George Müller
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The Man in Question
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{{Infobox Person
| name = George Fredrick Müller
| image = George Muller.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption =
| birth_date = September 27, 1805
| birth_place = [[Kroppenstedt]], [[Kingdom of Prussia|Prussia]]
| death_date = March 10, 1898
| death_place = [[Bristol]], [[England]]
| education =
| occupation =
| title =
| spouse =
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| children =
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| website =
}}
'''George Fredrick Müller''' (German: '''Georg Friedrich Müller''') ([[September 27]], [[1805]] – [[March 10]], [[1898]]), a [[Christianity|Christian]] evangelist and coordinator of orphanages in [[Bristol]], [[England]], cared for 10,024 orphans in his life<ref>Pierson, Arthur (1899). George Müller of Bristol. London: James Nisbet & Co., Limited., Page 301.</ref>. He was well-known for providing an education to the children under his care, to the point where he was accused of raising the poor above their natural station in life.
==Youth==
Müller was born in [[Kroppenstedt]], a village near [[Halberstadt]] in the [[Kingdom of Prussia]]. His early life was not marked by righteousness—on the contrary, he was a thief, a liar and a gambler. While his mother was dying, he, at 15 years of age, was playing cards with friends and drinking.
Müller's father hoped to provide him with a religious education that would allow him to take a lucrative position as a clergyman in the state church. He studied [[divinity]] in the [[Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg|University of Halle]], and there met a fellow student who invited him to a Christian house meeting. There he was welcomed, and he began regularly reading the [[Bible]] and discussing Christianity with the others who attended the meetings. He soon left his drinking and lying, and began hoping to become a [[missionary]]. He began preaching regularly in nearby churches and continued meeting with the growing group of [[evangelicalism|evangelical]] believers in his university.
==Early work==
In [[1828]], Müller offered to work with [[Jew]]s in England through the [[London Missionary Society]], but upon arriving in [[1829]], he fell ill, and did not think that he would survive. When he recovered, however, he dedicated himself to doing the will of God. He soon left the London Missionary Society, convinced that God would provide for his needs as he did Christian work. He became the pastor of Ebenezer Chapel in [[Devon]] and soon after, married Mary Groves, the sister of [[Anthony Norris Groves]]. During his time as the pastor of the church, he refused a regular salary, believing that the practice could lead to church members giving out of duty, not desire. He also eliminated the renting of church pews, arguing that it gave unfair prestige to the rich.
Müller moved to Bristol in [[1832]] to begin working at Bethesda chapel. Along with [[Henry Craik]], he continued preaching there until his death, even while devoted to his other ministries. In [[1834]], he founded the Scripture Knowledge Institution for Home and Abroad, with the goal of aiding Christian schools and missionaries, and distributing the Bible. Not receiving government support and only accepting unsolicited gifts, this organization received and disbursed [[Pound sterling|£]]1.5 million ($2,718,844 [[United States dollar|USD]]) by the time of Müller's death, primarily using the money for supporting the orphanages and distributing nearly two million Bibles and religious texts. The money was also used to support other "[[faith mission]]aries" around the world, such as [[Hudson Taylor]].
==Orphanages==
[[Image:Orphan-Houses-Ashley-Down.jpg|thumb|left|400px|Orphanages at Ashley Down]]
[[Image:AshleyDownDining.jpg|thumb|right|Dining hall at Ashley Downs]]The work of Müller and his wife with orphans begin in [[1836]] with the preparation of their own home in Bristol for the accommodation of thirty girls. Soon after, three more houses were furnished, growing the total of children cared for to 130. In [[1845]], as growth continued, Müller decided that a separate building designed to house 300 children was necessary, and in [[1849]], at [[Ashley Down, Bristol]], that home opened. By [[1870]], more than 2,000 children were being accommodated in five homes.
Through all this, Müller never made requests for financial support, nor did he go into debt, even though the five homes cost over £100,000 to build. Many times, he received unsolicited food donations only hours before they were needed to feed the children, further strengthening his faith in God. Every morning after breakfast there was a time of Bible reading and prayer, and every child was given a Bible upon leaving the orphanage. The children were dressed well and educated - Müller even employed a school inspector to maintain high standards. In fact, many claimed that nearby factories and mines were unable to obtain enough workers because of his efforts in securing apprenticeships, professional training, and domestic service positions for the children old enough to leave the orphanage.
