Austin Gardner

Kudzu arrived in the United States in 1876 at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia! The first recorded “Kudzu Planting” missionaries were Charles and Lillie Pleas. They have a historical marker in front of their Glen Arden Nursery in Chipley, Florida that states; “Kudzu Developed Here!” When the Pleas discovered that animals would eat the plant they began to promote its use for forage in the 1920s.


During the Great Depression the Soil Conservation Service promoted kudzu for erosion control. They gave hundreds of young men the job of planting kudzu through the Civilian Conservation Corps. Farmers were paid an incentive to plant kudzu in the 1940s.

Channing Cope of Covington, Georgia promoted the use of kudzu to control erosion. He wrote articles in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and spoke on WSB-AM radio. He was very disappointed when in 1953 the US government no longer promoted the use of kudzu.

The problem was that kudzu grows too well. It can grow up to a foot a day (or so they say). In 1972 the USDA declared kudzu to be a weed. The southeastern US has near perfect conditions for kudzu to grow out of control, hot, humid summers, frequent rainfall, temperate winters with few hard freezes, and no natural predators.

Kudzu is fully indigenous to Georgia, the Southeast, and many others parts of the US. If you will go back over this paragraph and consider what you read then you will have an idea of what our goal is as “church planting” missionaries. Today, kudzu is nearly considered a curse. You can’t kill it, you can only try to control it. The pictures should let you see that kudzu is really “native” to Georgia.

As we plant churches we want churches that will be indigenous or native to the area. The word indigenous means according to Webster’s Online dictionary; “having originated in and being produced, growing, living, or occurring naturally in a particular region or environment.” A synonym is native.

The term indigenous church has been defined by three characteristics; self-governing, self-supporting, and self-propagating. Though these are not biblical terms you will see their necessity when you begin planting churches. As you travel, research, and see churches on the mission field you may be shocked. A great number of them will not be able to support their own pastors even though they have been an organized church for many years.

Missionaries, it seems, must stay many years before a church is able to become “native” to the land. They are unable to maintain their churches, pay their pastors, start other churches, effectively evangelize their own people. When the missionary is forced to leave, the funds are cut off the work dries up and dies. The only other answer is to urgently look for another source of income and another foreign missionary to prop up the church.

Is it God’s will for His churches to be so weak and dependent on outside support? Can a church be planted that will take on the characteristics of kudzu and become so “native” that it will not need outside help? Will the Bible, the church, the gospel work as well in all cultures as it has in ours?

What would happen if we were to train some national pastors who would have the attitude of Abraham when he said in Genesis 14:23 “That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich.” Abraham wanted God to get all the credit for his success and not a pagan king or anyone else for that matter.

I do not want to promote a position of boasting or pride among the national believers and churches but nor do I want to promote dependency that lasts for years. After having received so much help for so long they become bitter and demanding. They expect you to give to them and if you do not then you are wrong, selfish and bad. They demand, are not thankful, become accusing, and everyone is hurt all around.

In this short study I hope you will learn how to achieve the indigenous or “kudzu” principle. I hope you will at least learn to think, research, argue with yourself until you are convinced of your plan of action as you seek to plant churches for the kingdom and glory of God.

The following quotes are by Tom A. Steffen from his book, Passing the Baton, Church Planting that Empowers pp. 20-37

Role Changes leading to Phase-out

Phase-out oriented church planting requires church planters to engage in planned role changes.

The church planter takes on the role of evangelist in the Preevangelism Stage through practicing Christianity in daily life and asking penetrating questions that cause the listeners to reflect upon their worldview.

Effective church planters never allow themselves to be lulled into believing they know their target audience; they remain hungry learners.

Contrasting Proposed Role Changes

First, it begins with emphasis upon the role of “learner” which continues until the church planter completes the work and departs.

Secondly, the phase-out oriented model avoids the errors of colonialism by starting partnership very early in the church planting process, and gradually withdrawing.

Finally, the learner, partner, advisor roles emphasized in the phase-out model avoid the struggle of major role redefinition required by the other two models.

Stress and Conflict In Role Changes

From “Rookie” To “Recruiter”

From Playing “All Positions” To Becoming “Quarterback”

From “Quarterback” To “Coach”

From “Coach” To “General Manager”,

From “Current General Manager” To “New General Manager”

Church planters must be willing to die to self-serving ambitions so that national believers can live up to their full potential.

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The following quotes are by J. Herbert Kane in his book, Christian Missions in Biblical Perspective pp. 72-93

Paul’s Missionary Strategy

He maintained close contact with the home base

He confined his efforts to four provinces

He concentrated on the large cities.

He made the synagogue the scene of his chief labors.

He preferred to preach to responsive peoples.

He baptized converts on confession of their faith.

