Conference on World Christianity: "Christian Unity in Mission and Service"

The Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity at Liverpool Hope University are pleased to announce their thrid annual conference on World Christianity from 11th June to 13th June 2010 and invite paper and panel proposals on a specific topic related to the theme of the conference, "Christian Unity in Mission and Service".

During 19-23 March 1860, the Protestant churches in Liverpool hosted the first world missionary conference, consisting of 126 representatives of various British Protestant missionary societies. The participants discussed various plans of missionary labour at home and abroad in order to identify the theoretical and practical implications for Christian witness and service in their times. The participants enjoyed in the fact of their close theological union and practical co-operation at home and abroad. Fifty years later, the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh expanded these and many other aspects of Christian witness and service.

The churches in Liverpool have tried to continue their ecumenical witness. The Anglican and the Roman Churches have created several examples of living ecumenism. They jointly worked towards for the formation of Liverpool Hope University combining their colleges of higher education. The conference on Unity in Mission and Service will investigate various ecumenical contributions of Christians in Liverpool for 150 years. It will be held at the Andrew Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity and invite scholars from different parts of the world to reflect on other models of living ecumenism. This conference will involve not only Christian missiologists and theologians, but scholars from Christian and non-Christian backgrounds, and it will be organized in close collaboration with the organizers of the Edinburgh 2010.

Full Panel Proposals are due on or before Friday 18th December 2009: Please send a 500-word abstract of the panel theme plus a 200-word abstract for each paper presenter in your panel. Individual Paper Proposals are due on or before Friday 18th Dezember 2009: Please send a 200-word abstract and a two-page CV including your name, institutional position or affiliation, postal address, telephone number(s), and email address. The organizers will inform the prospective paper presenters and panelists whether or not their proposals can be accomodated on or before Friday, January 29, 2010.

For more information on the conference click here, or download the registration form. If any additional details are needed, kindly contact the Conference Coordinator Ms Ursula Leahy at leahyu (at) hope.ac.uk.