The College of Missions (Danish: Missionskollegiet; Latin: Collegium de cursu Evangelii promovendo) or Royal Mission College (Kongelige Missions-Kollegium) was a Dano-Norwegian association based in Copenhagen which funded and directed Protestant missions under royal patronage. Along with the Moravian church, it was the first large-scale Protestant mission effort.
Work among the Sami (Finnemisjon) was initiated under the pietistThomas von Westen (1682–1727) in 1716. He swiftly established thirteen stations before his death.[3]
Work in Greenland was directed first by Hans Egede and then, after the death of his wife, his son Paul. It was administered in conjunction with the Moravian missions there and the various chartered companies, particularly the Royal Greenland Trading Department. Early on, the well-endowed college could provide an extensive scientific library to missionaries like Hans Glahn, Otto Fabricius, and Andreas Ginge who studied the flora, fauna, and meteorology of Greenland during their missions.[2] Money was so limited in the later 18th century that all but five missionaries were returned to Denmark in 1792 and British hostility during the Napoleonic Wars brought the number down to a single person.[4]
Most of the college's early records were destroyed in a Copenhagen fire between 5 and 7 June 1795.[2] The college was closed down on 17 June 1859 by Frederik VII[5] and its remaining activities were transferred to the Ministry of Culture.[6]
As of the royal decree of 19 April 1715, the College of Missions was also the main organisation for missions work among the Sami in Norway. For the first ten to twelve years, the work was led by Thomas von Westen.
The College of Missions received a royal allocation of 2000 rigsdaler; in addition, the college was allowed to take over the 1000 rigsdaler the churches in Finnmark had in capital. Additionally, it was determined in 1716–1718 that all main churches in the country would give two rigsdaler yearly to the missions work in Finnmark; annex churches would give one. Furthermore, the income of the churches in Helgeland would also go towards the mission. In 1720 the income from the churches in Vesterålen, Salten, and Lofoten was added to the mission. The most important source of the churches' income came from the construction of farms the churches owned in the district.
^Bricka, C.F. Dansk Biografisk Leksikon (Danish Biographical Dictionary). Op cit. "Aner til Marie NielsonArchived 2012-01-06 at the Wayback Machine" ("Ancestors of Marie Nielson"). Accessed 3 May 2012. (in Danish)
