Life and Work of John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893) By Alex Pak
Root and Family
John Livingstone Nevius was an American Protestant missionary to China and in Korea. He worked and planted much which later generations reaped much benefits from his labors. He influenced how missionary works to be done in the 19th century by introducing the plan called, “Nevius Plan”, which brought much success to Korean missions. This article will introduce him and his work in China and Nevius plan.
John Livingston Nevius was born on March 4, 1829, between Benjamin and Mary Nevius in Ovid and Lodi, of Seneca County, New York, where his family was a member of the Presbyterian Church. John’s parents influenced him in early life. Benjamin Nevius, who was of Dutch descendant, held strong views on some of the issues of his day. Despite of his tendency as a social reformer, John’s father was a faithful teacher in the Sunday school and regularly attended church services. He died when John was only eighteen years old. John learned to look beyond his own surroundings and concerned other peoples’ lives as well. (Helen S. Coan Nevius, The Life of John Livingston Nevius (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895), p. 20.)
John’s mother, Mary, influenced him and his brother Reuben greatly. She always prayed and looked after for them. After her husband’s death, Mary remarried and went to New England to live, but John stayed behind and lived with his grandparents.(H. Nevius, pp.27-28) John’s relationship with his grandparent was more than a cordial it grew year by year. He remembered about his grandfather: “Here that attachment to my grandfather began to be strengthened year by year. He was so good, so amusing, so instructive, and so unostentatious. His heart was warm, generous, and confiding; his manner was frank and open, his disposition was peculiarly social, and his laugh proverbial for his heartiness and contagiousness.”(H. Nevius, p.29.)
Education and Marriage
Nevius was serious student and had very strong religious conviction. Helen noted that he had this tendency before he was six years old.(H. Nevius, p. 29) He attended Ovid Academy, where he spent seven years and then entered Union College, Schenectady, New York in September 1845 as a sophomore. In the winter of 1846-47, he left Union College to teach in Georgia for a brief time, and the following year he came back to the college to graduate.
At first, his thinking about becoming a missionary was far from his agenda. His future wife, Helen Sanford Coan, was first mentioned in a letter to his brother Rueben dated October 15, 1848. In the letter to Rueben, Nevius recalled how his mother wanted him to prepare for a ministry. And he confessed how he lived out a contrary life. While he was in Georgia, he was converted to Christ.
In 1850, Nevius entered Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. The choice of the seminary was a friend’s influence. Because his parents belonged to the New-School branch of Presbyterian Church, which operated Union Seminary in New York City, they preferred him to enroll there. In addition, Princeton seminary was the Old School institution.(H. Nevius, p. 67.) At first, Nevius found hard to change from teaching to studying, but he managed to excel in his theological studies. One thing that Nevius was influenced most from the seminary was his desire of becoming a missionary. Princeton Theological Seminary was widely known in those years as an institution that emphasized the missionary task of the church. (David Calhoun, “The Last Command: Princeton Theological Seminary and Missions (1812-182),” Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1983, pp. 33-36.) Walter Lowrie, who was a corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, influenced him to become a missionary, and in his determination, Nevius wanted to glorify God by bringing the Gospel to the all nations. He also met Helen Coan, who was his childhood sweetheart, during this time of deciding to become a missionary. He was determined to go to China with Miss Coan, who readily consented to his proposal. John and Helen married on June 15, 1853 in Seneca County, New York.
Missionary to China, 1853
On September 19, 1853, Rev. and Mrs. John L. Nevius left New York for China. They spent six months on a sea on a ship called “ Bombay”, which was an ill-equipped old India trader.
They arrived in Shanghai in March 14, 1854. After their arrival in China, they were assigned to work in Ningpo (a Treaty port called “City of Peaceful Wave). Shortly after their arrival in Ningpo, they began to learn and study Chinese. According to Helen, “we are getting on with the language as well as we could expect, and it becomes more interesting everyday.” (H. Nevius, p. 129.) They both enjoyed and found pleasure in learning Chinese. After eight month of stay, Nevius began to share a chapel in an informal way, and in about a year was carrying a normal load of both teaching and preaching in Chinese. Nevius adopted Station Plan, which was generally known as an old system. It usually consisted of a preaching chapel and church building, a school or schools, an outpatient dispensary and perhaps a small hospital, and residences for the missionaries and their Chinese colleagues or assistants. (Kenneth S. Latourette A History of Christian Mission in China (New York: Macmillan Company, 1929), pp. 416-418) All Station Plan missions used an employment system. The employment system involved a use of local Chinese to serve as colporteurs, evangelists, teachers, and Bible women. This method was relatively inexpensive and did not require much training.
Nevius called this method the “old method” of mission activity. He used the method during his initial years of 1854 to 1857, but he did not employ Chinese assistants himself. For one thing, the old method sought the foreign funds to help and stimulate the growth of the missionary efforts. This method was an ideal one for any nascent program, but it did not promote the principles of independence and self-support from the very beginning. (John Nevius, Planting and Development of Missionary Churches (3rd edition reprinted by Foreign Mission Library, N. Y., 1899), p. 8.)
San-Poh Outstation
Nevius’ first outstation was at San-Poh. It was also called as the “North of the Hills”, for others had overlooked it because the inhabitants were considered unusually rude, lawless and uninteresting. (Samuel Chao,”John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893): A Historical Study of His Life and Mission Methods” Ph.D. dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991, p. 71.) Nevius and his fellow missionary named Rev. F. F. Gough were sent out from Ningpo to San-Poh. Once they were in the town, they were well received and many followed them. The inhabitants of San-Poh were amazed at their preaching in their own tongue. And through interaction with one other, they became acquainted with each other. Nevius began to preach the kingdom of God and the Son of God freely. And as of the successful mission effort, Nevius and Gogh in 1857 established the San-Poh mission outstation. One of the essential successes was Nevius’ adaptation of a self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating style of mission activity.
Hangchow Mission
Hangchow Mission was Nevius another success mission activity. During the year’s 1842- 1860, due to the Treaty of Nanking (1842), only five ports: Canton, Foochow, Amoy, Ningpo, and Shanghai were allowed the Western missionaries to reside. It was not until the Treaty of Tientsin (1858) and the Treaty of Peking (1860) that the missionaries were allowed to live in the interior of China for the goal of propagation the Christian religion.(Chao, p. 85.)
With these treaty protections, Nevius were able to open a new network in the city of Hangchow. The city of Hangchow was known for its beauty and serenity. After accompanied by several missionary board members to survey the area, Nevius became convinced that this city could become a strategic point for missionary outreach.
He met many local people and governmental officials and became acquainted. His mission activities were going well. Helen noted that, “Everything had thus far been so favorable that we felt greatly encouraged and very thankful that our steps had been directed to such a hopeful and interesting field of usefulness.” (Chao, p. 88) Several weeks later, the tide was turning against the missionary efforts. British and French troops began to head for Peking to negotiate with the Ch’ing government. Because their passage had been refused and they were attacked by Chinese troops at Taku Fort, east of Tiensin, on the seashore. Both British and French losses were heavy, and four British ships were sunk. (Chao, p. 91.) Nevius soon found themselves very embarrassing situation. Although they were not from the invading countries, they were subject to suspicion and blame. Their departure became imminent when the local citizens to decide to attack them, the officials would be unable to protect them. However, many Nevius Chinese friends supported the Neviuses’ desire to stay.
On the last Sunday service in Hangchow, the gathering had over 50 male adults in attendance. Nevuses explained the truth of the Gospel and the reason for their coming to Hangchow. Nevius believed that those who came to his service had an evidence of true faith in Jesus during their brief stay there. After exchanging cards, they parted as friends. And their mission work in Hangchow came to an abrupt end.
While there was a political upheaval in China, Nevius made their first furlough in London, England. There he was able to reflect both the traditional mission method and Taiping upheaval in perspective. He criticized the both. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), which was the probably most destructive civil war in modern time and before it crushed. It had a pseudo-Christian origin. Although it had a pseudo-Christian origin manifested much and early vigor and idealism, lacked adequate leadership and disintegrated lastly thorough dissension, corruption and idolatry. Moreover, Nevius thought that the old system bred more mercenaries than self-support Chinese Christian. He wanted to adopt his own method of missionary activities once he returns to China. Before Mr. and Mrs. Nevius return to China, they found themselves appointed by the Board as missionary to Japan.
Neviuses in Japan, 1860
Nevius stayed in Japan for eight months during the Taipings and Mrs. Nevius’ poor health. Their assignment was to help a newly arrived missionary couple: Dr. and Mrs. James Hepburn in Kanagawa. There Neviuses began to study the Japanese language, which they were uncertain about its usage there. Despite the uncertainty, Nevius found Japanese language easy. Helen noted, “Our knowledge of Chinese was of some assistance, as, though the two languages are very different, Japanese scholars understand a certain amount of the Chinese character.” (H. Nevius, pp. 198-9.)Although Mr. Nevius gave a little time daily to study Japanese, he was primarily engaged in his Chinese work, which progressed rapidly. It was these eight months in Kanagawa, where Nevius completed the three-volumes Shen-tao tsung-lun [Compendium on Systematic Theology] published in Shanghai, 1864 with a total of over 170 leaves, or double sheets. (Chao, p. 94.) (Chao, p. 94.)While Neviuses were still in Japan, the British signed the Treaty of Peking with China on October 24, 1860. This treaty of Peking would have a great impact on their life and work in China. As Mrs. Nevius health improved, they were again ready to return to China.
