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INTRODUCING
WORLD MISSIONS A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey A. Scott Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, Gary B. McGee Baker Academic, 2004, 239 pp ISBN 0-8010-2648-2 |
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Moreau is professor of missions at Wheaton College. Corwin is associate editor of Evangelical
Missions Quarterly. McGee is
professor at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. They have put together an excellent
overview of world missions. By
necessity it is highly information dense, making it a little bookish. The text is enriched with quotes, case
studies, and sidebars from Tom Telford’s books on missions. Chapters on preparing and sending are
especially practical. Scott Moreau’s
entire Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions on CD Rom is included! The
major sections focus on Scripture, History, Candidate, Sent One and Sender,
and Contemporary World. Missions – “the
specific work of churches and agencies in the task of reaching people for
Christ by crossing cultural boundaries. Mission – “broader, referring to everything the church is
doing that points toward the Kingdom of God.” (9) “Traditionally, a missionary was a person who crossed
cultural boundaries to establish new outreach on behalf of Jesus and plant
new bodies of local believers.” (18) “A missionary is a prepared disciple whom God sends into
the world with his resources to make disciples for the kingdom.” (18 quoting Ada Lum) “If every Christian is already considered a missionary,
then all can stay put where they are, and nobody needs to get up and go
anywhere to preach the gospel. But if
our only concern is to witness where we are, how will people in unevangelized
areas ever hear the gospel? The
present uneven distribution of Christians and opportunities to hear the
gospel of Christ will continue on unchanged.” (20 quoting C. Gordon Olson) “He is interested in every person in the world right from
the start, and that interest does not change over time. Because of this intense interest in every
person, God is in the process of making himself known long before
missionaries arrive on the scene.
Mission is God’s project, and he graciously allows Christians
to take part in it.” (28) “In essence, the story of mission from that time on [The
Fall] has been the story of God reaching out to humans, who are asked to choose
sides.” (30) “He pursues Adam and Eve
after the fall and promises the solution to their (and our) brokenness.” (31) “Now we are Abraham’s seed by faith, and the earth’s
families will be blessed only if we go to them with the Gospel. That is God’s plain purpose.” (32 quoting
John Stott) “Just as God called one person (Abraham) to be a blessing
for the whole world, so now he begins with one land (Israel) to renew the
whole earth.” (34 quoting William Dyrness) “As his ‘kingly priests,’ ‘the whole nation was to
function on behalf of the kingdom of God in a mediatorial role in relation to
the nations.” (36 quoting Walter Kaiser) “As Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden, so also
Israel is expelled from the land.”
(37) “The New Testament is a missionary book in address,
content, spirit and design… The New
Testament is theology in motion more than theology in reason and
concept. It is ‘missionary
theology.’” (40 quoting George Peters) “To be a disciple of Jesus is to bear his message and
continue his ministry. Nothing less
will do.” (45 quoting Don Williams) “In Luke, Jesus is not only the sent one, but also the
sender of others. This is clearly
portrayed in two key passages: Luke 4:18-19 and 24:46-48.” “That three of the four [infinitives in
Luke 4:18-19] are related to preaching is an indication of the thrust of the
means of Jesus accomplishing his mission, and yet, ‘For Luke the spiritual is
primary, yet the liberation it brings is holistic.’” (47 quoting Larkin) “The story of the church as portrayed in Acts is the story
of God’s mission. That story
continues to focus on sending and going into the world, calling peoples of
all nations, tongues, and tribes to glorify God through living worshipful
lives.” (52) Although the epistles do not focus on a theology of
mission, five key themes of mission can be observed: God’s mercy extends to
all people. Mission involves a
message. Mission faces a supernatural
opponent. God is sovereignly in
charge of mission. We are Christ’s
ambassadors. (65-6) “There is perhaps little theology of missions as such in
the New Testament because it is in its totality a missionary theology, the
theology of a group of missionaries and a theology in missionary
movement. Thus it does not present a
theology of missions, it is a missionary theology. (65 quoting George Peters) The core idea of mission is the sending of someone or
