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From the “Three Selves” to
“Partnership”1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000
“Three Selves”
“Partner-ship”
Churches should be
Self-supporting
Self-propagating Self-governing
““Three Selves” of Venn Three Selves” of Venn and Anderson (1850)and Anderson (1850)
1850 1875
The mission is the scaffolding; the church is the building.
““Euthanasia of Euthanasia of Mission”Mission”
““The Nevius Plan” John The Nevius Plan” John Nevius (1890)Nevius (1890)
Emphasized:
Self-support from the very beginning Aggressive Sunday school program for training unpaid leaders
1850 1875 1900
““Nevius plan” was applied Nevius plan” was applied by first Presbyterian by first Presbyterian
missionaries to Korea in missionaries to Korea in 1890s.1890s.
Roland Allen Roland Allen (1912)(1912)
1850 1875 1900 1925
““By supplying what they By supplying what they cannot supply, we check cannot supply, we check
them in the proper impulse them in the proper impulse to supply what they can to supply what they can
supply.”supply.”
Allen’s Proposal:Allen’s Proposal:1. simple organization2. reproducible teaching methods3. local funding4. mutual responsibility in the churches from the start5. full authorization of local churches at their inception to use the gifts of the Spirit had distributed within body.
World War World War II II (1939-1945)(1939-1945)
1850 1875 1900 1925 1950
Church Growth Church Growth Movement (1960-Movement (1960-
1980)1980)1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975
Founded by Donald Founded by Donald McGavran who endorsed McGavran who endorsed
the “three selves”the “three selves”
““Moratorium” on Moratorium” on missionaries from missionaries from the West (1975)the West (1975)
1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
1. How can missionaries, local churches and sending churches work together organizationally?
2. How can they partner in evangelism?
3. How can they partner financially?
4. How can they partner in Bible training?
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
1.How can missionaries, local churches and sending churches work together organizationally?
Shepherding
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
2. How can they partner in evangelism?
Evangelism
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
3. How can they partner financially?
Stewardship
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
4. How can they partner in Bible training?
Bible training
Restructuring for Restructuring for “partnership” “partnership” (1980s-1990s)(1980s-1990s)
Shepherding
Evangelism
Stewardship
Bible training
Learning from our Mistakes in
East Africa
ShepherdingShepherding
Shepherding Shepherding 1. At the local level, some common hindrances to appointing elders:
a. Polygamy
b. Commitment to “plurality of elders” prevented them from considering cluster elders
c. Missionaries too involved in process, rather than setting up a mechanism that would function without them.
ShepherdingShepherding
d. Missionaries too content with defacto, assumed leaders.
ShepherdingShepherding2. At the association level
a. Missionary centered organizationb. “Clusters”
EvangelismEvangelism
Evangelism Evangelism 1. Near-church evangelism (by unpaid evangelists).
2. Far-flung evangelism (by missionaries).
3. Few urban churches.
Urban Evangelism in Urban Evangelism in AfricaAfrica
1. Shouldn’t we target major cities assuming that influence flows from the city to rural areas, not vice versa?
Urban Evangelism in Urban Evangelism in AfricaAfrica
b. Resolving the debate between urban or rural: we need both
a. Questioning the assumption
Strategizing for citiesUrban strategy must
take into account five problems that complicate urban ministry in the “South.”1) The fast pace of
urbanization
2) Over-urbanization
3) Urban “schizophrenia”
4) Transient populations
5) Urban poverty
StewardshipStewardship
StewardshipStewardship1. Missionaries adhered to strict self-support in beginning to avoid dependency problem where:a. The local agenda is set by
outsiders
b. Progress locally is dependent upon outside funds.
c. Foreign-salaried preachers are not free to innovate.
d. Self-image and community image is diminished.
e. Local value systems suffer long-term damage.
f. What may have been intended as short-term assistance becomes long-term addiction.
StewardshipStewardship
StewardshipStewardship1. Subsidized church buildings (under pressure from government)
3. Most did little or no teaching on giving
2. Some built “training centers” with American funds.
Bible TrainingBible Training
Bible TrainingBible TrainingThe debate: how large a base of churches is needed before systematic, formal Bible training begins?
a. Establish large base: do on-the-job training.
b. Establish small base: do formal leadership training (LTE) early on.
Time has exposed the Time has exposed the weaknesses on both weaknesses on both
sides:sides:a. Large base = poorly educated leaders
b. Small base = stunted growth?
Missionaries’ Missionaries’ recommendations:recommendations:
1. Involve nationals in decision-making from the start.
2. Introduce more formal modes of education sooner.
3. Don’t cling to rigid phase-out time tables.
4. Plant urban churches, too.
Missionaries’ Missionaries’ recommendatirecommendati
ons:ons:
Where Do We Go from Here?
a. Local level1) Teach on church
organization early 2) Advise on mechanism for appointing elders3) Get out of the way
1. Give attention to 1. Give attention to infrastructure infrastructure development from the development from the beginning.beginning.
b. Association level
1) Need to replace “local church autonomy” with healthier understanding of cooperation2) Need to encourage some means of cooperation
3) Need to encourage church-to-church relationships between national churches and missionaries’ sponsors
2. Clarify the role of 2. Clarify the role of missionaries.missionaries.
a. Missionary roles change as
churches mature: 1) Initial stage: pioneer
2) Established stage: parent3) Independent stage: partner4) Mature stage: participant
b. Be clear about missionaries’ authority.
c. Build relationships between sponsors and national churches in order to:
1) Reinforce the church-centered organizational model to replace the missionary-centered model2) Reduce the nationals’ feeling of isolation
3) Minimize the loss of trust between missionaries and nationals
3. Prepare for transition.3. Prepare for transition.a. Missionaries need to plan all along for their departure, even if they never intend to leave.b. Need forums for joint decision-making with nationals early onc. Need to develop “structures of continuity” in cooperation with national leaders. Elders meetings
(Americans and Africans) “Parachurch” projects
4. Think “ownership,” 4. Think “ownership,” not just indigeneity.not just indigeneity.
Missionaries often locked into “either/or” thinking on “indigeneity.”
Indigenous = nationalized?
Indigenous = traditional?Indigenous = ownership!
““Ownership”Ownership” Ownership and
partnership not mutually exclusive.
Ownership does not preclude financial partnership as long as sound principles are applied and dependency avoided.
““Ownership”:Ownership”:How to help without hurtingHow to help without hurting
1) Funds should only be given for projects that can be maintained locally.2) Aid given by foreign partners should be tied to what locals have already given.
““Ownership”:Ownership”:How to help without hurtingHow to help without hurting
3) Financial partners should be open about the nature of the local accountability structure, trust that structure, and give funds to specific projects without excessive earmarking.
““Ownership”:Ownership”:How to help without How to help without hurtinghurting
4) The financial partnership is best served if the missionary is not the middleman receiving and disbursing the funds.
5. Don’t abandon 5. Don’t abandon the “four selves” in the “four selves” in the name of the name of “partnership”.“partnership”.
