John Stam was a missionary martyr to China. In 1934, he was captured by Communist forces, along with his wife and infant daughter. Though their daughter was miraculously spared, John and Betty were executed in front of the local townspeople.
Stam’s life goal was to make Jesus known to the ends of the earth, as he famously urged others, “Talk about Him to everybody, and live so closely with Him and in Him, that others may see that there really is such a person as Jesus.” His story calls us to the same urgency in proclaiming the good news to others.
Early Years
John Stam was born on January 18, 1907, in New Jersey. His father, Peter, had immigrated from Holland and operated a small inn. Peter Stam wanted to learn English, so when he was given a bilingual Dutch-English New Testament, he studied it carefully. As he read the Bible, his heart was softened, and he eventually came to faith in Christ. Peter later founded the Star of Hope Rescue Home in Paterson, New Jersey, a ministry devoted to evangelizing and serving those in need.
It's within this environment that John was raised, with his family regularly involved in the Star of Hope outreach. Even so, John Stam’s heart remained hard toward the Lord. He planned to become a businessman and even attended two years of business school. But at fifteen, his plans were interrupted. After attending an evangelistic meeting at the Star of Hope, Stam was convicted of his sins and surrendered his life to Christ.
After his conversion, Stam desired to go into ministry. Wanting to grow in the Scriptures, he enrolled at Moody Bible Institute. While there, he met Betty Scott, a missionary kid from China. Both were active in the campus missionary fellowship, and a quiet affection grew between them.
Betty graduated a year before John and left for China as a missionary. John graduated the following year as valedictorian, and in his valedictorian speech, he urged his classmates, “Who would not accept the challenge to Go forward, bearing precious seed?”
Missionary Life
In 1932, Stam sailed to China with the China Inland Mission (CIM). Because the CIM policy required missionaries to wait one year before getting married, John and Betty continued in their respective ministries until their wedding in 1933. Stam devoted himself to language study, becoming fluent and traveling widely to share the gospel.
After they were married, the Stams were assigned to the village of Jingde. John frequently traveled to remote areas in China to deliver gospel tracts and preach the gospel, while both John and Betty labored to evangelize and strengthen the local church. To their great delight, their daughter, Helen, was born in September 1934.
Though the region was unstable, the Stams were assured that their town was safe. But in December of 1934, word came that the Communist forces were advancing rapidly. Within a few hours, the city was surrounded, leaving no time to escape.
When the soldiers pounded on their door, John and Betty greeted them calmly, offering them tea and cake, even as the intruders plundered their belongings. After interrogation, they were taken prisoner, and the soldiers demanded a $20,000 ransom for their release. In response, John wrote a letter to the CIM, saying:
Dear Brethren, My wife, baby, and myself are today in the hands of the Communists, in the city of Tsingteh. Their demand is twenty thousand dollars for our release. All our possessions and stores are in their hands, but we praise God for peace in our hearts and a meal tonight. God grant you wisdom in what you do, and us fortitude, courage, and peace of heart. He is able and a wonderful Friend in such a time. Things happened so quickly this a.m. They were in the city just a few hours after the ever-present rumors really became alarming, so that we could not prepare to leave in time. We were just too late. The Lord bless and guide you, and as for us, may God be glorified whether by life or by death.
While held captive, their baby faced repeated danger. At one point, soldiers even threatened to kill her, but a Chinese man pleaded for her life. The soldiers executed the man instead.
After this, they were marched to another town and imprisoned in a local home. Because of the baby, Betty was allowed to roam freely within the house, but John was tied to a standing post where he could neither rest nor sleep. Before they were taken away to be executed, Betty hid Helen in a sleeping bag, along with two five-dollar bills pinned to her clothes.
On December 8, 1934, Communist soldiers paraded John and Betty through the streets, ordering the townspeople to watch their execution. John was forced to kneel and was beheaded with a sword. Betty was killed moments after. Their daughter, safely hidden, remained undiscovered for twenty-seven hours, when a Christian evangelist found her and delivered her safely to her grandparents.
Legacy
John Stam gave his life for the gospel. Together with his wife, he bore witness to the surpassing worth of Christ above all else. Their martyrdom stirred believers around the world, inspiring countless missionaries who followed in their footsteps.
He was ready to give everything for Christ, as Stam declared in his valedictorian speech, “Shall we beat a retreat and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus, or dare we advance at God's command in the face of the impossible? Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial was involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ.”
May the same be true of us all.