Reclaiming Mission: Reflections on Mission as Global Interconnectedness and Spirit-Empowered Evangelism (original) (raw)
Related papers
Global Church:Reshaping Our Conversations, Renewing Our Mission, Revitalizing Our Churches
2016
Christianity seems to be in decline in the West. But many churches in Asia, Africa, Latin America and other parts of the Majority World are growing rapidly. Western Christianity can no longer claim to be the center of the global church. Before long, two-thirds of Christians will live in Asia, Africa and Latin America. What does this mean for global Christian mission? What does it mean for worship, theology, faith and evangelism in the West? In GlobalChurch, Graham Hill engages with more than one hundred high-profile Majority World Christian leaders to find out what they can teach the West about mission, leadership, hospitality, creation care, education, worship and more. He challenges the Western church to move away from a Eurocentric and Americentric view of church and mission, and he calls the church to construct global missional conversations. The future of the global church—including the churches of the West—exists in these global exchanges. This resource engages with the work a...
Mission and Dialogue: Critical Conversations for a Global Church
Handy Atmali • HA Design FALL 2 014 Volume 5 • Issue 2 Vision Statement This journal seeks to create space for evangelical scholars and practitioners to dialogue about the dynamics, challenges, practices, and theology surrounding interfaith work, while remaining faithful to the gospel of Jesus and his mission for his Church. Views expressed in Evangelical Interfaith Dialogue do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or the seminary. Produced in limited quantitites.
Jesus demonstrated the power of a missionary perspective in releasing greater effectiveness in the Samaritan encounter of John 4:7-38. This encounter rattled unconsciously held assumptions that limited the fruitfulness of the disciples. The Samaritan encounter reveals three essential suppositions of a mission driven paradigm including, 1) a commitment to deliberate outreach to those who are different, 2) a commitment to a harvest versus maintenance orientation, and 3) the realization that receptivity to the gospel is not time, geographically or culturally bound. Part one of this paper defines the changing environment the church finds itself in. This changing social structure necessitates the adoption of a mission paradigm. A mission paradigm is a commitment to deliberately reach out to people who are different. Part two defines the mission paradigm and its effect on the task of leadership within the local church. It requires a commitment to a harvest versus a maintenance orientation. It acts on the basis that receptivity to the gospel is not time, geographically or culturally bound.
Editorial: Gifts of a Global Church
Vision, 2018
Editorial for Vision issue on "Gifts of a Global Church." The full issue is available here: https://press.palni.org/ojs/index.php/vision
“Towards a Global Vision of the Church”
International Review of Mission, 2019
After the publication of The Church: Towards a Common Vision (TCTCV) in 2013, the major task and challenge for the Faith and Order Commission's Study Group II has been the progress of the multilateral ecumenical dialogue on ecclesiology. The two subgroups of Study Group II have been working in close cooperation with each other, focusing on two major ways to achieve this progress. * Summarizing the process (2015-19) and identifying the next steps (2019 onwards).
Joining in with the Spirit: Connecting World Church and Local Mission
Pneuma, 2011
Although the relationship between pneumatology and mission has generally been neglected by missiologists, Kirsteen Kim seeks to "to show the integral connections between global and local mission" (13) by presenting an introduction to mission through the lens of the Spirit. Based on the class lectures of a ten-week Introduction to Mission Studies course, the chapters of the book articulate an overview of the history, theology, and contemporary issues of mission with emphases that emerge from the author's experience and exposure to majority world voices. Kim begins with the changing landscape of mission, particularly in Great Britain, where the definition of "mission" and who participates in mission are in flux as mainline churches increasingly express mission only in local activities, and immigrant communities reshape the identity of Christianity. She advocates defining "mission" beyond the constraints of home and foreign in terms of the activity of the one Spirit in the world. Chapter 2, titled "The Holy Spirit in the World: Biblical and Theological Perspectives," provides a brief overview of the context and development of mission theology related to the World Missionary Conference and subsequent conferences associated with the World Council of Churches. Kim addresses issues of contextualization and inculturation in "Discerning the Spirit: Among Peoples and Culture." Chapter 4 summarizes the expansion of Christianity as a history of the movements of the Spirit. Chapters 5 through 9 address contemporary issues in mission: Empowerment of the Spirit: Struggles for Justice, Freedom and Well-being; Spirit-uality: Christian Witness in a Multi-faith Context; Wisdom of the Spirit: Mission in Scientific and Secular Society; Spiritual Growth: Mission and Development; and Spiritual Visions: Reconciliation and Mission Spirituality. The concluding chapter summarizes the thesis of the book, namely the unity of the Church in worldwide mission in the power of the Spirit. As an introduction to mission, Kim's work contributes to the field of mission mobilization by distilling a significant amount of mission-related information into one readable tome. However, this same asset becomes at times a liability as she simplifies complex issues and neglects missiological perspectives. Though Kim acknowledges the global growth of Charismatic and "Pentecostal-type" churches (e.g., 218), she seems only minimally aware of the catalytic role of Pentecostal missionaries and missions agencies and the influence of Pentecostal mission theologies and praxis. Defining Pentecostalism as a liturgical style rather than communities of faith committed to the communication of the gospel to the world in the power of the Spirit negates a classical Pentecostal's self-understanding. Related to the above, many Pentecostals would chafe at the suggestion that Pentecostalcharismatic approaches to spiritual conflict ".. . derive from the experience of three North American missionaries, Paul Hiebert, Alan Tippett and Charles Kraft" (130), or that the empowerment of the Spirit is to be identified only with issues of social justice (109-35). Rather, Spirit empowerment is both personal and communal in order to give witness to the resurrected Lord in holiness and service. Kim's declaration that "The Holy Spirit is not present only where there is explicit Christian confession but where there is a likeness of Christ" (36) requires clarification. Although spiritual discernment is critical to missional praxis,