8
CHRONOLOGY OF ASIAN CHURCH HISTORY
50 Traditional date of Thomas’s landing in India.
70 Traditional date of Addai’s mission to Edessa, Osrhoene.
201 First record of a Christian church building in Edessa.
270 First priest ordained in Seleucia-Ctesiphon, Persia.
301 First Christian king, Tiridates of Armenia.
311 Conversion of Constantine the Great, Rome.
325 Thomas of Canna is credited with bringing East Syrian Christianity to India.
340-400 The Great Persecution in Persia.
451 The Council of Chalcedon and the Great Schism. Nestorius dies.
486 The Church of the East separates from Rome and Constantinople as a "Nestorian" or Syrian church.
635 Alopen, first recorded missionary to China, reaches Changan (Xian).
907 Tang Dynasty (618-907) falls; Nestorian Christianity disappears in China.
1000 Nestorian missionaries convert the Kerait Mongols in Central Asia.
1200-1368 The "Pax Mongolica":
Genghis Khan marries his son Tolui to the Kerait princess Sorkaktani
Sorkaktani’s three sons become emperors in Asia: Hulagu emperor of Persia (r. 1258-1265), Arghun Great Khan of Mongolia (r.1284- 1291), and Kublai Khan emperor of China (r. 1260-1294).
The Franciscans, John of Plano Carpini and Lawrence of Portugal, first Catholics in Mongolia (1245).
The Polos at the court of Kublai Khan (1266-1292).
The Franciscan John of Montecorvino, first Catholic to reach China proper (1294); Primate of all the Far East (1307).
1295-1304 Central Asia turns Muslim.
1362-1405 Timur the Great (Tamerlane) destroys Christianity in Asia.
1502 Vasco da Gama brings Portuguese Roman Catholicism to dominate Syrian Indian Christianity.
'S|>ecialized’ mission agencies Non-Western dominance Non-geographic strategy based on people groups
Second Era (1865-1980)
• 'Faith’ mission agencies
• American dominance
• Geographic strategy
First Era (1792-1910)
• Denominational agenc ies
• European dominance
• Geographic strategy
To the Unreached Peoples
To the Inland areas
To the Coastlands
Student Foreign Mission Fellowship
Student Volunteer Movement
Haystack Prayer Meeting Movement
Lausanne Congress 1974 on World Evangelization
1980
Edinburgh '80 and COWE in Patlaya, Thailand were held focusing on unreached people groups
1806
Haystack Prayer Meeting
Edinburgh 1910 Focused s|>ec ifically on what it would take to finish the joh in what in those days were called 'the oniH c iifiied fields.*
1 80S
I ludson Taylor founds China Inland Mission
1793
baptist Mission Soc lety founded
1934
Cam Townsend emphasized linguistic groups.
GCOWE It 1995 An explosion of awareness among the worldwide church to reach the unrc\idic2H>eoplej^ ,UPS
William c arey s Hook Published
Donald MrC.avran emphasized
Second Transition ; (46 years)
First Transition (45 years)
smoffett. 19C-miss
Epilogue :
1 Kenneth Scott Christianity, vol . 5,
Looking Back and Looking Ahead
"In geographic extent, in movements issuing from it, and in its effect upon the [human] race, in the nineteenth century Christianity had a far larger place in human history than at any previous time."
- Kenneth Scott Latourette, 19431
Latourette, History of the Expansion — of (New York: Harper & Bros., 1943), 1.
EPILOGUE
Professor Latourette chose to call the 19th century "the great century" in the expansion of Christianity, but it did not begin that way. Looking back, it began with Roman Catholic missions still staggered by the suspension and expulsion of their most famous missionary order, the Jesuits, in the 1770s. It began with Dutch Protestants vigorously pursuing trade in their colonies but neglecting their missions; and with William Carey, sometimes called "the father of the modern missionary movement", driven out of Calcutta by the British and forced to take on superintendence of a failing indigo factory in the interior in order to support his family. Protestant missionaries could not establish a residential foothold in China until 1807, and made little progress for the next forty years. There was no Protestant missionary in Japan until 1859.
But Latourette was right . Though the century began very small it ended with greatness, a greatness that expanded the spread of the Christian faith around the globe and continued the growth of the church beyond the end of the century in epochal (?) proportions in the first decades of the next century, the 20th, as we shall see in the next volume.2
This volume began with the 16th century, with Christian Portuguese cannon threatening India, and with Iberian Catholics surprised to discover Indian Christians, the Nestorians, who firmly believed that St. Thomas came to their India as St. Peter was going to Rome. Another difference between these two streams of missionary expansion in Asia was that Nestorians crossed the continent without benefit of arms, whereas after 1500 both
2 Latourette, who began his "great century" with 1815 (marked in history by the battle of Waterloo) , wisely extended it across the chnronlogical century mark to 1915 and the beginnings of World War I .
