When Missions Shapes The Mission

A veteran pastor challenges and motivates churches and their leaders to radically commit their best resources to the mission of spreading the gospel worldwide.

"Why are more churches not engaged in practical, substantial ways of taking the gospel to the nations?" When Missions Shape the Mission unpacks a statistical study of traditionally evangelical churches that reveals their anemic level of commitment to the biblical mandate of making Christ known around the world. Veteran pastor David Horner makes the data easy to understand, challenging other pastors to radically assign their best leadership and resources to missions as he looks at where the church is today, how it got there, and where we must go from here: "Let's dream a godly dream. What if you committed to step up and lead your church in the pursuit of becoming a mission-focused church? Then, what if you invited ten of your pastor friends to join you in the effort—and each of them did the same? What would happen to the available missions force beginning right here in the West?"

In this addition to the highly acclaimed Encountering Mission series, two leading missionary scholars offer an up-to-date discussion of missionary strategy that is designed for a global audience. The authors focus on the biblical, missiological, historical, cultural, and practical issues that inform and guide the development of an effective missions strategy. The book includes all the features that have made other series volumes useful classroom tools, such as figures, sidebars, and case studies. Students of global or domestic mission work and mission practitioners will value this new resource.

The book falls into three symmetrical parts, each of which is subdivided (the subdivisions are listed in the analytical Contents, making a Subject Index redundant). The first part, 'The Mission of God that Shapes our Ministry', draws on the missiological insights of Karl Barth and the Second Vatican Council concerning the missio Dei and directly relates this theme to the tasks entrusted to the Church in 'The Great Commission' of Matthew 28: the ministry of the Word, the celebration of the sacraments and the exercise of pastoral responsibility. It shows how Christians share in the ministry of Christ himself. The second part, 'A Ministry Shaped by the Mission of God', carries the argument forward by clarifying the much abused term 'ministry' and offering a more rigorous and somewhat controversial definition of ministry as work for the Church that is mandated by the Church and explicitly related to its core tasks. Ministers therefore represent both Christ and his Church. The third part, 'Ordained to a Ministry Shaped by Mission', applies the insights of the earlier parts to ordained and lay ministry and offers a cogent answer to the question, What difference does ordination make? The book concludes with an agenda for the reform and development of ministry in the light of the arguments advanced.

Authors from eighteen countries give us their perspectives on biblical principles and cultural expressions of spirituality particularly as the church engages in God’s mission. The anthology of texts enriches our understanding of the depth and the meaning of being spiritual and the diversity of forms to live out the Christian faith. The issue today is how spirituality should direct and guide a daily life as followers of Jesus in the engagement in the mission of God. No doubt that it has to do with our inner life and our relationship to God, but it is in showing our love and concern to others that we prove our love to God, according to the Apostle John (1 John 4). Mission without spirituality will only be a human effort to convince people of religious theories. Spirituality without a missionary involvement of the church will not express God’s desire that the transforming gospel reaches every person. This book will help you rethink your understanding of what is spiritual, revisit your own spiritual journey, and appreciate the different forms of spirituality as they are described and performed around the globe.

This book brings together a passion for the church and a passion for global mission. It looks at the heart of the UK church, asking whether and how it beats for mission and explores the passion of the mission community, and asks how it involves the local church. You might be forgiven for expecting that the heart of church and the heart of mission would be interwoven and closely linked together, but that has not been the case. Two significant historical events continue to shape the church and mission in the Western World. Christendom removed mission from the church and the launch of the missionary societies disengaged the local church from mission. Although there is plenty of talk of change, the dominant mind-set is still shaped by these events. Practical suggestions are directed at churches and agencies with the aim of re-establishing, Mission at the heart of the church and the church at the heart of mission. The world is a different place to when the "modern" Western mission movement developed. Yet many of the same structures exist today, in both churches and mission agencies. The church in the West needs to engage in new and appropriate ways in the world, building on history but not being bound by it. Bryan's prophetic call is to new ways of thinking, new attitudes and clear Biblical principles and deserves a wide audience. The Global Church deserves no less than a fresh approach to obeying His command to join together in God's mission in His world. Martin Lee, Executive Director, Global Connections, UK Bryan Knell has been involved with mission for over 40 years. Firstly, in the International Student world with UCCF and then, following some theological study, Bryan was the UK Director of Arab World Ministries for 16 years and the Founding Coordinator of CRIB (Christian Responses to Islam in Britain) for 15 years. More recently, he has worked for Global Connections as the Church Relations Director and is still involved in ministry to Muslims in the UK.

ÒConceived and developed by two of Europe's most eminent missiologists, in the country where the scientific and sustained study of mission first took shape, [the 'Dictionary of Mission'] represents the finest of the chorus of voices that comprise contemporary missiology . . . The choice of topics and the authors to address them reflects what Christian mission has become: a genuinely worldwide and ecumenical phenomenon. That there would be entries on regional theological developments is indicative of how the world church is developing. A host of other topics here explored show too how the landscape of mission is changing. Taken as a whole, then, the 'Dictionary of Mission' is a road map through this exciting and challenging terrain. --from the Foreword

What does it mean today to be a church totally committed to the gospel and fully engaged in God’s mission? What major religious and sociological trends in our world are affecting the role of the global church and local churches? How must we understand and be prepared to face these trends? How do we define “church” in the twenty-first century, being faithful to the Scriptures and at the same time relevant to a generation that does not believe in the institutional church anymore? What are some good models of missional churches in different regions of the world that will encourage and inspire those who long to see a church making difference in society and in the world? These are some of the issues that the book you are holding in your hands addresses. There are certainly no final answers and magical forms; rather, we present a broad and deep discussion on how the gospel should be lived out by Jesus’ followers in our time and through our communities. Questions are raised and analyzed both from the perspective of a local church as well as from a global and general understanding of the Christian church. Some of our examples will focus more on local realities, others more on global challenges. The first part of the book is dedicated to a biblical and theological reflection on gospel, church, and mission. It includes Old and New Testament studies on the theological implications of being church, based on the biblical narrative. The second part deals with a variety of contemporary missiological issues related to the broader theme of church and mission. Different perspectives from current discussions and dialogues around the globe are included, covering both ideological reflections and practical aspects of being a mission-shaped church. The third part presents regional and national case studies that show the enormous creativity in church planting and engagement of local communities in their own societies. Models applied in the secularized Europe are contrasted to ways of functioning as church in fast growing congregations in the global South.