Andrew Fuller
Andrew Fuller (1754–1815) was an English Baptist pastor and theologian whose writings helped ignite the modern Protestant missions movement. Though less widely known than his close friend William Carey, Fuller provided the theological foundation and organizational leadership that allowed global Baptist missions to flourish.
Born in rural Cambridgeshire, England, Fuller grew up in a poor farming family with little formal education. As a young man, he was deeply influenced by the strict hyper-Calvinism common among many Baptists of his day—a belief system that discouraged evangelism by minimizing the universal call of the gospel. But through careful study of Scripture, Fuller became convinced that the gospel should be preached freely to all people and that every person has a responsibility to repent and believe in Christ.
In 1785, Fuller published The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, a groundbreaking work arguing that Christians must actively proclaim the gospel to the world. The book challenged Baptist churches to reject spiritual passivity and embrace evangelism and missions with renewed urgency.
This conviction directly shaped the ministry of William Carey. When Carey proposed taking the gospel overseas, Fuller became one of his strongest supporters. In 1792, Fuller helped found the Baptist Missionary Society, serving as its secretary for over twenty years. While Carey traveled to India, Fuller remained in England raising funds, writing letters, encouraging churches, and defending the mission effort through preaching and theological writing.
Fuller was also a gifted defender of orthodox Christianity, writing against deism, religious skepticism, and theological error. Yet his theology was always practical—aimed at strengthening the church and advancing the gospel.
Andrew Fuller’s life reminds us that world-changing missions are often sustained not only by those who go, but by those who faithfully support, defend, and fuel the work from behind the scenes.