Christian Cyclopedia

Plan for miss. work developed by J. L. Nevius*; successfully used first in Korea; aims to est. self-propagating, self-supporting, self-governing indigenous chs. from the beginning. The methods have been summarized:

1. Let everyone stay in his calling and be an individual worker for Christ in his neighborhood, supporting himself by his trade.

2. Develop organization only as far as the native ch. can handle it.

3. Use the best qualified natives for evangelistic work.

4. Natives provide their own ch. bldg. in harmony with native architecture and economic standards.

Nevius emphasized extensive travel by missionaries, personal evangelism by all ch. mems., systematic Bible studies, strict discipline, cooperation and union with other chs., noninterference in lawsuits. WK

C. A. Clark, The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, Illustrated in Korea (Seoul, Korea, 1937); W. J. Kang, “The Nevius Methods: A Study and an Appraisal of Indigenous Mission Methods,” CTM, XXXIV (1963), 335–342.