Why does Lilias Trotter inspire me?

The remarkable story of Lilias Trotter, artist and missionary, deserves to be much better known.

Forsaking privilege and prestige

Wealthy enough not to need to earn a living, Lilias began working as a volunteer in London with working girls and ladies of the night. She continued in charitable and evangelistic work in London until 1884 when she underwent surgery which left her with a weakened heart. Despite this, she felt called to missionary work in North Africa and applied to two organisations only to be rejected because of her poor health. Undaunted, she and two other single women simply went to Algeria on their own.

Undeterred by trials

So with poor health, no knowledge of Arabic and without support from any organisation, Lilias began her ministry as a missionary.

At first she and her colleagues were based in Algiers, but as the work expanded and she was joined by other workers, they mounted extraordinary expeditions deep into the Sahara across a vast area from Morocco into Tunisia.

Lilias faced constant challenges. She was a single woman in a very masculine culture, and her health remained so frail that
she frequently had to return to Europe. She was opposed, not just by those who rejected her preaching, but also by the French colonial government. Furthermore, although she and her colleagues saw conversions to Christ, there were discouragements as many converts came under appalling pressures to renounce their faith.

Nevertheless, Lilias persisted, and as the years passed the mission work expanded, and little fellowships of Christian believers grew. Eventually, in her seventies, Lilias became confined to bed where she spent her time in prayer, writing, painting and managing the mission. She died in Algeria in 1928 after four decades of labour, grieved over by both her colleagues and by many Algerians to whom she had shown God’s love.

Innovation and flexibility

Lilias was an innovative missionary. She decided to work with women and children, doing what we today would call ‘coffee bar evangelism’, using music and producing attractive leaflets (she used her artistic gifts well) in easy-to-understand colloquial Arabic. A typical example was how Lilias was able to use the mystical and experiential side of her faith to reach out to Sufi mystics.

Lilias’ labours were fruitful. Despite persecution and the emigration of believers, the Algerian church has endured and her mission organisation continues today as AWM-Pioneers. No less significant is the fact that her mission practices have become adopted across the world.

Three striking qualities

Lilias TrotterLet me mention three features of the life of Lilias Trotter that I find particularly inspiring:

1. Lilias was a woman of vision. As an artist she had an extraordinary ability to see the natural world, and as a Christian she was gifted with a similarly profound spiritual perception, something that she nurtured by seeking God daily through Bible reading, prayer and meditation. Her gift of insight helped her see what was right both for her life and for her efforts for the gospel. In both the physical and spiritual sense, Lilias was a woman always looking towards the horizon.
2. Lilias was a woman of decision. Faced with the overwhelming complexity of modern life, many people find that it’s easier just to drift and let things happen. In contrast, Lilias was a woman who could – and did – make decisions. Given the extraordinary offer of becoming a famous artist she carefully and prayerfully chose to do something more. In North Africa, faced with the endless challenges for herself and for those who worked with her, she proved to be a leader who made wise and strategic choices.
3. Lilias was a woman of determination. In her spiritual life, she rejected any superficial knowledge of God but instead hungered to know Him better. Diagnosed with lasting health problems, it would have been perfectly sensible for her to remain in London, but instead she chose to go to Algeria. Even there she would delight in leaving the relative comfort and security of the capital to visit remote and dangerous regions. Lilias was a woman who, having decided what she had to do, did it.

John Ruskin (the famous art critic and philosopher), who had mentored Lilias in her art before she chose to pursue her calling to North Africa, had given Lilias a lucrative opportunity in her 20s. He had promised that if she would give everything to her art she could do things ‘that would be immortal’. She rejected that offer, but we can be confident that what she achieved for Christ instead will last for eternity.

This article is an abridged version that was first published as part of the ‘Heroes of the Faith’ series in Church of England Newspaper in March 2021. It has been used with permission. For more information about J.John’s ministry go to www.canonjjohn.com.