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The contextual dimension of mission remains both critical and relevant in understanding the nature and scope of the church with regards to its place and purpose. This is formed against the backdrop of the continual importance of the missio Dei is framing its engagement. Newbigin’s conception of trinitarian mission is one approach that can give specific focus to this understanding. A trinitarian missional ecclesiology can find common ground with practical theology in service of mission. Practical theology should be understood contextually and can be conceived missiologically. By bringing Newbigins trinitarian mission into conversation with practical theology, an important conversation is generated regarding the contextual nature of both the discipline of practical theology and the missio dei.

The author points out that Cuba is going through a special kairos, a time of transition, where (a) civil society is becoming increasingly active in the Cuban economy; (b) Cuban society is still in the process of digesting the meaning of the normalisation of relations with the United States; and finally (c) the churches and religion in general are playing a more dynamic role in Cuban society. The author, on behalf of the hosting institution, the Evangelical Seminary of Theology in Matanzas, Cuba, reflects on the theme of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism consultation, after making reference to the historical development of missiological training in its 70 years of existence. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on behalf of our Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS) here in Matanzas, we extend to you all a very warm welcome. We are indeed very grateful for your acceptance of our invitation to hold this Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) meeting here, which honours us immensely. If you will allow me a personal note, I was blessed to serve at the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, as a CWME staff member. I had the privilege of organizing meetings and conferences like this one, and now, it is my turn to host one in our seminary, which again is a great privilege for us. You are visiting us at a very special moment in the life of our seminary, since we are celebrating our 70th anniversary on October 1! At the same time, this is a very special kairos for our country: First, we are going through a period of transition, where civil society is becoming increasingly active in the Cuban economy; second, we are still in the process of digesting the meaning of the normalization of relations with the United States, particularly as far as God's mission is concerned; and finally, the churches and religion in general are playing a more dynamic role in Cuban society. (1) Therefore, since the missio Dei is contextual, as churches we are in the process of refocusing the way we participate in this mission of sharing the good news of God's kingdom in the midst of our society. Since the seminary is not an end in itself, but rather an instrument to serve the churches to fulfil God's mission, this Consultation on Missional Formation could not be more timely, since we are in the process of revisiting our curriculum to be better focused in this endeavour. Missional Formation at the Matanzas Evangelical Theological Seminary The ETS was founded on 1 October 1946 in the City of Bridges, as Matanzas is also known, in the same location as today, where a beautiful view of the contrasting green-blue waters of the bay can be enjoyed. Our Seminary was organized by representatives of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches and their respective Boards of Missions in the US. On 2 May 1951, the official incorporation of the Episcopal Church was publicly celebrated, since it had been linked to the institution in teaching and collaboration since 1948. Hence the ETS has been, from the very beginning--and still is--the ecumenical seminary of the country. The Cuban Council of Churches was founded in 1941; a major outcome was the decision to form ecumenically the pastors and leaders of its churches. Hence the establishment of the ETS as an instrument to strengthen their mission in our country. During the 1950s, the school was consolidated and strengthened through land acquisition, construction of buildings, and development of pastoral work in different fields, as well as in social sendees. This was enabled to a great extent by the support of the US missionary boards of these Protestant churches, which started to exercise a stronger influence in the country after the US Intervention of 1902. Before this Intervention, in the second half of the 19th century the Protestant churches in Cuba were established and developed by Cuban missionaries, which--to great extent--were not acknowledged by the US missionaries. …

Most communities of the world, and particularly in the continent of Africa, are multi faith and multicultural. Christianity is a major religion in the continent that has succeeded in persuading adherents of African traditional religions to switch off from their indigenous belief and switch on to Christian belief. Christianity is not the only religious faith in Africa. It has other sibling monotheistic religions and other religious expressions. Christianity, being a mission-oriented religious faith, has a mandate to bring about transformation as reflected in its sacred text, the Bible. This article will explore how the transformation is stimulated and sustained. Meanwhile, it is necessary to state that African people were religious people even before the advent of Christianity and Islam. As a result, religion plays a critical role in their public engagements. Nevertheless, what may be investigated further would be whether religion, and Christian faith in particular, influences the people to be good citizens/disciples as they engage in the socio-political and economic life of the society. The article seeks to use the notion of missional discipleship as a compelling stimulus for inclusive transformation in African societies. ********** The concept of missional discipleship has been used by different Christian scholars and preachers for different purposes, but the likelihood of common motivation that undergirds its usage cannot be ruled out. The concept is a combination of two Christian descriptive terms: missional and discipleship. It may be, in some contexts, considered problematic when discipleship, which is such a popular term among religious people --particularly of the monotheistic faith--must be given a prefix or qualifier. The intention of having a prefix to discipleship is to reinforce and broaden the notion of Christian discipleship in a world in dire need of a transformational paradigm that goes beyond the traditional and classical understanding of discipleship. The idea behind combining the two Christian concepts is uninterruptedly informed and nourished by the biblical mandates of the gospels of Matthew (28:16-20) and Luke (4:1819). (2) The texts of the two gospels unveiled the inescapable obligations bequeathed to members of the body of Christ (Christians) without restriction and preference to engage in making, sustaining, and multiplying disciples who will be agents of tangible transformation within and beyond their respective communities. Cogitating further on missional and discipleship Missional in the context of this article is predicated on the author's understanding of the mission of God, commonly referred to as Missio Dei, knowing that God is essentially and infinitely missionally engaged within the Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Spirit engage one another in a missional union and missional love. Bosch's Transforming Mission has been recognized globally as a seminal text. He asserts that the "Missio Dei is God's activity, which embraces both the church and the world, and in which the church may be privileged to participate." (3) Stransky asserts that "Missio Dei should not be confined to missionary activity but refers to everything God does for the communication of salvation and, in a narrower sense, to everything the church itself is sent to be and to do. The classic terms of missionary activity, evangelism and witness, are becoming overloaded, beginning to burst and dissipate, so that by meaning too much they end up meaning too little and doing too little." (4) Similarly, Thomas attempts to give a concise meaning to what Missio Dei represents within the spheres of mission enterprise: "God's love for this world is revealed in his purpose to transform the world ... this purpose embraces God's action in creation and redemption with a fully responsible human partner sharing his lordship over creation in justice and peace." (5) Interestingly, Thomas associates the mission of God with the realization of shalom, which brings into being a new humanity in Christ. …

The nature of oikoumene has constantly challenged a Christendom-oriented lineal understanding of mission. The environment of doing theology of mission has changed from the denominational to the ecumenical era, from the Eurocentric to the global context, and from the mechanistic domination of the world to the age of ecological worldwide community; and the paradigm of mission has changed from evangelisation to shalom, from missio ecclesiae to missio Dei, and from monologue to dialogue. Critically thinking of the dominant milieu of the people which challenges the church to transform her way of participation in the world, the church must discern the socio-political and religio-cultural biographies of the people as the most important language of people- and life-centric missio Dei. The primary missio logical question should be, then, not what God is doing with the church, but rather what God is doing with the people and creation. In the course of answering this question, the church may discern where the Spirit is at work and how to respond to it. The following article is an attempt to seek a Korean way of imitatio missionis Christi in terms of finding a contextualized spirituality and a strategy of a transforming discipleship. Transforming the missiological paradigm The nature of the oikoumene as the household of life in the whole inhabited earth has been constantly revealed and characterized as a religio-culturally and socioecologically interdependent pluralist communion of life, and it has challenged a Christendom-oriented lineal understanding of mission. As a result, paradigm of mission has been shifted from evangelization to shalom--the whole gospel, the whole world, the whole church, from missio ecclesiae to missio Dei, and from monologue to dialogue. Consequendy, the environment of doing theology of mission today has been radically changed, given the transition from the denominational age to the ecumenical age, from the Eurocentric age to the age of humanity as a whole, and from the mechanistic domination of the world to the age of ecological worldwide community. (1) In a religio-culturally and socio-ecologically interdependent pluralist society, one may have been struggling with an identity crisis which initiates a creative tension and opportunity to rethink and transform one's own hermeneutical and practical horizon in doing theology of mission. Since paradigms are not conceptual entities floating in some Platonic heaven, but entire constellations of beliefs, values, and practices shared by a given community, the individual and collective identity crisis as an ongoing self-negation and self-reflection may provide various motives for paradigm shift in spirituality and strategy of transforming the given community. I myself, culturally as a Korean, religiously as a Christian minister of a particular denomination, and socio-ecologically as a people-oriented and life-centric thinker, am living with an ongoing identity crisis which has troubled me to the point where I cannot submissively cross my arms in the face of certain allegedly Christian attitudes and traditions. On the one hand, I am incapable of remaining impassive vis-a-vis several billion human beings in the South who suffer under the yoke of a social system whose only purpose seems to be to fatten the bank accounts of a minority. On the other hand, neither am I capable of hearing the absolute and superior gospel claim to other realities. Here I speak of the ugliness of the dominant milieu of the people, an ugliness of surroundings and of human relations that frequently becomes internalized into their very persons. The people and their society suffer the han, meaning a historically accumulated consciousness of anger, sorrow, resistance, etc., both of physical oppression and of spiritual debasement. I cannot be romantic about the senseless suffering inflicted upon people all over the world. As human history has shown, religion has been the "sigh of the oppressed creature," the "heart of a heartless world," the "spirit of a spiritless situation"--the "opium of the people. …

This contribution examines the opening section of Chapter Five of Evangelii Gaudium, arguing that in it Frauds sheds light on the mystagogy of discipleship in contemporary times. After providing a brief synopsis of these reasons for a renewed missionary impulse using the idea of the "why, who, and how" of mission as a framework, the author argues that the contribution of the section to the church's mission is its eloquent articulation of a deep spirituality of mission arising from the human condition, both at the personal and communal level. Positing that three features of this spirituality of mission--holistic, anthropological, and Christological--constitute some of the most important points of this section, the article concludes that Evangelii Gaudium is a passionate exhortation toward imbibing a keen sensibility of the humanum to deepen and open Christian faith in proclaiming a gospel of joy and hope and, in the process, bring wholeness to people and the world. It is about missio homini that is rooted in missio Christi and, therefore, leads to missio Dei. Summary of the Chapter Pope Francis opens the fifth chapter of Evangelii Gaudium' and the first section of the chapter with a definition of spirit-filled evangelizers as evangelizers who "pray and work" and are "fearlessly open to the working of the Holy Spirit" (EG [paragraph] [paragraph] 262, 259). He then proceeds to point out what the chapter is all about--that is, "some spiritual motivations and suggestions" that should inform the spirit of the new evangelization--and what the chapter is not about. Francis makes it clear that the chapter is not a synthesis of Christian spirituality or an exploration of prayer, eucharistie adoration, or the liturgical celebration of the faith. In a nutshell, the first section of Chapter Five talks about the reasons for a renewed missionary impulse. These reasons are outlined in four parts: (1) personal encounter with the saving love of Jesus; (2) the spiritual savour of being a people; (3) the mysterious working of the risen Christ and his spirit; and (4) the missionary power of intercessory prayer. What follows is a brief synopsis of these reasons using the idea of the "why, who, and how" of mission as a framework. Why Francis begins his reflections with the core or the "why" of/for a spirit-filled evangelization, that is, God. The primary reason and the "definitive, deepest and greatest motivation" for evangelization, according to Francis, is the greater glory of God that Jesus sought at every moment of his life ([paragraph] 267). Hence, Francis argues that Jesus must be at the heart of missionary commitment and that for fervent evangelization to happen, the missionary needs to have an intimate experience of Jesus as well as a deep understanding and recognition of the power of the gospel and its message. Spirit-filled evangelizers, Francis contends, have to be sustained by a "constantly renewed experience of savouring Christ's friendship and his message" to remain convinced, enthusiastic, vigorous, and passionate about mission. ([paragraph] 266). Moreover, spirit-filled evangelizers need to be nourished by a contemplative spirit, particularly toward the gospel. For Francis, "The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart" and never forgetting that the gospel not only "speak[s] to the deepest yearnings of people's hearts" but also "responds to our deepest needs" ([paragraph] [paragraph] 264, 265). Who From the "why," Francis turns to the "who" of mission, that is, the missionaries themselves and the people. Here Francis insists on mission from/in the heart of the people by reminding missionaries to be in touch with their own humanity and following the example of Jesus by immersing themselves in the lives of people and communities. As Francis says, "Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people" and that, ultimately, spirit-filled evangelizers are those who "strive to light a fire in the heart of the world" ([paragraph] [paragraph] 268, 271). …

