Do you remember your childhood Sunday school teacher? Were they eighteen? Twenty-five? Forty?
How about eleven years old? Really? As far-fetched as it sounds, that’s exactly how old Henrietta Mears was the first time she taught a Christian education class.
Who Was Henrietta Mears?
Henrietta Cornelia Mears was born in Fargo, North Dakota, in October 1890. Raised in a Christian home, she gave her life to the Lord at seven years old. Only four years later, she courageously taught her first class at a mission in Minneapolis, where her family had relocated.
Here are some snapshots of who she was:
- She learned to share her faith by example. Nobody came to the Mears home—not even a salesman—without Mrs. Mears sharing the gospel with them. Henrietta saw her mother’s evangelism, and the Holy Spirit led her in the same way.
- She was committed to serving the Lord. At seventeen, Henrietta wanted to be a missionary in China, but confirmation from the Lord didn’t come. So instead, she studied chemistry at the University of Minnesota. But she never lost her zeal for Sunday school.
- Her greatest desire was for God. Even though she longed to be a wife and mother, she cut off a romantic relationship with a man whose faith didn’t align with hers. She never married.
- Her Sunday school students affectionately referred to her as “Teacher.” Her goal was to bring men and women to Christ and equip them to lead future generations of the church.
A Legacy of Courage
Did you have a favorite teacher? Maybe she was an English teacher who assigned To Kill a Mockingbird, which helped you discover your favorite book. Or maybe you had a Sunday school teacher who, like Henrietta Mears, influenced your walk with the Lord.
Henrietta’s life didn’t turn out how she thought it might. But she served the Lord through teaching Sunday school at local churches and chemistry in city high schools.
Eventually, she became the director of Christian Education at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. Under her leadership, the Sunday school program grew from 450 to more than 6,000 students. She influenced men like Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, the great evangelist Billy Graham, and many others who went on to win the world for Jesus.
Henrietta Mears served the Lord in a time and place where it was uncommon for women to hold leadership positions in the church, but with courage and boldness from the Lord she answered the call He placed on her life.
“The secret of power and of being in the will of God was not something that I had to sweat and strain for; it was, rather, what I had to recognize as already present in my life. God’s will is God Himself, and that is my power.” –Henrietta Mears
Want to Learn More?
You can read a Bible study she wrote here: www.perlego.com/book/3175671/what-the-bible-is-all-about-kjv-bible-handbook-pdf
You can find this book about Henrietta at a library or a bookstore: The Mother of Modern Evangelism: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Mears by Arlin Migliazzo (Eerdmans, 2020).
Or read it at:
