Willie never went to high school, university, or seminary. He repaired holes in shoes. He was a cobbler who stuttered, and his wife was mentally ill. She later went completely insane. When he told others that he wanted to take the gospel to India, his idea was soundly rejected. Churches in England weren’t sending missionaries around the world in the 1700s.

It just wasn’t being done. And William Carey, of all people, was not the man anyone would choose for this. Someone even said, “Face it, William, you’re unfit.” He stuttered: “But, but, but, but I can plot.” I’m not mocking him here—this simply shows the difficulty he had speaking or communicating the gospel.

They said he wasn’t qualified to preach and certainly not to pioneer missions work on the other side of the world. But for 11 years, he studied Greek, Hebrew, and other languages on his own. Finally, he was accepted as a minister. In 1793, he co-founded the English Baptist Missionary Society. He and Dr. John Thomas became the first two missionaries sent by the Society.
William Carey ministered in India for seven years before he saw his first convert. He plotted on.

After 20 years, he still had only a small number of converts. But by the end of his life, he had translated the complete Bible into six languages and portions of Scripture into 34 Asian languages.

He also wrote grammars and dictionaries to help others learn these languages. He established India’s first college, 45 teaching centers, and schools for both boys and girls—unheard of at the time. He transformed Indian agriculture and became an advocate for women and the lower castes in India.

In India, he is still revered as a man who loved the country and helped its people. Today, we call William Carey the father of modern missions. And now, there are over 27 million Christians in India.

But his early critics were right: William Carey was totally unqualified. Yet, like Gideon, Moses, and you, God went with him. All God needs is a man or woman willing to let Him give them their true identity and to step out in the strength they have, knowing God’s might and power will go with them.
William Carey’s story is adapted in part from The Book of Amazing Stories by Robert Patterson.