When the Neviuses returned to China from Japan in 1861, they were expected to go to Hangchow. However, the continued upheaval made it impossible for them to return there. Nevius wrote to Walter Lowrie in New York:
It is the opinion of the mission here that three missionaries are all who are required at Ningpo, and that others should occupy the new fields which are now opened to us… Hangchow is continually threatened by another incursion of the insurgents, and every one would consider it unwise for a family to attempt to go there at present…most interesting regions are now opening up on the Yang-tse River and in the North. In fact, we ought to regard the whole country as open to us. It is opened as far as treatises can open it, and missionaries themselves must do the rest of the opening. (H. Nevius, p. 207.)
Shantung Presbyterian Mission (1861-1869)
After followed by small farewell meeting with the Chinese Christians,
Neviuses left for Shantung on May 18. After several days of difficult passage, they arrived at Chefoo or Yen-tai as the Chinese called it. Tungchow was originally given to the foreigners in 1860, but because it’s inadequate harbor, Chefoo was assigned to them instead. Neviuses stayed with the Rev. and Mrs. J. B. Hartwell of the Southern Baptist Mission and Samuel R. Gayley and J. A.
Danforth of the American Presbyterian Mission. (H. Nevius, p. 208). As of matter of fact, they all received Neviuses with joy.
Missionary effort in Shantung had a humble beginning in 1861 with Nevius, Danforth, and Gayley with their wives. Cholera, brigandage were the incursions of the Taiping rebels made mission work difficult. But with a constant effort and preparation, the Shantung mission became the largest mission compound in the world.(Chao, p. 104)
Nevius had a mind of the establishment of a Presbyterian Synod of China and a Presbyterian Theological School. Therefore, in his annual report for 1862, he submitted a detailed proposal to the Board for its adoption. He wrote:
Intimately connected with the subject above presented is the establishment of a Synod; for the theological school would naturally come under the care of a Synod, and could not well be carried on without it. We very much need a common bond of union to make us feel that, though separated from one another, we are engaged in one and the same work…A synod, or something of the kind, is fast becoming a necessity. Practical questions of common interest are coming up which cannot be settled in a manner satisfactory to all except in a body in which all are represented. One mission can not decide for all what equally concerns all; and the Board, with necessarily imperfect and perhaps partial information, cannot be expected, thousands of miles away from the field, to be able to decide upon many questions as are men who have devoted their lives to the cause of missions on the fields, and have become thoroughly acquainted, by practical experience and observation, with the work before them…. In China a General Synod is, at this time, really of almost more practical importance than the Presbytery. The members of a Presbytery are, at present, simply the missionaries who are laboring together in the same station… Many matters, however, would fall naturally under the supervision of a Synod, such as the following: to suggest the translation and composition of important Christian books; to decide upon the versions of the Bible and of the standards of our church for the use of all the missions; to fix the standard of qualifications for native ministers; to appoint instructors for the theological school, in case there be one, and to take the general superintendence of it; in a word, to take charge of all matters in which the different missions have common interest… The meeting of members of such a Synod once a year would be a matte of some expense, but I believe that the expense would be insignificant compared to the advantage which would be realized… The meeting of Synod would a delightful episode in our monotonous missionary lives.(H. Nevius, pp. 240-242.)
The Nevius’ wish came true on 1867. And its first China Synod tool place in Shanghai on October 20, 1870. The synod consisted of about fifty members, divided into eight Presbyteries: Peking, Shantung, Shanghai, Ningpo, Foochow, Canton, Japan, and Siam. (Chao, p. 105.)
The First Furlough, 1864-1869
Because of Mrs. Nevius’ poor health, her physician recommended the couple to take a furlough. During 1864-1869, the couple visited several countries including England and France and arrived in the United States in the spring of 1865.
Once they arrived in the State, Mrs. Nevius went to her country home in Seneca Country, New York. Nevius served at the Presbterian Board of Foreign Missions (PBFM). From spring of 1865 to the autumn of 1868, he served in deputation work. It involved ministry among the churches—mostly speaking and developing among them a greater awareness of and support for the China mission. (Chao, p. 118.) Nevius attended and gave many speeches on missionary efforts on many different locations. Writing from Baltimore, on December 3, 1867 he said:
Last night I spoke in another of the city churches about an hour to a very attentive congregation; and after the benediction nearly half the people remained and questioned me an hour longer. There were then dismissed again, as not one of them showed a disposition to leave. (H. Nevius, p. 269.)
Between missionary conventions and meetings in the U. S., Nevius was able to manage to produce a book in English on Chinese mission, “China and the Chinese”. It ran two editions, and it gave a mission-filled account of China and its potentials. In it, he defined and detailed some of his mission methodology and his conviction of mission effort. One of the most important duties of the missionary is to teach and train lay leaders to rely upon themselves rather on the foreign missionary. His objective should be to transfer the work and its responsibilities to them just as fast as they can carry them. (J. Nevius, p. 352.) Nevius wanted a church where there are no church and no Christians in China. And in order to achieve the goal he recommended both direct and indirect mission methods.
Itinerant Evangelism, 1870-1881
After nearly five years of absence, the Neviuses were ready to return to China. Between 1870-1881, Nevius maintained active schedules of itinerating in Shantung Province. He wanted to employ the missionary mandate, which three are; 1) making or gathering disciples; 2) baptizing and organizing them into churches; and 3) teaching them and building them up in the faith. To achieve them, he followed the Apostles methods of evangelism by causal conversation, by visiting from house to house, and by mingling socially with the people in feasts and public gatherings.(Chao, p. 153.)
He traveled on horseback riding and has traveled as much as 300 miles south and 200 miles of west of Chefoo. Nevius began his itinerant preaching ministry in Ping-tu; a small town situated about 100 miles southwest of Tungchow. There were few converts and more opposition. He noted that there were faithful followers, but there were some constant opposition and even persecution from their neighbors. Some officials kept all the local Christians under strict surveillance.
Many of the Ping-tu inquirers were intimidated by the officials and dare not to make an open profession of their faith. Yet, the spread of the gospel made an impact on the hearts of many people.
Nevius then moved to Tungchow in late 1870. The place was the original station, which they had opened in 1861. There, Nevius engaged in teaching the theological class. However, his primary fieldwork was to establish outstations through frequent visitation: nourishing the believers, teaching them, and ordaining pastors and evangelists. Nevius firmly believed that theological training must be balanced by practical evangelistic effort. So he spent on the average six months out of the year on the field. (Chao, p. 155.)
Famine Relief Work in Shantung
In 1877, a severe famine struck in Shantung. Nevius knew that his duty was now to save the lives and relieving physical pain. The prolonged drought caused massive crop failures throughout much of Shantung. Nevius described the famine conditions as follows:
I have traversed the famine region in different directions, and find that while the distress is very great everywhere, it reached its highest intensive here. Nearly half the population have been driven away to beg, and are scattered in the adjoining provinces. On an average about 15 percent have died of starvation within the last six months. In many sections, the proportion is much larger. Good land is offered for one tenth of its value. In fact, land cannot be sold at any price. The people have eaten all the grain and almost all the millet-chaff, sweet-potato stalks, and beans, and are now living on the buds and barks of trees, roots of wild plants, and grass seed carefully swept from the ground. Nine out ten of the persons you see have pinched faces and sunken eyes, and some are tottering skeletons. Being hungry is their chronic condition. They do not ask to be filled, but only for food enough to support life. Many, as a last resort, seek their wives and daughters. Girls of from six to seven years of age sell for from one to two dollars; those from ten to twelve for three, four, or five dollars. (H. Nevius, p. 319.)
Along with Timothy Richard, his close friend and colleagues, was already distributing the food to the starving, and had established several small orphanages in Chingchow-fu to help destitute children. Nevius and Richard worked out a plan for extending their relief work in the region. Nevius assessed what was the primary needs were and he made sure he had the resources. He also drafted a plan to help famine stricken children. His plan was to enroll the names of the most destitute children and give them a daily allowance. Even though this seemed little, it added to what considered keeping them alive in the time of trouble.
After the famine, interest in the Christian religion extended quickly. As a direct result of his effort in the famine relief, Nevius reported that more than 12 outstations were founded in the central Shantung area, more than 1000 inquirers distributed unevenly throughout the region. (Chao, p. 178.) His mission field was growing and he seemed to adhere to his mission method. Blessing upon blessing, while Nevius was busy with the famine work, the first General Conference of Protestant Missionaries was held in Shanghai on May 10-24, 1877. Its overall theme was based on “self-support” and the role of the “native agents” in mission work. The summary of the issue on “The Native Pastorate”, the chief work of the missionary is to plant and establish self-governing and self-sustaining churches. (Chao, p. 180.) While his method was being decided in the conference, Nevius was reaping his harvest in the mission field.