The doctrine of the church has always been important to developments in mission and ecumenism--a fact that has been true since the birth of the modern ecumenical movement and is no less so today. This article compares three recent documents--the WCC's Together towards Life (2013), the Lausanne Movement's Cape Town Commitment (2011), and Pope Francis' exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2014)--in light of the rise of a prominent new way of expressing the role of the church in the mission of Christ (missio Dei). This theological development has significantly impacted mission and ecumenical thinking and practice in recent decades, requiring us to consider the church's relationship to mission in a new and important way. The article reveals various aspects of missio Dei theology at work in all three of these documents, and finally looks at the visionary leadership of Pope Francis in calling the Catholic Church to a joyful expression of the gospel of Christ through both words and deeds. EG does not so much address the doctrine of the church as it assumes it. Its concern is far more pastoral: "How do we more effectively and powerfully communicate the gospel in our time?' ********** If there is one thing that can be said regarding evangelical Christianity it has to be this: If you get three evangelicals in the same room you will likely have four different views of the church. One wag told me the story, when I was teaching and preaching in Wales (UK) some years ago, of some missionaries who came upon a remote and almost abandoned Welsh village. They were surprised to discover three well-kept chapels. But there were only two single men who remained in the village. When the missionaries asked what prompted these two Welshmen to keep open all three chapels, the answer expressed something of the evangelical dilemma clearly. "Well, one of the chapels is for me and the other is for my neighbour. The third is for the one we will need if one of us separates from the chapel he attends." While Roman Catholics generally have an idea about what the church is, and is not, evangelicals debate and divide over a plethora of doctrines and practices that define and guide the life of their churches. Such ecclesiology is often implied but rarely articulated. While serious evangelical theologians have worked out the meaning and practice of the church, at least within their various Protestant traditions, most members of evangelical churches have acted out their beliefs without statements and clear doctrines. Rare is the occasion, at least in my experience, where I meet an evangelical who has strong views about specific characteristics of the church. Bruce Hindmarsh, professor of spiritual theology at the highly regarded evangelical school Regent College (Vancouver, Canada), expresses what I have in mind: "One might even suggest, given the history of schism among evangelicals, that 'evangelical ecclesiology' is an oxymoron, like an 'honest thief or 'airline food.'" (1) Hindmarsh says this is very odd given "the way evangelicals have proclaimed and appreciated the spiritual unity of all those who are truly 'born again' while at the same time have so often separated from one another in practice." (2) He rightly argues that this was not always the case. This has been my experience of evangelical Protestantism as an insider for well more than half a century. The pleasant surprise, at least for me, is that an increasing number of evangelicals have become highly engaged in global concerns for Christian unity in mission the last five years. Though ecumenism has always occupied a small place within evangelicalism, a new generation of leaders is asking, "Why must we continue to divide the church?" It seems abundantly clear that Evangelicals are now speaking about mission and evangelism in language that is remarkably similar to that of other (non-Evangelical) Christians. I call this a missional- ecumenical convergence. …

There is a short story in which some engineers changed the position of a particular artificial island. The captains, who had not changed their maps, kept crashing against the rocks of the new island. Adjusting to new landscapes means, necessarily, navigating in different ways. Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL), the new mission affirmation of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) of the World Council of Churches (WCC), responds to changing landscapes in the world, in society, and in the church, designing new courses for mission. What is so new about the landscapes? Naturally, the world did not change overnight. There was a gradual, if fast at times, movement in which society, almost as if in a chain reaction, changed both in its more external forms and in its inner mindsets. Some of the most significant changes have been consequences of technological and industrial advances, and their effects can be seen in both demographic and individual terms: * We have gradually passed from oral, communitarian cultures to very individualistic, literate ones and to secondary oral cultures that are markedly individualistic even while immersed in social networks and cyber communities. * The ease of transportation, market economies, and globalization has given rise to a rapid increase of mass migration that has changed the demographics of nearly the entire world. * Postmodernity has created a generation that on the one hand is powerfully attracted to issues of justice and equality, but on the other remains much more reluctant or unable to make permanent commitments. * On the flip side of globalization, we find nationalism, or what has been called "balkanization," with its insistence on local culture and identities. * Progress at times has had an impact on creation. Individualism, the market economy, and a sense of uprootedness have often led to competitiveness and, ironically, insularism even in the face of a globalized world. In the face of changes and upheaval, there is a challenge to return to the roots. The changed landscapes have altered the relationships of humans with creation, among people, between persons and God, and, indeed, of each person with him or herself. A discerning examination of the situation makes individuals and, in a very important and particular way, the church return and reaffirm their roots in order that they may change while being grounded in their essence. And as the church does that, it looks at its deeper essence, identity, and meaning and finds these in mission. As Together Towards Life clearly indicates, the church was born for mission. Therein lies its deep identity and reason. And mission has its roots in the Trinity, a God of community and relationship. This is a God of sending off and of receiving in the widest, most encompassing model of hospitality. Such is God: the Father sending the Son into the world, the Son sending the Spirit upon the disciples, and then sending evangelists to the ends of the earth. Mission is, therefore, as Steve Bevans has so eloquently said, "God's heartbeat." It was with this panorama in mind that Together Towards Life sets new directions for mission. In the face of a changed world--and, indeed, a changed human being--the affirmation looks anew at mission as the identity of the church: mission as the love of the triune God poured out. In the face of individualism and competitiveness, mission sends us into relationship as we seek our being in the Trinity. Without losing the Christ-centredness of the "Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation" of 1982, TTL now centres its theology in the Trinity in a more integral way, with a strong pneumatological emphasis. Without losing the importance of witness and proclamation, TTL expands the vision of mission in the wide vision of missio Dei, the very life of God. As we enter into the relationship of the Trinity, Together Towards Life invites us to find our centre not in ourselves, but in the Christ who, sent in mission into the world, emptied himself. …

Orthodoxy and mission are two terms that at first glance seem quite incompatible, at least to the Western historians of mission. (1) When in 1910 the historic gathering of missionaries across denominational boundaries took place in Edinburgh to launch an inter-denominational missionary cooperation, Orthodoxy was completely marginal. In their deliberations, there were only references to the Oriental (sic) or Greek churches, always within the framework of the Western (mainly Protestant) mission. Even in the generation that followed, no article on the importance of mission was written by Orthodox theologians. (2) The initiatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the dawn of the 20th century, which invited all Christians to address together the great challenges of the 20th century, only later were brought into the Christian attention. Even the encounter of the Orthodox with world Christian mission has not always been a happy event. The missional dimension of the Orthodox Church was rediscovered just more than a generation ago thanks to efforts and the theological arguments of the former moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), and now president of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Archbishop Anastasios (Yannoulatos). (3) The theological discussion originally with Protestantism in the field mission within the framework of the activities of WCC, and after Vatican II also with Catholicism, has awakened the importance of mission for the Orthodox Church universal. However, a significant contribution to the overall deliberations for an ecumenical mission theology in the form of a mission statement had to wait until a missionary awareness of the various autocephali Orthodox churches was accomplished. Gradually, in addition to Archbishop Anastasios, other Orthodox theologians who were actively involved in one way or another with the ecumenical movement, and particularly with the CWME of WCC, most notably in the case of the late Professor Ion Bria, made significant contributions to the development of the contemporary mission theology. The martyria dimension of mission in the place of an offensive and sometimes arrogant mission; the trinitarian importance of the missio Dei theology; the liturgical aspect of Christian witness in the form of the Liturgy after the liturgy--these are only a few cases of the "Orthodox" contribution to the new ecumenical understanding of mission in the 20th century. Gleaning from the richness of the Christian tradition of the undivided church, as well as from the wealth of their missionary heritage (especially Sts Cyril and Methodius' evangelization of the Slavs, and of Europe in general), the Orthodox not only explained their different--and to a certain extent difficult to understand by Western missiologists and missionaries--approach to mission; they also became invaluable players in the field of contemporary Christian missiology. During the last 50 years--that is, from the time of full integration into the WCC (and the overall ecumenical movement) of all the Orthodox churches, as well as of the International Missionary Council (IMC), in the 3rd General Assembly of WCC in New Delhi)--there have been three statements on mission and evangelism: the 1982 Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation, which was officially approved by the Central Committee of WCC; the 2000 "Mission and Evangelism in Unity", adopted by CWME as a study document; and the new mission affirmation, entitled Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, unanimously approved by the WCC Central Committee held in Crete, Greece, on 5 September 2012. The 1982 mission statement is a traditional mission statement, reflecting the mostly Protestant understanding of mission; and despite its translation among other languages into Greek, (4) it was never embraced and wholeheartedly followed by Orthodox missionaries and missiologists, obviously because the Orthodox did not feel at home with its theological arguments or the overall aura. …

Martin Reppenhagen, Auf dem Weg zu einer missionalen Kirche: Die Diskussion um eine "missional church" in den USA. BEG Beitrag e zu Evangelisation und Gemeinde-Entwicklung, Band 17. Neukirchen-Vluyn, Deutschland: Neukirchener Verlag, 2011, 412 pp. Martin Reppenhagen has been, since 2004, wissenschafdicher Mitarbeiter at the Institut zur Erforschung von Evangelisation und Gemeindeentwicklung at the Universitat Greifswald. This book is a shortened and revised version of his 2010 PhD dissertation from the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universitat Greifswald under the supervision of Michael Herbst. This connection is important, for it situates well the content and intent of the work under consideration. The text itself has eight chapters, which might be loosely outlined as follows: the first four chapters (which constitute half the book) are scene-setting and rehearse the major diagnostic concerns underlying and the genealogies informing the contemporary missional church discussion. The major fifth chapter paints a picture of its central theological thrusts. Chapters 6 and 7 might be seen as concrete examples of how missional church theory is worked out. Chapter 8 draws implications for the German context. Reppenhagen introduces the work by noting the relatively recent interest within the Evangelische Kirche in Deutschland (EKD) in the missional church discussion. The work seeks, then, not to reinvent the wheel, but to introduce the insights from the established American discussion into the German context. In his second chapter, Reppenhagen begins by defining key concepts used in the discussion, including "mainline," "missional church," and "Christendom," before turning, in the third chapter, to the historical context and development of American mainline Christianity. Starting with the foundation of America as a nation, and thus with separation of church and state, he examines the roots of American church structures within European forms of Christianity, continues through the growth of the churches after World War II, and concludes with their decline since the 1960s. Now in the present, Reppenhagen turns to the variety of sociological challenges confronting the American churches, such as denominationalism, privatisation and individualisation of faith, the secularisation thesis, the culture wars, the religious market thesis, and a pluralist society. Chapter 4 continues this historical work by outlining the development of the "Gospel and Our Culture Network" with special emphasis on Lesslie Newbigin's contribution. After a brief biographical sketch, Reppenhagen addresses key themes in Newbigin's work. The intent with this first half of the book, it seems, is to introduce the discussion to a German audience unfamiliar with the context and back story, setting the scene for the task of translating these developments into a German context. The material is more summary description than evaluation or construction. With his 130-page fifth chapter, titled "Missional Church--A Paradigm Change," the tone shifts from historical development to the central theological moves made within the missional church discussion. As with the earlier material, the approach is one of identification and summary and Reppenhagen highlights such concepts as missio Dei, incarnational mission, the nature of the church as a witness to Christ and to the kingdom of God, and the church as a contrast society, along with questions of praxis and leadership. Though some of this material crosses over work done earlier, Reppenhagen displays a good acquaintance with the breadth of the discussion. Yet, insofar as this chapter accomplishes the burden of the theological work, sometimes the critical developments would benefit from further investigation and refinement. Two examples might suffice. Reppenhagen does include potential weaknesses in missional church theory and practice. His approach is balanced. The critical voices he employs, however, seem in the main to be those of missional church exponents defending themselves against such charges. …

Over the past thirty years, the world has undergone tremendous changes, including political shifts in various directions. The number of democratic regimes in the world has increased, but at the same time civil societies in many countries experience constraints and limitations. Economic development has also affected people and countries in different ways, which vary over time. The awareness of climate issues has increased. We see a widened gap between the poor and the rich both within and between countries all over the globe. In many areas, political will is necessary to achieve positive changes. Governments of the world are involved in the preparation of new development goals. The end point for the current developments is 2015, and therefore the second group of goals is now being prepared. The result will be an expression of the strength of political will and our willingness to take a new direction for the sake of coming generations. The ecclesial landscape is also changing tremendously. Christians and Christianity are moving in many different directions around the globe through migration. Those of us who in the past have offered resources to other countries in terms of missionaries and money are realizing that we are also in need. And those of us who are used to being on the receiving end are now sending competence, knowledge, and engagement to other countries in different parts of the world. Mission and development agencies are operating in this changing context. Being part of God's mission, promoting dignity and human value, and addressing the different faces of poverty, these organizations want to express the love of God through their activities. Many policy documents have been written over the years. Churches and organizations have struggled to be relevant and true to the gospel. It is also logical and necessary that the World Council of Churches' Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (WCC/CWME) has been working on a new mission document, thirty years after the previous document. The fundamental message of the Christian faith, of the salvation-liberation-equality of everyone, remains timeless. Yet, the context varies according to the specific situations of concrete people with specific or particular needs. The new mission affirmation, Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL), is a response to many of the challenges we as Christians, together with many others, face today. Awareness of the challenges is not enough. An affirmation can only be meaningful if it influences practices and policies. It means that mission boards, development agencies, etc. have to translate the affirmation into organizational practice. The affirmation has to be made operational in concrete lived contexts. We have for many years talked about the missio Dei: mission as God's mission and our taking part in God's mission. "The affirmation of God's mission (missio Dei) points to the belief in God as One who acts in history and creation, in concrete realities of time and contexts, who seeks the fullness of life for the whole earth through justice, peace and reconciliation." Earlier descriptions like "un-reached territories" have become "world Christianity." As TTL describes it, migration has become a worldwide, multi-directional phenomenon which is reshaping the Christian landscape (TTL, [section] 5). "God invites us into the life-giving mission of the Triune God and empowers us to bear witness to the vision of abundant life for all in the new heaven and earth," we read in the first article of TTL. We are invited to be part of the "life-giving mission." Life is much more than words: it is also about water, food, dignity, rights, and equality. This is why TTL is important with regard to policy making--why it must influence the practice of the churches, mission, and development agencies. The new affirmation also challenges our Christian identity. Many church-related organizations entering into development work tend to lose a sense of their roots. …