He remained long enough in one place to establish a church

He made ample use of fellow workers.

He became all things to all men.

Factors in Paul’s Success

His deep conviction regarding his call.

His complete dedication to the will of God.

His complete dependence on the Holy Spirit.

His fearless presentation of the gospel.

His emphasis on the autonomy of the local church.

His wise Policy regarding money.

The example of his life. In all Christian work the character of the messenger is as important as the content of the message.

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The following quotes are By Melvin L. Hodges from his book The Indigenous Church, A Complete Handbook on How to Grow Young Churches pp. 15-21. I do not necessarily agree with everything that he has written but it is a must read for church planting missionaries. I would welcome your questions and comments.

In some places missionaries have labored for fifty years and still the local congregation is unable to carry on alone.

After studying this question for the past ten years, we have come to the conclusion that our problem lies in the failure to work for an indigenous church.

“What is the reason for this? Simply the plan he has followed. He has treated the people like irresponsible children. He has led them, thought for them, relieved them of all financial responsibility for years. He has unintentionally robbed them of those practical processes which develop strong characters in any walk of life, whether in Canada or China, whether white or yellow-skinned.

Only God can produce this sense of responsibility, but the way in which the missionary approaches his task will open or close the door of possibility to this vigorous aspect of Christian living.

It has been aptly compared to the scaffolding used in the erection of a building. What would one think of a carpenter if he had to leave the scaffolding up so that the building would not fall down!

The successful missionary is one who has done his work so well that he is no longer needed in that area.

The true measure of success is not that which the missionary accomplishes while on the field, but the work that still stands after be has gone.

In order to develop the ability and ministry of the nationals, a missionary should never hold a position which a national is able to fill.

Perhaps he does not teach them to tithe. Sometimes he fails to take advantage of the new convert’s enthusiasm to witness, or has been afraid to allow God-called men to launch out into the ministry, for fear that they would fall into sin.

Not only must the missionary have the right concept of his own ministry, but also he must have faith in the power of the gospel to do for others what it has done for us.

Or do we disbelieve in His power to work in this manner among other races and in other lands?

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The Freedom Scale 1
Freedom Scale 2
The Freedom Scale 3
The Freedom Scale 4
The Freedom Scale 5
The Freedom Scale 6

3. International Pressure in media and in diplomacy

The last key to moving a country up the Freedom of Conscience and Religion scale is to apply international pressure through media and diplomacy. This is last because it is both last in importance and last in sequence. The first two keys will precipitate the third.

As an example of a country moving up the Freedom Scale as these three keys factors play out we can look at the imprisonment of Fransisco Penzotti in July of 1890. Penzotti had been won to Christ and discipled by an American Methodist missionary in Uruguay. This missionary sent him out as a licensed preacher and distributor of the Word to the Pacific Coast of South America. Upon founding a Methodist church in Callao, Peru, Penzotti was jailed by the Catholic governor where he preached to the prisoners.

He remained in jail until March of 1891 when a the international pressure mounted for his release. An American engineer by the name of E. E. Olcott had taken his picture in prison and had published it in the New York Herald and other newspapers. Penzotti’s release marked the last time an evangelical would be jailed by Catholic extremists for preaching the gospel.

In this example we see all three factors: a bold foreign missionary having prepared a bold, national believer and international pressure as a result of his persecution.

None of these three keys guarantees religious freedom to be forthcoming for a country. God is sovereign over all the decisions of man. Sometimes God chooses to allow evil to continue that he may be even more glorified in the deaths of his saints and in his eventual and miraculous victory. We cannot pressure to control the events of history or the actions of kings and governments knowing the God alone controls. We will undoubtedly see thousands of martyrs shed their blood for Christ before we see the governments budge and inch. That is why it is key to remember that martyrs die for the cause of Christ not the cause of religious freedom.

These are, however, three God-ordained and history-proven keys that we must employ in every Muslim country in the world. We want to see religious freedom grow because it is just for it’s people and it is good for the wide-spread preaching of the Word.

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I hope these articles written by my friend will at least help you to think through the process. Feel free to comment or ask questions.

The Freedom Scale 1
Freedom Scale 2
The Freedom Scale 3
The Freedom Scale 4
The Freedom Scale 5

There are a few keys to the long-term progress of these countries up the ladder of the Freedom Scale:

1. Bold National Believers

For each level there will be different consquences but the need is for believers willing to die for their faith. If we will be faithful to teach the Word the disciples will grow in their boldness. We do not force or even push a disciple of Christ to take a public stand with his faith. The Word of God and the Holy Spirit must do the pushing.

Through this public declaration of their faith, believers in Algeria have won the right to the freedom of religion. This step is pending for the countries of Morocco and Tunisia. The only thing we are waiting on is the boldness of the local believers causing them to step out and take a stand on a national, public level.

