John McKendree Springer

John McKendree Springer (7 September 1873 – 2 December 1963) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church and The Methodist Church, elected Missionary Bishop for Africa in 1936. He was also a pioneering missionary instrumental in developing Methodism on the continent of Africa. There, he introduced schools which came to be welcomed by many of the tribal chiefs and which the young Africans came to be very fond of. Springer is noted for exploring and journeying 1500 miles across central Africa on foot in 1907, along with his wife Helen.

Family background

Springer was born in Cataract, Wisconsin, the son of the Rev. Henry Martin Springer, and the grandson of the Rev. Elihu Springer, both Methodist Episcopal preachers. Elihu was a soldier in the American Indian Wars. Henry served four years with the Colorado cavalry during the American Civil War.

In 1905, John Springer had become mission superintendent of Old Umtali where he married Helen Emily Rasmussen, who also did missionary work in Southern Rhodesia.

After the death of Helen in 1946, Springer married a second Helen, Helen Newton Everett, who did missionary work in the Congo.

On December 1, 1963, Springer died in the Congo and was buried at the United Methodist mission station in Mulungwishi, Katanga Province, DRC. He returned to the U.S. in 1918 to work on the Centenary and Inter-Church World Movement projects. In 1920, he was appointed Superintendent of the Elisabethville-Luba District. In 1921, he was transferred to the Rhodesia Mission Conference to serve as Superintendent of the Mutumbara District. Another transfer occurred in 1924, when Springer joined the Congo Mission Conference a second time, again appointed superintendent. During this time he was stationed at Panda-Likasi. A third furlough took place from 1925 to 1928, and he again returned to the U.S.