First, I would like to introduce SEDOS briefly to those among you who are not familiar with it. SEDOS is a forum open to Institutes of Consecrated Life that commit themselves to deepening their understanding of global mission. It was started in 1964 by nine Superiors General, who also made a significant contribution to the Vatican Council's Decree Ad Gentes. The document was greatly influenced by their deliberations with members of the Roman Curia. In the light of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, SEDOS is now open to the lay associations recognized by the church since 4 December 2012. Given the fact that the members of the executive committee have, each one, a rich missionary experience, the following synthesis is an embodiment of different contexts that have enriched our understanding of mission in a rapidly evolving world. Sketching the highlights The new ecumenical mission affirmation, which is the outcome of an ecumenical discernment--a search for a renewed understanding and practice of mission in a rapidly changing world--provides a tremendous asset/means at the service of unity in diversity among the 349 church members of the World Council of Churches (WCC). We value the structure and the language of the document. We express our deep appreciation to the Commission on the World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) because its members gave a solid biblical and theological definition of mission and also drew inspiration and insights from the various forms of mission theology in vigour today; we can even pinpoint insights from the Catholic mission theology. This is really laudable: networking has to become a red thread in our missionary endeavours, as we are called to become humble and learn from one another. It is only through networking that we will be more creative and so promote together the fullness of life and the coming of God's kingdom. The Holy Trinity: source of mission The first three articles of the affirmation are beautiful and powerful--they are certainly concepts present in Catholic missiological thinking and practice: "The missionary God who sent the Son to the world calls all God's people (John 20:21), and empowers them to be a community of hope." We often speak of being called into the communion of the Trinity for all eternity. Mission is God's mission: missio Dei. To recognize that the mission is primarily God's would ease our anxiety, our spirit of competition in the church. God has certainly given us the privilege of being co-workers, sacraments of God's movement of healing, reconciliation, and life-giving in our world. We know that the work is God's. Yet, we do our best, we work with all our heart, but we realize too that is not all up to us. We need to trust in God because the Holy Spirit, in a way known only to God, offers all peoples ways of participating in the Paschal Mystery. (1) The Holy Spirit and mission The statement places strong emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in mission, which is a very important emphasis needed ecumenically now, including among Roman Catholics. We find pneumatology an extremely foundational area that we all need to deepen and explore more fully in relation to further development in our mission theology/missiology. With regard to the Roman Catholic Church, one committee member said this: "Even though the Holy Spirit is the 'Giver' of life, and is 'adored together with the Father and the Son,' Roman Catholic doctrine has not highly developed the theology of the Holy Spirit. This is even more obvious in the Instrumentum haboris of the Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in 2012. The pneumatology is very well developed in the affirmation. One member, interested in feminist theology and having read a great number of works by daring women theologians, rejoiced at the important role of the Holy Spirit expressed in the document. The Holy Spirit is clearly a unifying principle of God present in humanity and in the whole of creation. …

The document Together towards Fife: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL) is a timely and relevant milestone on the way of defining ecumenical strategies and tactics for the life of Christian communities in our rapidly changing and increasingly globalized world. It is of current interest especially for Russian missiology because, as a field of studies, missiology has taken shape only in the last twenty years. The pre-revolutionary history of Russian Orthodoxy knows several names of missionary devotees, and conceptualizing missionary activities began in the late 19th century, but this movement was cut short following the establishment of Bolshevik regime in 1917. The missiology that originated in the West in the 20th century has only recently been brought to study in Russia. More than half a century of membership of the Moscow Patriarchate in the World Council of Churches (WCC) has partially made up for the shortage of ecclesial and theological fellowship of churches from the ideologically opposing systems. Still, so far perceptions associated with ecumenism in mass consciousness of Russian believers (not only Orthodox) are vague and distorted. The first thing to note is the invaluable act of bringing the subject "mission and evangelism" to the attention of the 10th Assembly of the WCC. Hitherto, most of the believers, and even most of the clergy, remained unaware of the fact that ecumenism is simply co-working for the cause of Christian mission. Discussion of the topic, and that within the context of the recently celebrated centenary of the 1910 Edinburgh Conference, will deepen missionary consciousness both of Christian leaders and laity. Oddly enough, the need for Christian cooperation and unity that was felt unquestionable by many missionaries a century ago remains unobvious for some of our contemporaries. Another significant issue is "changing landscapes." Strategies and tactics of the mission should be determined by a current situation in the missionary field; that is, they should be a function of numerous factors--social, political, psychological, economic, cultural, linguistic, etc. The task of saving traditional values involves renewing the concepts and methods of the mission. It is hardly reasonable today to take mission as increasing membership of the community rather than missio Dei. (1) Yet regrettably, for Russian Orthodox believers there still remain some barriers. The idea of our faith as traditional, conservative, resistant to any influence that is implanted in the minds of the Orthodox believers makes their situation still more confused. It is often said that renewal, aggiornamento, is contraindicated to Orthodoxy. Yes, it is traditional, but it is a living Tradition. Yes, it is conservative, but in the sense that it serves preaching and conservation of the eternal values of the Gospel. The Church as a Theandric organism cannot but interact with the social milieu, cannot but look for a language to communicate those who are to listen to the Gospel. Missiological reasoning for such a position can start from the notion of "inculturation" introduced into missiology in the last quarter of the XXth century. Since horizontal, geographical inculturation is readily apparent, it seems natural to admit chronological inculturation as well. (2) Within the context of the concept of missio Dei, highly relevant is an emphasis on the Christian contribution to the mission with special reference to creation. The late 20th century highlighted implications and significance of the fact that theological contemplations on the economy of salvation, ecology, and economy stem from a common root: that is, oikos. Logic leads us from theology to ecology, from ecology to the ecumenical values of cooperation and responsibility for the creation and humankind that we all share. (3) The fact that the Basis of the Social Concept (in 2000) (4) contained a section on ecology and that in 2013 the Russian Orthodox Church had a specially developed document conceptualizing its position on ecological problems (5) is evidence of the particular interest the Russian Orthodox Church will have in the parts of TTL that deal with creation. …

We were pleased to receive the new affirmation of the World Council of Churches (WCC): Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing landscapes (TTL). This is a relevant issue and our work will not be easy, because the constant changes in the paradigms in which we live challenge us to carry out mission from these contexts. In this document, I will make careful observations on the concept of missio Dei and on three of the ten final affirmations of TTL, as a contribution from pastoral ministry. I wish to begin by saying that the concept of missio Dei itself, as we know it, is neither adequate nor sufficient to transform churches. Why? First, the theological basis of that concept is founded on an interpretation that emphasizes God the Father who sends the Son to carry out mission, versus an interpretation with a lack of emphasis on the Holy Spirit. Second, in many interpretations the concept of missio Dei is only identified in Christ's historical saving action, separated from the rest of creation. As a result, "conversion" is something directed towards those who are not in the church and therefore do not expect God to work in all of creation. And third, even when you say that it was God's initiative, the church is presented as the only agent of mission, thus creating various forms of exclusivism. The concept of missio Dei that is based on the incarnation of God in Christ will be challenged by the other aspect of God's mission, which comes from sending the Holy Spirit. As well as considering the Great Commission in Matthew 28:1, it is possible to consider God's mission from the moment he sent his Spirit, as described in Acts 1:8--which in this case is fully included in the new affirmation. There is a need for a wider, more inclusive framework that takes into account both the sending of God's Son and the sending of the Holy Spirit. It's not just about presenting a different model; we have to establish the biblical, theological, and pastoral bases on which that model is built. As well as knowing how the model is seen, it is important to identify the foundation on which it is built and sustained. We must not forget that many of the concepts of mission that have come to us are rooted in Western culture, which should challenge us to seek a missiology rooted in Latin America, as the place where we are called to carry out mission. To move from the idea of the mission of God acting through his Son, to considering a concept of mission that recognizes the movement of God in this time, active in the world through the power of God's Spirit, brings with it the introduction of the concept of "mission-shaped church." Therefore, I propose a day of continuing education for the leaders of the church, with emphasis on ecclesiological and missiological matters, in order to facilitate the transformation into a model of mission-shaped church. Turning to some of the affirmations: 1. We affirm that mission begins with God's act of creation and continues in re-creation, by the enlivening power of the Holy Spirit. On mission. Mission is not a function of the church, with activities or strategies to begin carrying out. The church depends on the mission that God is already carrying out in the world. We have to be challenged by the understanding of mission that we see in Acts 1:8 ("But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in ... all Judea ... and to the ends of the earth.") Here, mission depends on the fulfilment of a promise, a gift of grace from God, and a spontaneous response to receiving the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us, our only option is to follow. Mission is the testimony that we give after discerning the Spirit that is already working in front of us. Furthermore, the mission of the church is one of the Spirit's ways of being. It is the capacity of being open to God in us, and in other people, and in the world as well. …

The new mission statement Together towards Life does not so much propose new teachings about mission as point out pertinent reminders and reconfirmations of some of our beliefs and convictions about God's mission (missio Dei) in and for the world. The author suggests that among the many challenges expressed in the statement, three merit special attention: (1) the proposal to shift the mission concept from "mission to the margins" to "mission from the margins"; (2) the necessity to underline the intrinsic link between humanity and creation; and (3) the temptation to consider "mission" as at the service of the interests and aggrandizement of individual churches instead of the contrary. He concludes that this statement is an invitation to walk "together towards life" for the benefit of both humanity and the whole of God's creation, and that the urgent challenge is to forge concrete means to make this dream a reality, even in the face of paying the "cost of discipleship." ********** I have read Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (TTL) a number of times and each time I have found new words and phrases to underline because of their importance as a source of inspiration and challenge for me as an individual and for my Catholic Church in general. My text is now almost entirely underlined and highlighted. Many words and phrases are underlined because they are reminders and reconfirmations of our beliefs and convictions found in the Bible and in a number of our church documents. When I was asked to prepare these few reflections, limiting myself to the missiological and ecumenical perspectives of the statement, I reread the text at least three more times. Doing so, my thoughts started roaming far away, to the different parts of the world (Africa, Europe, India, Philippines, and Americas) where my brothers are in mission, I also thought of our collaborators in the local churches in these places. Some of these (my brothers and local church members) are convinced of promoting ecumenical and interfaith encounter and dialogue and are trying to do something to make it a retry. Others see no value in it--for them only "Evangelism" matters. Then I thought of those who are working with the "marginalized" but who feel powerless to confront the centres of power. All these in their respective places make up the local congregations who, according to this new statement, are the "frontiers and primary agents of mission" (TTL, [section] 73). With all this in mind, the "small voice" whispered to me saying, "Seek not to beautify the statement. It is already very good, very beautiful! Rather, seek to make it a practical pastoral document that will help local congregations, empowering them to become real 'frontiers and primary agents of mission' whose key objective, well spelled out in the same document, is that all Creation (oikoumene), i.e. humanity and the whole of Creation, have life to the fullness." (TTL, [section] 4) So, what I will do in these few paragraphs is simply mention some of the percent reminders and reconfirmations that I have, as a Catholic and a coordinator of Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation and Encounter and Dialogue in my religious family of the Missionaries of Africa, found in this new mission statement. Key reminders and reconfirmations From the side of the Catholic Church, this new statement carries many vital reminders and reconfirmations about our core beliefs and convictions on mission (1) and ecumenical dialogue. Reference could be made to such documents as Vatican II, whose Golden Jubilee we are presently celebrating, the different continental papal post-synodal exhortations, (2) proposals from the synod on the new evangelization, reflections on the Year of Faith, just to mention a few. It is within the contexts of such documents and others that this statement will be received and read by Catholics in different parts of the world. …

