Ministry in a Multi-Cultural and Unchurched Society

304

Mi n i s t r y i n a Mu l t i -Cu l tura l and Unchur ched Soc i et y

Indigenous Churches, continued

unevangelized regions. Henry Venn believed that missionaries should always be temporary workers, not permanent fixtures.

JOHN L. NEVIUS (1829-93), a Presbyterian missionary to China, built on Venn and Anderson’s indigenous principles in his classic work, Planting and Development of Missionary Churches . Nevius developed a set of principles that came to be called “The NEVIUS PLAN”: (1) Christians should continue to live in their neighbor hoods and pursue their occupations, being self-supporting and witnessing to their co-workers and neighbors. (2) Missions should only develop programs and institutions that the national church desired and could support . (3) The national churches should call out and sup port their own pastors . (4) Churches should be built in the native style with money and materials given by the church members . (5) Intensive biblical and doctrinal instruction should be provided for church leaders every year. In his writings Nevius criticized the heavily subsidized work that most missions carried on in China. Nevius’ principles had little impact in China, but when the American Presby terians began their work in Korea the new missionaries invited Nevius to advise them. They adopted his plan and enjoyed great success. ROLAND ALLEN (1868-1947), an Anglican priest, served as a missionary in China with the SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF THE GOSPEL IN FOREIGN PARTS from 1892 until 1904. Like Nevius, he criticized the methods employed by most missions in China. He wrote several books, but expressed his philosophy of indigenous missions in Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? (1912) and The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church (1927). Allen emphasized the role of the Holy Spirit in missions and encouraged missionaries to work in itinerant church planting, trusting the Holy Spirit to develop the churches. Allen’s main. principles are these: (1) All permanent teaching must be intelligible and so easily understood that those who receive it can retain it, use it, and pass it on . (2) All organizations should be set up in a way that national Christians can maintain: them . (3) Church finances should be provided and controlled by the local church members . (4) Christians should be taught to provide pastoral care for each other . (5) Mission aries should give national believers the authority to exercise spiritual gifts freely and at once . Allen’s principles have influenced many