A PLAN 
 
 I- 1 
 
 FOR THE 
 
 ACHIEVEMENT OF THE INDEPENDENCE 
 
 OF 
 
 THE^HURCH OF CHRIST 
 ' IN JAPAN 
 
 AND THE 
 
 COxNTINUED CO-OPERATION 
 
 The Co-operating Missions 
 
 WITH THIS CHURCH. 
 
 iiToktio : 
 
 SHUEISHA 
 
 1893. 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 in 2017 with funding from 
 Columbia University Libraries 
 
 ’.7 
 
 https://archive.org/details/planforachievemeOOniho 
 
PI\ELIMINAI\Y I\EMAJ^KS. 
 
 What the Co-operating Missions most earnestly de- 
 sire is the true independence of the Church of Christ 
 in Japan. The aspirations of this church also are en- 
 tirely in that direction. On this point the Church of 
 Christ in Japan and the Co-operating Missions are 
 well agreed. But the great question remains, liozv 
 shall this independence be achieved } — A plan is here 
 presented for the solution of this problem. It is not 
 claimed to be a perfect plan, incapable of improve- 
 ment. If some one should undertake to write a score 
 of pages of adverse criticism on the same, he must not 
 fancy he has accomplished a great feat. It would be 
 equally easy to write a score of pages in favor of the 
 scheme, with a plain statement of facts that might 
 surprise the adverse critic as well the churches abroad. 
 
 This plan was read before the Conference of the Co- 
 operating Missions held at Kobe on the 19th and 
 20th of April last, but was not advocated by any one 
 present as a measure to be immediately adopted by 
 the Conference. On the contrary, it was on that oc- 
 casion so severely handled by some of the brethren, 
 that it was more than once referred to by others as the 
 “ much maligned paper.” This was largely owing to 
 
2 
 
 tis being, as it were, sprung upon some of the mis- 
 sionaries present as something apparently quite new ; 
 whereas in reality it is nothing but what the older 
 missionaries had exclusively acted upon during per- 
 haps the most prosperous missionary period in Japan, 
 that is, (to go back no further), from 1872 until the 
 creation of the present Evangelistic Committee about 
 nine years ago, — a period of at least thirteen years. 
 If, therefore, the plan here set forth were at any future 
 time adopted, this Avould not be, as some of the breth- 
 ren seemed to fear, “ a perilous venturing on neAv and 
 ■untried ground," but rather and simply the resumption 
 of a line of action which, having been pursued with 
 eminent success for at least thirteen years, has by 
 actual use proved itself to be safe and very efficient. 
 
 The motive in now committing this scheme to print, 
 is the wish on the part of its' authors (i) to place it 
 within the reach of those who have expressed a wish 
 to see it in full, (2) to prevent misapprehensions con- 
 cerning it on the part of those who heard detached 
 parts of it only, and (3) to show that the plan is by no 
 means an eccentric conceit or an abnormal perform- 
 ance, but that, on the contrary, the principles on 
 which it is based are only those which are regarded 
 as axioms in nearly every missionary field the world 
 
 over. 
 
 Tokyo, June, 1893. 
 
0 
 
 A PLAN FOR THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE INDEPEND- 
 ENCE OF THE ChURCFI OF CHRIST IN JAPAN 
 AND THE CONTINUED CO-OPERATION 
 OF THE CO-OPERATING MISSIONS 
 
 • WITH THIS Church. 
 
 WHEREAS (i) prominent members of the Church 
 ol Christ in Japan have, at sundry times and on 
 various occasions, manifested a laudable desire to be 
 completely independent from all foreign missionary 
 connection with and direct influence upon the affairs 
 of their Church ; 
 
 WHEREAS (2) the final object of all foreign mis- 
 sionary work is the building up and establishment, 
 under the Divine blessing, of an independent, self- 
 sustaining and self-propagating Church ; (a) 
 
 WHEREAS (3) the experience of recent years has 
 shown that not a few churches of the Church of Christ 
 in Japan O’) are thoroughly competent for sustaining 
 themselves and doing their own evangelistic work 
 without any foreign aid or direct co-operation ; 
 
 WHEREAS (4) the arrangements for the carrying 
 on of evangelistic work, which have been thus far in 
 force between the said Church and the Co-operating 
 Missions, having served a useful purpose during the 
 past eight or nine years, have more recently proved 
 to be inadequate to the 'emergencies of the present 
 time ; ff) 
 
 WHEREAS (5) the Co-operating Missions earnest- 
 ly desire, as far as in them lies, to favor and promote 
 the realization of the said Church’s aspirations after 
 
4 
 
 true independence, and heartily wish to see her stand 
 fast in the Lord, rooted and grounded in love, firmly 
 holding to the faith which was once for all delivered 
 to the saints, and at the same time free from any em- 
 barrassments which might possibly be supposed to 
 arise from any foreign missionary connection or inter- 
 ference ; 
 
 THEREFORE we, the members of the Co-operat- 
 ing Missions, deeming the time to have arrived for 
 making a change in the relations heretofore subsisting 
 between the said Church and the said Missions, 
 resolve ; — 
 
 1. THAT the Co-operating Missions cancel and 
 discontinue O) the arrangements for the financial and 
 other direct co-operation in evangelistic work, which 
 have hitherto obtained between the Church of Christ 
 in Japan and the said Missions ; 
 