For countries ranking 0 on the freedom scale, boldness for Christ will likely result in the shedding of their own blood. That is tragic yet glorious at the same time. “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”

2. Bold Foreign Missionaries

Missionaries willing to take risks for Christ’s name will find that they can train disciples equally willing to do the same thus impacting their respective country on a national level. Boldness does not always mean street preaching. There is a time to meet in secret as long as it is in preparation and strengthening of the body for the day the church will stand openly for the faith.
The question has been asked, “Can a Christian be a secret Christian? Can a church be a secret church?” I believe that is an easy one to answer according to Christ’s teaching: No. The more difficult and needy question to ask was posed by Piper in his book Desiring God, “How long can a Christian remain in secret before offending his Savior? How long can a church remain secret before offending her bride?” Many believers in Muslim contexts believed before anyone knew. They are no less believers in Christ than those of us who accepted Christ at an alter call in America.

However, if they are true believers of Christ they will grow in Christ. Anyone growing in Christ recognizes he must confess Christ before men and not deny Him. Therefore, he will come to a point where he makes himself known first to friends, then family, and possibly even his country on a public, national level.This will bring glory to Christ even with the persecution that it brings.

The missionary going into a Muslim context must know this about his work: it will (or at least should) create martyrs at varying levels. This is a difficult realization by a missionary who imagined a very different result to his efforts to bring the good news as an idealistic seminary student or viewer of missionary presentations. As most missionaries begin their path toward missions they are imagining churches not martyrs. They imagine training pastors who will stand and lead large groups not sit alone in a prison cell. They imagine years of fruitful ministry baptizing, marrying, and burying not a red stamp on their passport after 3 or 4 years of ministry that says, “Access Denied”.
The danger is that we make our ideal of missions our pattern. We stop allowing the Word of God to mandate our work. We change our strategy so as not to face the “red stamp”, the social and family rejection, and the martyrs. We thus become the pattern for the national believers and stunt their growth in Christ. What often happens is that the national believers will see hypocrisy in the life of the missionary who claims to follow the Bible but is unwilling to live by it’s mandates.

The same thing that happens to the individual as he grows in Christ will happen to the house church the missionary plants: it will (or at least should) grow increasingly public as it’s members grow in Christ. This will bring persecution but eventually will bring more religious freedom. This should not be a course of events the missionary tries to prevent but instead allows to happen as God works in the hearts of the believers corporately.

So the question a church planter and missionary must ask is no longer, “Can the church I plant remain in secret?” but instead “How long can it remain in secret before it offends Christ who gave himself for it?” I don’t believe anyone can give an actual time (1 month, 1 year, 2 years, etc) but this question must be answered by every church begun in secret in the Muslim world or outside of it. The job of the church planter is to give the disciples Biblical answers to this question on a case by case basis, support them in it’s inevitably dangerous outcome, and instruct them in wisdom on behalf of those who are young and fragile in the faith.

I have seen great damage done to believers whose missionary pastor has started their church with the idea that the church will always be kept a secret. The believers are robbed of their great honor of being some of the first in their country and culture to stand and suffer for Christ publically like the Apostles after Christ, Ignatius of Antioch in 117 ad, Marcellus of Tanger in 298 ad (never heard of him? You’ve got to read his story!), and countless other martyrs who have gained that honored place in heaven described in Rev. 7:14. The converts of such a “secret at all costs” philosophy tend to be very fearful in the way the view evangelism, the Bible, other believers, and the lost around them. They are treated like baby’s to be coddled and protected and, in fact, end up as baby’s never growing strong in Christ.
However, if missionaries will just let the Bible speak for itself into the lives of these new believers they will eventually take a public stand for Christ. This will cause persecution for them but more and more will take this stand for Christ, each one adding a stepping stone of motivation into the swift moving waters of Islamic Jihad. Every time a believer takes a more public stand for Christ than had been taken before, others, however new, with the Spirit of God in them, feel an inner impulse to not be left behind in being named by the name of Christ. There is a strange thing that happens as men run toward martyrdom each to join those taking the boldest stand. None wants to be left holding on to his fear when Jesus counts his saints.

We must foster this inner strength and desire to stand for Christ motivated by the Word. Boldness and openness must not be a conjured speech or man driven motivation but a gradual realization on the part of the disciple as he studies the words of Christ. This is the most difficult and important task a missionary in the Muslim world has: to encourage new believers toward pain and not shield them from it.

When we do this, our job, the countries we serve in will over time move up the ladder of the Freedom Scale.

