Ruben Saillens (1855-1942) was a French musician, writer and Baptist pastor who became a prominent evangelical leader.
He was born June 24,1855, in Saint-Jean-du-Gard in southern France. His parents were Auguste and Emile Saillens. His mother died when he was 2, and his pious grandmother raised him during his early years. She taught him the Bible and religious hymns.
When Saillens’ father remarried and became an evangelist, the family moved to Marseille. His stepmother was in frail health and they were poor. Reuben was sent to the home of a local businessman to live, and his little sister was placed in another home. His experiences gave him empathy for the poor all his life.
Spiritual conversion
His family moved to Lyon, where he had a spiritual conversion in 1871. Even though he had attended Free Evangelical churches, he found that Baptist beliefs best represented his convictions.
Saillens studied at a Protestant school when he was young and then traveled to London to attend the East London Missionary Training Institute from 1873 to 1874 to become a missionary. He then moved back to France, where he met and married Jeanne Cretin, the daughter of a Baptist pastor, in 1877. Jeanne became a dedicated partner in his ministry.
After being ordained in 1879, Saillens served as a pastor in Baptist churches and became an important leader in the Evangelical Popular Mission. In 1888 he founded the Tabernacle Church in Paris. He then expanded Baptist work throughout France.
Growing influence
In 1905 he began preaching in interdenominational churches and at conventions in England, Switzerland and the Netherlands. In 1916, he preached at Charles Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle in London. He was introduced as “the Spurgeon of France.”
Saillens and his wife founded the interdenominational Biblical Institute of Nogent-sur-Marne, France, in 1921. They trained young men for pastoral ministry.
In addition to being a preacher, Saillens was known for his writing. He wrote 200 songs, which were included in two hymn collections — “On the Wings of Faith” and “Thine Be the Glory.” One of his famous hymns, “Streams of Love and Grace,” reflects his own belief of Christ’s sacrifice and personal redemption.
He also wrote influential books. These included a history of France called “The Soul of France” and “The Mystery of Faith,” which is on Christian doctrine.
Saillens lived a long and productive life. He died Jan. 6, 1942, at the age of 87.
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