Mission in the 21st century
Issue 360: September, 2008 |
It doesn't take much violence to make an old word sound new again. Sometimes all you need to do is task it as a verb rather than a noun. Adding a suffix can also be impactful.
That's what has happened to ‘mission’—a dear old Christian word that conjures up maps with pins and photos, stoic and heroic deeds in foreign lands, and saving used stamps and tea bags. These days we have given ‘mission’ a facelift by tacking on an ‘al’, and re-tasking it as an adjective. Everything today must be ‘missional’—by which I think people mean ‘evangelistic’ or ‘outward-looking’. And who could argue with that?
It would be a shame, though, if the traditional sense of ‘mission’ was lost. Mission basically means ‘a sending’ (from the Latin missio), which is why it has always been used to describe the very New Testament practice of congregations commissioning and sending people for evangelism and ministry in other places.
What is the state of ‘mission’, in this sense, in our churches today? Where are the needs and opportunities? And who is doing the sending?
In this month's feature article, David Williams looks at ‘Mission in the 21st century’, and charts the significant shifts and changes that are afoot. It's a fascinating article with a sting in its tail.
Also on the mission theme, we have articles about reaching Jews and Muslims, as well as David Shead's tale of how he went to be a missionary and somehow ended up starting a denomination.
We hope that they are impactful for you. TP
Up front
- The last refuge of irony
- A scary, prayer-rie verse
- Virtues we dislike: dignity
- Virtues we dislike: mortification
- Finding Jesus at GAFCON
- Nowism
Features
- Mission in the 21st century—David Williams investigates what mission looks like today, and how we can be part of it.
- Oops! Did we just start a denomination?—David Shead tells the story of how he was forced to change tactics while doing ministry in Slovenia.
- Is the gospel still first for the Jew?—Martin Pakula shows us where mission begins.
- Reaching Muslims for Christ—Stewart Binns offers a few ideas on how we can reach the Muslims who live in our own backyards with the saving gospel of Christ.
Departments
Pastor's brief
- The church on the move: An interview with David Cook—Peter Hastie chats with David Cook about preaching, mission and what the book of Acts has to say about church growth.
Bookshelf
- A history of ideas in your lounge room: Unified Divisions presented by Peter Hughes and Ideas that Changed the World presented by Dominic Steele—Adrian Russell draws our attention to a couple of DVD resources that can help us understand the differences between Roman Catholicism and evangelical Protestantism, as well as the depth of the gospel.
Resource talk
- Dive into a book—Tony Payne offers up the benefits of immersing oneself in a good Christian book.
Bible brief
- Daily readings on Isaiah 1-12—by Gordon Cheng.
Epilogue
- Anglican family—Phillip Jensen reflects on the current state of the worldwide Anglican communion.
Interchange
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Yesterday evening I had a terrific time at a University Christian Union giving some insights into why and how Christian students can/should share Yeshua with their Jewish friends. It was a well-attended evening seminar.
Why would this be of interest to you or to your readership? Because the invite came in part as a result of articles and letters in your publication. When reading the debate about the place of Jewish people in the plans and purposes of the Almighty, the President of the Christian Union realized that there are Jewish people who need to hear and have an opportunity to respond to the good news that the Jewish Messiah has indeed come, and that his name is Yeshua.
I reminded those gathered that the ‘church’ has held on to the Jewish Messiah for more than 1,800 years. Then I asked, “Could we please have him back?”
As he is the fulfillment of specific promises, we need to look at those to whom the promises were made. The answer is, of course, that the promises were made to Jewish people. The promises were fulfilled by Jewish people. Now, can Christians please share those promises with Jewish people?
With warmest regards, I am your servant for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Adrian Glasspole
CMJ (The Church's Ministry Among Jewish People)
Adrian Glasspole of Northern England, UK (01/09/2008)