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The Freedom Scale 1
Freedom Scale 2
The Freedom Scale 3
The Freedom Scale 4

3- Algeria, Egypt, Jordan

a. Stated religious freedom

b. Discipleship: A believer is often known locally by family, friends, and others on a local level and many have taken a stand publically on a national level without any government persecution.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism of Muslims is against the law carrying a small jail time and fine however rarely enforced. Foreigners caught proselytizing are either strictly warned or immediately expelled.

d. Church Planting: The national churches have been given to freedom to organize, meet, and even build their own buildings. It is made difficult for them but is possible.

e. These countries admit that they are not 100% Muslim gladly. Algeria for example acknowledges it’s 50,000 converts from Islam as Christians.

f. Ministry opportunities: The pastors in these countries are in need of training. TV and other media are also very effective.

4- Turkey, Lebanon

a. Full religious freedom (at least on paper)

b. Discipleship: Believers are often known locally and many pastors are known nationally on a public level appearing on television or even on their own TV shows.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism is legal and guaranteed as a freedom of speech. Foreigners find it very difficult to gain religious visas so usually end up going the business or NGO route.

d. Church Planting: The national churches have been given full freedom to organize, meet, and build their own places of worship.

e. These countries admit that they are not 100% Muslim but not gladly.

f. Ministry Opportunities: The need for discipleship, evangelism, and church planting is huge, especially in the eastern side of Turkey.

5- Senegal, Mali, Niger

a. Full religious freedom

b. Discipleship: Believers are often locally known and some nationally known. Pressure from family and friends is present as always.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism is legal and guaranteed as a freedom of speech. Foreigners find it very easy to get a missionary visa.

d. Church Planting: The national churches have been given full freedom to organize, meet, and build their own places of worship.

e. These countries admit that they are not 100% Muslim with no problem.

f. Ministry Opportunities: The need for discipleship, evangelism, and church planting is huge. The cost of faith will be the loss of family and friends temporarily.

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The Freedom Scale 1
Freedom Scale 2
The Freedom Scale 3

2- Morocco and Tunisia

a. Feigned religious freedom

b. Discipleship: A believer is sometimes known locally by family, friends, and others in his city as a Christian. He receives harassment but an “honor killing” would be prosecuted by the government. Christians are not known on a national level for fear of persecution.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism is against the law carrying a small jail time and fine however rarely enforced. Foreigners caught proselytizing are either strictly warned or immediately expelled.

d. Church Planting: The national churches currently meet in secret. The government will quite them down if they become too well known but for the most part allows them to exist. As long as the house church remains secretive and doesn’t cause a disturbance, it is tolerated.

e. These countries consider themselves 100% Muslim at least officially, not allowing Muslims to make an official conversion to Christianity thus denying real religious freedom.

f. Ministry Opportunities: Ministering by radio, TV, and Internet is highly effective in these countries. Missionaries wishing to disciple new believers and plant churches will find these countries to be a relatively safe place to minister with the dual identity of business or NGO. Missionaries attempting this biblical style ministry should be ready to be expelled at any time. A church planter should make his goals in terms of one term not 20 years.

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To fully understand this post be sure and read the two previous posts by our missionary friend who works and lives in a closed Muslim country.

The Freedom Scale 1
Freedom Scale 2

1- Iran, Turkmenistan

a. No religious freedom

b. Discipleship:There are many believers locally known who are greatly persecuted by their government with beatings, imprisonments, and even executions.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism is severely punished.

d. Church Planting: There are many house churches meeting in secret. The movement is often so large the government cannot keep up with them. Foreigners are not tolerated in a “missionary” role even if done in secret and is very difficult as tourism is not an important part of their economy.

e. These countries pride themselves on being 100% Muslim and are trying to stamp out the “Kafar” presence and work.

f. Ministry Opportunities: Ministry in the country may be physically dangerous. Especially singles should consider this risk for the Gospel. Ministering by radio, TV, and Internet is highly effective in these countries. Some ministries are finding success at reaching these people groups outside of their countries. Turkmen and Iranians have accepted Christ in great numbers in Turkey and Germany. Many have gone back to be a witness for Christ in their countries.

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Learn more from my friend who lives and works among Muslims. Ask questions or make comments in the comment section below.

Freedom Scale 1

0- Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Eretria, Yemen

a. No religious freedom

b. Discipleship: If a new believer were to become known to his family or friends he would likely or possibly be killed for his faith, a murder the government would allow or even participate in. Christians are often imprisoned for their faith.

c. Evangelism: Proselytism is severely punished.

d. Church Planting: There are no known house churches meeting. If there are meetings they are between two or three believers. If the government were to know of the meetings they would be immediately stopped.

e. These countries pride themselves on remaining 100% Muslim with no exceptions.

f. Ministry opportunities: An effective outreach for these countries is through Internet and Satellite Television. Social outreach like medical aid and schools may provide a long-term opportunity to live out an example of Christ. More work needs to be done to reach people from these countries in Europe and America.

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