The Commission on World Mission and Evangelism has been working on this new affirmation on mission and evangelism ever since it was reconstituted following the 9th Assembly of the World Council of Churches at Porto Allegre in 2006. Until this year, the only WCC position statement on the topic is Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation, which was approved by the Central Committee in 1982. The current commissioners recognized the enduring validity of the 1982 document; but since it was written thirty years ago, when the global landscape was very different, they considered it an important and urgent task to express an ecumenical theology of mission for today. "Together towards Life" is not meant to supersede but to complement the earlier Ecumenical Affirmation and to contribute to the WCC's 10th Assembly in Busan, Korea in 2013. Furthermore, the Commission's involvement in the Edinburgh 2010 project suggested that such a statement could have an even broader appeal across the churches. In preparing the new statement, the CWME working groups have been able to draw on rich resources of reflection on mission and evangelism both from within the WCC family and also from other bodies, including the Roman Catholic Church and the Lausanne Movement. Pentecostal and charismatic reflections also enhance the document. The new statement is intended broadly to stimulate mission reflection and encourage discerning action by the churches which will fulfil the mission of Jesus Christ. The overall goal of this mission is understood to be "that they may have life ... in all its fullness" (John 10:10), and thus the document feeds into the theme of the Busan Assembly: "God of life, lead us to justice and peace". More specifically the new statement aims to promote renewed appreciation of the mission of the Spirit, the Life--giver (Nicene Creed) as this has come to prominence in recent years. It also re--imagines the Church in the power of the Spirit as missional: that is, life--affirming and life--giving. This new statement will follow the 1982 Ecumenical Affirmation as another milestone since the integration of the International Missionary Council (IMC) and the WCC in 1961, which created CWME. "Together towards Life" continues within the theological paradigm of "God's mission" (missio Dei), which was established in the post--colonial period, and was affirmed by the 1982 Affirmation. That is, "Mission begins in the heart of the Triune God" ([section] 2). Mission is the overflow to all humanity and creation of the love which binds together the Holy Trinity and the fullness of life which all three Persons share. Therefore missio Dei is understood in this document to affirm the importance of the Holy Spirit for mission theology. The new statement starts from the premise that in pneumatological perspective, mission involves discerning the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit and joining in. And it expresses the conviction that the chief sign of the Spirit is the Life lived by Jesus Christ and made available to all through his crucifixion and resurrection. Together towards Life ([section] 1-11) The title of the new statement, Together towards Life refers to Life with a capital L: not only biological existence but the life in all its fullness, or abundant life, that Jesus promises (John 10:10). This is life "in all its dimensions, including liberation of the oppressed, healing and reconciliation of broken communities and the restoration of the creation" ([section]24).Jesus Christ is the Life of the World and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Life but "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). Together we are struggling against such destruction of life and for fullness of life, including economic well--being and ecological health because, as the document makes clear, "A denial of life is a rejection of the God of life." ([section] 1). We do this "together" because Life is for all and because the whole oikoumene is interconnected in God's web of life. …

Beate Fagerli, Knud Jorgensen, Rolv Olsen, Karl Storstein Haug, and Knut Tveitereid, eds., A Learning Missional Church: Reflections from Young Missiologists. Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2012. 218pp. This volume originated in the celebrations of the centenary of Edinburgh 1910 in Norway and paints the picture of a learning missional Church from the reflections and perspectives of young missiologists. The aim of the volume is to provide space for contributions from young missiologists and missiological students on themes related to mission in the 21st century. The missiologists come from Cameroon, China, Ethiopia, India, Norway and South Africa and their ages range from 29 to 49 years, but the volume is overshadowed by Norwegians since all five editors and five out of eleven contributors are from that country. The book comprises four thematic sections. The first deals with the theme of "Missional Church," the second with "Encounter between Religions," the third with "Migrant Perspectives." The fourth addresses "Missional Challenges." Due to the limitations of space, I shall focus on seven of the eleven contributions. In the first section I focus on the contributions of the Norwegian Ragnhild Kristensen and the Indian John Amalraj. The value of the essay by Kristensen is that she starts by defining what is meant by "missional" church. Missional is defined as "the essential nature and vocation of the Church as God's called and sent people" (p. 16). It could also be said that the being-ness (the missional church) and sent-ness (the missionary praxis) of the church are inextricably linked and that such a missional church understands its participation in missio Dei as contextual, addressing faithfully the challenges of ever changing and complex contexts in a comprehensive and holistic way. Being contextual, the missional church gathers for fellowship and worship ("come") and disperses to serve God ("go"). That is the being-ness and the sent-hess of the church (p. 29). Amalraj starts by declaring that "more than two thousand years have passed since the gospel was first preached in the southern part of India" and more than "a century has gone by since the first structured expression of the indigenous missional movement began in India" (p. 68). Consequently Amalraj investigates how far the "Indian" churches, coming from Eastern and Western Churches such as the Syrian Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant and Evangelical churches, are really "Indian." The identity of the Church's ministry in India is, for the author, a very important factor for the discussion of the emergence of the missional church in India (p. 69). The specific contribution of the missional church in India is two-fold. First, in South India many local churches founded by Anglicans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Congregationalists and Baptists formed one of the world's first modern ecumenical churches, the Church of South India; a similar event took place in North India when the Church of North India was formed. Second, India is today one of the major missionary sending nations, a reflection of the geographical change in global mission. In the second section we are introduced to one of the major missionary themes of the 21 se century, namely whether the closer geographic proximity between Christians and Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists will result in interfaith relationships and dialogue or result in greater conflict. The essay by Norwegian Ingunn Flokestad Breistein is insightful in this regard. Breistein focuses on "Ground Rules for Missionary Activities" issued in 2009 by the project group on Missionary Activities and Human Rights of the Oslo Coalition of Freedom of Religion or Belief. These Ground Rules are rooted in the ideas of the UN conventions and declarations, the UN Human Rights Committee, the European Court of Human Rights and what other regional human rights courts and commissions say about missionary activities (p. …

In the first part I address the missional church and its praxis: what God in Jesus Christ together with the I-I@ Spirit is doing in the world to bring about healing, reconciliation, wholeness, liberation and salvation. In the second section I address the issue of healing from contextual and holistic perspectives. The third part is on recondling mission and mission as reconciliation. Mission as reconciliation should continually seek to correspond to the specifics of a given context. In short, God's mission as praxis for healing and reconciliation means serving, healing, and reconciling a wounded and broken humanity. ********** Mission is God's job description, capturing both who God is and what God does. Perhaps the understanding of missio Dei was best expressed by an African American ex-slave, Sojourner Truth, who said, "Oh, God, I did not know you were so big." (1) This earth-shaking fact of God's big heartedness is the heart of the beginning of Jesus' mission and ministry, transcending religion, economic status, gender, ethnicity, race, and class. This is in line with the model of God's mission as praxis for heating and reconciliation today, namely "to bring the good news to the oppressed ... to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Isaiah 61 and Luke 4). The original theological basis for Christian mission is based on the doctrine of the Trinity. The Triune God is a missionary God. According to Bosch, Mission is thereby seen as a movement from God to the world; the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission.... To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God's love toward people.... Mission has its origin in the heart of God. God is a fountain of sending love. This is the deepest source of mission. It is impossible to penetrate deeper still; there is mission because God loves people. (2) On the basis of such a trinitarian understanding of mission, the church can never remain static or satisfied with the status quo. Martin Luther once called the church the "mouth house" of God, that is, the concrete way that God's word is spoken in the world. (3) The message of the Bible is something to be proclaimed: the joyous news of salvation and liberation that requires the viva vox of the church as a Mundhaus (mouth house). In other words, the church is the place of the mouth where the gospel is shouted by the preacher in the prophetic tradition. It is not merely a Tintenpalast (Ink Palace), a domain of politicians, theologians and institutions of higher theological learning (universities and seminaries). The church remains both a place of studying and pursuing theology, mission, ministry and diaconal service (diakonia). It is a place of continual accompaniment or mission that reflects the interaction between context, theology and practice, while proclaiming, announcing, serving and teaching the good news to the oikoumene, the whole inhabited earth. (4) Therefore, I will first address what it means for the church today to participate in God's mission. According to Darrell Guder, one has to speak of God as a missionary God and to learn "to understand the Church as a 'sent people."' (5) My reflection is on the missional church (6) and its missionary praxis, (7) or what God in Jesus Christ together with the Holy Spirit is doing in the world to bring about healing, reconciliation, wholeness, liberation and salvation. I maintain that innovative, creative, and more effective forms of evangelism and dialogue, diapraxis and diakonia must be explored. Christians do this, however, not as "judges or lawyers, but as witnesses; not as soldiers, but as envoys of peace; not as high-pressure sales persons, but as ambassadors of the Servant Lord." (8) Second, I will explore what it means to be healing communities today. …

The focus of this article is the pneumatological foundations of Christian mission. My thesis is that the work of the Holy Spirit in creation, redemption, and eschatological salvation is central to Christian mission theology. Theology of mission is thus approached both in terms of the missio Dei more generally and the missio Spiritus more specifically. This argument for a pneumatological missiology is attentive to recent trends and developments in both theological and missiological literature. In conclusion, practical implications of such a pneumatologically oriented theology of mission are explored. Pneumatological foundations for Christian mission Christian theology of mission can be understood as undergoing a paradigm shift. The older colonial, Enlightenment-based, and Western-motivated approaches have been undergoing convulsions in the last two generations and slowly giving way to postcolonial, post-Enlightenment, and post-Western voices and perspectives. The focus on spiritual or eschatological salvation has shifted toward more holistic emphases that include not only embodiment and materiality but also socio-economic and political considerations. These various developments have been signalled by missiological themes such as missio Dei, holistic mission, and transformative mission, as well as in other mission initiatives focused on indigenous agency and local contextualization or inculturation. (1) Missiological discourse has also been impacted theologically by the emergence of the doctrines of the Trinity and the renaissance of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit (pneumatology) in the last half of the 20th century. (2) Discussions after Barth have led to an invigorated thinking about trinitarian theology--e.g., Pannenberg, Moltmann, and Jenson, among others--and this also has been registered in the discussion in theology of mission. Not surprisingly, missio Dei perspectives have morphed in a trinitarian direction, not only in terms of emphasizing the divine economic missions of the Son and the Spirit but also in terms of exploring the relevance of trinitarian motifs for missiology. (3) Alongside developments in trinitarian theology has been the re-emergence of the theology of mission. (4) This article will sketch the pneumatological foundations of such missiological discourse by tracing the implications of the doctrine of the Spirit for theology of mission, in relationship to the doctrines of creation, redemption, and the eschaton. By pursuing the missio Spiritus with regard to these traditional theological and doctrinal loci, we shall see how a pneumatologically based missiology both reflects and also interfaces with the ongoing paradigm shifts in theology of mission. Act I--Missio Spiritus: the Spirit of creation In thinking about pneumatology, pneumatological theology, and pneumatology of mission, we should begin with the doctrine of creation. This not only helps us to ground pneumatological reflection in the doctrine of God, but it also establishes the cosmic, creational, and global scope of the work of the Spirit. Unless connected to the doctrine of God as creator, the Spirit may turn out to be less than "holy," perhaps not even related at all to the God of Judeo-Christian faith, much less to monotheistic or even theistic sensibilities. (5) Indeed, there are many spirits, so that Christian thinking about pneumatology, at least initially, must be defined as the Spirit of the God who created the heavens and the earth. Without this connection to the cosmic expanse of the Spirit's work, we may be tempted merely to interiorize or subjectivize the Spirit's presence and activity. The role of the Spirit in the Christian doctrine of creation has gradually become more recognized. (6) In my own work, I have attempted a pneumatological reading of the Genesis narratives. (7) This begins with the observation that while "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep," the author of the creation account notes that "a wind from God [ruah Elohim] swept over the face of the waters" (Gen. …

In the face of the environmental crises that threaten all of life, I first review how the WCC focus on creation emerged. I then explore what it would mean for mission theology to turn to God in creation, moving from a dominating to a kenotic "down to earth" missiology that is rooted in the earthliness of creation, there finding God's grace and healing. This is especially poignant for Dalit and Indigenous People in India who are considered of the earth (mud), and for the filling and keeping of creation that is our biblical mandate. (1) ********** In 1982, Alice Walker sounded an alarm in a significant speech she delivered in San Francisco: Over the pandemic condition of human greed and wanton consumption hangs a curse, the curse of total annihilation, a curse we set in motion when we exploit and destroy instead of help and heal.... But if by some miracle, and all our struggle, the earth is spared, only justice to every living thing (and everything is alive) will save humanity. And we are not saved yet. Only justice can stop a curse. (2) The enormous environmental predicament that humanity faces today is cogently reflected in these words. Climate change, global warming, deforestation, desertification, destruction of land, water and biodiversity, pollution and so on, pose grave threats to the survival of all forms of life. Humanity is on the brink of an abyss. Mission theology cannot ignore these concerns because missio Dei encompasses the entire creation of God. Of all the doctrines that have been drawn upon to develop missiological paradigms, seldom has it been the doctrine of creation. Here I will consider the doctrine of creation, as recorded in the biblical creation accounts, and its implications for an environmentally relevant missiology. Creation in ecumenical (WCC) theological discourse The global ecumenical movement did not at first recognize the importance of ecological issues, along with social and economic justice issues. (3) In this regard, the launching of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) programme "Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation" (JPIC) marked a seismological shift in ecumenical thinking. "Integrity of creation" provided a fresh way of bridging the issues of justice, peace and ecology. In a sense, these concerns were already aired at the WCC Vancouver Assembly (1983), through the German expression Bewahrung der Schopfung (preservation of creation). That assembly urged the WCC to "engage the member churches in a conciliar process of mutual commitment (covenant) to Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation." The central committee that immediately followed the assembly officially launched the JPIC programme in 1985. Initially, though, it was deemed a mere appendage, an add-on to the existing concerns of justice and peace. For some within the ecumenical movement, the new discourse smacked of a "new age" kind of creation spirituality. For others in the global South, it was construed as a strategy on the part of the Western environmental lobby to weaken the focus on social and economic justice concerns. However, a series of theological consultations on the theme helped to bring more clarity to this new emphasis on creation. An important conference was held in Granvollen, Norway (1988), which provided windows into indigenous peoples' understanding of creation, with many moving stories of land alienation, pollution of water, lethal effects of militarism and war and so on. The cry at Granvollen was that creation is broken and for the sake of all creation, theology must begin with creation. Integrity of creation gave new prominence to the doctrine of creation, which hitherto had been disregarded by traditional and contextual theologies, including liberation theology. Notable exceptions were patristic theology and process theology. Liberation theology, for instance, only realized more recently the folly of overlooking the creation theme and environmental issues. …

