William 'California' TAYLOR

TAYLOR, WILLIAM 'CALIFORNIA' (b. Rockbridge County, Virginia, USA, 2 May 1821; d. Palo Alto, California, USA, May 1902). Methodist minister and world evangelist.

Son of devout Presbyterians, Stuart Taylor and Martha (née Hickman), William was converted through the efforts of a negro woman. In 1843 he entered the ministry of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the Baltimore Conference, and was ordained in 1847. Appointed to the California Mission, he arrived in San Francisco in 1849 when it was still a city in tents. He immediately commenced street preaching. A tall man with a striking personality, Taylor possessed a powerful voice and could be heard by as many as 20 000 people. He gave a record of his ministry there in Seven Years Street Preaching in San Francisco and California Life (both published in 1856). The Sailors' Home which he had established was destroyed by fire in 1856. As Taylor had maintained a self-supporting mission this loss involved him in heavy debt. After travelling in the US and in Canada to raise funds to meet his liabilities, he went to England in 1862, and later to other countries. He sold his books to reduce his debts, and conducted missions in which many people were converted.

In Peterboro [Peterborough], Canada, Taylor was urged by Dr James Brown to visit Australia. He went into the forest, knelt in the snow, and prayed for guidance. He wrote, 'I was certified by the Holy Spirit that the Lord wanted me in Australia'. He visited Australia in 1863-65, and again in 1869-70. He was the first overseas minister to conduct missions in this country. These missions were held in every city and many country towns in every colony except WA. He also visited New Zealand. He attracted large crowds to his open-air meetings and indoor services. His forceful messages were liberally illustrated with anecdotes drawn from his wide-ranging ministry. His message was also given in song. In these meetings many hundreds were converted, a number of whom became ministers. Taylor refused to accept remuneration for his services, depending entirely on the sale of his books to support himself. But he freely gave his services to promote fundraising efforts of the church. His message and his methods are clearly indicated in his book The Model Preacher in which he emphasised that Jesus Christ was the model preacher. As well as calling sinners to repentance, Taylor stressed the importance of holiness in the Christian life.

Taylor was an intrepid world missionary. He conducted missions in many places in South Africa in 1866, after which he spent a short time in England. From there he proceeded to the West Indies, and as a result of his missions there Methodist membership increased by 5000. In 1871-74 he held missions in India, and established the Methodist Episcopal Church in Bombay, Poona, Calcutta, Madras, Bangalore and other places, and created the South India Conference. His missions continued to be self supporting. In Oct 1877 he became the pioneer Methodist missionary in Peru, and from there he pioneered Methodist missions in Chile. He laboured in South America until 1884, during which time he organised a system of self-supporting schools.

In 1884 the Methodist Episcopal General Conference elected Taylor as missionary bp of Africa. For the next twelve years he laboured with remarkable vigour for a man in his seventies, giving oversight to the work already established in Liberia to which he brought new vitality, and opening up many new mission stations in Angola and in the Congo area. In heroic journeys over vast areas in Africa he proclaimed the gospel. He took over and revitalised a Congregational mission in Mozambique. Throughout his ministry Taylor preferred to act independently of the American Mission Board, and he was somewhat impatient of supervision. He retired at the age of 75 years. He wrote more than 14 books, including Christian Adventures in South Africa(1867).

William Taylor of California—An Autobiography (Nashville, 1897); Emory Stuart Bucke (Gen Ed) The History of the American Methodist Church (1964); Eric G Clancy, 'William ("California") Taylor: first Overseas Evangelist to Australia', Church Heritage 6.3, March 1990.

ERIC G CLANCY