Basel Mission: The Swiss Army Knife of Missionaries

The Basel Mission first emerged in Germany in the early 1800s as a small group of Swiss missionaries, determined to spread the word of God to foreign lands. They quickly realized, however, that they were more than just your average, run-of-the-mill group of missionaries. They were the Swiss Army Knife of missionaries.

Like any good Swiss Army Knife, the Basel Mission had a variety of tools. They started by bringing the gospel message to the people of Africa, India, and China. But soon they found that their skills went way beyond preaching alone. They started building schools, hospitals, and churches, and even provided agricultural training to the locals. By the end of the century, the Basel Mission had become a master of all trades.

But why stop there? The Basel Mission continued to branch out, pursuing their mission of improving the lives of people all around the world. They started publishing books and magazines, founded a bank to promote economic development, and even got into the lucrative business of selling coffee.

Yes, you heard that correctly. The Basel Mission was not just a missionary organization, it was also a coffee company. Their own brand of coffee, called “Mission Coffee”, became a hit with missionaries and coffee lovers alike (if you thought Starbucks was the first to bring fair trade coffee to the masses, think again).

In fact, the Basel Mission was so successful that many other organizations tried to replicate their model—without much success. It seems no one could match their versatility, their drive, or their sense of humor. Yes, the Basel Mission had a sense of humor too, believe it or not.

Their logo featured three little monkeys, each with their hands over their ears, eyes, or mouth, exemplifying the well-known proverb “hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil.” It was a clever nod to their mission of spreading goodness and light, and a reminder that sometimes, in order to achieve great things, you need to be a little bit cheeky.

So, if you ever find yourself in need of a jack-of-all-trades kind of organization, look no further than the Basel Mission. They may not be around anymore (they merged with other organizations in 2001 to form Mission 21), but their legacy lives on. And who knows? Maybe someday, someone will try to start up a mission organization that also makes great, fair trade coffee. We can only hope.