Visit in the United States and Final Return to China, 1881-1882
From 1880 to 1882, Nevius took another furlough. Mrs. Nevius left for the State a year earlier, because her health was poor. When he was in the State, he thought of a comprehensive plan of mission work, especially in Shantung province.
Once he returned to China in early December 1882, Nevius resumed his itineration and maintained mission work. While he was in America, the mission’s outstation prospered greatly. But there were many problems to be solved as well. There were some cases that involved discipline, religious persecution, and many lawsuits. As a matter of his personal conviction, Nevius refused to get involved with the lawsuits. (Chao, p. 202)
Despite the busy schedule, Nevius continued to teach at the theological school for evangelists. The courses were taught in Shantungness, which was the local dialect of Shantung. Most students were supervised by the care of Shantung Presbytery. During the intervals between the two terms of study, the students were also required to be active in evangelistic work. This practice ensured the importance of mission-oriented to the seminarians. Along with the teaching at the theological school, Nevius continued to visit the believers and baptized the new believers. During the winter of 1884, he wrote the manual called Manual for Inquirers (in Chinese). It was a practical handbook for Christians. The manual contained the examples of prayers, selections from the Bible to be memorized and the Bible stories to be learned and the rules for conduct in one’s home and church. There were also rules for worship services and in social and informal prayer meetings. (Chao, p. 208.) This handbook for the Christians became a “handbook: for new inquirers in the Shantung mission stations. The handbook was the direct result from many years of observation, experiences, and planning that Nevius labored in China.
J. H. Laughlin was Nevius Timothy. Nevius met him in 1881, and ever since they were close companions in the missionary efforts. Laughlin remembers Nevius as his mentor. His acquaintance with Dr. Nevius began in his native town in Pennsylvania, 1881. Nevius had come by request to take part in the ordination of two young men, R. M. Mateer and Laughlin. Nevius’ charge to them as missionaries was get into full sympathy with the Chinese; love them. For his own life, that was the charge in execution. Laughlin became Nevius’ assistant in 1884, and since then, they became intimate friends and travelling evangelists until Nevius death.
Decision of Shantung Presbytery
An event caused Nevius to resign from his Country Station. It involved with the Shantung Presbytery’s decision, which met in Weihsien in the fall of 1886. It dealt with the policies underlying the Nevius country stations. Its decisions were follows:
Missionaries, unless associated with an older member of the Mission, shall not undertake the duties and responsibilities of establishing New Stations, until they have five years’ experience on the Mission field. This rule shall not be so construed as to prevent residence in new places with a view to establishing New Stations, but not involving the reaction of buildings or permanent arrangement for Mission work.
It shall not be our policy to establish strong, well-manned Stations in important central positions, rather than a large number of scattered weak ones.(Chao, p. 220.)
The decision of the Shantung Presbytery was returning to the “old method”. It involved employing more Chinese assistants and relying on centralized and established station with resident missionaries and Chinese evangelists. Nevius believed that relying on the paid evangelists for teaching and preaching would in the long run hinder the self-supporting and self-propagating church. Despite the recognition of Nevius’ endeavor, many missionaries were jealous of missionaries who were on the mission field.
According to Helen Nevius account, the presbytery decision had a negative influence on the Shantung mission. She said, “The meetings of the mission and of Presbytery which took place in Wei-hien in the autumn of 1886 were perhaps the most discouraging of any in all the history of the Shantung mission. The progress of Christianity throughout the interior of the province seemed to have come to a standstill. Various causes-some of which have already been referred to –had combined to bring about this state of things.” (H. Nevius, p. 426.) Because of the decision, Nevius was idle in the fall of 1886. He did not engage in country itineration. In the summer of 1887, he was once again busy with his theological instruction at the school. He wrote his feeling to one of his friends on the 27th of June, he said: “At present everything is quiet here. There is comparatively very little progress in the outstations, and there is also very little persecution. We hope that the process through which our work is passing is not an unhealthy one. Persons who entered the church from interested motives are falling off, and the church is stronger without them. Other church members and stations are growing in Christian knowledge and stability, and preparing, we trust, for a new advance, and a more healthful one, in the future…”(H. Nevius, p. 428.)
The Presbytery of Shantung and the mission met in November 1887 at Chinan-fu. With the cordial consent of his fellow missionary colleagues, Nevius resigned from all of his country stations. For the last seventeen years, he was overworked and strained too long. Himself mostly did his work alone. (Chao, p. 227.) From then onward, Nevius was not heavily involved in the arduous mission labor.
In early November 1888, Nevius and Laughlin toured his last country tour. They visited the stations in Weihein region and saw another famine that was spreading the Shantung province. Despite the famine, the church in Shantung grew. About a thousand applied for church membership. (Chao, p. 230.) Many generous gifts were flowed in from both China and in the U. S. Nevius’ health was no longer able to match the duties and responsibilities of the call. He would no longer be able to go forth to the famine stricken areas to help distribute the foods and other aids. Instead, his partner Laughlin was already there to help distribute food and other supplies. Nevius continue to appeal to the newspapers and personal solicitation in the foreign communities.
By the time the famine was over in 1889, Mrs. Nevius’ health was deteriorating. The coming of new recruits from the U. S brightened Nevius’ life. He felt that their arrival would greatly strengthen and unify the mission work.
Visit to Korea, 1890
The Second General Missionary Conference of China convened in Shanghai on May 1-20, 1890. Nevius was elected as the American Vice-Chairman. He gave an important speech on historical review of missionary methods. There was an urgent invitation from Korea from the Korean Presbyterian Mission. On June 7, 1890, Neviuses were in Seoul. They met with Horace N. Allen, who was the first Protestant and Presbyterian missionary to Korea. For two weeks, Nevius taught his mission methods. (Chao, p. 246.) And his teaching had an important impact on Korea mission. Later, the missionaries in Korea adopted what was known as “Nevius Plan.”
The Last Furlough, 1890-1892
From Korea, the Neviuses returned to America by way of Japan. Once in America, he spoke as one of the main speakers at the First International Convention of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions (SVM), which was held in Des Moines, Iowa, where he plead for 1,000 young men and women missionary candidates for China. After more than two years of rest, writing, and deputation work in America, once again Neviuses sailed for Chain on September 18, 1892 for the last time.
The Final Year, 1893
They arrived in Chefoo in 1892. He detailed his work there to his friend on November of that year. He wrote: "We had hardly been settled when the meeting of Presbytery began. It presented serious difficulties in adjusting the relations between the native churches and the native pastors, and gave further evidence of the folly and impracticality of trying to introduce fully developed modern Presbyterianism in Shantung quite yet. The scheme for the support of the native pastors which has been on trial for two years was discontinued unanimously… The outlook is on the whole very encouraging. There were over 500 accessions to the churches within the bounds of this presbytery during this year." (H. Nevius, p. 460.)
Nevius was elected to the committee for the translation and the revision of the Mandarin Version of the Chinese Bible at the Missionary Conference in 1890. This was his new venture. In this committee, Nevius was assigned to translate from the Greek, chapter 8:23 of Luke and from the third chapter of James to the second chapter of Revelation. By September 1893, he had finished his allotment and was involved with the revision of another person’s work. (Chao, p. 252.) Nevius continued to keep himself busy. He would meet many Chinese guests and even made an upcoming inland tour. Although he was tired from his daily activities, he would keep up his duties. After the day’s work, Nevius was sitting at his desk, which contained the Bible, commentaries, and lexicons that used in translating work. When Nevius greeted Dr. A. W. Douthwaite, who was Neviuses physician. He noticed something unusual about Nevius. He asked Nevius to lie down to get some rest. “No,” he replied. Soon afterward, Nevius’ head fell slightly forward and he collapsed. “In that instinct his happy spirit soared away to the presence of his Savior.” (H. Nevius, p. 467.) John L. Nevius was 64 years old.
Nevius Method on Personnel
Throughout his Chinese mission activities, Nevius gained both knowledge and experience that formulated into his handbook called Method of Mission Church. All new Presbyterian missionaries going to China and Korea were required to learn them. All of his methods were based on engaging in itinerary work in central and east Shantung province. (Chao, p. 260.)
While comparing the old system with the “new method”, the latter method was developed from field experience. Nevius named his methods “tentative and experimental” in nature. It was derived from impending facts, experience, and result that were observed from the fieldwork. (Chao, p. 260.) He wanted to employ his method into a mission field as soon as possible. He did not discard the old system, which also sought to establish independent, self-reliant and aggressive Chinese churches.
The question was then “how” and “when”? He objected to paid agent and employment system. For it brought many undesirable outcomes. The old system paid a worker to do the things, which many of them were not trained to do. Many of the paid agents were farmers, shopkeepers, or coolie classes. They were not equipped to becoming a religious leader nor they were socially fitted to do so. And employment system competed with the paid leader and non-paid volunteer, who were jealous and discontented.