 2 . THAT the Church of Christ in Japan be thus 
 placed in a position to enjoy the honorable distinction 
 of being left free to carry on and manage her own 
 evangelistic work with her own resources of men and 
 means, without any reference to or connection with 
 the said Missions, except such fraternal courtesy and 
 friendly counsel, and such conference in regard to the 
 work of either body, as may from time to time be 
 freely and voluntarily solicited or extended on the 
 part of either side ; 
 
 3 . TffAT the said Missions, without any change 
 in their relation to one another, zealously carry on 
 their own evangelistic work with the assistance of such 
 of the beloved brethren, ordained and unordained, of 
 the Church of Christ in Japan, as are disposed freely 
 
5 
 
 and voluntarily to co-operate with the said Missions 
 as their missionary evangelists ; 
 
 4. THAT the said Missions do all in their power, 
 as heretofore and having regard to the means at their 
 disposal, for the education of faithful men for the 
 Ministry of the Gospel, so as to supply, in this res- 
 pect, the needs and requirements of the growing 
 Church ; 
 
 5. THAT weak churches and “ unorganized com- 
 panies of believers,” desiring — for purposes conducive 
 to tlieir edification and growth — financial or other aid 
 from any of the said IMissions, shall be aided as here- 
 tofore ; BUT THAT, in all such cases, the churches or 
 “ companies ” receiving such aid shall regard them- 
 selves as being, not under the ecclesiastical authority 
 or jurisdiction, but simply under the practical over- 
 sight and guidance of the mission which supplies the 
 financial or other aid ; 
 
 6. THAT all the evangelistic work of the Co- 
 operating Missions shall be undertaken and done 
 solely for the benefit, building up and growth of the 
 Church of Christ in Japan ; — AND HENCE, THAT 
 any aided church or “ company of believers,” as soon 
 as it shall attain the ability of sustaining itself inde- 
 pendently of the Missions, (e) be regarded as competent 
 and qualified to take its proper and honorable place 
 as an individual “ local church ” in connection with 
 the Church of Christ in Japan ; 
 
 7. THAT any church-edifices or preaching-places, 
 in which any one of the Co-operating Missions has a 
 monetary interest or proprietary right, be transferred 
 and made over unreservedly to the congregation that 
 
6 
 
 has regularly worshiped in such edifice during recent 
 years, or for whom it was originally built ; BUT 
 THAT, if such congregation be not as yet quite 
 independent and self-sustaining, this clause tempora- 
 rily remain in abeyance ; 
 
 8. THAT the Co-operating Missions, being de- 
 sirous of avoiding all occasion for unchristian friction 
 and irritability between the Church of Christ in Japan 
 and themselves, transact all affairs that bring them- 
 selves into contact with the said Church, in a spirit of 
 love and utmost forbearance, so as to cultivate at all 
 times the most fraternal relation and amicable inter- 
 course between the two bodies ; 
 
 9. THAT the Church of Christ in Japan be re- 
 quested to appoint a conference-committee, to confer, 
 from time to time and by mutual arrangement, with a 
 similar committee of the Missions, on the work and 
 interests which should always be equally dear and 
 precious to the members of either body; 
 
 10. THAT the changes set forth here above shall 
 
 take effect on and from the. . . .day of 189. ... ; 
 
 1 1. THAT notice of this action of the Co-operat- 
 ing Missions be communicated to the Church of Christ 
 in Japan not later than the first day of the meeting 
 
 of the Synod to be held at on the day 
 
 of , 189 
 
7 
 
 \ 
 
 Copy of a letter, which accompanied the 
 
 ROUGH DRAFT OF THIS PAPER. ' 
 
 Dear Bro,, 
 
 I have re-written the paper sent me 
 as well as I could in the short time at my dis- 
 posal, avoiding all that might be calculated to give 
 umbrage to our Japanese brethren here or give rise 
 to misgivings among our churches at home. If 
 “ WHEREAS (i)” could be proved to cover a major- 
 ity in the Church of Christ in Japan, and if a decided- 
 ly anti-missionar}^ Special Synod had been convened 
 for July next, I don’t know but something like the 
 contents of this paper might be usefully discussed in 
 the Kobe Conference. But since neither is the case, I 
 am in favor of continuing, as peaceably as may be, on 
 the old lines (i.e., of the Evangelistic Committee) until 
 the next Synod. When that time comes, we shall 
 know how and where we stand with the Church, and 
 can then take such action as circumstances may re- 
 quire. 
 
 In haste, yours truly, 
 
 Tokyo, April 15. 1893. 
 
8 
 
 Notes. 
 
 (a) A. Church more or less dependent on funds received either directly 
 from abroad or indirectly through the Missions in the field, is lacking one 
 of the qualifications essential to the realization of the ultimate object of 
 missionary work in all lands, but especially in a country like Japan. 
 
 (b) According to the latest statistics, there should be twenty such 
 churches. 
 
 (c) The fact that the Synod at its last meeting made an attempt to 
 devise a new Home Mission Board to take the place of the present Evan- 
 gelistic Committee, may be referred to in evidence of this position. 
 
 (d) When the Missions nine years ago -entered on the arrangements 
 here referred to, they by no means bound themselves to the same in per- 
 petuity. These were from the first regarded in the light of a tentative 
 scheme for the encouragement of the Church, to excite her evangelistic zeal 
 and to train the local churches in the duty of making effort and sacrifice 
 for the home mission cause. 
 
 (e) That is, the ability to own or supply its place of worship, to pay its 
 pastor’s salary, and to cover all its running and incidental expenses. 
 
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