Catholics and, later, the Protestants, wrestled with the handicapping stigma of the association with imperial conquest. But lest too much is read into how much that difference afffected the spread of the Christian faith, historians do well to ponder the fact that the Nestorians have virtually disappeared off the face of the earth, whereas after 1500 both Catholics and Protestants achieved their greatest world-wide missionary success.
But to place the history into its context from its beginnings, the sequence of Christian expansion across Asia was something like this:
(Syrian tradition) . Thomas to India (50 AD) .
Addai to Edessa (by 100 AD?) Christian communities in Persia (225) , Armenia (300), Arabia (356), China. (635-900).
The Great Schism of Christendom (451) ; the the Muslim Crusades (622-1000) .
Nestorians in Central Asia (1000) ; re-enter China (1200) ; Catholic contacts (1245-1346) . Fall of Mongols, decline of papacy, rise of Turks. (1350-1500).
Catholics in China, Japan, India, Ceylon; Dutch to E. Indies, Moravians to India. (1500-1700) . Catholic decline. (1750-1830)
"The Great Century" (1800-1900 + ) .
In the hundred years of the "great century", to 1900, the
advance of the faith in Asia registered the least numerical
membership increase of any of the five major continents:
|
I . |
Advance 1 . i |
|
II . |
Advance 2 . |
|
Ill . |
Recession 1. |
|
IV. |
Advance 3 . |
|
V. |
Recession 2 . |
|
VI . |
Advance 4 . |
|
VII . VIII |
Recession 3 . .Advance 5. |
|
In the |
|
1800 |
1858 |
1900 |
|
|
World pop . |
1,168,000, 000 |
1, 619, 887, 000 |
|
|
[Christians] |
|||
|
AFRICA |
8,756, 000 |
||
|
ASIA (UN def . ) |
20, 770, 000 |
||
|
EUROPE (UN def.) |
368, 131, 000 |
||
|
LATIN AMERICA |
60,027, 000 |
||
|
NORTH AMERICA |
59, 570, 000 |
||
|
OCEANIA |
4,220,000 |
, 25.
3
David Barrett, in IBMR (Jan. 2000)
smoffett Perspect.'99
19 -20th C. Missions (Perspectives) OUTLINE
Three Eras
Pioneer (1792-1910) . William Carey.
First contact. Denominational, European. Coastlands
Student part: Haystack Prayer Mtg (1806) Paternal (1865-1980) . Hudson Taylor. Missionaries train national leaders.
Inland: "Faith" Missions; USA dominance Student part: Student Volunt. Mvmnt . (1886)
Partnership (1980- ? )
The still unreached frontiers
Denominations, "Faith" missions, parachurch specialized agencies.
Student part: short termers.
(Perspectives) , ch. 38, 253-261 (R. Winter)
Third (hnal) Era (1934-?)
Second Era (1865-1980)
• "faith* mission agencies
*S|>eci.ilized* mission agencies Non-Western dominance Non-gcographic strategy based nn people groups
1 7*13 ll.iplist Sot ll'lv
1 7*1 2 William Hunk l'<
1806
Haystack
Mission ft mm led
•r.iycr Meeting
ItWiS
I Unison Taylor loin ids China Inland Mission
Edinburgh 1910 Tik used spit ilically on wli.it it would lake to finish the job in what in those days were called "the iiinii i npierl fields *
( .Key's
1934
Cam Townsenil emphasized linginslii groups
Donald McC.avran emphasized ethnic groups
on World Evangelization
19B0
Edinburgh '00 and COWE m 1‘atlaya, Thailand were held focusing nn unreal lied people groups
CCOWE II 1995 An explosion of awareness among the worldwide t hurt h to reat h the unreal lied people groups
— Ir/f Nlfrl ,
& .
II.
6
Two
-or*
Two
Theologies
(the challlenge)
Centuries (19th and 20th) .
19th C. (1792-1910). Protestant Pioneers.
Wm Carey (1792, India), Robt. Morrison (1807, China), Robt. Moffat (1817, (1817,
Africa), Ashbel Simonton (1859, Brazil), and Hudson Taylor, (1865, inland China)
20th C. (1910- ?) . Teachers and Partners. The
partnership to the unreached frontiers. Some examples: China and Korea.