For Nevius, these things brought confusion and apathy. This practice, Nevius wanted to do away with it as soon as possible. Nevius did not want the missionary to depend on the paid assistants. Yet he did not opposed to a missionary having a non- Christian personal servant, who deemed to be useful on a tour. (Chao, p. 268.) He wanted to see more of Chinese becoming a Christian then see more of paid assistants.
Method on Organization: Self-Governing
On his principle for maintaining and developing an out-station, he wanted the care of the outstation to the indigenous members in the community, rather than paid preachers. This self-governing would ensure ties and links in that community. Generally, missionary and the native helper, who is a well-instructed Christian teaching through many years of experience and emerging lay leaders, can build strong local independence church. In theory, the missionary should do nothing, which the local church leaders can do by themselves. This would save time of the missionary and encourage the members to be able to utilize and develop their gifts.
Lay leaders may be selected and appointed by station personnel from among the members in the congregation. These leaders would be the ones that showed an example in spiritual maturity. Then they would lead and teach their fellow members in the church. Allowance may be given to the few select leaders by the local churches. Also temporary helpers may be employed for short periods. They are also to be paid by the local churches. In the area of duties and responsibilities, there must be a job description for each worker, so that there would not be an overlapping or misunderstanding.
The volunteer local leader would take charge of leading and conducting the Sunday morning and evening service. And they would be responsible for any weekday activities as well. The missionary and the paid circuit leaders would visit the local congregation and counsel the local leaders. Nevius recommended that the missionaries should visit each local church at least twice year or more if the schedule allows. (Chao, p. 277.)
Method on Indigenous Church: Self-Supporting
Nevius saw the need of self-supporting church as a working principle in the local church. He believed that the local congregation should provide the chapel and the meeting place. So often times, the chapels were actually usually part of an ordinary building or house of a local leader. And in few instances, new buildings were erected for the worship purpose. As a guiding rule, Neviuses personally donated about one tenth of the value of the building to the local church. (Chao, p. 278.)
Local churches should pay local Chinese pastors and evangelists. However, Nevius insisted that unpaid leaders should do the work until the congregation should be able to pay their leaders. Whenever possible, the local congregation should provide its own parochial day school for their young. The scholarship should be given sparingly and to those who are needy. He believed that there would be a great reap from a systematic Bible instruction in the Sunday schools. He even went further to utilize wintertime, which farmers had much time, to devote more of the Bible instructions. He also emphasized the duty of giving. He encouraged giving. To those who are well to do, he encouraged to assist those who are poor.
Method on Evangelism: Self-Propagating
Nevius considered the primary and ultimate work of the missionary should be that of preaching the gospel. So the heart of the method in the mission was the prominence place of the Bible and its teaching to the Chinese people. The patterns for equipping the Chinese leaders were based on making the disciples and studying and memorizing the Bible verses. It was kind of normal school, which he patterned after.
Often times, Nevius and his colleagues would provide the necessary funds to offer the biblical instructions to the Chinese students.(Chao, p. 285.) Once the students completed their required instructions, they were appointed to their respective stations as evangelist or pastors. And after two to three years of full-time pastoring in the field, they were to be ordained by the missionaries. The numbers of the ordained pastors were small due to the rules and regulations of the mission church policy.
On instructional class for church membership, he employed a decentralized ministry. Due to the rapid growth of the congregation, there were simply not enough pastors and evangelists to go around to shepherd the members. Nevius emphasized the teaching rather then preaching to meet this demand. (Chao, p. 281.) Teaching was much easier than preaching, which required more biblical knowledge and preparation.
Nevius prepared a few several essential Christian doctrines and teaching to meet the need of the new convert. The new converts were required to memorize the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and a few other important passages in the Scripture. (Chao, p. 281.) They also required to learn a simple catechism and other doctrinal materials. After the completion of this new convert class and faithful attendance of the church services and duties, they would join the regular church members.
Nevius and Corbett developed a Manual for Instruction, which was published by North China Tract Society on the fundamental Christina doctrines and practical maters of the church. Every inquirers and baptismal candidates were handed each copy of the manual. This manual became the teaching tool for the leaders to train and equip the believers of every level. Nevius also believed a church discipline and discipleship in the church. Anyone who caused problems would require a discipline. The disciplines were based on the Scripture by exhortation and admonition. If necessary, a formal trial and by suspension from the Lord’s Supper. And the disciplined person failed to heed the warnings, and then they were to be excommunicated. Nevius saw the church discipline as a preventive measure of destruction of church. (Chao, p. 289.) Nevius thought that through these instructions and programs, the church would self-propagating. Nevius earnest desire was that the Chinese believers would be familiarize with the Scripture and be able to carry on making the disciples of Christ.
Critical Assessment of the Method
Nevius method was well adopted and utilized by the Shantung Mission long after his death in 1893. In addition, he was not the first missionary to use the term “Three Self Principles”. He only pointed to the way to its adherence. (Chao, p. 304.) Nevius wanted Chinese church to be self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating, but also to be indigenization. He wanted to make sure that the gospel was relevant to the Chinese people and its hearers. His insistence of using Chinese proved this.(Chao, p. 305.) He believed that the Chinese church could be truly indigenous, if they faithfully employ the “Three-Self Principles.”
Calvin Mateer, who insisted the “Old Method”, was less convincing to the method. Mateer was one of Nevius’ Shantung colleagues. He saw Nevius method brought neither success nor many good results in Shantung mission. But this criticism of Mateer was published after his death. Many of the missionaries and leaders would acknowledge the indebtedness of his method. Many of Mateer’s assessment of Nevius work was based on misunderstand. C. A. Clark noted that, “There are other statements in Dr. Mateer’s Review which show conclusively that he misunderstood the whole plan, and that that was the reason for so much of his opposition.”(Charles A. The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, IIlustrated in Korea, p. 55)
One of the misunderstandings of Mateer on the Nevius method was his accusation of Nevius of not having any paid workers at all, not even for new work. And he said otherwise. The fact was that Nevius did paid out only one person was under the employment of the mission with a salary of about $3 dollars per month, and in the whole east of Shantung province, there was no resident Chinese preachers paid by the mission and the outstations. (Chao, p. 297.) Nevius thought that it was wise to have at least one paid assistant or secretary for the administrative work. Nevius did not curtail a complete elimination of paid assistant; rather he wanted to ensure effective of the whole mission. Nevius was quoting the Minutes of the Shantung Mission in 1888, “No one shall be employed by the mission as a colporteur or helper who has not shown zeal for Christian voluntary labor for the spiritual good of his own family and neighborhood.”(Chao, p. 299.)
According to Mateer, a self-supporting church is a company of believers organized as a church, with some kind of administrative officials, and supporting by its own contribution, a pastor who administers ordinance and steadily preaches the gospel to the people.” (Chao, p. 300.) Mateer thought that Nevius did not have a single self-supporting church among his 60 outstations, nor anything close to it. But Nevius saw it differently. For Nevius, a self-supporting church is a group of believers who are shepherded by a voluntary, unordained leader, until they are able to call their own minister. (Chao, p. 301.) The house church provided the regular worship and a systematic Bible study along with prayers and hymns under the care of the local group leaders. There were as many as 19 self-supporting churches by the 1890. (Chao, p. 300.) These were the indigenous churches of Chinese believers. Mateer’s understanding of self-support church was based on Western standards, which required a minimum church membership of 250. (Chao, p. 302.)
In looking at the Nevius method in China mission, his plan was based on a Bible class system and a self-support system. He wanted his mission to be different from of the Old Method and wanted to make the gospel more relevant to the Chinese people. And through his three-self mission principles proved much more than a holistic approached to the mission work in China. C. A. Clark rightly named Nevius as a prophet of new mission methods. (Wi Jo Kang, “The Nevius Methods: A Study and an Appraisal of Indigenous Mission Methods,” 34(1963):333.
References:
Calhoun, David. "The Last Command: Princeton Theological Seminary and Missions (1812-1862), Ph.D. Dissertations, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1983.
Clark, A. Charles. The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, Illustrated in Korea. Seoul, Korea: Christian Literature Society, 1937.
Chao, Samuel. "John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893): A Historical Study of His Life and Mission Methods” Ph.D. dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991.
Kang, Wi Jo. “The Nevius Methods: A Study and an Appraisal of Indigenous Mission Methods’. Concordia Theological Monthly (34) (1963):335.
Latourette, Kenneth S. A History of Christian Mission in China. New York: Macmillan Company, 1929.
Neil, Stephen. A History of Christian Missions. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1964.
__________. Creative Tension. New York: Friednship Press, 1959.
Nevius, Helen S. Coan. The Life of John Livingston Nevius: For Forty Years a Missionary in China. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895.
Nevius, John. Planting and Development of Missionary Churches. 3rd edition reprinted by Foreign Mission Library, N. Y., 1899.