How can we live today between what is unknown (the dragon) and what is known or familiar, between comprehension and mystery? Three concepts that have figured prominently in the IRM are critically examined here--"ecumenical," "salvation history" and missio Dei. Originally richly open terms pointing to God and God's whole world, through the years they have been domesticated in order to fit with what is known, thereby reducing their fullness and mystery. They need to be creatively and dialogically expanded amid the plurality in which we live today. Living with dragons The term Hic Sunt Dracones (Here be dragons) is printed on the edges of the Borgia map, (1) making the boundary of the world that we may have heard about but not really known--the place where both wild beasts and "unknown" peoples live. For people in the West, the two became merged. One response was to ignore, perhaps even fear these unknown edges. The other was to attempt to order what was unknown in terms of what is known, with categories devised in the West. Edward Said has referred to this as "Orientalism." (2) In our post-colonial situation today, people from former colonies have migrated to the West. The unknown live side by side with the known. Those who have migrated have brought their own religions and cultures and demand to be accepted and treated on their own terms. In addition to this new multicultural proximity, advances in technology, travel to and communication with distant lands have become common place. What was foreign is now encountered immediately. We are in situations demanding "dialogical existence": There has always been a plurality of religions and cultures in the world. In the past religions and cultures have lived largely in isolation from one another. What is new today is that they have moved from their separate, isolated existence to what may be called a dialogical existence ... In short, the forces of modernity have destroyed the isolation in which religions and cultures have been living traditionally. They are compelling us to live together in the world as one community. It is the awareness of this compulsion that raises religious, cultural and ideological pluralism as a problem in the global village. (3) In brief, the dragons that used to live on the edges of our maps not only live and breathe among us, but we walk among them as well, thus pressing upon us the demand for dialogical existence. If dialogical existence is to be theologically credible and religiously acceptable as a style of life, we need to revisit some of the concepts that were originally rich in meaning but have gradually been reduced to what for us is manageable and comfortable. "Ecumenical," "salvation history" and missio Dei (4) are three concepts crucial for missional thinking--all of which have figured prominently in articles in the IRAM. The mystery inherent in these concepts, which is important for dialogical existence, has gradually eroded. To better understand what has happened and how to move forward, it is important to look at how this has occurred, and try to find ways to open ourselves to that mystery again so that we live and move in the creative tension between the known and the unknown, between comprehension and mystery. The domestication of mystery Originally, the concept of "ecumenism" indicated the entire cosmos, but over time has come to refer to the church. One of the fathers of ecumenism, W.A. Visser 't Hooft, traces how the word has been understood and interpreted throughout history. (5) He notes how the Greek oikoumene was originally used to describe the whole cosmos. In the Septuagint the word is used frequently, such as in Psalms 24:1, to refer to the cosmos. Herodotus, Demosthenes and Aristotle used the word in the 5th century BCE to describe the whole inhabited world. Visser 't Hooft goes on to show that the word narrowed in meaning with the Romans, who used the world to refer to the world that they knew and understood: the civilized, Hellenistic world. …

Disability studies from a missional perspective in the Indian context are rare. Mission and unity cannot be "talked" about without the active inclusion of those in the margins; rather, they are the subject of mission and unity of the church which, in Pauline language, is the body of Christ. With the help of a disability-informed reading of the Pauline metaphor of church as the body of Christ, an attempt is made to understand the integral constituent of this "body" and its mission and unity. Our deliberations on the metaphor of body make it amply clear that "weaker" members are indispensable for the mission and unity of the church. They are the paradigm for the manifestation of God. Mission and unity of the church depend on the inclusion and equal participation of the margins--the disabled. Introduction Mission and unity are the inherent character of the church. However, historically this approach to mission and unity has been undertaken often from the centre, not from the periphery or the margins. Interestingly the biblical mandate for mission and unity comes from the voices and visions of those who are in the margins. Who is in the margins? In this paper we agree with Ranjit Guha and Homi Bhabha's definition of subalterns. They are of the "inferior rank". They include all those who are suppressed, oppressed, marginalized, pushed-out, neglected, left-out, rejected, considered not-capable or not-normal, because of their social, financial or physical status. People with disability are one such neglected voice from the margins. The paper tries to highlight the potential barriers faced by the disabled both in the religious structures and in scripture and metaphors. It also suggests certain theological possibilities in which disability is not simply a consumer of tradition but rather a constructive dement that offers new options for theological refection on mission and unity from the margins. Why margins? Felix Wilfred opines that the whole biblical revelation points to the fact that God is someone who journeys to the margins, and is to be found at the periphery (Ex. 3). Anyone who wishes to encounter God will have to migrate to the periphery. (1) Margin is where God encounters people. It is the space of God-visitation. It is where relationships are built. The Judeo-Christian God speaks the language of diversity. And the language of the margin is that of diversity. The language of the centre is the language of power--a legitimizing power, a manipulative power. God is not a partner to a programme of unity where differences are folded away. A conventional ableist marginalizes people with disabilities because they are not "able to", they are not "normal", they are "different". Mission means "a special assignment given to an individual/group of people". Who are involved in the missio Dei? Only the "abled"? Wilfred retorts that, to such a programme of mission and unity, God is not the partner. God partners with those who are in the margins. There is a preferential option for those who are in the margins in the missio Dei. Voices and visions of the margins: the disabled This paper is written from the perspective of the Indian context; therefore, it is important that we define what disability is in such a context. Various definitions are available. For our purpose we point out a few of these. Helander gave the simplest and perhaps the initial definition of a disabled person. "A person who in his/her society is regarded as disabled, because of a difference in appearances and/or behaviour." (2) In most instances, a disabled person has functional limitations and/or activity restrictions. A "functional limitation" disability may be defined as "specific reductions in bodily functions that are described at the level of the person" while "activity restriction" disability may be defined as "specific reductions in daily activities that are described at the level of the person". …

This article on the mission theology of the church, a personal perspective by the vice-moderator of CWME, draws on documentation produced by the commission and also responds to the Faith and Order document, The Nature and Mission of the Church. It is based on the trinitarian paradigm of mission referred to as missio Dei, which emphasizes the priority of God's sending activity in the world, by the Son and the Spirit, and the contingency of the church and its mission activities upon that. Therefore, it is concerned with the participation of the church in God's mission to and in the world, and from this perspective, has a particular interest with the actual, empirical church rather than the ideal church, recognizing that the church exists in many different firms in particular social, cultural, economic and political contexts. The article argues that the church is "missionary by its very nature". Both theologically and empirically, it is impossible to separate the church from mission. Indeed mission is the very life of the church and the church is missionary by its very nature the Spirit of Christ breathed into the disciples at the same time as he sent them into the world. The mission theology of the church as it has developed in ecumenical discussion over the 20th and early 21st centuries is discussed in terms of the relationship of the church to the three persons of the Trinity: as foretaste of the kingdom of God," as the body of Christ; and as a movement of the Spirit. The article shows that being in mission is to cross the usual boundaries and bring new perspectives from outside to bear, and this is a never-ending, enriching process. ********** There are many things to be said about the church, and they cannot all be eencompassed in this paper, which must be limited to a mission theology of the church. This paper is my own perspective, but many of the ideas can be (and are) referred to documentation produced by CWME. As the successor within the World Council of Churches of the International Missionary Council, which was set up as the continuation committee of Edinburgh 1910, CWME material covers one hundred years of mission study and reflection. Extensive discussion of mission issues is found in its journal, The International Review of Mission, in the reports of its thirteen conferences since 1910, and in a number of summary documents produced over the years. The classic statement remains the 1982 document Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation, which was adopted by the Central Committee of the WCC and remains the WCC's official position on the topic. In 2000 this was supplemented by Mission and Evangelism in Unity Today, which updates it in some areas. CWME also respects and promotes "common witness", as described in the 1997 document, Towards Common Witness. Recently, two more documents have been produced by CWME on the topics of reconciliation and healing as paradigms of the mission of the church, which was the theme of the most recent mission conference in Athens in 2005. These papers have all been gathered conveniently into one volume. (1) I am pleased to find that much of what is said here is also found in the Faith and Order document, The Nature and Mission of the Church. (2) David Bosch's summary of the development of theology of mission (3) is still a very helpful source for this topic, along with several other sources. (4) The mission thinking brought together in the CWME papers is broadly in the trinitarian paradigm of mission referred to as missio Dei. The shift from a Christo-centric interpretation of mission to a trinitarian one owes a great deal to re-reading of the Eastern church fathers and to the encounter of Western with contemporary Orthodox theology. Missio Dei emphasizes the priority of God s sending activity in the world, by the Son and the Spirit, and the contingency of the church and its mission activities on that. (5) Therefore, a mission theology of the church is concerned with the participation of the church in God's mission to and in the world. …

This paper argues that missio Dei theology must continue to provide the basis for an ecumenical missiology, provided certain problems are revisited, in line with themes of the 2010 Edinburgh study process. Among them is the need for emphasizing the vertical dimension of a tranformative spirituality, somehow neglected in earlier ecumenical theologies. Only this will prevent an over-estimation of humanity's capacities. Within a missio Dei theology the specific role of the church is to be reaffirmed: there is no way back behind integration, which remains a cornerstone of an ecumenical approach, provided it keeps a critical distance to dogmatic ecclesiologies that tend to hinder progress towards visible unity. The debate on gospel and culture has to be urgently taken up again, through a positive appreciation of syncretism and the related search for criteria in intercultural hermeneutics. This will lead to articulating pneumatological approaches to mission with Christologies. Indeed, the New Testament texts with the most universal horizon refer to Christ as Word or Wisdom and not to the Hop Spirit. The paper moves on to ask whether then the relevance of the biblical wisdom tradition should not feature more in missiology. It could provide fertile approaches to witness in a religiously plural and ecologically damaged world. Ecumenical mission should in future be shaped by wisdom as much as it has been by prophecy, and keep both traditions in creative tension. ********** The most important recent change in missiology took place in the middle of the 20th century with the recognition that mission was not one of the many tasks of the church, but God's own inner and outward dynamics to transform people, world and creation towards the fulfillment of God's kingdom. This happened in the follow-up of the Willingen meeting of the International Missionary Council in 1952. The move to a missio Dei theology remains the most creative development of the last century and fundamentally modified the theological world view still predominant among the participants at the 1910 Edinburgh conference. It has provided the overall flame to the 2010 study process since its inception. (1) Despite the challenge that postmodernity poses to the concept, (2) it is essential to keep the reference to missio Dei also in future ecumenical approaches to Christian witness and service. Only that ground and horizon will guarantee a holistic and faithful approach. However, several problems have to be taken into account, so as not to repeat or deepen what I consider past or present pitfalls. I want to mention but a small selection. Recovering the vertical element of Christian spirituality In the sixties, ecumenical missio Dei theology developed mainly in the Western European context of uncritical appraisal of secularization, leading to a neglect of the proper religious or spiritual core of the gospel and a mainly functional understanding of witness and community life, (3) although certainly with the most appropriate strong emphasis on struggle for justice and liberation. Holistic mission must include and in future even develop the religious and spiritual significance of the gospel, as has been rightly emphasized in another section of the preparatory work for the 2010 Edinburgh conference. (4) But spirituality in that sense must take seriously all the lines of relationship involved in Christian world view. Spirituality has a vertical element of intimate relationship with God--formulated as the presence of the resurrected Christ or as inhabitance by the Holy Spirit--which is both empowering and leading to humility. In biblical language, one can speak of faith and hope. Spirituality has a horizontal element of relationship with brothers and sisters in Christ or in humanity. The biblical tradition qualifies it with the term agape, love. Spirituality expressed in and through love leads to righteousness in personal relations and to the search for justice in relations mediated by structures. …

