This is a very, very brief history of how Village Missions came to be and how it has developed since then. I am working on getting permission to post a much more extensive history of the mission that was written by one of the regional administrators. Until I get permission from him I will only give this skeleton of the history.
Village Missions was founded in 1948 as an outgrowth of the work being done by Mrs. Helen Duff Baugh and Miss Mary Clark in their formation of Christian Women's Clubs. As they traveled around they saw the tremendous number of churches that were closed or without a pastor. God led them, along with Mrs. Baugh's brother, to organize Village Missions. The Mission was launched on September 9th, 1948 at Cannon Beach, Oregon with the Rev. Walter Duff, Jr. as National Director.
From that time until his death in 1993 Rev. Duff was the guiding hand that shaped and directed the mission. Village Missions is what it is today because he was the type of man that he was. It was his strong faith and deep concern for the unsaved people in rural communities that defined the call for the entire mission. Through his efforts many churches have received pastors and thousands have come to know the savior through the work of village missionaries.
In 1968 Village Missions began providing missionaries in Canada as well as the United States. There are now more than 30 Canadian communities have received full-time missionary pastors through Village Missions.
In 1993, with the passing of Rev. Duff, the mission entered a new phase. It was now too large for one man to personally oversee all the missionaries. The leadership passed to Dr. Jack Canady, who is assisted by Regional Administrators for the Western U.S., the Eastern U.S. and Canada. Under them there are District Representatives who are constantly involved in supporting and advising the missionaries in their districts.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ does not change, but the world around us changes constantly. As the culture evolves the mission has stood fast on the Gospel while attempting to grow and adapt so as to most effectively reach the unsaved people throughout rural North America. The testimony of how well that job is being done is found in the over 250 fields in the U.S. and over 30 in Canada that Village Missions is serving.