WM minister, born in Runcorn on 3 October 1855, the son of a grocer. He attended a WM school, Bickerton House in Southport and taught there from 1874 to 1876. He trained for the ministry at Didsbury College. In 1886 he was appointed to the newly founded Manchester and Salford Mission, the earliest and one of the largest of the enterprises of the Forward Movement. The Mission had 93 members in 1887; by 1902 it had 3,521, with a number of ordained staff and 'Sisters of the People' similar to those in London. Collier lost no time in combining evangelism with social action, funding and organizing homes, hospitals and other institutions. He was on the board of S.E. Keeble's Methodist Weekly (1900-1903) and became a leading member of the Methodist Union for Social Service. As President of the Conference in 1913 he featured social concern in his presidential address, but also joined 'Gypsy' Smith in a campaign to revitalise WM evangelism. He was the longest serving in Missions of the 'great three', F.Luke Wiseman and Samuel Chadwick being lifelong friends. In 1912 he made a successful visitation ofAmerican Methodism. He died in harness on 2 June 1921, while still Superintendent of the Manchester Mission.

Entry written by: JMT
Category: Person
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