The World Missionary Conference made a great impact on Christianity and laid the foundations for the Protestant ecumenical movement. By reminding ourselves of the past, we shall be inspired for the days ahead of us. 

John R. Mott, an American evangelist, was one of the main organisers and a key figure of the 1910 conference. In his Closing Address, delivered in the Assembly Hall on the 23rd of June 1910, he passionately declared:

"Our best days are ahead of us and not in these ten days that we have spent together, still less in the days that lie behind them. Why? Because we go forth tonight with larger knowledge, and this in itself is a talent which makes possible better things. We go out with a larger acquaintanceship, with deeper realisation of this fellowship which we have just seen, and that is a rich talent which makes possible wonderful achievements. Our best days are ahead of us because of a larger body of experience now happily placed at the disposal of all Christendom. Our best days are ahead of us because we have a deeper insight into the character and purposes, the desires and the rescources of our God.
Our best days are ahead of us because we have a larger Christ, even one who requires, as we have learned increasingly these days, all of us, and all nations, and races, and communions through which adequately to express His excellences, and to communicate His power to our generation.  We have a larger knowledge of the purposes and designs of God, and we have come to see that these are immeasurably greater than we had dreamt. Therefore, with rich talents like these which we bear forth, surely our best days are ahead of every one of us, even the most distinguished person in our great company."

John R. Mott 'Closing Address',
in The History and Records of the Conference,
World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910

Edinburgh 2010 Press Release (08/05/2009)

The General Council of Edinburgh 2010 met in Scotland from 15 to 17 April to further develop plans for the celebration of the centenary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference, which is widely recognised as the parent of the contemporary ecumenical and world missionary movement. The Council has firmed up many of its plans in the shadow of the global economic crisis, but also in the days of rejoicing immediately around the celebration of Easter in our different traditions. The three key components to the 2010 celebrations have again been affirmed.

The first is the study process, which the Council recognises as the central part of its strategy to allow the impact of the centenary to spread far beyond one place and time. The study process has been developed globally around nine key themes relating to the challenges of the Christian Gospel to the realities faced by millions of believers in widely different contexts and cultures.

The second is a series of events around the world, which are being encouraged by the General Council but planned and executed locally, in which different church communities choose their own ways to mark the centenary. “This way of marking the 1910 Conference recognises and affirms the development of the Church around the world in the last 100 years,” says Andrew Anderson, the Council Chairman.

The third will be a four day event in Edinburgh itself. This will bring together some 200 delegates, when those taking part in the international study process will engage with representatives from the worldwide church to explore what challenges the study process may bring to the life of churches over the years to come. Then the final day will see a much larger gathering, of over a thousand people, designed to be a day of celebration, thanksgiving, penitence and re-commitment.

In all of the above the Council believes it is developing a process rather than just a programme - one that will be rooted in the life of churches all around the world. As plans have sharpened, the scale of the single event in Edinburgh itself has been reduced, to allow the impact of the process to take root more effectively everywhere else. There is now a structure in place that is theologically vibrant, intellectually credible, financially responsible, is rooted in the lives of ordinary people, and is one whose impact will be felt for many years to come, as we reflect on, and celebrate our core theme “Witnessing to Christ Today”.

Communications Officer Appointed

Last month I joined the Edinburgh 2010 team as Communications Officer. In Germany I studied business management and marketing-communications and worked for various media companies. I completed my PhD in Book and Media Studies this spring and am now looking forward to an exciting year in Scotland. If you have any questions regarding the communications side of Edinburgh 2010, please contact me, Jasmin Adam at jadam@cofscotland.org.uk.

A polycentric study process with 9 main study themes, 7 transversal themes and more than 30 additional events in different parts of the world is certainly unique in the history of Christian mission! As Research Coordinator since January 2009, it is my privilige to be in touch with all these activities to encourage them to relate to one another and to find ways of disseminating their work. The internet is in keeping with the polycentric and networking pattern of the process of Edinburgh 2010, and so the website (www.edinburgh2010.org) is the best place to find out about what has been going on. It is growing rapidly as more information comes in and is uploaded, and as new connections are made across it.

Under the 'study process' you can learn about the main study themes and read the blogs of the groups which have been working on these for a year or more. Information about transversal activities will be uploaded soon - do get in touch if you have something to contribute to one of these. Events in May 2009 included the international conference of United Evangelical Mission in Wuppertal, Germany, and an East African regional conference on 'Christian communities in contemporary contexts' in Nairobi. Click on the link to see more and find out what they discussed. Check out 'Resources' for the latest papers and publications, such as Edinburgh 2010: Mission Then and Now (edited by David Kerr and Kenneth Ross and published by Regnum Paternoster): the first publication of the projected Edinburgh 2010 series.

Dr. Kirsteen Kim
Research Coordinator
k.kim@leedstrinity.ac.uk

1-3 July 2009
Sinking Foundations: Why Mission Today? A Meeting of Churches and Agencies in Britain and Ireland
Venue: All Nations Christian College, Easneye, Ware, Hertfordshire (UK)

In preparation for the Edinburgh 2010 Conference BIAMS, the CTBI Global Mission Network and the evangelical Global Connections jointly sponsored a research project to take a snapshot of the theological understandings, motivation and practice of mission by British and Irish churches and agencies at the beginning of the 21st century. This Conference is part of the process of reception of that research and is also a key opportunity at the beginning of the 21st century to reflect on the theological bases for engagement in mission in and from Britain and Ireland. What is the relationship between what we do and the reasons under God that we give for why we do it? What is God saying to us and calling us towards? Registration for Sinking Foundations is possible until the 24th of June. For further details please visit the conference website.