[Updated 21/Sept/2026]
Frank T N Woodward was an extremely capable American Southern Baptist missionary whose career in South China spanned the decades of the late Republic, the Sino‑Japanese War, and the aftermath of World War II.
Born in 1898, Woodward grew up within the Southern Baptist tradition, wanting to serve in the mission field from an early age. He graduated from Wake Forest College in 1921 and did his missionary training in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, in 1924, gaining Master of Theology and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.
In August of the same year, he married Mabel Elise Williams, who had graduated from Judson College with a degree in 1919, and trained at the Women's Missionary Union Training School, Louisville, Kentucky.
At the end of the year they started work in South China with the Foreign Mission Board. There they gave service in several South China cities.
Initially, the Woodwards were stationed in Nanking (Nanjing), then the capital of the Republic of China and a major centre of Baptist educational and evangelistic activity. After spending two years in language study, their work came to include preaching, Bible teaching, women’s ministry, literacy programs, and pastoral support for local congregations.
They raised three daughters in China, including their eldest, Adell, born in Nanking in 1925. Adell later boarded at the Kikungshan School, Henan Province.
In 1926 they were in Kweilin in Guangxi Province.
In 1936 the Woodwards were developing evangelistic work in the Wuzhou, Canton field, teaching Bible classes and making evangelistic trips into the country. Frank Woodward was principal of the Alliance Bible School.
Frank became known among Chinese Christians as Wu Weide - a name combining a transliteration of “Woodward” with the meaning “to uphold virtue,” reflecting the respect he earned in the community.
The outbreak of the second Sino‑Japanese War in 1937 profoundly disrupted mission work in South China. Mabel moved to Hong Kong with the girls for safety. Woodward came to Hong Kong amidst gunfire to buy supplies, providing war relief for the people of Canton. He later got US Government recognition for 'service rendered under great danger'.
Like other missionaries to South China, the Woodwards liked to take their summer vacations on the island of Cheung Chau, Hong Kong. Conditions were ideal, and it saved the time and expense of returning to the States.
Said Woodward, ‘Every year, I love to vacation on Cheung Chau Island near Hong Kong. We can relax in this small town or take a short trip to Hong Kong—an exciting, big city with many museums and shops. There are ferries leaving Cheung Chau every morning and returning at 3:30 pm. The beach is very lively in the afternoon; our children love the sand and water, and they happily wade in the water when my wife or I play with them.’
In 1938, they took ownership of House #2 on Cheung Chau from previous owners, the Mitchells*. No doubt Mabel and the girls stayed here.
In 1940, Woodward was in Canton (Guangzhou) but as the Japanese threat intensified, Mabel and the children were evacuated from Hong Kong to the United States (left Jan 10th 1941**). Frank remained behind to continue supporting Chinese believers and mission responsibilities.
After the Japanese occupation in 1941, Woodward was arrested and interned, becoming one of many foreign civilians held in wartime camps. He was repatriated in 1942.
After the war, the Woodwards—like many displaced missionaries—were redeployed to South China, where conditions were again stable. They returned to Canton, particularly in the expatriate and mission district of Dongshan, which emerged as a centre of Baptist activity in the late 1940s. Woodward pastored the Dongshan Baptist Church, contributing to the reconstruction of Christian communities in the aftermath of war.
With the establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 and the closure of foreign mission work, Frank and Mabel moved to Hawaii to continue their ministry. There Frank helped organise 17 churches and served as President of the Baptist Bible School.
In 1964 the Woodwards retired back to the USA.
Tragically Mabel Woodward was killed in a car accident in 1965. Frank remarried and lived in Panama City; he was interim pastor of eight churches in two decades.
Frank Woodward died there in 1988***, after a life of astonishing achievement and service.
Now known as the Christian Dongshan Church, their church is still standing and active in Guangzhou today. It is the largest Christian church in Guangzhou and functions as a protected historical and cultural heritage site.
*Confusingly, the Bradbury history also says this re ownership in 1938 - 'In September 1938, House 2 passed to Dr. Frank Woodard Scott, a Baptist missionary stationed in Wuzhou, Xijiang. Missionaries like Dr. Scott returned to Deqing to continue their service after World War II. However, in 1949, due to a change in the situation, Dr. Scott officially retired and returned to Japan. He died in 1955.'
*** Commission Magazine obituary. Find a Grave says it was Bay County, Florida.
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