John Livingstone Nevius was an American Protestant missionary to China and in Korea. He worked and planted much which later generations reaped much benefits from his labors. He influenced how missionary works to be done in the 19th century by introducing the plan called, “Nevius Plan”, which brought much success to Korean missions. This article will introduce him and his work in China and Nevius plan.
John Livingston Nevius was born on March 4, 1829, between Benjamin and Mary Nevius in Ovid and Lodi, of Seneca County, New York, where his family was a member of the Presbyterian Church. John’s parents influenced him in early life. Benjamin Nevius, who was of Dutch descendant, held strong views on some of the issues of his day. Despite of his tendency as a social reformer, John’s father was a faithful teacher in the Sunday school and regularly attended church services. He died when John was only eighteen years old. John learned to look beyond his own surroundings and concerned other peoples’ lives as well. (Helen S. Coan Nevius, The Life of John Livingston Nevius (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895), p. 20.)
John’s mother, Mary, influenced him and his brother Reuben greatly. She always prayed and looked after for them. After her husband’s death, Mary remarried and went to New England to live, but John stayed behind and lived with his grandparents.(H. Nevius, pp.27-28) John’s relationship with his grandparent was more than a cordial it grew year by year. He remembered about his grandfather: “Here that attachment to my grandfather began to be strengthened year by year. He was so good, so amusing, so instructive, and so unostentatious. His heart was warm, generous, and confiding; his manner was frank and open, his disposition was peculiarly social, and his laugh proverbial for his heartiness and contagiousness.”(H. Nevius, p.29.)
Education and Marriage
Nevius was serious student and had very strong religious conviction. Helen noted that he had this tendency before he was six years old.(H. Nevius, p. 29) He attended Ovid Academy, where he spent seven years and then entered Union College, Schenectady, New York in September 1845 as a sophomore. In the winter of 1846-47, he left Union College to teach in Georgia for a brief time, and the following year he came back to the college to graduate.
At first, his thinking about becoming a missionary was far from his agenda. His future wife, Helen Sanford Coan, was first mentioned in a letter to his brother Rueben dated October 15, 1848. In the letter to Rueben, Nevius recalled how his mother wanted him to prepare for a ministry. And he confessed how he lived out a contrary life. While he was in Georgia, he was converted to Christ.
In 1850, Nevius entered Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. The choice of the seminary was a friend’s influence. Because his parents belonged to the New-School branch of Presbyterian Church, which operated Union Seminary in New York City, they preferred him to enroll there. In addition, Princeton seminary was the Old School institution.(H. Nevius, p. 67.) At first, Nevius found hard to change from teaching to studying, but he managed to excel in his theological studies. One thing that Nevius was influenced most from the seminary was his desire of becoming a missionary. Princeton Theological Seminary was widely known in those years as an institution that emphasized the missionary task of the church. (David Calhoun, “The Last Command: Princeton Theological Seminary and Missions (1812-182),” Ph.D. dissertation, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1983, pp. 33-36.) Walter Lowrie, who was a corresponding Secretary of the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions, influenced him to become a missionary, and in his determination, Nevius wanted to glorify God by bringing the Gospel to the all nations. He also met Helen Coan, who was his childhood sweetheart, during this time of deciding to become a missionary. He was determined to go to China with Miss Coan, who readily consented to his proposal. John and Helen married on June 15, 1853 in Seneca County, New York.
Missionary to China, 1853
On September 19, 1853, Rev. and Mrs. John L. Nevius left New York for China. They spent six months on a sea on a ship called “ Bombay”, which was an ill-equipped old India trader.
They arrived in Shanghai in March 14, 1854. After their arrival in China, they were assigned to work in Ningpo (a Treaty port called “City of Peaceful Wave). Shortly after their arrival in Ningpo, they began to learn and study Chinese. According to Helen, “we are getting on with the language as well as we could expect, and it becomes more interesting everyday.” (H. Nevius, p. 129.) They both enjoyed and found pleasure in learning Chinese. After eight month of stay, Nevius began to share a chapel in an informal way, and in about a year was carrying a normal load of both teaching and preaching in Chinese. Nevius adopted Station Plan, which was generally known as an old system. It usually consisted of a preaching chapel and church building, a school or schools, an outpatient dispensary and perhaps a small hospital, and residences for the missionaries and their Chinese colleagues or assistants. (Kenneth S. Latourette A History of Christian Mission in China (New York: Macmillan Company, 1929), pp. 416-418) All Station Plan missions used an employment system. The employment system involved a use of local Chinese to serve as colporteurs, evangelists, teachers, and Bible women. This method was relatively inexpensive and did not require much training.
Nevius called this method the “old method” of mission activity. He used the method during his initial years of 1854 to 1857, but he did not employ Chinese assistants himself. For one thing, the old method sought the foreign funds to help and stimulate the growth of the missionary efforts. This method was an ideal one for any nascent program, but it did not promote the principles of independence and self-support from the very beginning. (John Nevius, Planting and Development of Missionary Churches (3rd edition reprinted by Foreign Mission Library, N. Y., 1899), p. 8.)
San-Poh Outstation
Nevius’ first outstation was at San-Poh. It was also called as the “North of the Hills”, for others had overlooked it because the inhabitants were considered unusually rude, lawless and uninteresting. (Samuel Chao,”John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893): A Historical Study of His Life and Mission Methods” Ph.D. dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991, p. 71.) Nevius and his fellow missionary named Rev. F. F. Gough were sent out from Ningpo to San-Poh. Once they were in the town, they were well received and many followed them. The inhabitants of San-Poh were amazed at their preaching in their own tongue. And through interaction with one other, they became acquainted with each other. Nevius began to preach the kingdom of God and the Son of God freely. And as of the successful mission effort, Nevius and Gogh in 1857 established the San-Poh mission outstation. One of the essential successes was Nevius’ adaptation of a self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating style of mission activity.
Hangchow Mission
Hangchow Mission was Nevius another success mission activity. During the year’s 1842- 1860, due to the Treaty of Nanking (1842), only five ports: Canton, Foochow, Amoy, Ningpo, and Shanghai were allowed the Western missionaries to reside. It was not until the Treaty of Tientsin (1858) and the Treaty of Peking (1860) that the missionaries were allowed to live in the interior of China for the goal of propagation the Christian religion.(Chao, p. 85.)
With these treaty protections, Nevius were able to open a new network in the city of Hangchow. The city of Hangchow was known for its beauty and serenity. After accompanied by several missionary board members to survey the area, Nevius became convinced that this city could become a strategic point for missionary outreach.
He met many local people and governmental officials and became acquainted. His mission activities were going well. Helen noted that, “Everything had thus far been so favorable that we felt greatly encouraged and very thankful that our steps had been directed to such a hopeful and interesting field of usefulness.” (Chao, p. 88) Several weeks later, the tide was turning against the missionary efforts. British and French troops began to head for Peking to negotiate with the Ch’ing government. Because their passage had been refused and they were attacked by Chinese troops at Taku Fort, east of Tiensin, on the seashore. Both British and French losses were heavy, and four British ships were sunk. (Chao, p. 91.) Nevius soon found themselves very embarrassing situation. Although they were not from the invading countries, they were subject to suspicion and blame. Their departure became imminent when the local citizens to decide to attack them, the officials would be unable to protect them. However, many Nevius Chinese friends supported the Neviuses’ desire to stay.
On the last Sunday service in Hangchow, the gathering had over 50 male adults in attendance. Nevuses explained the truth of the Gospel and the reason for their coming to Hangchow. Nevius believed that those who came to his service had an evidence of true faith in Jesus during their brief stay there. After exchanging cards, they parted as friends. And their mission work in Hangchow came to an abrupt end.
While there was a political upheaval in China, Nevius made their first furlough in London, England. There he was able to reflect both the traditional mission method and Taiping upheaval in perspective. He criticized the both. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), which was the probably most destructive civil war in modern time and before it crushed. It had a pseudo-Christian origin. Although it had a pseudo-Christian origin manifested much and early vigor and idealism, lacked adequate leadership and disintegrated lastly thorough dissension, corruption and idolatry. Moreover, Nevius thought that the old system bred more mercenaries than self-support Chinese Christian. He wanted to adopt his own method of missionary activities once he returns to China. Before Mr. and Mrs. Nevius return to China, they found themselves appointed by the Board as missionary to Japan.
Neviuses in Japan, 1860
Nevius stayed in Japan for eight months during the Taipings and Mrs. Nevius’ poor health. Their assignment was to help a newly arrived missionary couple: Dr. and Mrs. James Hepburn in Kanagawa. There Neviuses began to study the Japanese language, which they were uncertain about its usage there. Despite the uncertainty, Nevius found Japanese language easy. Helen noted, “Our knowledge of Chinese was of some assistance, as, though the two languages are very different, Japanese scholars understand a certain amount of the Chinese character.” (H. Nevius, pp. 198-9.)Although Mr. Nevius gave a little time daily to study Japanese, he was primarily engaged in his Chinese work, which progressed rapidly. It was these eight months in Kanagawa, where Nevius completed the three-volumes Shen-tao tsung-lun [Compendium on Systematic Theology] published in Shanghai, 1864 with a total of over 170 leaves, or double sheets. (Chao, p. 94.) (Chao, p. 94.)While Neviuses were still in Japan, the British signed the Treaty of Peking with China on October 24, 1860. This treaty of Peking would have a great impact on their life and work in China. As Mrs. Nevius health improved, they were again ready to return to China.
