to the Baptist faith. He died in Rock Spring, Illinois, where he was first buried. He was reinterred at Bellefontaine Cemetery, St. Louis.
Further reading
- Hayne, Coe. Vanguard of the Caravans: A Life Story of John Mason Peck, 1931.
- Lawrence, Matthew. John Mason Peck, the Pioneer Missionary: a Biographical Sketch, 1940.