Christian community lives according to the Word of God, inspiring the church to be in ecumenical fellowship and to be amenable to the act of God's speech in an age of world Christiania. The Word of God is able to be translated transculturally in different times and places, while keeping the transversal, irregular horizon of God's discourse. In view of the rise of world Christianity much has been said about the indigenization of the Christian narrative that challenges the western concept of missio Dei. To renew God's mission in an East Asian configuration, a linguistic-transcultural model is proposed for a public theology of mission that promotes the full humanity of those on the underside of history and acknowledges religious outsiders. A public mission of God's narrative takes seriously the project of interculturation and emancipation in the post-western Christian era. Introduction At the turn of the third millennium, it has been argued that the Christian world's centre of gravity has shifted from Europe and North America to Africa, Asia and Latin America. The phrase "a white Caucasian Christian" begins to sound like an oxymoron in view of the expansion of the church in the southern hemisphere. In the North American context the term "a Caucasian Buddhist or Confucian" is making inroads into the public sphere. We may recognize the assembly of the World Council of Churches in Zimbabwe in 1998 as an acknowledgement of the increasing significance of the churches in Africa in an era of world Christianity. The rise of this new Christianity is characterized by the decline of European Christianity and a shift in the demographics of the Christian population to the southern hemisphere. This phenomenon of world churches necessitates the renewal and extension of a Christian theology of God's mission in a wider global spectrum. This broader theology must seriously consider the non-western formation, distinctive character and direction of the Christian religion. World Christianity radically breaks from the Enlightenment framework which has been and is still influential in western Christianity. The Barthian concept of missio Dei is grounded in a trinitarian idea of God's election. However, this concept of missio Dei is abstract, even vulnerable when it is disconnected from the human experience of God's Word event in one's own linguistic-cultural life setting. Human experience of God's Word is linguistically mediated and socially-existentially understood in a polyvalent, multiple-meaningful and open-ended direction. Thus, a missiological reflection on God's discourse is localized and driven in by a linguistic-transcultural model while open-ended in the ecumenical and global exchange of the Christian narrative, cooperating with religious outsiders and emphasizing an intercultural theology of world Christianity. Creating a new way of interpreting the mystery of God's narrative must engage the reigning "plausibility structure" according to which patterns of belief and practice are accepted within a given society and are diversely expressed in different times and places. (1) Given this fact, it is essential to propose a linguistic-transcultural model of God's mission as Word event in a global context. Word Event and Translation in World Christianity The term world Christianity implies a variety of indigenous expressions of Christianity that are not rooted in a European Enlightenment model, notably visible in Africa and Asia. Colonial annexation and subjugation expatriated native and indigenous cultures and languages under Christendom. However, in the emergence of world Christianity, indigenizing Christian faith calls for the decolonization of western Christianity and theology. Here, a post-western Christianity comes to light. The metaphor of "taking off one's shoes" in approaching the cultural-religious place of the other because it is a holy place shows a new appreciation of others. …

This article attempts to articulate a theology that explores the relationship between mission and development. It conceptually engages in theological themes, especially the concepts of love, justice and freedom. It also discusses the meaning of missio Dei and its relation to the church. Moreover, it examines the relation between mission as liberation and Sen's philosophy of development. It is hoped that Sen's revolutionary idea of development based on the concept of “freedom” will offer a significant contribution to the understanding of a contemporary theology of mission. The essay is written from an activist theological approach to mission as transformation.

The most authoritative documents of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization (LCWE) are the 1974 Lausanne Covenant (LC) and the 1989 Manila Manifesto (MM), which is an elaboration of the LC, and always to be read and understood in connection with the LC. In addition, the movement has produced about 30 "Occasional Papers" on mission-related themes, as well as several books reflecting the conferences and consultations of the LCWE over its more-than-thirty years of existence. (1) Par. 4 in the LC is entitled "The Nature of Evangelism", and I quote it here in extenso: To evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to the scriptures, and that as the reigning Lord he now offers forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe. Our Christian presence in the world is indispensable to evangelism, and so is the kind of dialogue whose purpose is to listen sensitively in order to understand. But evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Saviour and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God. In issuing the gospel invitation we have no liberty to conceal the cost of discipleship. Jesus still calls all who would follow him to deny themselves, take up their cross, and identify themselves with his new community. The results of evangelism include obedience to Christ, incorporation into his church and responsible service in the world. It is important to notice that this paragraph deals explicitly with evangelism. It does not deal with mission in its totality. Although there is no consistent way of speaking of mission, evangelization and evangelism within the Lausanne movement, we may say that while mission and evangelization are the broader, more comprehensive terms including both proclamation and social concern, evangelism is a more narrow concept being defined primarily in terms of proclamation. The paragraph on evangelism is the fourth, which means that there are three preceding articles that should be seen as presuppositions for the fourth. They are all indicative of the evangelical (2) position. The first paragraph deals with the "Purpose of God". The term mission of God (missio Dei) does not figure in the LC but this first article comes very close to the concept. (3) It draws the origin of mission back to the eternal purpose of the Triune God, and defines mission basically as God's sending of the people he has called to himself hack into the world to be his servants and his witnesses. Hence, the people of God, the church, is missional in its very essence or nature, because of its being sent by God and by being God's witnesses and servants in the world. Here, the more holistic concept of mission comes to expression: the people of God are called to be witnesses (evangelism, proclamation) and servants. The latter concept is dealt with in par. 5 which is called "Christian Social Responsibility". (4) The objectives of the church's mission are the extension of Christ's kingdom, the building up of Christ's body, and the glory of the name of God. We notice that the objectives or goals of mission are not exclusively related to conversion of individuals or the growth of the church, but are seen in a wider theological context. However, mission also includes the growth of the church numerically and spiritually. There is also no trace of the older geographical understanding of mission where mission is understood as the church in the "Christian" countries (most often in the West) sending missionaries to the non-Christian countries (most often in the South). The decisive boundary that the mission of the church crosses with the gospel is the boundary between church and world, faith and unbelief. Mission takes place all over the world. The old separation between "foreign" and "home" mission is overcome. …

In this brief presentation, I would like to present three perspectives of mission that seem to me to be both necessary and complementary. (1) I. The Trinitarian perspective Mission is basically the work of God, not humans. Trinitarian faith is a criterion of Christian faith. All the so-called "great commissions" have a trinitarian basis and are set in a trinitarian context (Matt. 28:18-20; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:20-23). Mission does not have its authorization through any decision by the church in the past, in the present, or ever. We are not at liberty to decide whether or not to engage in mission. It has its origin and source in God the Father, and his sending of his Son and his Spirit. It is missio Dei. Firstly, the fact that God the Father, the creator, is the source of mission means that mission does not bring God to people; he is already there, present in his creation in humans who God created in his image, the image that gives them their intrinsic worth and dignity. The Son came to "his own" (John 1:11). In mission Christ's disciples come to God's own world. This biblical vision of creation means that the church in mission respects all people regardless of their faith or situation. It may co-operate with all people concerned for "justice, peace and the integrity of creation", to use a well-known formulation. Secondly, the trinitarian perspective means that Christian mission has Jesus Christ and his work in its historical particularity as its central focus and message. Christian mission is christocentric, although not christomonistic. Mission to the world as a deliberate activity did not begin until after Christ's incarnation, earthly ministry, death, resurrection and ascension. He is the only God incarnate; his ministry combined character, words and works of mercy and power that are normative for the church in mission. Christ's death was an atoning death for the sins of the whole world. His resurrection was the divine authentication of his saving work, and the guarantee of the resurrection to come and the presence of the living Christ in his church today. No part of the gospel about Jesus can be downplayed or omitted without serious damage to the church and its witness to Christ. Christ is the unique Saviour and Lord. The apostle Peter's statement, "There is salvation in no other name" is not simply an expression of "love language" but has universal normative significance for the church in mission. (2) "We cannot point to any other way of salvation than Jesus Christ; at the same time we cannot set limits to the saving power of God." (3) This also means that the church invites people to faith in Christ and expects a response. Jesus himself called both pious and not-so-pious God-believing Jews to conversion and discipleship in order for them to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Mark 1:15). The kingdom of God is not God's rule over the world but the salvation in all its dimensions that Christ has brought "already" as a reality, and which will be consummated in the eschatological "not yet", when the kingdom comes in power. Entering this kingdom takes place through "coming" to Jesus, that is, through faith in him. This is the basic witness of the church. The crucified and risen Christ, the living and present Christ is the centre of the liberating missionary proclamation (1 Cot. 1:22-23). Thirdly, the trinitarian perspective implies that mission has the Holy Spirit as its driving, motivating and equipping power. Acts 1 and 2 are the continuance of the Lucan gospel story. The primary witness to Christ is the Spirit (John 15:26-27). The gift of the Spirit, or being baptized with the Spirit, is an integral part of Christian initiation and one that is tied to conversion, faith and baptism in ways that we cannot fully unfold here. One cannot be a Christian without the Spirit, yet it is possible, even mandatory, that Christians be filled with the Spirit in an experiential way in order to be equipped and empowered for mission in word and deed (Rom. …

The title given to this presentation, Mission-shaped liturgy, is further elaborated by the questions attached to it: 'What liturgy, what languages, and what music?' 'What new forms of ritual/symbols/expression can touch our contemporaries, especially the youngsters?' My reading assumes a tension between this title and the interpreting questions. These questions seem to imply an understanding according to which mission-shaped liturgy is one that is shaped primarily by the context, in other words by the needs and expectations of our contemporaries. The tension is between this "from below" and a "from above" approach. My conviction is that the question of mission-shaped liturgy should begin by asking, 'What and whose mission?' The main thesis of this paper is that mission-shaped liturgy is liturgy in the service of shaping and nurturing a missional people. Before exploring this thesis, however, the biases and limitations that derive from my context of being a pastor in the Reformed Church in Hungary (RCH) should be reviewed. The RCH often refers to itself as being the church of the word (of God). In the church's worship services, the majority of pastors and members consider the proclamation of God's word to be central, and the liturgy as secondary. This situation has had two consequences. First, in the worship services preaching has become almost everything; the service seems to stand or fall on the quality of the sermon. Second, an unhealthy emphasis on the role of the pastor and clericalism has developed in the RCH churches. As Janos Pasztor points out, "The whole worship service is built on the person, thinking and theology of the minister." (1) Both the centrality of God's word in liturgy and the critique of an unhealthy clericalism are shared by the author of this paper. Another recent characteristic of the RCH is a strong desire to create a uniformed liturgy for the RCH and the Hungarian Reformed churches beyond the boarders of Hungary, in the Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovakia. This situation is, of course, the consequence of the peace treaty in Trianon after the first world war. A common hymnbook has already been published. In the opinion of the present author, these efforts at uniformity are misguided since they do not take seriously the plurality of contexts in which Hungarian Reformed churches are called to be witnesses of Christ. I am privileged to be a pastor in an urban, housing estate church that was started about sixteen years ago. Gazdagret Reformed Church, while keeping the basic elements of RCH liturgy, has been through some liturgical changes in the last couple of years. It is especially perceptible in the liturgy of the Lord's Supper, and the blended use of old and contemporary songs led by a group of musicians in the services. These rather minor developments count as significant changes in the context of the RCH. It also should be added that our church has been experiencing significant growth parallel to these changes. Having outlined the ecclesial context in which this paper was born, the church as God's missional people now needs to be discussed. This discussion will lead to an adequate understanding of the church's liturgy as it is related to mission. Then some aspects of mission-shaped liturgy will be examined. The church as God's missional people Earlier, it was stated that the primary question of a mission-shaped liturgy should be, 'What is mission and whose is the mission that is to shape the church's liturgy?' The concept of missio Dei needs to be emphasized at this point. A trinitarian understanding of mission developed along the lines of the Father sending the Son, and the Father and Son sending the Holy Spirit. This is foundational. God is the missionary God; the church takes part in God's mission as it is sent by God into the world. The crucial text for this understanding, cited by Lesslie Newbigin several times, is John 20:21: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. …