When the Neviuses returned to China from Japan in 1861, they were expected to go to Hangchow. However, the continued upheaval made it impossible for them to return there. Nevius wrote to Walter Lowrie in New York:
It is the opinion of the mission here that three missionaries are all who are required at Ningpo, and that others should occupy the new fields which are now opened to us… Hangchow is continually threatened by another incursion of the insurgents, and every one would consider it unwise for a family to attempt to go there at present…most interesting regions are now opening up on the Yang-tse River and in the North. In fact, we ought to regard the whole country as open to us. It is opened as far as treatises can open it, and missionaries themselves must do the rest of the opening. (H. Nevius, p. 207.)
Shantung Presbyterian Mission (1861-1869)
After followed by small farewell meeting with the Chinese Christians,
Neviuses left for Shantung on May 18. After several days of difficult passage, they arrived at Chefoo or Yen-tai as the Chinese called it. Tungchow was originally given to the foreigners in 1860, but because it’s inadequate harbor, Chefoo was assigned to them instead. Neviuses stayed with the Rev. and Mrs. J. B. Hartwell of the Southern Baptist Mission and Samuel R. Gayley and J. A.
Danforth of the American Presbyterian Mission. (H. Nevius, p. 208). As of matter of fact, they all received Neviuses with joy.
Missionary effort in Shantung had a humble beginning in 1861 with Nevius, Danforth, and Gayley with their wives. Cholera, brigandage were the incursions of the Taiping rebels made mission work difficult. But with a constant effort and preparation, the Shantung mission became the largest mission compound in the world.(Chao, p. 104)
Nevius had a mind of the establishment of a Presbyterian Synod of China and a Presbyterian Theological School. Therefore, in his annual report for 1862, he submitted a detailed proposal to the Board for its adoption. He wrote:
Intimately connected with the subject above presented is the establishment of a Synod; for the theological school would naturally come under the care of a Synod, and could not well be carried on without it. We very much need a common bond of union to make us feel that, though separated from one another, we are engaged in one and the same work…A synod, or something of the kind, is fast becoming a necessity. Practical questions of common interest are coming up which cannot be settled in a manner satisfactory to all except in a body in which all are represented. One mission can not decide for all what equally concerns all; and the Board, with necessarily imperfect and perhaps partial information, cannot be expected, thousands of miles away from the field, to be able to decide upon many questions as are men who have devoted their lives to the cause of missions on the fields, and have become thoroughly acquainted, by practical experience and observation, with the work before them…. In China a General Synod is, at this time, really of almost more practical importance than the Presbytery. The members of a Presbytery are, at present, simply the missionaries who are laboring together in the same station… Many matters, however, would fall naturally under the supervision of a Synod, such as the following: to suggest the translation and composition of important Christian books; to decide upon the versions of the Bible and of the standards of our church for the use of all the missions; to fix the standard of qualifications for native ministers; to appoint instructors for the theological school, in case there be one, and to take the general superintendence of it; in a word, to take charge of all matters in which the different missions have common interest… The meeting of members of such a Synod once a year would be a matte of some expense, but I believe that the expense would be insignificant compared to the advantage which would be realized… The meeting of Synod would a delightful episode in our monotonous missionary lives.(H. Nevius, pp. 240-242.)
The Nevius’ wish came true on 1867. And its first China Synod tool place in Shanghai on October 20, 1870. The synod consisted of about fifty members, divided into eight Presbyteries: Peking, Shantung, Shanghai, Ningpo, Foochow, Canton, Japan, and Siam. (Chao, p. 105.)
The First Furlough, 1864-1869
Because of Mrs. Nevius’ poor health, her physician recommended the couple to take a furlough. During 1864-1869, the couple visited several countries including England and France and arrived in the United States in the spring of 1865.
Once they arrived in the State, Mrs. Nevius went to her country home in Seneca Country, New York. Nevius served at the Presbterian Board of Foreign Missions (PBFM). From spring of 1865 to the autumn of 1868, he served in deputation work. It involved ministry among the churches—mostly speaking and developing among them a greater awareness of and support for the China mission. (Chao, p. 118.) Nevius attended and gave many speeches on missionary efforts on many different locations. Writing from Baltimore, on December 3, 1867 he said:
Last night I spoke in another of the city churches about an hour to a very attentive congregation; and after the benediction nearly half the people remained and questioned me an hour longer. There were then dismissed again, as not one of them showed a disposition to leave. (H. Nevius, p. 269.)
Between missionary conventions and meetings in the U. S., Nevius was able to manage to produce a book in English on Chinese mission, “China and the Chinese”. It ran two editions, and it gave a mission-filled account of China and its potentials. In it, he defined and detailed some of his mission methodology and his conviction of mission effort. One of the most important duties of the missionary is to teach and train lay leaders to rely upon themselves rather on the foreign missionary. His objective should be to transfer the work and its responsibilities to them just as fast as they can carry them. (J. Nevius, p. 352.) Nevius wanted a church where there are no church and no Christians in China. And in order to achieve the goal he recommended both direct and indirect mission methods.
Itinerant Evangelism, 1870-1881
After nearly five years of absence, the Neviuses were ready to return to China. Between 1870-1881, Nevius maintained active schedules of itinerating in Shantung Province. He wanted to employ the missionary mandate, which three are; 1) making or gathering disciples; 2) baptizing and organizing them into churches; and 3) teaching them and building them up in the faith. To achieve them, he followed the Apostles methods of evangelism by causal conversation, by visiting from house to house, and by mingling socially with the people in feasts and public gatherings.(Chao, p. 153.)
He traveled on horseback riding and has traveled as much as 300 miles south and 200 miles of west of Chefoo. Nevius began his itinerant preaching ministry in Ping-tu; a small town situated about 100 miles southwest of Tungchow. There were few converts and more opposition. He noted that there were faithful followers, but there were some constant opposition and even persecution from their neighbors. Some officials kept all the local Christians under strict surveillance.
Many of the Ping-tu inquirers were intimidated by the officials and dare not to make an open profession of their faith. Yet, the spread of the gospel made an impact on the hearts of many people.
Nevius then moved to Tungchow in late 1870. The place was the original station, which they had opened in 1861. There, Nevius engaged in teaching the theological class. However, his primary fieldwork was to establish outstations through frequent visitation: nourishing the believers, teaching them, and ordaining pastors and evangelists. Nevius firmly believed that theological training must be balanced by practical evangelistic effort. So he spent on the average six months out of the year on the field. (Chao, p. 155.)
Famine Relief Work in Shantung
In 1877, a severe famine struck in Shantung. Nevius knew that his duty was now to save the lives and relieving physical pain. The prolonged drought caused massive crop failures throughout much of Shantung. Nevius described the famine conditions as follows:
I have traversed the famine region in different directions, and find that while the distress is very great everywhere, it reached its highest intensive here. Nearly half the population have been driven away to beg, and are scattered in the adjoining provinces. On an average about 15 percent have died of starvation within the last six months. In many sections, the proportion is much larger. Good land is offered for one tenth of its value. In fact, land cannot be sold at any price. The people have eaten all the grain and almost all the millet-chaff, sweet-potato stalks, and beans, and are now living on the buds and barks of trees, roots of wild plants, and grass seed carefully swept from the ground. Nine out ten of the persons you see have pinched faces and sunken eyes, and some are tottering skeletons. Being hungry is their chronic condition. They do not ask to be filled, but only for food enough to support life. Many, as a last resort, seek their wives and daughters. Girls of from six to seven years of age sell for from one to two dollars; those from ten to twelve for three, four, or five dollars. (H. Nevius, p. 319.)
Along with Timothy Richard, his close friend and colleagues, was already distributing the food to the starving, and had established several small orphanages in Chingchow-fu to help destitute children. Nevius and Richard worked out a plan for extending their relief work in the region. Nevius assessed what was the primary needs were and he made sure he had the resources. He also drafted a plan to help famine stricken children. His plan was to enroll the names of the most destitute children and give them a daily allowance. Even though this seemed little, it added to what considered keeping them alive in the time of trouble.
After the famine, interest in the Christian religion extended quickly. As a direct result of his effort in the famine relief, Nevius reported that more than 12 outstations were founded in the central Shantung area, more than 1000 inquirers distributed unevenly throughout the region. (Chao, p. 178.) His mission field was growing and he seemed to adhere to his mission method. Blessing upon blessing, while Nevius was busy with the famine work, the first General Conference of Protestant Missionaries was held in Shanghai on May 10-24, 1877. Its overall theme was based on “self-support” and the role of the “native agents” in mission work. The summary of the issue on “The Native Pastorate”, the chief work of the missionary is to plant and establish self-governing and self-sustaining churches. (Chao, p. 180.) While his method was being decided in the conference, Nevius was reaping his harvest in the mission field.
