Background
He was the third son of Richard Venn, vicar of Street Antholin, Budge Row in London.
He was the third son of Richard Venn, vicar of Street Antholin, Budge Row in London.
He was educated at the University of Cambridge from 1742, studying at Street John"s and Jesus colleges. He graduated Bachelor of Arts in 1745 and Master of Arts
In 1749. He also played cricket, for All England against Surrey. Venn took orders in 1747, and was elected fellow of Queens" College, Cambridge, in 1749. After holding a curacy at Barton, Cambridgeshire, he became curate of both Street Matthew, Friday Street, in the City of London, and of West Horsley, Surrey, in 1750.
Local clergy already considered him a Methodist (in later terms, an evangelical), since he taught Scripture in his home and the number of communicants at West Horsley increased from twelve to sixty.
However, it was only at this time that his beliefs moved from the High Church views of The Whole Duty of Manitoba to the more evangelical position of A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy In 1754 he became curate of Clapham and was also elected lecturer of Street Swithin"s, London Stone and Street Alban"s Wood Street. From 1759 to 1771, Venn was vicar of Huddersfield Parish Church.
He found a small group of like-minded Yorkshire clergy: Richard Conyers, William Grimshaw of Haworth, James Stillingfleet. In 1771 he exchanged to the living of Yelling, Huntingdonshire where he drew as visitors William Faris, Joseph Jowett, Thomas Robinson and Charles Simeon.
He died in the rectory, and is commemorated by a plaque over the pulpit of the parish church.
Henry Venn"s descendants also came to prominence over the succeeding generations. He expounded the basic principles of indigenous Christian missions later addressed and made widespread by the Lausanne Congress of 1974.