Nottingham Baptist Association Sermon (May 31, 1792)

On May 31, 1792, William Carey preached before fellow pastors at the Nottingham Baptist Association, delivering a message that would reshape Protestant missions. Speaking to ministers who often assumed that distant nations lay beyond the church’s reach, Carey pressed for renewed obedience to Christ and renewed confidence in God. His theme, drawn from Isaiah 54:2–3, became memorably summarized as: “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” The sermon called pastors to abandon spiritual resignation and to believe that the Lord who commands the gospel to go forth also supplies the power to send it.

Carey’s appeal confronted the fear of human weakness with the promise of divine strength. He urged enlargement—of vision, prayer, sacrifice, and labor—because God Himself enlarges His people for fruitful service. “Enlarge the site of your tent… do not hold back; lengthen your ropes and strengthen your stakes.” (Isaiah 54:2). In Carey’s understanding, the Great Commission was not a suggestion for a select few but a standing command for the church in every generation: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15).

William Carey (1761–1834)

Carey, a pastor and self-taught scholar, embodied steady heroism: not the spectacle of sudden fame, but the quiet courage to believe God’s Word over prevailing opinion. He persevered through skepticism, limited resources, and the weight of global need, insisting that faith expresses itself in action. He did not glorify human ambition; he lifted the eyes of the church to God’s promise and to Christ’s authority. In doing so, he modeled humility, perseverance, and a willingness to bear cost for the sake of others hearing of Christ.

Baptist Missionary Society and the Mission to India

Carey’s sermon helped ignite what became known as the modern missionary movement. That autumn, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed to give practical shape to the burden he articulated—organizing support, prayer, and sending. Soon after, Carey sailed to India, a step that turned exhortation into obedience. His example still calls the church to courageous faith: to trust the Lord’s power, to labor with patience, and to pursue gospel advance with hopeful steadfastness, confident that God can gather worshipers from every people and place.