"Come Holy Spirit, heal and reconcile", the pneumato-centric theme of the forthcoming world mission conference, is a prayer of mutuality. While we invite the Holy Spirit to come to us (to heal and reconcile), we are simultaneously invited by the Spirit of God to co-journey with God on the mission route. In several ways, the conference theme is a re-affirmation of the missio Dei paradigm. A Spirit-centric theme also provides us with a mission agenda of integral liberation, as the Holy Spirit is portrayed as the divine force of liberation throughout the Bible. This is of crucial import in today's world that is governed and ruled by several forces of injustice and oppression. The distinct focus on the Holy Spirit will certainly help us in developing a trinitarian framework for a mission of identity affirmation. In the trinitarian divine family, the identity and dignity of each person is recognised. The focus on the Holy Spirit who transcends both androcentrism and anthropocentrism, is relevant in addressing the ecological issues of our times from a mission perspective. The sub-title of the conference, "Called in Christ to be reconciling and healing communities", is as important as the pneumato-centric main theme. This is because invoking the Spirit without any reference to the person of Jesus Christ can lead to either a militant form of pneumato-monism, or to syncretism. The sub-title affirms the fact that it is the Spirit of Christ who is being invoked here. Reconciliation, brought about by the Spirit of Christ most decisively on the cross, is a trinitarian state of being, i,e. a state of reconciled diversity where everyone enjoys freedom, identity and equality. This, however, is a costly affair because it required the breaking down of the barriers and walls of separation. However, it needs to be reaffirmed, particularly in a context where there are attempts to de-link reconciliation from justice issues, because it implies that reconciliation entails struggles for liberation and justice. The focus on healing is also significant because healing figures as a central theme in the soteriology of almost all major confessions. The challenge of HIV/AIDS and the current ecological impasse raise several questions about the (in)adequacy of traditional understandings of healing. Thus, the conference theme invites us to address these contemporary mission concerns in a new and pertinent manner. Introduction Mission is the lifeline of the church, and the zeal for mission has been an integral aspect of the ecumenical movement, led by the World Council of Churches (WCC) even before its merger with the International Missionary Council (IMC) in 1961. Seismological shifts have occurred in mission thinking and praxis since this historic integration. Various mission conferences brought about paradigmatic shifts in missiological reflections. For example, the last WCC Conference on World Mission and Evangelism, held in Salvador, Brazil (1996), witnessed "a shift from colonial to post-colonial, from a Euro-centric to a polyphonic perspective", as Christopher Duraisingh, the chief architect of the conference puts it. (2) The forthcoming world mission conference, to be held in Athens, Greece, in May 2005, is all set to be a unique event in more ways than one. This will be the first time such a conference has been organized in a predominantly Orthodox church setting. Athens will also have the exceptional privilege of hosting a mission conference where Roman Catholics, Evangelicals and Pentecostals will each have their own delegation present. The Athens conference has already raised considerable expectations and excitement among churches and other mission bodies. As the 1910 world missionary conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, reminds us, all mission conferences are occasions where we are "called to make new discoveries of the grace and power of God for ourselves, for the Church and for the world, to face the new age and the new task with a new consecration". …

Recent years have witnessed a discussion about reconciliation and healing as providing a new paradigm for mission. This article looks at the use of paradigms as a way to understand missionary history and activity, and explores paradigms that emerged in the second half of the 20th century. It then turns to how reconciliation and healing are being understood today, and how they might provide both a model of, and a model for, mission. ********** Thinking about paradigms of mission Since the work on paradigms in the history of science developed by Thomas Kuhn, (1) and the path-breaking work of missiologist David Bosch (2) that adapted Kuhn's approach, it has become more common in missiological circles to consider the history of mission as a series of paradigms. "Paradigm" is understood as a more or less cohesive set of ideas and values that give coherence to a way of investigating and evaluating the phenomena under consideration. Paradigms are in the first instance heuristic, that is, a means of organizing our perceptions and making judgements about the relative adequacy of the picture that emerges. They have become very helpful in accounting for why patterns of thinking and acting change over time, and how people come to accept certain agglomerations of ideas, and reject others. Kuhn shows this particularly in the shift of thinking in physics from a Newtonian paradigm that gave coherence to that branch of science from the seventeenth to the early 20th century, to an Einsteinian one, which better accounted for data emerging in the first years of the 20th century. One might think of paradigm also in a somewhat different way, and following the work of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. (3) In discussing religion (and other institutions in society, such as common sense), Geertz prefers the term "model" over that of paradigm, and suggests that his construal of religion might be seen as a model of how religion functions in culture, as well as a model for religion. A model of something is an attempt at description. A model for something provides a normative reading of how a model might be used to judge the quality of a phenomenon and even provide a way to plan future directions. Bosch modifies the approach of Kuhn slightly, and uses it to look at some of the patterns of Christian missionary activity in history. He also uses it to project what he saw as an emerging ecumenical paradigm of mission in the last decades of the 20th century. His historical work has remained more convincing in this matter; his projections, on the other hand, have been less compelling. They seem to represent more a kind of wish-list of what future directions in mission should entail, rather than any guide to directions in mission as the millennium turned. Kuhn's and even Bosch's proposals cannot, of course, be applied immediately to mission. One might argue, as many have done, that paradigms in the theology of mission should not arise only from trying to make sense out of the data to hand of how missionaries or missionary agencies are working at any given time. One might perhaps better start from a theological perspective, such as the missio Dei paradigm that has been emerging over the last half century, or see mission as primarily guided by the trinitarian missions of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The latter approach has the great advantage of providing a normative model against which to evaluate missionary activity, by allowing it stand apart from any concrete engagement in mission in order to construct a model of mission critically distinct from any cultural phenomenon. At the same, this approach runs the risk of either becoming disconnected from what missionaries actually do, or perhaps harbouring implicit (and unexamined) cultural assumptions of how to read any given manifestation of missionary activity. In this article, I take the risk of the Kuhn and Bosch approach and would like to suggest that, since the time in which Bosch wrote his magisterial work, a new paradigm or model of mission has been emerging. …

Shawn B. Redford. Missiological Hermeneutics: Biblical Interpretation for the Global Church. Eugene, Oreg: Pickwick Publications, 2012, 363 pp. At the outset, the author of this book intends to build a new bridge across the great divide between biblical studies and missiological theology. Shawn Redford notes that in the past, both schools have ignored each other and have thereby created confusion. Biblical scholars have mainly asked questions about origin, form, the faith community, and surrounding human civilisations in order to examine how these shaped the biblical text. But at the same time, they failed to ask the missiological question regarding the purpose, design, and God's intentions as presented in the Bible. Meanwhile, the missiologists have continued to superimpose their particular agendas on scripture or ignore the Bible altogether (xi-xii). By addressing the above-identified issues, Redford attempts to give shape to the mission and nature of missional hermeneutics from the perspective of what he calls "the Global Church." He attempts to examine scripture as his primary source while taking into consideration secondary sources such as contemporary cultural values, historical struggles, and the experiences of those who are engaged in missio Dei (the mission of God). For Redford, the key to understanding missiological hermeneutics is to overcome the scientific polarisation in "Western hermeneutic" and to perceive and learn from the overarching missional and spiritual hermeneutics found throughout scripture. In this way, readers can balance missional, spiritual, historical-critical, and hermeneutical paths and are thereby empowered in biblical interpretation for the "Global Church." Redford summarises the chapter overview on pages 6 to 7. In terms of this book's structure, chapters 2 through 5 comprise the major chapters, with chapters 2 and 3 addressing hermeneutical theory, and chapters 4 and 5 dealing with contemporary issues related to missional hermeneutics. Chapter 2 focuses on biblical studies that investigate some of the most influential hermeneutics found within scripture, as well as distorted hermeneutics that the author finds disturbing. Redford here offers a complex and fascinating biblical study on texts such as Genesis 12, Daniel 9-12, and Matthew 8-12. In the same vein of complexity, chapter 3 presents the current hermeneutical trends "in the West and the present state of missiological hermeneutics" (6). Chapter 4 is a historical case study, examining the underlying hermeneutics employed over a wide range of authors who address the theological implications and missiological responses to issues in African polygamy. From biblical and missiological perspectives, this is a very timely study on human sexuality, looking at how the Christian church has addressed or is addressing what the author refers to as "a difficult missional issue." Unfortunately, Redford ignores another contemporary issue related to human sexuality--namely, homosexuality. Both issues ought to be addressed today because both are applicable to the evangelical and ecumenical churches. I wish the author could have identified another contemporary issue in chapter 5 as a case study, but he instead focuses on missiological hermeneutics. This particular hermeneutics is not only beneficial for biblical understanding, but is essential for developing missiological insights in scripture, while avoiding the tendency to relegate valid mission insights in scripture to the realism of theology. The final chapter is a summary, drawing together all the insights and offering recommendations for the future of missiological hermeneutics. …

Based on the premise that nature and action are inextricably linked, it is contended that any construal of missional theology as the church's participation in the missio Dei, cannot disregard the doctrine of the immanent Trinity. Four images of the Trinity are appropriated as theological maps for a critical and "thick" description of missions. The trinitarian paradigms characterising the three divine Persons as Source, Word and Love (emphasised by the Greek, Protestant and Latin traditions respectively) are used to counterbalance the contemporary bias toward a social Trinity, which draws its inspiration from the classical doctrine of perichoresis. In the processional model, God's transcendence secures a theocentric missiology, while the reciprocity of the Son and Spirit is correlated to incarnational and charismatic ministry. The linguistical paradigm points to our participation in the mission of the Word that demands both proclamation and action; the eternal dialogue within God prompts our continual hearing and speaking, in relation to God and the world. The dispositional image highlights the Spirit of love, who brings about missional spirituality, humility and unity, even as the loving embrace of the Father and Son leads as to participate in the sufferings of those at the margins. Finally, the perichoretic model of the Trinity points to the inseparability of the missio Dei and the imago Dei, being and doing, the self and the Other. The oneness of the divine mission implies an integral missional praxis that is rooted in the worship of this triune God. Introduction In Karl Rahner's groundbreaking treatise The Trinity, he observes that the "monotheistic" character of much practical, Christian piety betrays the church's orthodox confession of its trinitarian God. (1) One might extrapolate his insight to include much of our practical Christian missions. Nevertheless, the future of missions seems hopeful judging from the current renaissance of trinitarian discourse within contemporary, academic theology. With its strong ecumenical foundations in biblical, patristic and credal sources, this doctrine has reshaped many of the most recent denominational and ecumenical missiological treatises. Such is the present theological climate that the necessity to ground our missional theory and practice within a trinitarian framework needs no further justification. However, this paper is not an apologia for a purely functional trinitarian theology of missions. Rather, its premise is that an inseparable link between the economic Trinity and immanent Trinity is crucial, if not necessary, to any trinitarian discourse. Its goal is to allow for a full description of our missions as participation in the mission and nature of the triune God. This allows us to embed the Christian missionary vocation not only within the recta-narrative of God's historicity, but in his very being as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Specifically, four paradigms of the Trinity will be examined in this exercise: the processional, revelational, dispositional and social. Each of the first three sections will highlight (1) a unitive property attributed to a particular divine Person, and (2) a correlative, relational pattern between the other two. By highlighting the particularities of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and the plurality of their relational configurations, specific missiological issues will be defended and/or critiqued where appropriate. The final section, as a counterpoint to the previous three, will focus on the fundamental unity and inter-relatedness between the nature and work of the Trinity, and its implications for Christian missions. The eternal God, who is Spirit and truth (processional model) The Father, the source of divinity As an import from Dionysius of Alexandria, the portrayal of the Father as the "source of divinity" is evidenced in the writings of the Greek and Latin Fathers, the great scholastic theologians and in contemporary Catholic theologians like Karl Rahner and Leonardo Boff. …

This paper proceeds from the premise that we are living in a time of fundamental change in the shape and structure of world Christianity. The background of this crisis is traced to the beginnings of the modern missionary movement, and it it discussed particularly as it has affected our understanding of the “missio Dei” and the teaching of mission at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Today, the crisis may be described in terms of the churches' relationship to globalization, on the one hand, and to religious and cultural pluralism on the other. The contrast between a Christian visum of the oikoumene and the neo-liberal ideology of globalization, undergirded by American empire, has shaped the crisis in all of its forms. Mission from the margins suggests that the cutting edge for mission today and throughout the history of the Christian churched comes from movements emerging outside established Christian centres - the African Initiated Churches, Pentecostal) all over the world, the rural churches of China. The “missio Dei” needs to be reshaped in the encounter of historic churches in the North with these movements in the South. This will help Christians resist the forces of globalization and empire, and to respond anew to the gospel message for today. This will also entail the recovery and renewal of missioiogy, mission studies and questions related to Christianity in a world of religious pluralism as these subjects relate to theological education in Europe and North America.