Visit in the United States and Final Return to China, 1881-1882
From 1880 to 1882, Nevius took another furlough. Mrs. Nevius left for the State a year earlier, because her health was poor. When he was in the State, he thought of a comprehensive plan of mission work, especially in Shantung province.
Once he returned to China in early December 1882, Nevius resumed his itineration and maintained mission work. While he was in America, the mission’s outstation prospered greatly. But there were many problems to be solved as well. There were some cases that involved discipline, religious persecution, and many lawsuits. As a matter of his personal conviction, Nevius refused to get involved with the lawsuits. (Chao, p. 202)
Despite the busy schedule, Nevius continued to teach at the theological school for evangelists. The courses were taught in Shantungness, which was the local dialect of Shantung. Most students were supervised by the care of Shantung Presbytery. During the intervals between the two terms of study, the students were also required to be active in evangelistic work. This practice ensured the importance of mission-oriented to the seminarians. Along with the teaching at the theological school, Nevius continued to visit the believers and baptized the new believers. During the winter of 1884, he wrote the manual called Manual for Inquirers (in Chinese). It was a practical handbook for Christians. The manual contained the examples of prayers, selections from the Bible to be memorized and the Bible stories to be learned and the rules for conduct in one’s home and church. There were also rules for worship services and in social and informal prayer meetings. (Chao, p. 208.) This handbook for the Christians became a “handbook: for new inquirers in the Shantung mission stations. The handbook was the direct result from many years of observation, experiences, and planning that Nevius labored in China.
J. H. Laughlin was Nevius Timothy. Nevius met him in 1881, and ever since they were close companions in the missionary efforts. Laughlin remembers Nevius as his mentor. His acquaintance with Dr. Nevius began in his native town in Pennsylvania, 1881. Nevius had come by request to take part in the ordination of two young men, R. M. Mateer and Laughlin. Nevius’ charge to them as missionaries was get into full sympathy with the Chinese; love them. For his own life, that was the charge in execution. Laughlin became Nevius’ assistant in 1884, and since then, they became intimate friends and travelling evangelists until Nevius death.
Decision of Shantung Presbytery
An event caused Nevius to resign from his Country Station. It involved with the Shantung Presbytery’s decision, which met in Weihsien in the fall of 1886. It dealt with the policies underlying the Nevius country stations. Its decisions were follows:
Missionaries, unless associated with an older member of the Mission, shall not undertake the duties and responsibilities of establishing New Stations, until they have five years’ experience on the Mission field. This rule shall not be so construed as to prevent residence in new places with a view to establishing New Stations, but not involving the reaction of buildings or permanent arrangement for Mission work.
It shall not be our policy to establish strong, well-manned Stations in important central positions, rather than a large number of scattered weak ones.(Chao, p. 220.)
The decision of the Shantung Presbytery was returning to the “old method”. It involved employing more Chinese assistants and relying on centralized and established station with resident missionaries and Chinese evangelists. Nevius believed that relying on the paid evangelists for teaching and preaching would in the long run hinder the self-supporting and self-propagating church. Despite the recognition of Nevius’ endeavor, many missionaries were jealous of missionaries who were on the mission field.
According to Helen Nevius account, the presbytery decision had a negative influence on the Shantung mission. She said, “The meetings of the mission and of Presbytery which took place in Wei-hien in the autumn of 1886 were perhaps the most discouraging of any in all the history of the Shantung mission. The progress of Christianity throughout the interior of the province seemed to have come to a standstill. Various causes-some of which have already been referred to –had combined to bring about this state of things.” (H. Nevius, p. 426.) Because of the decision, Nevius was idle in the fall of 1886. He did not engage in country itineration. In the summer of 1887, he was once again busy with his theological instruction at the school. He wrote his feeling to one of his friends on the 27th of June, he said: “At present everything is quiet here. There is comparatively very little progress in the outstations, and there is also very little persecution. We hope that the process through which our work is passing is not an unhealthy one. Persons who entered the church from interested motives are falling off, and the church is stronger without them. Other church members and stations are growing in Christian knowledge and stability, and preparing, we trust, for a new advance, and a more healthful one, in the future…”(H. Nevius, p. 428.)
The Presbytery of Shantung and the mission met in November 1887 at Chinan-fu. With the cordial consent of his fellow missionary colleagues, Nevius resigned from all of his country stations. For the last seventeen years, he was overworked and strained too long. Himself mostly did his work alone. (Chao, p. 227.) From then onward, Nevius was not heavily involved in the arduous mission labor.
In early November 1888, Nevius and Laughlin toured his last country tour. They visited the stations in Weihein region and saw another famine that was spreading the Shantung province. Despite the famine, the church in Shantung grew. About a thousand applied for church membership. (Chao, p. 230.) Many generous gifts were flowed in from both China and in the U. S. Nevius’ health was no longer able to match the duties and responsibilities of the call. He would no longer be able to go forth to the famine stricken areas to help distribute the foods and other aids. Instead, his partner Laughlin was already there to help distribute food and other supplies. Nevius continue to appeal to the newspapers and personal solicitation in the foreign communities.
By the time the famine was over in 1889, Mrs. Nevius’ health was deteriorating. The coming of new recruits from the U. S brightened Nevius’ life. He felt that their arrival would greatly strengthen and unify the mission work.
Visit to Korea, 1890
The Second General Missionary Conference of China convened in Shanghai on May 1-20, 1890. Nevius was elected as the American Vice-Chairman. He gave an important speech on historical review of missionary methods. There was an urgent invitation from Korea from the Korean Presbyterian Mission. On June 7, 1890, Neviuses were in Seoul. They met with Horace N. Allen, who was the first Protestant and Presbyterian missionary to Korea. For two weeks, Nevius taught his mission methods. (Chao, p. 246.) And his teaching had an important impact on Korea mission. Later, the missionaries in Korea adopted what was known as “Nevius Plan.”
The Last Furlough, 1890-1892
From Korea, the Neviuses returned to America by way of Japan. Once in America, he spoke as one of the main speakers at the First International Convention of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions (SVM), which was held in Des Moines, Iowa, where he plead for 1,000 young men and women missionary candidates for China. After more than two years of rest, writing, and deputation work in America, once again Neviuses sailed for Chain on September 18, 1892 for the last time.
The Final Year, 1893
They arrived in Chefoo in 1892. He detailed his work there to his friend on November of that year. He wrote: "We had hardly been settled when the meeting of Presbytery began. It presented serious difficulties in adjusting the relations between the native churches and the native pastors, and gave further evidence of the folly and impracticality of trying to introduce fully developed modern Presbyterianism in Shantung quite yet. The scheme for the support of the native pastors which has been on trial for two years was discontinued unanimously… The outlook is on the whole very encouraging. There were over 500 accessions to the churches within the bounds of this presbytery during this year." (H. Nevius, p. 460.)
Nevius was elected to the committee for the translation and the revision of the Mandarin Version of the Chinese Bible at the Missionary Conference in 1890. This was his new venture. In this committee, Nevius was assigned to translate from the Greek, chapter 8:23 of Luke and from the third chapter of James to the second chapter of Revelation. By September 1893, he had finished his allotment and was involved with the revision of another person’s work. (Chao, p. 252.) Nevius continued to keep himself busy. He would meet many Chinese guests and even made an upcoming inland tour. Although he was tired from his daily activities, he would keep up his duties. After the day’s work, Nevius was sitting at his desk, which contained the Bible, commentaries, and lexicons that used in translating work. When Nevius greeted Dr. A. W. Douthwaite, who was Neviuses physician. He noticed something unusual about Nevius. He asked Nevius to lie down to get some rest. “No,” he replied. Soon afterward, Nevius’ head fell slightly forward and he collapsed. “In that instinct his happy spirit soared away to the presence of his Savior.” (H. Nevius, p. 467.) John L. Nevius was 64 years old.
Nevius Method on Personnel
Throughout his Chinese mission activities, Nevius gained both knowledge and experience that formulated into his handbook called Method of Mission Church. All new Presbyterian missionaries going to China and Korea were required to learn them. All of his methods were based on engaging in itinerary work in central and east Shantung province. (Chao, p. 260.)
While comparing the old system with the “new method”, the latter method was developed from field experience. Nevius named his methods “tentative and experimental” in nature. It was derived from impending facts, experience, and result that were observed from the fieldwork. (Chao, p. 260.) He wanted to employ his method into a mission field as soon as possible. He did not discard the old system, which also sought to establish independent, self-reliant and aggressive Chinese churches.
The question was then “how” and “when”? He objected to paid agent and employment system. For it brought many undesirable outcomes. The old system paid a worker to do the things, which many of them were not trained to do. Many of the paid agents were farmers, shopkeepers, or coolie classes. They were not equipped to becoming a religious leader nor they were socially fitted to do so. And employment system competed with the paid leader and non-paid volunteer, who were jealous and discontented.
