Mary Slessor of Calabar: Pioneer Missionary

by William Pringle Livingstone

When the founding of the Calabar Mission on the West Coast of Africa was creating a stir throughout Scotland, there came into a lowly home in Aberdeen a life that was to be known far and wide in connection with the enterprise. On December 2, 1848, Mary Mitchell Slessor was born in Gilcomston, a suburb of the city.

Genres: Biography, Christian, Nonfiction, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1915

Reviews

[Bridget Carroll]

Slessor did some incredible work and her reliance on God is evident throughout her life. Unfortunately, this account of her work elevates colonialism and is quite disparaging of the people she lived with.

"For God was good, and He was leading her, and that was perfect happiness." (p. 210)

[Donna Pavluk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very inspired by this woman's life, and I loved all the quotations from primary sources. I would love to see a modern biography written in a sightly more detached style, but I I nderstand many of the primary sources no longer exist. Mary Slessor was amazing, and this book, which has much scholarship to commend it, well worth the read.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! This is such an incredible story. What an amazing woman. She went into areas of Nigeria that others were afraid to go into and she commanded the respect of all the people she met there including the warring chiefs. She accomplished so much with God’s help. This is absolutely a must read!!!

[John Stuart · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Forgotten Age

This is a beautiful account of Mary Slessor's amazing life. Beginning in humbling and tragic circumstances, Mary rose above her own Scottish poverty and sadness to take the Gospel to the West Coast of Africa. Her courage in the face of superstition, violence, and evil could only have come from Christ alone. Livingstone's account does not paint her as a saintly, holier-than-thou missionary, but as a hard working servant of the Lord whose humanity gives credibility to her Christian faith. An excellent book of a largely forgotten age of exploration and mission.

[Rod Innis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly a wonderful account of the life of a pioneer missionary in Nigeria. I enjoy missionary biographies and this was about a woman who was truly amazing. She had an amazing love for her Lord and wonderful faith in His provision. It is free on Kindle and may be hard to find in another format as it was written in 1915, shortly after her death. She died and was buried in Nigeria.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Greatest of These

"Love for Christ made [Mary Slessor] a missionary. Like that other Mary who was with Him on earth, her love constrained her to offer Him her best, and very gladly she took the alabaster box of her life and broke it and gave the precious ointment of her service to Him and His cause."

Prepare to be inspired and challenged to live a life of fearless abandonment to Jesus Christ! I fell in love with Miss Slessor early on in this book. She was a fiery little woman with a sharp tongue, and that was exactly what Calabar needed. Different aspects of her life are highlighted throughout this book, but one thing that remained the same was her passion and deep love for Jesus Christ, which flowed out as a passion and deep love for prayer, for the Word of God, for caring for the lowest and the least, and for boldly proclaiming the Gospel.

There were four things about the way this was written that I really appreciated. The first was the author's use of primary texts and quotes. It made me feel as if I got to know Miss Slessor herself. The second was the amount of detail that went into this book. Stories illustrated statements made about Miss Slessor and every season of her life was covered, with details about how she changed and grew in those seasons or how they prepared her for the next season.

These details could be tedious at times. I found this to be especially so at the beginning. But as I got to know and fall in love with Miss Slessor, I began to appreciate the details more and more, like I would appreciate details about a dear friend.

The way details were handled is the third thing I appreciated about this book. It tells of her successes but also her failures. It tells of her strengths but also her weaknesses. It paints a full picture of Mary, unlike the tendency in this genre to tell the story of a perfect saint. Yet even in dealing with these weaknesses, the author is quick to show how Christ was her Strength and showed Himself strong through them. This inspired me even more, reminding me that I do not have to be perfect to join in carrying out God's eternal purpose on earth, simply trusting, yielding, and obedient.

Finally, I loved how the author focused on Miss Slessor's Motive, Source, Supply, and Enablement for the incredible feats she was called to and accomplished: Jesus Christ. He makes it clear that Christ was her Passion and her Love. Because of Christ, Miss Slessor was brave and bold. Because of Christ, Miss Slessor found strength to stand up to warriors and rescue those sentenced to death and save babies thought to be demons - even when she herself had no strength to give. Because of Christ, Mary Slessor was the heroine that she was. And, friends, we serve the same Christ!