In 1871 an article in [[The Times]] stated that since 1836, 23,000 children had been educated in the schools and very many thousands had been educated in other schools at the expense of the orphanage. The article also states that since its origin, 64,000 Bibles, 85,000 Testaments and 29,000,000 religious books had been issued and distributed. Other expenses included the support of 150 missionaries. <ref> [[The Times]], Monday, December 11th, 1871</ref>
==Evangelism==
[[Image:George-Muller-Bristol.jpg|thumb|right|150px|George Müller]]
In [[1875]], at the age of 70 and after the death of his first wife in [[1870]] and his remarriage to Susannah Grace Sanger in [[1872]], Müller began a 17 year period of missionary travel. In that time, he preached in the [[United States]], [[India]], [[Australia]], [[Japan]], [[China]], and nearly forty other countries. He traveled over 200,000 [[mile]]s, an incredible achievement for pre-aviation times. His language abilities allowed him to preach in [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], and [[German language|German]], and his sermons were translated into over a dozen other languages. In 1892, he returned to England, where he died in March 10,1898.
==Theology==
[[Image:George-Muller's-tombstone.jpg|thumb|left|150px|George Müller's tombstone]]
The theology that guided George Müller's work is not widely known, but was shaped by an experience in his mid twenties when he "came to prize the Bible alone as [his] standard of judgement". He records in his autobiography how he came to examine the doctrines of election, particular redemption and final persevering grace and how, having been previously opposed to these doctrines, he came with "great astonishment" to find that the Bible was to "speak decidedly" for them. He was a founding member of the [[Open Brethren]] movement. <ref>[http://wayoflife.org/fbns/brethren.htm Brethren<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Though the pre-tribulational rapture doctrine gained momentum via the Plymouth Brethren movement, Müller's church was wary of such teachings. George Müller held to a [[Post Tribulation Rapture]] along with others such as [[Benjamin Wills Newton]] , [[Samuel Prideaux Tregelles]] and [[Robert Chapman (Plymouth Brethren)|Robert Chapman]].
It may be reasonable to say that Müller, in essence, preferred to demonstrate his faith through love and was less concerned in developing finer points of doctrine, leaving that to others such as [[John Nelson Darby]] who thought themselves wise enough to develop and propagate.
==The George Müller Foundation==
After his death his work was continued by the George Müller Foundation, which maintains the key principles of seeking finance through prayer rather than fund-raising. The Foundation works together with local churches in the Bristol area to enable them to reach out and care for their communities, especially children, young people and families with physical, emotional, social or spiritual needs; it also provides residential care for the elderly and encourages giving to support mission, social care, relief and development work across the world.[http://www.mullers.org/cm/]
==Video==
* [http://www.cta.uk.com/shop.asp?cid=48 ''Robber Of The Cruel Streets - The Prayerful Life of George Müller''], (2006), [http://www.cta.uk.com Christian Television Association] (of the UK)
* [[Gideon: Tuba Warrior]] (A [[VeggieTales]] video with a segment about Müller)
==References==
* {{cite book | first = George | last = Müller | authorlink = George Müller | year = | title = Autobiography of George Muller | publisher = | location = | id = ISBN 0883681595}}
==Notes==
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==See also==
* The [[Open Brethren]]
* [[Arthur Tappan Pierson]], Muller's biographer and friend
==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Gutenberg author}}
* [http://www.mullers.org/cm/ The George Müller Foundation]
* [http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpmueller.html Mueller Resources at WholesomeWords.org]
* [http://www.dustandashes.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=8&id=43&Itemid=53/ Read "A Narrative of the Lord's Dealings with George Müller"]
* [http://www.whatsaiththescripture.com/Voice/George.Mueller.of.Bristol/George.Mueller.of.Bristol.html Read "George Müller of Bristol" by A. T. Pierson]
* [http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Biographies/1531_George_Muellers_Strategy_for_Showing_God/ George Mueller's Strategy for Showing God] (lecture by John Piper on Feb. 3, 2004)
* [http://www.dustandashes.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=5&id=44&Itemid=56/ Read ''Jehovah Magnified: Addresses of George Muller'']
* [http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=2988320&uid=570503 Bristol Suburbs Photo Album] (Including pictures from the Orphanage at Ashley Downs)
* [http://www.gilsonsantos.com.br/pdfs/george_muller.pdf George Müller] By Gilson Santos
* [http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bmuller2.html Bio page on Christian Biography Resources] By J. Gilchrist Lawson
* [http://www.concernedbrothers.com/WorkRegions/George_Muller___Bethesda_Chapel_Bristol_The_Church_Under_Attack.pdf The Church under attack : George Muller & Bethesda Chapel, Bristol]
{{BD|1805|1898|Muller, George}}
[[Category:People from Bristol]]
[[Category:People from Halberstadt]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Saxony]]
[[Category:English Christian missionaries]]
[[Category:Plymouth Brethren people]]
[[Category:English Evangelicals]]
[[Category:University of Halle-Wittenberg alumni]]
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