Upon seeing the title of this work, many readers may think, “William who?” For, if the reader is familiar with Serampore at all, the only William he or she will likely recollect is the “Father of Modern Missions,” William Carey. But there was another William at the Serampore Mission, namely, William Ward; member of the famed “Serampore Trio,” and printer of over twenty translations of the Bible into various languages of the East. But a closer look at primary sources reveals a man who was much more than a printer; a man whose deft administration, pastoral heart, and pacific counsel enabled the Serampore Mission to run smoothly and to endure times of great uncertainty and turmoil. The Spirituality of William Ward: Usung Hero of the Serampore Mission tells the forgotten story of William Ward, but in a way that has never been told before. This work examines Ward’s own writings and focuses on the beliefs that animated his life—the convictions that made him tick—and then asks the question, “What kind of man did these beliefs produce, and what effect did he have on the Serampore Mission?” The man that emerges is a missionary hero in his own right, from whom modern Christians and missionaries can learn much.
