In June, delegates to the 227th General Assembly will vote on an overture that calls on the church to review its understanding of mission: RIW-02, “Calling for a New Missiological Statement for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)” (originally OVT-006). Since not all of the delegates will recognize what is meant by “missiological statement,” I propose to unpack some of what might be implied in such a task. Below, I offer ten statements with brief explanations, which collectively aim to describe the foundations, purposes, and scope of mission theology.
Theologies of mission (explicit or implicit) guide many possible practices of mission
Theologies of mission are like flight plans for individual missionaries, congregations and denominations. They indicate not only a destination, but also a proposed route and reason(s) for the trip. Theologies of mission address a host of crucial questions related to Christian witnessing, including the idea of salvation, the nature of the church, the limits of missionary authority, the importance of Christian unity, interfaith relations, the proper role of secular power, and expectations for humanity’s ultimate destiny. Mission priorities, partners, and evaluation all depend on how such issues are approached. Not all theologies of mission are written down, but, even when implicit, their power to guide practice is evident.
The incarnation is the foundation of and model for mission in Christ’s way
The character of God is revealed in the incarnation. Instead of standing aloof from human history, God chooses to become vulnerable and participate in an unresolved story of promise and brokenness. The incarnation shows God identifying with humanity through a particular culture in the person of a poor first-century Palestinian Jew. Under the influence of God’s Spirit, Christ’s life and mission crossed many linguistic and political boundaries, each time affirming God’s hope for everyone to participate in the coming Reign of God. God’s missionary purpose is salvation for the whole of creation.
Christian discipleship implies an intention to follow Jesus in mission
The earliest followers of Jesus did not wait for a command to begin their missionary activities. Andrew, for example, went to get his brother Peter immediately after meeting Jesus. In the gospels, many healed by Jesus could not restrain their witness, even when told to be silent. Similarly instructive is the Samaritan woman in John 4, whose spontaneous testimony to Jesus set in motion the evangelization of many in her village. Good news wants to be shared. To become a disciple of Jesus means joining his cause and advancing his work of reconciliation, justice seeking, and honoring God. The resurrected Christ exponentially expanded the scope of this project by instructing his disciples to carry on with his mission “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Evangelism and Christian witness are core elements of the church’s identity
Our understanding of the church conditions how we think about mission. If the church is focused primarily on the needs of those already within the fellowship, then mission and evangelism are non-essential. An outward-oriented church, on the other hand, seeks constantly to expand the range of its witness and to empower the membership to serve ever-widening communities. Mission is not reduced to a set of programming activities but a matter of living into an apostolic vocation. This kind of church leans fully into its Nicene identity (“one holy, catholic, and apostolic church”). From this perspective, congregations and denominations can only hope to live into their core identities by participating in God’s mission.
A fully-rounded theology of mission includes commitments to evangelism, social justice, peacemaking, ecumenical cooperation, and substantive interfaith dialogue
Theologies of mission can be narrowly or broadly conceived. When a single aspect of practice completely dominates one’s thinking about mission (such as church planting, work among unreached people groups, promoting human rights, or cultivating ecumenical relationships), the resulting theology of mission will likely be truncated, too. Comprehensive understandings of mission will support a balanced array of outreach activities. At a minimum, we should be prepared to proclaim what is true about the human condition, commit to act in love in response to what God has done for all humanity on the cross, and invite others to participate in Christ’s victory and celebrate his sovereignty over all things.
Partnership in mission means surrendering control
True partnerships are different from transactional alliances. In the latter case, bargains are struck with each associated body pursuing its own interests while guarding against risk. An enlarged vision of partnership is based on mutual respect, shared goals, and a willingness to adapt to the needs of one’s colleagues in mission. Such relationships depend on honest communication and processes of consultation that honor the integrity of every involved party, even when social power is unevenly distributed. Joint efforts to set mission priorities and allocate resources can strengthen ecclesial relationships, while expressing ecumenical commitments. Unilateral announcements of policy undermine the spirit of partnership.
The history of mission influences the present but does not determine our future
Without cross-cultural missions, the present configuration of Christianity would not exist. Today, our global Christian community is not limited by political boundaries or ethnic divisions. The Bible is read and interpreted in an astonishing array of cultures across the world, using virtually every language spoken on the planet. Christianity only became a truly global religion in the modern era. Because much of that growth has taken place in contexts shaped by European colonialism, many in Western churches are ambivalent about the social processes that produced the rich cultural diversity within world Christianity they now also applaud. The next era of mission history, with outreach issuing from every continent, is bound to be different from what came before, since it will largely unfold in post-colonial circumstances.
Churches in the global North have much to learn about Christian mission from churches in the global South
The 20th century witnessed a large-scale demographic shift within global Christianity, such that European and North American forms of the church can no longer claim to represent the conceptual center of the tradition. The most vigorous churches in the global South seek to influence their societies, rather than withdrawing into safe religious enclaves functionally cut off from the secular world. Often in the minority, Christians in the global South have learned to live faithfully in religiously plural societies. In these quarters, creative approaches to evangelism have led to significant growth. Patterns of migration have made some of this experience available to churches in the global North, but more careful listening is needed to renew mission theology in the lands of old Christendom.
Secular social norms are powerful shapers of mission contexts worldwide
At one time, many missionaries uncritically promoted the advancement of post-Enlightenment, industrialized social orders, confident they would weaken traditional religions and so pave the way for the world’s evangelization. Already by the 1920s, a few mission theologians began to worry that secularism as a mindset had profound implications for Western churches and their societies, too. Modern life, with deference given to the authority of science, the promises of technology, the requirements of capital markets, and the strong pull of national identities, leaves little room for guiding religious principles. Wherever the church finds itself, it must be prepared to speak to audiences immersed in the globalized culture of modernity.
Theologies of mission are expressions of public theology
Churches are public institutions. In addition to the care and nurture of their members, churches have public vocations. They exist in complex social settings alongside many other civil society organizations, which likewise have to contend with governmental rules, prevailing social norms, and insatiable consumer habits. Mission is an extramural dimension of church life observable to those outside the company of the faithful. As a result, the actions of churches in the public realm are a test of their professed convictions. Through mission outreach, churches can contribute to the common good. Their witness to gospel values enriches public discourse by adding Christian perspectives on urgent social issues. Effective theologies of mission help churches to learn how to speak and act in ways that new listeners might understand and find compelling.
