Lucy Peabody: The Missions Pioneer You’ve Never Heard of

Most agree that William Carey was the “father” of modern missions, but who was its “mother?” Lucy Peabody may be one such candidate.

Lucy Peabody: The Groundbreaking Pioneer Missionary You’ve Never Heard of

There are lots of names of women who could vie for the title of being a “mother” of the modern missions movement—and Lucy Peabody is certainly one such candidate. This pioneer missionary to India endured the loss of her first husband, mobilized marginalized women across the country to give millions of dollars towards missions, befriended President Taft and the Rockefeller family—and, along the way, founded ABWE and become its first president. How did she do it, and what can we learn from her? That’s what we explore with one of our resident historians here on this episode of the show.

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Alex Kocman & Scott Dunford

Alex Kocman is the Director of Communications and Engagement for ABWE. He serves as general editor for Message Magazine and co-hosts The Missions Podcast. After earning his M.A. in Communication and B.S. in Biblical Studies, he served as an online apologetics instructor with Liberty University and a youth pastor in Pennsylvania, where he now resides with his wife and three children. Read his blog or follow him on X/Twitter.

Scott Dunford is the pastor of Western Hills Church in San Mateo, Calif. Previously, Scott served as Vice President of Mobilization and Communications for ABWE and as a missionary in East Asia. Scott graduated from Northland International University (B.A. in Pastoral Studies), earned his M.A. in biblical studies from Central Baptist Theological Seminary, his M.B.A. from Cornerstone University, and is currently enrolled in Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s D.Min. program with an emphasis on missions.