Four Men, Three Eras, Two Transitions: Modem Missions
Ralph D. Winter
After serving ten years as a mis- sionary among Mayan Indians in the highlands of Guatemala. Ralph D. Winter was called to be a Professor of Missions at the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. Ten years later he and his wife, Roberta, founded a mission society called the Frontier Mission Fellowship (FMF) in Pasadena, California. This in turn spawned the U.S. Center for World Mission and the William Carey International University, both of which serve other missions working at the frontiers of mission. He is the General Director of the Frontier Mission Fellowship. See biographical sketch at toe end of the book.
College students around the world used to be bowled over by Marxist thought. One powerful reason was that Communism had a "long look." Communists claimed to know where history was heading, and that they were merely following inevitable trends.
Recently, evangelicals, too, have thought a lot about trends in history and their relationship to events to come.
The massive response a while back to Hal Lindsey's books and films about possible events in the future has shown us that people are responsive to a "where are we going?" ap- proach to life.
In comparison to the Communists, Christians actually have the longest look, backed up by a mass of hard facts and heroic deeds. Yet for some reason, Christians often make little connection between discussion of prophecy and future events, and discussion of missions. They see the Bible as a book of prophecy, both in the past and for the future. Yet, as Bruce Ker has said so well, "The Bible is a missionary' book throughout. . . .The main line of argument that binds all of it together is the unfolding and gradual execution of a mis- sionary purpose."
Did I ever hear Ker's thought in Sunday School? Maybe. But only in later years have I come to a new.appreciation of the fact that the story of missions begins long before the Great Commission. The Bible is very clear: God told Abraham he was to be blessed and to be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen 12:1-3). Peter quoted this on the day he spoke in the temple (Acts 3:25). Paul quoted the same mandate in his letter to the Galatians (3:8).
Yet some Bible commentators imply that only the first part of that verse could have happened right away. They agree that Abraham was to begin to be blessed right away, but somehow they reason that two thousand years would have to pass before either Abraham or his descendants could begin "to be a blessing to all the families on earth." They suggest that Christ needed to come first and institute his Great Commission — that Abraham's lineage needed to wait around for 2,000 years before they would be called upon to go the ends of the earth to be a blessing to all the world's peoples (this could be called "The Theory of the Hibernating Mandate"). Worse still, one scholar, with a lot of followers in later decades, propounded the idea that in the Old Testa- ment the peoples of the world were not expected to receive
Chapter 38
253
smoffeu. Perspect.'99
19-20th C. Missions (Perspectives) OUTLINE
I. Three Eras: 1. Pioneer (1792-1910). William Carey.
First contact. Denominational, European. Coastlands
Student part: Haystack Prayer Mtg (1806)
2. Paternal (1865-1980) . Hudson Taylor.
Missionaries train national leaders.
Inland: "Faith" Missions; USA dominance Student part: Student Volunt. Mvmnt . (1886)
3. Partnership (1980- ? )
The still unreached frontiers Denominations, "Faith" missions, parachurch specialized agencies.
Student part: short termers.
(Perspectives) , ch. 38, 253-261 (R. Winter)
2 - i-u faM* .
II. Two Theologies (the challlenge) .
Two Centuries (19th and 20th) .
19th C. (1792-1910). Protestant Pioneers.
Wm Carey (1792, India), Robt. Morrison (1807, China), Robt. Moffat (1817, (1817,
Africa) , Ashbel Simonton (1859, Brazil) , and Hudson Taylor, (1865, inland China)
(1910- ?) . Teachers and Partners. The
partnership to the unreached frontiers. Some examples: China and Korea.
20th C.
