Priscilla Studd

Life

Priscilla Studd was born on August 28, 1864, in Lisburn, near Belfast, Ireland (now Northern Ireland). Her maiden name was Priscilla Livingstone Stewart, and she was known by the nickname "Scilla." She later recalled that as a child she had no interest whatsoever in religion. After her conversion, however, she resolved to pursue foreign missions.

In 1887 she arrived in Shanghai with the so-called "Hundred," a band of missionaries sent by Hudson Taylor's China Inland Mission. Shortly afterward she moved with three other women missionaries to the inland city of Ta-Ku-Tang to evangelize. Korean sources often describe her as a Salvation Army missionary, and English-language sources also record that she served as a Salvation Army officer and engaged in street evangelism. Her first journey to China, however, is reported to have been under the China Inland Mission.

In 1888 she married C. T. Studd, one of the Cambridge Seven, in Tianjin; the date is given as April 7. The couple worked in inland China until 1894, when they returned to Britain for health reasons. They had four daughters and are reported to have lost two sons in infancy. From 1900 to 1906 they ministered together in India.

When her husband later left for Africa, Priscilla remained in Britain because of her health, and the couple lived apart for roughly the last sixteen years of their marriage. About a year before her death she made a brief visit to the Congo to see her husband; this is said to have been their final meeting. She died on January 15, 1929, in Málaga, Spain, and was buried in the English Cemetery there.

Ministry and Accomplishments

• Surrender of wealth: C. T. Studd gave most of his inheritance to George Müller's orphanages, the work of Dwight L. Moody, the Salvation Army, and other causes. The remainder, which he had set aside for his bride, is said to have been given to the Salvation Army at Priscilla's wish. This episode is frequently cited as an illustration of the couple's "faith mission" principle of relying on God alone rather than on people.
• Home ministry: When C. T. Studd founded the Heart of Africa Mission, Priscilla took charge of the headquarters work in Britain. She led the efforts to raise support and recruit missionaries and, with the help of two of her daughters, sustained a missionary training community. The mission was later renamed the Worldwide Evangelization Crusade and is the forerunner of today's WEC International.
• Deputation travel: As a speaker representing the mission, she traveled to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and elsewhere to promote the work in Africa.
• Her daughter Pauline married Norman Grubb, who later became a leader of WEC.

Assessment

She is regarded as a woman missionary who served both on the mission field and in supporting ministry at home. In particular, her management of the British headquarters while her husband was in Africa is described as having laid the foundation of the mission. The couple's long separation, with each laboring in a separate sphere, is also often cited as an example of devotion to missions. Most records about her, however, are found within biographies of her husband, and few sources treat her own work independently.