something to do a job. (71) “Missions is a specialized term. By it I mean the sending forth of authorized persons beyond the
borders of the New Testament church and her immediate gospel influence to
proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ in gospel-destitute areas, to win
converts from other faiths or non-faiths to Jesus Christ, and to establish
functioning, multiplying local congregations who will bear the fruit of
Christianity in that community and to that country. (72 quoting Peters) On the other hand, mission is “the total biblical assignment
of the church of Jesus Christ. It is
a comprehensive term including the upward, inward and outward ministries of
the church. It is the church as
‘sent’ (a pilgrim, stranger, witness, prophet, servant, as salt, as light,
etc.) in this world.” (72 quoting Peters) Mission Dei is a comprehensive term
encompassing everything God does in relation to the kingdom and everything
the church is sent to do on earth. It
is broader yet than mission. (73, referring to John McIntosh) Piper makes God’s glory and our reflection of his glory
through worship the guiding themes for mission theology. (79)
In line with those themes, “the core of our responsibility of
reflecting God’s glory through worship is (1) to engage in evangelism and
church planting, as well as (2) discipling those who enter the kingdom and
enabling local churches to thrive and grow, (3) while glorifying God by
living lives that act as salt and light in a hurting world.” (79) “No matter how broadly Christians may choose to define
mission, they must not lose sight of the eternal perspective. The central need of people is to be
reestablished in a living relationship with a loving God—to love God with all
their heart, soul, mind, and strength.” (85-6) “The mission of the church is that it be used by God (1)
to witness to people about the reconciliation offered in Christ; (2) to
invite people to worship their creator by leading them to Christ; (3) to
incorporate those led to Christ into local church contexts; and (4) to teach
them as people reconciled to God, to obey all that Christ commanded in being
salt and light in the world. All four
components are necessary and integral to the mission of the church.” (88) The review of missionary efforts in the 19th
and 20th century packs in a great amount of valuable
information. “During the first two decades of its work in India, the
number of missionaries of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions (ABCFM) who died outstripped the number of converts.” (127 quoting
Robert, 1996, 81) Paternalism – the practice of controlling others by acting
like a parent without giving them responsibility for themselves. (136) “China represented the largest investment in personnel and
funds in the history of Protestant mission, with over five thousand missionaries
serving there by the mid-1920s.”
(143) “Over the century, Pentecostalism in its various forms
produced the second largest family of Christians after the Roman Catholic
Church, one that transcends traditional walls of separation between Christians.”
(148) “Never before in the history of Christianity had so much
attention been placed on mission and missions than in the latter half of the
twentieth century.” (153) “The West has not simply become secular; but pagan. Furthermore, ‘its paganism, having been
born out of the rejection of Christianity, is far more resistant to the
gospel than the pre-Christian paganism with which cross-cultural mission have
been familiar. Here, surely, is the
most challenging missionary frontier of our time.’” (154 quoting Newbigin
1986) “The great surprise at the end of the twentieth century
came with the realization that the gravity of Christianity had shifted to the
southern hemisphere, signaling the end of Euramerican domination.” (154) Good discussion on “the missionary call,” what it means
and doesn’t. (159 ff) “God gives every Christian the body of Christ as a
resource to confirm his or her calling and leading. Whoever ignores this tremendous resource does so at their own
risk!” (164)
“The overall goal of missionary training is to equip the
prospective missionary to be a godly person who is both competent and
effective in his or her missionary service.” (173) For successful cross-cultural adaptation a person needs
skills or development in four important areas: character traits, ministry or
professional skills, specialized knowledge, and social skills. (175) Important Character Traits Genuine dependence on God, humility and teachability, fruit
of the Spirit, emphasis more on people than task, ability to withhold
unproductive criticism, flexibility and tolerance of ambiguity, empathy,
openness in communication style, high cognitive complexity (rejecting
simplistic stereotypes and unnecessary black-and-white judgments), good
personal relational skills, perseverance.
