The study group looking at this theme met in January 2009. We represented most Christian traditions and came from Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Together we began to explore the questions raised by this theme. These questions are outlined in bullet form below. Core Group members are now working with others members of our wider study group to produce written materials and other resources which will be available on this site at a later date.

The discussion outlined below is very much a work in progress but we publish it at this stage to encourage others to join our conversation and to bring us their own insights, expertise and experience. Contributions in any format or language will be welcomed.

To join us in this study please follow the instructions in the attached file

The primary role of the Local Church in Mission

• Accountability to the local community/congregation is essential. Ministry is not an individualistic affair.
• We will tell stories about new forms of local church ministry.
• We will reflect on these forms from a biblical and contextual perspective.
• It is helpful to note the links between missiology, ecclesiology and eschatology.
• The ‘house church’ is sometimes seen as the primary form for missionary engagement in certain countries.
• We need to keep in mind the fact that mission grows out of doing mission. Important new forms are not designed, but emerge on the way.
• As we focus on new forms could we highlight “mission as discipleship/making disciples”?
• The church in mission needs to minimize the gap between outside and inside. Less emphasis on evangelism as such and more on breaking down the walls between inside and outside. Mission needs to be seen as ‘attracting in’ as well as ‘going out’.
• In what ways is the worship of the church mission?  A member of the wider study group (KM) has agreed to do some work with us on Worship and Mission.
• It still makes sense to talk about structures (e.g. modalities and sodalities), but we need today an ecclesiological mission that brings people as communities, and not just as individuals, into the body of Christ.
• We need the mission structure (the missionary band of Paul and Barnabas), but since Carey there has been a danger of professionalizing mission, e.g. in terms of mission societies.
• Will missionary agencies eventually fade out and leave room for the local church in mission?
• We need to make sure we engage ‘Generation Y’ in mission through the local church.

Partnership and Collaboration in Mission

• Some of the barriers to partnership identified by the group were: competition (for finance, people, etc.); organisational pride; power; theological, cultural and generational differences; time constraints; scale and complexity; trust
• A presentation (PowerPoint) was given to the core group on the theological understanding of partnership in mission. This will be developed and made available at a later date.
• There is a great deal of material already on this topic and we will be drawing on this as well as the expertise of people such as those involved in the ‘PowertoConnect’ network and VisionSynergy. Particular reference was made to an article by Roland Hoksbegen at Calvin “Towards Authentic Partnership”.
• There are many different models for cooperation and partnership and our study will need to explore these with case studies.
• The term ‘partnership’ has been much misused and is consequently a misunderstood word. Reciprocity in partnership is an essential element of the biblical understanding.

Vulnerable Mission

• Vulnerability arises from a lack of power, choice, information, nutrition, health.
• There are also spiritual dimensions of poverty that we need to consider.
• It might be more helpful to abandon the poverty-wealth dichotomy and speak instead of the opposite of poverty being ’abundance’ or ’enough’. (reference was made gto John 10 where the devil comes to kill and destroy and Jesus comes to bring life abundantly).
• We are encouraged us to look at Luke 10-14 (the core reflection being on 12-14) with the thoughts
  • Poverty leads to worry
  • Does desperation and worry drive mission?
  • We need to look deeper at our context and not just on the surface
  • We must engage with the unjust structures of society
  • There is a Kingdom priority for the poor.
• We note the signifigance of mission through migration – this will be an important theme to explore. (It has been noted that BIAMS had a major focus on this in 2007).

Receiving Mission

• Our context is the ’ending of Christendom’ in the Western world.
• Mission and migration is a mega-trend to which we need to give attention.
• In particular we need to note the significance of African migration into Europe.
• We note five particular implications of this ’post-Christendom’ context for mission, namely:
• The leading response to Islam in Europe will come from the steady influx of (mainly African and Asian) Christian migrants;
• Many ordinary members of migrant churches see themselves as missionaries;
• African Instituted Church (AIC) and Korean migrants have more contact with marginalised groups in Western societies than the indigenous Christian community;
• New migrant Christian communities are more attuned to pluralism;
• Trans-nationality greatly enhances the capacity of migrant congregations for mission engagement.
• There is an issue of definition which needs to be tackled.  BIAMS and others have talked about ’reverse mission’ and we are talking about ’receiving mission’ but is it not all just ’everywhere to everywhere mission’?   There is a mutual learning process in mission – we need to encourage interaction and learning from each other.
• We will consider the profile of non-Western missionaries in Europe, including:
• Questions asked by the receiving churches;
• Training needs indicated by the lack of understanding of cross-cultural issues by receiving churches;
• Non-Westerners are sometimes seen as a valuable resource as a ’counter-force’ for other religions in Europe;
• Mutual challenge is helpful.
• We are encouraged to use more parables to clarify terminology.

Relationships between Global North and Global South agencies

• Resources mentioned, during the core group meeting, for this section included :
• ”We are the world” by David Lundy (an evaluation of OM)
• The MANI report
• Report of the WEA ’Global Dialogue’
• ”Dancing a different dance”  D. Olumbe.
• To what extent is the health/strength of the church a driving force in mission?
• Separation or Synergy – do we need to give space to each other or seek collaboration?    (This issue is dealt with in the WEA report – see above.)
• What hope is there for the internationalisation of mission and what would be the benefits/outcomes?   Is this different from the ’globalisation’ of mission?
• How do we undersatand the phenomenon of ’incidential mission’?
• Is our focus on ’mission’ or ’missions’?
• Is the term ’missioner’ more useful than ’missionary’?  In some contexts (e.g. African churches) ’missionary’ is undersatood as only applicable to ’white’ Christians.

Mission Strategy

• We are encouraged us to distinguish between (rich and thick) description and prescription in our work. We need a clear balance between the two.
• In looking at mission strategy it was suggested that we need to address:
  • Challenges
  • Contexts
  • Case Studies.
  • Several possible case studies have been mentioned including:
  • Market place church
  • Background of leaders in contemporary church
  • Significance of entrepeneurial leaders
  • ’Ministry of presence’ = mission.

Mission and Children

• We are looking primarily at children as the agents of (not focus for) mission.
• As far as we are aware there is very little research in this area to date.
• We noted that the so called ”4-14 Window” (compare ”10-40 window”) represents the most open age for conversion. If children in this ’window’ are to be evangelised then perhaps their peers might be the most effective mission agents.
• There are several publications which deal with children in the Bible but few of these focus on ’how God uses children’ in His kingdom business.
• We could also look at ’Children in Church history’.  A literature search has revealed almost nothing on this.
• How do we introduce children to mission?
• Children can be seen as ’agents of change’ in society in general – how are they agents of spiritual change?
• We noted that World Vision are doing research on the effectiveness of the prayers of children in mission and their involvement in other ways.

Mission and the Media

• A former member of staff of Trans World Radio has been identified as a resource person for this sub-topic.
• We need to look at the impact of the ’Jesus Film’ globally.

Mission and Worship

• We are aware that in many context mission happens through worship. The core group have commissioned one person (in Japan) to work on this topic but is anxious to recruit others with expertise in this area.