Jyvy/
it 70 y «*-0
I
^ ry ^ • 3^ U/yn&4 cWJ^
Largest Protestant Denominations in the Third World
m 3
CoTO
y *H0 0CO
Adherents
1980
*y qpq pap
Church of Christ, Zaire Assemblies of God, Brazil
Philippine Independent Church (Aglipay) Y,#uv *v-o Kimbanguist Church, Zaire ’ 5-^ ^
Anglican Church, Nigeria (CMS) ___ __ «/. fa.' ^ro
Council of Dutch Reformed Churches, S. Africa
Protestant (Reformed) Church, Indonesia \, 5-rj . avo
Nigeria Fellowship of Churches of Christ (S . U f ^
J f 7 crv| O»0 f j <f«,
2 <r« i> cvO
— r
Church of South India
Church of Christ, Manalista (Philippines)
Anglican Church Uganda (CMS)_
Anglican Church of South Africa
Presbyterian Church in Korea (Tonghap) j Ltoj
Council of Baptist Churches, N.E. India (,10 m
Baptist Convention, Brazil [
Batak Christian Protestant Church, Indonesia^ Pentecostal Churches of Indonesia isof^-o
Congregations Crista, Brazil 3,
Evangelical Pentecostals , Brazil for Christ,.!,
South African Methodist Church a , f**,
Methodist Church in South Asia (India),
Presbyterian Church of Korea, (Hapdong) «,43oi(k-o Madagascar Church of Jesus Christ i,rco ^
Burma Baptist Convention LX?!_£'£-
United Ev. Lutheran Churches in India
Church of Central Africa, Malawi (Presby ter_ian)
J 4 5c ot'o
t
Korean Methodist Church Evangelical Lutheran Churcn, Brazil 6) Presbyterian Church of Brazil O)
Zion Christian Church, South Africa Tanzania Evangelical Lutheran Church
1 , ° a ,pjd
I '9 (,0,t W
y tn), c* J
(Adult s 1980)
Adherents 1952
|
4,728,000 |
(1,519,000) |
1,174,000 |
|
4,000,000 |
(2,753,000) |
220,000 |
|
3,500,000 |
(1,860,000) |
3,000,000 |
|
3,500,000 |
(2,000,000) |
- - |
|
2,941,000 |
(359,970) |
403,000 |
|
2,142,000 |
1,665,000 |
|
|
1,959,000 |
(987,000) |
1,033,996 |
|
1,746,000 |
(100,550) |
25,000 |
|
1,556,000 |
(516,000) |
895,000 |
|
1,500,000 |
(400,000) |
|
|
1,384,000 |
(306,000) |
321,000 |
|
1,236,000 |
(327,000) |
597,000 |
|
1,100,000 |
(280,000) |
240,000 |
|
1,065,000 |
(230,000) |
|
|
1,050,000 |
(350,000) |
125,000 |
|
1,044,000 |
(465,000) |
502,000 |
|
1,000,000 |
(750,000) |
|
|
1,000,000 |
(600,000) |
|
|
1,000,000 |
(250,000) |
|
|
942,000 |
(374,000) |
684,000 |
|
901,000 |
(421,000) |
450,000 |
|
900,000 |
240,000 |
|
|
881,000 |
(250,000) |
600,000 |
|
798,000 |
(249,000) |
439,000 |
|
790,000 |
(340,000) |
483,000 |
|
766,000 |
(282,000) |
386,000 |
|
700,000 |
(301 ,800) |
129,000 |
|
629,000 |
(136,000) |
740,617 |
|
623,000 |
(124,900) |
123,000 |
|
600,000 |
(300,000) |
|
|
*592,000 |
(274,000) |
62,000 |
|
The |
( largest denominations (World) |
Adherents |
Adult |
|
1. |
Evangelical Church in Germany |
28,500,000 |
22,000,000 |
|
2. |
Church of England |
27,660,000 |
9,600,000 |
|
3. |
Southern Baptist (USA) |
14,000,000 |
11,600,000 |
|
4. |
United Methodist (USA) |
14,000,000 |
10,300,000 |
- Statistics adapted from World Christian Encylo- pedia , 1982
4
56 Chapter 38 FOUR MEN, THREE ERAS, TWO TRANSITIONS
the settlement of a Native Church under Native Pastors upon a self-supporting sys- tem, it should be borne in mind that the progress of a Mission mainly depends upon the training up and the location of Native Pastors; and that, as it has been happily expressed, the "euthanasia of a Mission" takes place when a missionary, surrounded by well-trained Native congregations un- der Native Pastors, is able to resign all pas- toral work into their hands, and gradually relax his superintendence over the pastors themselves, 'til it insensibly ceases; and so the Mission passes into a settled Christian community. Then the missionary and all missionary agencies should be transferred to the "regions beyond."
Take note: There was no thought here of he national church launching its own mis- lon outreach to new pioneer fields! Never- heless, we see here something like stages of lission activity, described by Harold Fuller of 4M in the alliterative sequence:
Stage 1: A Pioneer stage — first contact with a people group.
Stage 2: A Paternal stage — expatriates train national leadership.
