5 Minutes in Church History with Stephen Nichols The Haystack Prayer Meeting
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Feb 25, 2026 A sudden storm that forced students into a haystack led to a prayer meeting that ignited a global missions movement. The story follows five college men, especially Samuel Mills, and the formation of mission societies that spread across campuses. The narrative traces early mission boards, dangerous voyages, prison trials, and a rallying cry that inspired thousands to serve abroad.
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Haystack Prayer Meeting Sparks Mission Movement
- Five Williams College students sheltered in a haystack during a summer 1806 storm and committed themselves to global missions.
- Samuel Mills, James Richards, Francis Robbins, Harvey Loomis, and Byram Green formed the Society of the Brethren to send missionaries abroad.
Campus Revivals Launched The Awakening's Missions Focus
- The Second Great Awakening began on college campuses and produced young leaders who prioritized foreign missions.
- Campus revivalism at schools like Williams, Yale, Dartmouth, and Princeton helped birth organized missionary sending.
College Societies Fueled National Missions Growth
- The Society of the Brethren at Williams College catalyzed a nationwide collegiate missions movement that spread rapidly.
- By 1856 forty-nine of seventy US colleges had similar missionary societies, seeding the American Foreign Mission Movement.