I recommend this book to those who aspire to be a missionary themselves, to those who struggle with fear, or to those who wish to read of a life surrendered to and sourced by Jesus Christ.

[Betsy Lynn Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing Story of What God Can Accomplish Through Total Commitment to Him

An amazing story of how a woman fully committed to God, allowed Him to use her to bring the Gospel to heathen tribes deep in Africa. With the love of her Savior flowing through her, she was able to win many lost souls to Christ and rescue numerous twins who were killed at birth due to horrific superstitions. One of the best missionary stories I've ever read.

[Susan Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pioneer Missionary

This woman's life is an incredible inspiration for any person who loves God and has a willing heart whether you are 14 or 70 years old. I've read it twice. There is no way a short paragraph can fully express the love for God, devotion and willingness to give everything for Him.

[Cal Fisher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great story but didn’t like the focus of the writing. Seemed like the same type of story was told over and over without giving any focus/analysis of her theology and mission philosophy. Only made it 2/3 of the way through though.

[Terry W. West · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is very well written and Mary Slessor's story is such an inspiration. I could scarcely make it through a few pages without being moved to prayer. May my LORD God use me in my remaining days given to me by His mercy and grace!

[Sola.scriptura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good biography, almost hagiography. Brought "interesting" perspective on colonialism of that time. Oh well, such was the time and Mary did the best she could with her perspective and understanding of mission of Christ.

[Colleen J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spreading the Gospel in Nigeria

Mary Slessor was much used by God to reach out to the West Nigerians. They thought of her as their white mother.

[Madelaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a rather turgid read but it was interesting to learn about missionary work in Africa in the 19th and early 20th c. Mary Slessor was a truly astonishing person, driven by her love for God.

[Marjorie Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew my mind. I had never heard of Mary Slessor, nor read any accounts of 19th century missionary work. I finished the free digital version on my Kindle with a deep sigh - how rapidly human memory fades, history and experience lost, natural consequences obscured by the progressive, godly hopes of the individual. I learned much from this account of a small Scottish woman's passion for missionary work in the territory of now Nigeria. There's much here to remind one of Mother Teresa, whose work in India seems tame and comfortable compared to the atrocious behaviors (persistent twin slaughter, cannibalism, human sacrifice, polygamy) Mary Slessor bravely and uncompromisingly tackled with an abiding love for the dignity of each person. More, there's rich factual material to feed reflection on the modern African culture, the role of Islam there and the failure of the Christian west to finish a battle for souls for Christ. Slessor's refusal to give aid "without Christ attached" is beautifully documented, and, in hindsight, undoubtedly sound. This is a great read too ... long, sometimes repetive and riddled with errors in scanning, it nevertheless has impacted and taught me to the tune of 5 stars! Highly recommended.

[Kathy Penrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until reading this book, I had never heard of Mary Slessor. What a marvelous woman. She was truly a pioneer in the mission field in Africa, opening up the way for the Gospel to native tribes never before reached. The reverence and love of the African men and women toward her is a testament of her own love and sacrifice for them. She possessed courage and strength of character that is seldom seen today. She faced many superstitions and witnessed much of the enemy's power when she first arrived but was eventually able to change hearts and lives, establishing churches, schools, and bringing medical help, but most of all helping to transform the violent, cruel, superstitious culture around her. For those interested in missions, this is a must read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Missionary bios fascinate me, and this one was no exception. From humble beginnings, Mary Slessor followed the call of God and moved with courage to Africa. I especially appreciated reading about the struggles she experienced with her faith throughout her career. Yet, God was faithful every time.

I recommend this book for any Christian or person interested in reading about 1880s African culture, customs and beliefs.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book written by author very familiar with her personal story. However, it is often written in a familiar way, expecting the reader to be familiar with the story of the pioneer Christian missionary from the late 1800's-early 1900's. Regardless, I am quite in awe of Miss Slessor and consider her work in Africa- extraordinary. She's one in a million, with un-paralleled faith.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting hagiography, but it was fairly repetative. I felt like I got every little thing that Slessor ever did!

[Joanna Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humble and challenging life to look upon

For any christian who thinks they are to weak or insignificant to share the love of Christ: read this and be convicted!