Stage 3: A Partnership stage — national lead- ers work as equals with expatriates. Stage 4: A Participation stage — expatriates are no longer equal partners, but only participate by invitation.
Slow and painstaking though the labors of the First Era were, they did bear fruit, and the familiar series of stages can be observed which goes from no church in the pioneer stage to infant church in the paternal stage and to the more complicated mature church in the partnership and participation stages.
Samuel Hoffman of the Reformed Church in America Board puts it well: "The Christian missionary who was loved as an evangelist and liked as a teacher, may find himself re- sented as an administrator."
Wissioo-Church Relations: Four Stages of Development
Stage One: Pioneer
Requires gift of leadership, along with other gifts. No Believers — missionary must lead and do much of the work himself.
O
Stage Two: Parent
Requires gift of teaching.
The young church has a growing child's relationship to the mission. But the "parent" must avoid "paternalism."
O
church mission
Stage Three: Partner
Requires changes from parent-child relation to adult-adult relation.
Difficult for both to change, but essential to the church's becoming a mature "adult."
O
Stage Four: Participant
A fully mature church assumes leadership.
As long as the mission remains, it should use its gifts to strengthen the church to meet the original objectives of Matt 28:19-20. Meanwhile the mission should be involved in Stage One elsewhere.
O
O
church mission
o
i
church mission
RALPH D. WINTER
25;
Lucky is the missionary in whose own ca- reer this whole sequence of stages takes place. More likely the series represents the work in a specific field with a succession of missionaries, or it may be the experience of an agency which in its early period bursts out in work in a number of places and then after some years finds that most of its fields are mature at about the same time. But rightly or wrongly, this kind of succession is visible in the mission movement globally, as the fever for change and nationalization sweeps the thinking of almost all executives at once and leaps from continent to continent, affecting new fields still in earlier stages as well as old ones in the latter stages.
Taylor was more concerned for the cause than for a career: At the end of his life he had spent only half of his years of ministry in China.
I V At any rate, by 1865 there was a strong
consensus on both sides of the Atlantic that the missionary should go home when he had worked himself out of a job. Since the First Era focused primarily upon the coast lands of Asia and Africa, we are not surprised that lit- eral withdrawal would come about first in a case where there were no inland territories. Thus, symbolizing the latter stages of the First Era was the withdrawal of all missionar- ies from the Hawaiian Islands, then a sepa- rate country. This was done with legitimate pride and fanfare and fulfilled the highest ex- pectations, then and now, of successful progress through the stages of missionary planting, watering and harvest.
The Second Era
A second symbolic event of 1865 is even more significant, at least for the inauguration of the Second Era. A young man, after a short term and like Carey still under thirty, in the teeth of surrounding counter advice established the first of a whole new breed of missions , emphasizing the inland territories. This sec- v ond young upstart was given little but nega- tive notice, but like William Carey, brooded over statistics, charts and maps. When he *$, Suggested that the inland peoples of China
needed to be reached, he was told you could not get there, and he was asked if he wished to carry on his shoulders the blood of the young people he would thus send to their deaths. This accusing question stunned and staggered him. Groping for light, wandering on the beach, it seemed as if God finally spoke to resolve the ghastly thought: "You are not sending young people in the interior of China. I am." The load lifted.
With only trade school medicine, without any university experience much less missiological training, and a checkered past in regard to his own individualistic behavior while he was on the field, he was merely one more of the weak things that God uses to
confound the wise. Even his early antichurch-planting missionary strategy was breathtakingly erroneous by today's church-planting stan- dards. Yet God strangely honored him because his gaze was fixed upon the world's least- reached peoples. Hudson Taylor had a divine wind behind him. The Holy Spirit spared him from many pitfalls, and it was his orga- nization, the China Inland Mission — the most cooperative, servant organization yet to ap- pear— that eventually served in one way or another over 6,000 missionaries, predomi- nantly in the interior of China. It took 20 years for other missions to begin to join Tay- lor in his special emphasis — the unreached, inland frontiers.
One reason the Second Era began slowly is that many people were confused. There were already many missions in existence. Why more? Yet as Taylor pointed out, all existing agencies were confined to the coast lands of Africa and Asia, or islands in the Pacific. People questioned, "Why go to the interior if you haven't finished the job on the coast?"