For Nevius, these things brought confusion and apathy. This practice, Nevius wanted to do away with it as soon as possible. Nevius did not want the missionary to depend on the paid assistants. Yet he did not opposed to a missionary having a non- Christian personal servant, who deemed to be useful on a tour. (Chao, p. 268.) He wanted to see more of Chinese becoming a Christian then see more of paid assistants.
Method on Organization: Self-Governing
On his principle for maintaining and developing an out-station, he wanted the care of the outstation to the indigenous members in the community, rather than paid preachers. This self-governing would ensure ties and links in that community. Generally, missionary and the native helper, who is a well-instructed Christian teaching through many years of experience and emerging lay leaders, can build strong local independence church. In theory, the missionary should do nothing, which the local church leaders can do by themselves. This would save time of the missionary and encourage the members to be able to utilize and develop their gifts.
Lay leaders may be selected and appointed by station personnel from among the members in the congregation. These leaders would be the ones that showed an example in spiritual maturity. Then they would lead and teach their fellow members in the church. Allowance may be given to the few select leaders by the local churches. Also temporary helpers may be employed for short periods. They are also to be paid by the local churches. In the area of duties and responsibilities, there must be a job description for each worker, so that there would not be an overlapping or misunderstanding.
The volunteer local leader would take charge of leading and conducting the Sunday morning and evening service. And they would be responsible for any weekday activities as well. The missionary and the paid circuit leaders would visit the local congregation and counsel the local leaders. Nevius recommended that the missionaries should visit each local church at least twice year or more if the schedule allows. (Chao, p. 277.)
Method on Indigenous Church: Self-Supporting
Nevius saw the need of self-supporting church as a working principle in the local church. He believed that the local congregation should provide the chapel and the meeting place. So often times, the chapels were actually usually part of an ordinary building or house of a local leader. And in few instances, new buildings were erected for the worship purpose. As a guiding rule, Neviuses personally donated about one tenth of the value of the building to the local church. (Chao, p. 278.)
Local churches should pay local Chinese pastors and evangelists. However, Nevius insisted that unpaid leaders should do the work until the congregation should be able to pay their leaders. Whenever possible, the local congregation should provide its own parochial day school for their young. The scholarship should be given sparingly and to those who are needy. He believed that there would be a great reap from a systematic Bible instruction in the Sunday schools. He even went further to utilize wintertime, which farmers had much time, to devote more of the Bible instructions. He also emphasized the duty of giving. He encouraged giving. To those who are well to do, he encouraged to assist those who are poor.
Method on Evangelism: Self-Propagating
Nevius considered the primary and ultimate work of the missionary should be that of preaching the gospel. So the heart of the method in the mission was the prominence place of the Bible and its teaching to the Chinese people. The patterns for equipping the Chinese leaders were based on making the disciples and studying and memorizing the Bible verses. It was kind of normal school, which he patterned after.
Often times, Nevius and his colleagues would provide the necessary funds to offer the biblical instructions to the Chinese students.(Chao, p. 285.) Once the students completed their required instructions, they were appointed to their respective stations as evangelist or pastors. And after two to three years of full-time pastoring in the field, they were to be ordained by the missionaries. The numbers of the ordained pastors were small due to the rules and regulations of the mission church policy.
On instructional class for church membership, he employed a decentralized ministry. Due to the rapid growth of the congregation, there were simply not enough pastors and evangelists to go around to shepherd the members. Nevius emphasized the teaching rather then preaching to meet this demand. (Chao, p. 281.) Teaching was much easier than preaching, which required more biblical knowledge and preparation.
Nevius prepared a few several essential Christian doctrines and teaching to meet the need of the new convert. The new converts were required to memorize the Lord’s Prayer, the Ten Commandments and a few other important passages in the Scripture. (Chao, p. 281.) They also required to learn a simple catechism and other doctrinal materials. After the completion of this new convert class and faithful attendance of the church services and duties, they would join the regular church members.
Nevius and Corbett developed a Manual for Instruction, which was published by North China Tract Society on the fundamental Christina doctrines and practical maters of the church. Every inquirers and baptismal candidates were handed each copy of the manual. This manual became the teaching tool for the leaders to train and equip the believers of every level. Nevius also believed a church discipline and discipleship in the church. Anyone who caused problems would require a discipline. The disciplines were based on the Scripture by exhortation and admonition. If necessary, a formal trial and by suspension from the Lord’s Supper. And the disciplined person failed to heed the warnings, and then they were to be excommunicated. Nevius saw the church discipline as a preventive measure of destruction of church. (Chao, p. 289.) Nevius thought that through these instructions and programs, the church would self-propagating. Nevius earnest desire was that the Chinese believers would be familiarize with the Scripture and be able to carry on making the disciples of Christ.
Critical Assessment of the Method
Nevius method was well adopted and utilized by the Shantung Mission long after his death in 1893. In addition, he was not the first missionary to use the term “Three Self Principles”. He only pointed to the way to its adherence. (Chao, p. 304.) Nevius wanted Chinese church to be self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating, but also to be indigenization. He wanted to make sure that the gospel was relevant to the Chinese people and its hearers. His insistence of using Chinese proved this.(Chao, p. 305.) He believed that the Chinese church could be truly indigenous, if they faithfully employ the “Three-Self Principles.”
Calvin Mateer, who insisted the “Old Method”, was less convincing to the method. Mateer was one of Nevius’ Shantung colleagues. He saw Nevius method brought neither success nor many good results in Shantung mission. But this criticism of Mateer was published after his death. Many of the missionaries and leaders would acknowledge the indebtedness of his method. Many of Mateer’s assessment of Nevius work was based on misunderstand. C. A. Clark noted that, “There are other statements in Dr. Mateer’s Review which show conclusively that he misunderstood the whole plan, and that that was the reason for so much of his opposition.”(Charles A. The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, IIlustrated in Korea, p. 55)
One of the misunderstandings of Mateer on the Nevius method was his accusation of Nevius of not having any paid workers at all, not even for new work. And he said otherwise. The fact was that Nevius did paid out only one person was under the employment of the mission with a salary of about $3 dollars per month, and in the whole east of Shantung province, there was no resident Chinese preachers paid by the mission and the outstations. (Chao, p. 297.) Nevius thought that it was wise to have at least one paid assistant or secretary for the administrative work. Nevius did not curtail a complete elimination of paid assistant; rather he wanted to ensure effective of the whole mission. Nevius was quoting the Minutes of the Shantung Mission in 1888, “No one shall be employed by the mission as a colporteur or helper who has not shown zeal for Christian voluntary labor for the spiritual good of his own family and neighborhood.”(Chao, p. 299.)
According to Mateer, a self-supporting church is a company of believers organized as a church, with some kind of administrative officials, and supporting by its own contribution, a pastor who administers ordinance and steadily preaches the gospel to the people.” (Chao, p. 300.) Mateer thought that Nevius did not have a single self-supporting church among his 60 outstations, nor anything close to it. But Nevius saw it differently. For Nevius, a self-supporting church is a group of believers who are shepherded by a voluntary, unordained leader, until they are able to call their own minister. (Chao, p. 301.) The house church provided the regular worship and a systematic Bible study along with prayers and hymns under the care of the local group leaders. There were as many as 19 self-supporting churches by the 1890. (Chao, p. 300.) These were the indigenous churches of Chinese believers. Mateer’s understanding of self-support church was based on Western standards, which required a minimum church membership of 250. (Chao, p. 302.)
In looking at the Nevius method in China mission, his plan was based on a Bible class system and a self-support system. He wanted his mission to be different from of the Old Method and wanted to make the gospel more relevant to the Chinese people. And through his three-self mission principles proved much more than a holistic approached to the mission work in China. C. A. Clark rightly named Nevius as a prophet of new mission methods. (Wi Jo Kang, “The Nevius Methods: A Study and an Appraisal of Indigenous Mission Methods,” 34(1963):333.
References:
Calhoun, David. "The Last Command: Princeton Theological Seminary and Missions (1812-1862), Ph.D. Dissertations, Princeton Theological Seminary, 1983.
Clark, A. Charles. The Nevius Plan for Mission Work, Illustrated in Korea. Seoul, Korea: Christian Literature Society, 1937.
Chao, Samuel. "John Livingston Nevius (1829-1893): A Historical Study of His Life and Mission Methods” Ph.D. dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, 1991.
Kang, Wi Jo. “The Nevius Methods: A Study and an Appraisal of Indigenous Mission Methods’. Concordia Theological Monthly (34) (1963):335.
Latourette, Kenneth S. A History of Christian Mission in China. New York: Macmillan Company, 1929.
Neil, Stephen. A History of Christian Missions. Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1964.
__________. Creative Tension. New York: Friednship Press, 1959.
Nevius, Helen S. Coan. The Life of John Livingston Nevius: For Forty Years a Missionary in China. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895.
Nevius, John. Planting and Development of Missionary Churches. 3rd edition reprinted by Foreign Mission Library, N. Y., 1899.