Around the World in 283 Days: Traveling with the Laymen’s Foreign Missions Inquiry Commission of Appraisal

Abstract

The Laymen’s Foreign Missions Inquiry was an ambitious attempt by seven mainline Protestant denominations to evaluate the state of American foreign missions in 1931–32. It consisted of two parts, a fact-finding mission and the Commission of Appraisal, the findings of which are known as the Hocking Report. The Report stirred quite a bit of controversy and helped shape American Protestant missions for years to come. This article is based on a collection of letters written by the secretary of the Commission; it offers a glimpse into the inner workings of the Commission as it traveled around the world.