(176-78) Internet sites to find opportunities: www.mfinder.org/level2.htm, www.mislinks.org/practical/rdorgs.htm,
www.globalmission.org, www.ifmamissions.org (182) The best way to develop ministry skills is to engage in
ministry. (183) [You wanna’ learn to
swim? Get in the water! Dlm] “Social skills are one of the crucial areas of specific
knowledge that the missionary needs.
They are specific; that is, they apply in a particular setting and may
or may not apply in any other setting in the world.” (185) For mission training programs, see www.mislinks.org/research/progs.htm
(187) Seven questions to ask when choosing a mission agency by
John McVey (192) A spectrum of tentmaking options by Patrick Lai (198) Questions to ask about tentmaking opportunities (199) “Mission that engages in relief and development but omits
evangelism, discipleship, and church planting is not truly holistic mission;
it has simply replaced one focus for another.” (202 quoting Myers 1995) “Only a community of believers who themselves have chosen
to reject the materialist spirit of the age can stir its members to pursue
genuine self-sacrifice abroad.” (211 quoting Jonathan Bonk, 1991) A set of questions to ask if you are considering marrying
someone from another culture by Bill and Carol O’Hara (215) The challenge of home assignment: How do you tell the
story of four years in ten minutes—or even less? (220) “You can exercise and sustain personal leadership only to
the extent of your capacity to bear pain.
If you can bear only your own pain, then you can’t really lead. If you can respond to and bear only the pain
of your family, then your family represents the full scope of your leadership
potential.” (228) “The most important factor in your effectiveness and
happiness overseas is the way you relate to other people.” (233 quoting Ted Ward) “Foremost among the roles that churches play as local
manifestations of the universal church is to prepare members for Great
Commission work (Matt. 28:19-20).
Churches do this by teaching the full counsel of God regarding the
global task, by preparing all members to find and perform their particular
part in it, and by sending out those called to go (see Acts 13:1-3; 3 John
5-8).” (244) Regarding mobilizers.
“Their credibility…is assessed on the basis of multiple years of
consistent quality service.” Their
goal declared goal is to serve the churches.
(246) “No task related to the sending function is more important
or foundational in the local church setting than keeping the vision of
outreach and mission before the congregation.” To get the message to capture the hearts of God’s people
requires 1. a right balance of information with inspiration, 2. good pathways
for gaining experience in service to the task, 3. the reinforcement of
targeted and effective teaching and training, and 4. resources that make a
difference. Among the most helpful is
ACMC. (246-249) “The twin realities of the church’s particular vision and
giftedness, together with the global strategic needs of the gospel task, need
to be regularly overlaid and reflected upon.
Decisions will be required regarding (1) geography and peoples, (2) frontline
and support personnel, (3) ministry areas, and (4) short-term versus
long-term endeavors. (249) The “P-Words” (purpose, power, people, people-moving,
passport, preparation, possessions, projects, partnership) can serve as
guidelines for educating and motivating children in missions. (248) “Today, short-term mission trips are as common as high
school proms….” Some general
characteristics: (1) conducted
directly by churches, (2) one to two weeks, (3) mostly people under twenty,
(4) primary focus is on spiritual growth of participants, (5) “a lot of sound
missiological principles are being violated, and vast sums of money for
mission are being spent without a lot of positive results to show for
it.” Of course, some churches are
making a great contribution in various places. (254) A foundational rule regarding culture and
communication: “People interpret your
words and actions in ways that make sense to them.” (268) “Worldview essentially describes the way people understand
and interpret the world around them.” (268) Ten Commandments for Short-Term Mission Trip Participants,
one set by Howard Culbertson and one set by Paul Cull. (280) Financing Missions.
“In short, things are deteriorating to a point that without a genuine
revival it is hard, humanly speaking, to envision North America making a
significant contribution to world missions much longer. Fortunately, God operates beyond human
limitations to accomplish his purposes.” (283) |
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