1. Willingen 1952 I retain four major affirmations from what has been said about the International Missionary Council (IMC) conference of 1952. Firstly, it was held in a time of major missiological crisis because of the abrupt end of missionary work in China. Under the shock of such an event, which could be repeated in other places, the conference struggled with the fundamental definition of what mission is in a time of uncertainty. There is a striking analogy with our present situation. Particularly following the major change in 1989 occasioned by the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Soviet empire, and then also the 11 September 2001 attacks on the USA, we do not seem to have much confidence in what is going to happen next. Not only has the political context become very difficult to predict, the same is also true of economics (losses of financial income) and church development. Pentecostal and charismatic churches grow rapidly in some places of the world, while so-called "majority" churches seem to move towards minority status. To define major mission plans, if that was ever the task of the church, has become, if not impossible, a rather subjective and questionable thing to do. Secondly, Willingen, like many other such conferences, did not come to a satisfactory conclusion about missiological priorities. There was no final common decision that seemed "good" to the participants. The conference brought to the fore the existing tensions within the Protestant missionary movement. Some speakers at our anniversary consultation even spoke of Willingen as a failure. However, the "radiation" of the 1952 IMC meeting proved to be of the utmost importance. This shows how difficult it is to evaluate human activities in mission. Thirdly, Willingen's most remarkable achievement was to anchor mission in the doctrine of God or, as others formulated it, to have provided a trinitarian basis for mission. That the term missio Dei itself seems not to have appeared in Willingen itself is of less importance. The influence of conferences has, anyway, much to do with how people interpret them later, as we know very well from having done so ourselves. If I have understood what Wolfgang Gunther said, the achievement of Willingen derived in great part from the preparatory work done in the USA on the simultaneity of God's action in the world and church, and the search for a trinitarian basis of mission. This would also indicate how important preparatory work is for any mission conference. Then, fourthly and lastly, I was struck by how much the reference to God as the basis and main actor in mission could be liberating for people shocked by world and church events. This is like an embodiment of Christ's promise to take away from us what is too heavy for our shoulders (cf. the German word entlastend and Matt. 11: 28-30). I can only wish that we could find a similar way today to speak of mission in the frightening context of economic, political and cultural globalization. Indeed, in that sense missio Dei is "good news". 2. Elements for an evaluation of missio Dei theology A. Missio Dei theology has clearly broadened the horizon and fostered a wide understanding of and approach to mission that are of lasting importance. It seems like we have reached a point of no return. Missio Dei has helped to overcome the ecclesiocentric approach which had been highlighted since the 1930s (Tambaram). Missio Dei has been and can be a constant reminder that the church is not the ultimate goal of mission. In that sense, missio Dei plays a similar critical function to the message of the kingdom of God in the New Testament, as contributors emphasized in our consultation. Missio Dei also helped to open up the realms of politics and economics so that they became an integral part of the mission agenda. Missio Dei helped to change the post-Tambaram paradigm used in relation with people of other religions, and enabled Christians to have a more positive approach. …

Text: 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 1. We are holding this festival service to commemorate the great world mission conference that took place here in Willingen fifty years ago, which makes this a jubilee mission celebration. It is probable that in 1952 only a few of the near two hundred ecumenical delegates and participants would have dared to dream that fifty years on their conference would be commemorated by such a celebration. They went away, in fact, with the general feeling that they had failed in their efforts to produce a fresh theological understanding of mission. Even the concept of missio Dei (mission of God), which was introduced into the discussions at Willingen by the German mission theologian and Stuttgart church leader Karl Hartenstein, proved only in retrospect to be a decisive focal point for a fresh understanding of mission. Of course, a retrospective assessment of the theological debates at an ecumenical mission conference would in itself be no reason for holding a jubilee missionary celebration such as this. Justification for it could rather be the fact that the Willingen gathering was the first major ecumenical conference on German soil. Furthermore, in the year of the treaty that ended the allied occupation, the conference demonstrated that the German churches, seven years after the end of Nazi rule and the second world war, had again become fully part of the worldwide ecumenical community. A decisive contribution to that had been German missiological thinking as represented by Karl Hartenstein and Walter Freytag, even though their voices at Willingen were only partially heard. 2. However, perhaps the strongest reason for the decision to recall again the Willingen conference fifty years on is the feeling that today once more we are on the threshold of a radical change in our understanding of mission in a time of crisis. The discussions at Willingen were not simply theological experts playing with words but took place against a dramatic background. In 1949 the communist party had come to power in China. At that time there were 28 indigenous churches in China and 110 Protestant missions with more than 6,000 missionaries. After 142 years of Protestant missionary effort, there were about 1.8 million baptized Christians. The communist revolution had within a few years brought to an end that most ambitious of all missionary endeavours. The Korean war had made the situation more critical, and in 1952 the last remaining missionaries had left China. The shock waves of this defeat for Christian mission were clearly being felt at Willingen. They fundamentally called in question the hitherto accepted missionary strategy based on geographical expansion, for it was not only in China that such a radical change had taken place. The successful independence movements in Indonesia and India had marked the end of European colonialism, in the wake of which Protestant missions 'to the ends of the earth' had advanced. It was a time of revolutionary change, and, in contrast to previous conferences, it left its mark on the Willingen conference. In the final conference statement we read: (We) face a world in which other faiths of revolutionary power confront us in the full tide of victory, faiths which have won swift and sweeping triumphs, and which present to the Christian missionary movement a challenge more searching than any it has faced since the rise of Islam. Amid the world-shaking events of our time, when men's hearts are failing them for fear of the things coming on the earth, what does the Spirit say to the churches about their missionary task? (1) This nervous question is the background to the decisive declaration of belief in mission crossing frontiers, which has become the link to the theme of this mission festival: Grenzenlos ("boundless", or: "no frontiers"). But "no frontiers" seems too facile and obvious in a time of globalization. …

Missio Dei today-"God's mission today". That is the theme of this congress that we are holding to mark the 50th anniversary of the world mission conference in Willingen. I have been given the task of situating that conference in the overall context of the world mission conferences held during the 20th century, and outlining their significance. Obviously, given the limits of this paper, this will have to be done in fairly rough outline. I shall begin by presenting certain features of these world mission conferences. Then, after a brief chronological account, I shall look at the issues dealt with at each of the conferences, and end with an attempt at a summary. 1. Salient features of the world missionary conferences "Assuredly, then, we are called to make new discoveries of the grace and power of God, for ourselves, for the Church, and for the world; and, in the strength of that firmer and bolder faith in Him, to face the new age and the new task with a new consecration." (1) This is the closing sentence of the message to the "Members of the Church in Christian Lands" from the first world missionary conference in Edinburgh in 1910. I am tempted to put this paragraph up front as a motto, so to speak, because-using the language of its time-it seems to me to present in concentrated form much of what the world mission conferences are essentially about. First, there is the certainty of the calling. All the mission conferences are marked by the participants' certainty of being called by God to engage in mission. It was left to the Willingen conference in 1952 to state that mission is always God's affair and that we therefore take part in God's mission. However, all the earlier conferences shared the conviction that the task of mission was ultimately laid upon them by God. Edinburgh's message, for instance, calls for "a deeper sense of responsibility to Almighty God for the great trust which He has committed to us in the evangelization of the world". (2) All the mission conferences were anxious to pass this certainty on to the whole of Christendom, for the God who calls us is great, and greater than ever yet perceived or suspected. We have to make new discoveries about God's grace and power for ourselves, for the church and for the world. Though they may use different words, all the world conferences hope for the awakening of faith and the revival of the church, which means, a new dedication to mission. Mission is not just a side interest for a few highly motivated people; mission is part of the very nature of the church. That is how all the world conferences see it. To quote Edinburgh again: "That trust is not committed in any peculiar way to our missionaries, or to the societies, or to us as members of this Conference. It is committed to all and each within the Christian family; and it is as incumbent on every member of the Church, as are the elementary virtues of the Christian life-faith, hope and love. That which makes a man a Christian makes him also a sharer in this trust." (3) The aim of all the world conferences is to get the churches to understand this. That is what they pray for. The conferences wanted to make new discoveries of God's grace and power for the world and in the world as well, in order to face the new age and recognize the new tasks that await them. When all is said and done, it is a matter of keeping pace with God's mission. In the American preparatory material for Willingen we read, "He is not only the Head of the Church but ahead of both the Church and the world ... The problem is to keep abreast of Jesus Christ." This is a concern that is popularly expressed in the following way: "Two documents lie behind the new effort to understand the missionary obligation. One is the New Testament; the other, your morning newspaper." (4) That is why all the world conferences devote a large space to Bible study and the analysis of world events. …

1. Introduction I feel honoured to have been asked to give a lecture at this mission congress that is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the world mission conference here in Willingen. There is certainly ample reason to celebrate. We celebrate not only the Willingen Conference of fifty years ago, but we also want to remember the dramatic developments in missiology during the second half of the last century that in many ways began in Willingen. The development that found its most extreme form in the 1960s and early 70s (1) involved a change from a more anthropocentric understanding of mission to a more theocentric, and from a more ecclesiocentric perspective to a more cosmocentric. In the latter perspective, the world, both in its socio-political and religious dimensions, is at the centre of attention. The theocentric perspective was, of course, not new in the 20th century. It can already be found in Martin Luther's thinking about mission. The American Lutheran missiologist, James A. Scherer says, "For Luther, mission is always pre-eminently the work of the triune God--missio Dei--and its goal and outcome is the coming of the kingdom of God. Luther sees the church, along with God's word and every baptized believer, as crucial divine instruments for mission. Yet, nowhere does the reformer make the church the starting point or the final goal of mission, as 19th-century missiology tended to do. It is always God's own mission that dominates Luther's thought, and the coming of the kingdom of God represents its final culmination". (2) Here, already, we encounter the three concepts that form a dynamic triangle in post-war missiological thought: missio Dei, the kingdom of God and the church. Much of the discussion is centred on how they relate, and the answers given diverge strongly. Before looking at the concept of missio Dei and the understanding of it in a historical perspective, I may be allowed two comments on my theme. Firstly, missiology is a global ecumenical discipline. Some of the most important milestones of missiology in the 20th century were the great mission conferences that for the most part were global in scope. Hence, to restrict the discussion of missio Dei to European churches and missiology seems somewhat arbitrary. I shall, however, for the most part limit my comments to European missiologists, but I cannot promise not to have the larger picture in mind. Secondly, the words "understanding and misunderstanding" assume that something more than a historical perspective is required. In some sense, there is a right understanding and a wrong one. This implies a normative perspective, and I will in this article present some normative positions. I would like to characterize them as Lutheran and evangelical. (3) 2. The origin and content of the concept missio Dei The term missio Dei has a long history that goes back to Augustine and relates to the doctrine of the Trinity, but this is not our main concern here. It is the use of the phrase in missiology that is our topic. Although one of the main reasons for the fame of the Willingen conference is the introduction of the concept of missio Dei, I have not been able to find the term in the documents from the conference itself. (4) It seems that it was Karl Hartenstein who, in his report from Willingen, coined the phrase when he spoke of mission as "participation in the sending of the Son, in the missio Dei, with an inclusive aim of establishing the lordship of Christ over the whole redeemed creation". (5) To quote Hartenstein more fully, "Mission is not just the conversion of the individual, nor just obedience to the word of the Lord, nor just the obligation to gather the church. It is the taking part in the sending of the Son, the missio Dei, with the holistic aim of establishing Christ's rule over all redeemed creation". (6) In my estimation, however, the emphasis in Willingen on a trinitarian basis of mission is even more important than the somewhat ambiguous phrase missio Dei. …

1. What is mission? The conflict surrounding the main concept Mission is at one and the same time an essential but contentious theological issue. This is because it deals with the truth of the Christian faith in the face of other claims to truth. This fact will become clear straight away as we review two doctrinal statements that represent, respectively, a traditional view of missionary theology and a more recent view (or paradigm): If Christendom could breathe ... then it would experience ... both the need to breathe in and the ability to breathe out as being the grace of God without which it would not be able to live ... The Bible often speaks of the Spirit of God as of a wind or a breath of air, that can be breathed in, with which the Church has to be filled in order to be spiritually alive. The Church has to go forwards on the basis of this spiritual breath in order to continually renew itself as the Church. The Church does this mainly through its ... worship ... Indeed ... if the Church wants to stay alive it also has to be able to breathe out. It has to go out beyond itself, if it wants to remain the Church of Jesus Christ. It cannot exist as the Church moved by his Spirit, if it is not, or does not become again, a missionary Church. (2) This is how Eberhard Jungel described the nature and priority of mission at the synod of the Evangelical Church of Germany (EKD) in Leipzig in 1999. The central concept in this interpretation is that mission is the sign of the life of a church which is sure of its source in the Spirit of God, and is, for this very reason, ready to open itself up to and turn towards strangers. During Jungel's address many of those in the EKD who had been turned off mission gained renewed faith in the subject. (3) However, the main concept behind his words has long been a matter for argument in the worldwide debate on mission. Fourteen years ago, the Indian theologian, Stanley J. Samartha explained the task of mission thus: In a pluralistic religious world Christians and their neighbours from other religious backgrounds are called to take part in God's continuing mission to the world. Mission means continuing God's work through the Spirit, to mend what is broken in the whole of creation, to overcome the destruction of humankind and to heal the rift between God, nature and humanity. (4) In contrast to Jungel's definition, this describes mission as a work of God that is common to all religions. Each religion has a share in it but only in common with others that are, as it were, "equally" called. According to Samartha, the church no longer has the explicit role of mediator of the Christian faith to humanity beyond itself. Therefore, the debate about the correct central concept of mission is still in full swing. However, one thing has been symptomatic of mission theology over the last fifty years: both sides, those who support the first concept and those who support the second, trace their arguments back to the fifty-year-old mission theology concept of missio Dei (5) (God's mission) and yet draw different and in part opposing conclusions. It seems that everyone reads into and out of this "container definition" (6) whatever he or she needs at the time. Is such a term of any use at all, if it does not help us to establish a clear single interpretation of the central concept? Should we give up this formula altogether or, as is increasingly being called for, give up using it for the time being. (7) Fortunately, as theologians we have a great deal of practice in dealing with terms that have several meanings. We know that we do not understand a term that has acquired a whole host of different interpretations (or derived meanings) until we have learnt its original meaning and established for ourselves why, in different circumstances, this original meaning is not shared by all specialists. …