I am not sure the parallel is true today, but the Second Era apparently needed not only a new vision but a lot of new organiza- tions. Taylor not only started an English frontier mission, he went to Scandinavia and the Continent to challenge people to start new agencies. As a result, directly or indi- rectly, over 40 new agencies took shape to compose the faith missions that rightly
254 Chapter 38 FOUR MEN, THREE ERAS, TWO TRANSITIONS
missionaries but to go to Israel for the light, and that from the the New Testament and thereafter it was the reverse, that is, the peoples to be blessed would not come but those already having received the blessing would go to them. This rather artificial idea gained acceptance partially by the use of the phrase, "centripetal mission in the Old Testa- ment and centrifugal mission in the New Tes- tament." Fact is, there is both in both periods, and it is very confusing to try to employ an essentially "Mickey Mouse" gimmick to ex- plain a shift in strategy that did not happen.
[ The existence of 137 different languages in Los Angeles makes clear that now, in the New Testament-and-after period, nations are still coming to the light.
A more recent and exciting interpretation (see Walter Kaiser's chapter two) observes that Israel, as far back as Abraham, was ac- countable to share that blessing with other na- tions. In the same way, since the time of the apostle Paul, every nation v^hich has con- tained any significant number of "children of Abraham's faith" has been similarly account- able (but both Israel and the other nations have mainly failed to carry out this mandate).
The greatest scandal in the Old Testament is that Israel tried to be blessed without trying very hard to be a blessing. However, let's be | careful: The average citizen of Israel was no more oblivious to the second part of Gen. 12:1-3 than the i average Christian today is oblivious to the Great Commission! How easily our study Bibles over- look the veritable string of key passages in the Old Testament which exist to remind Israel (and us) of the missionary mandate: Gen 12:1- 3, 18:18, 22:18, 28:14, Ex 19:4-6, Deut 28:10, 2 Chr 6:33, Ps 67, 96, 105, Isa 40:5, 42:4, 49:6, 56:3, 6-8, Jer 12:14-17, Zech 2:11, Mai 1:11.
Likewise, today nations which have been singularly blessed by God may choose to re- sist and try to conceal any sense of their obli- gation to be a blessing to other nations. But that is not God's will. "Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be re- quired" (Luke 12:48).
Thus, how many times in the average church today is the Great Commission men- tioned? Even less often than it comes up in the Old Testament! Yet the commission ap- plies. It applied then, and it applies today. I
believe it has been constantly applic the very moment when it was first g (Gen 12:1-3). As individual Christian a nation we are responsible "to be a 1 to all the families of the earth."
This mandate has been overlooked most of the centuries since the apostle our Protestant tradition plugged alon; 250 years minding its own business ai own blessings (like Israel of old) — unt young man of great faith and incredit ance appeared on the scene. In this ch are going to focus in on the A.D. 1800- riod which his life and witness kicked other one person can be given as muc for the vibrant new impetus of the las hundred years. He was one of four su enti’al men whom God used, all of the severe handicaps. Three great "eras" <. plunging forward into newly perceivt tiers resulted from their faith and obei took two of them to launch the third a era). Four stages of mission strategy c ized each of these eras. Two perplexin sitions" of strategy inevitably appeart fourth stage of one era contrasted witl stage of the next. It is easier to see thi^ gram. Better still, the story.
The First Era
An "under thirty" young man, Willi, i Carey, got into trouble when he beg? j the Great Commission seriously. Wh i had the opportunity to address a grt I ministers, he challenged them to giv son why the Great Commission did i to them. They rebuked him, saying, ' God chooses to win the heathen, He without your help or ours." He was speak again on the subject, so he pat wrote out his analysis, "An Enquiry Obligations of Christians to Use Me? the Conversion of the Heathens."
The resulting small book convince of his friends to create a tiny mission the "means" of which he had spoker structure was flimsy and weak, prov only the minimal backing he needed India. However, the impact of his ex verberated throughout the English-s I world, and his little book became th< I Carta of the Protestant mission mov.
‘••V
RALPH D. WINTER
255
William Carey was not the first Protestant missionary. For years the Moravians had sent people to Greenland, America and Africa. But his little book, in combination with the Evan- gelical Awakening, quickened vision and changed lives on both sides of the Atlantic. Response was almost instantaneous: a second missionary society was founded in London- two in Scotland; one in Holland; and then still another in England. By then it was ap- parent to all that Carey was right when he had insisted that organized efforts in the form of missions societies were essential to the success of the missionary endeavor.
In America, five college students, aroused by Carey's book, met to pray for God's direc- tion for their lives. This unobtrusive prayer meeting, later known as the "Haystack Prayer Meeting," resulted in an American "means" — the American Board of Commis- sioners of Foreign Missions. Even more im- portant, they started a student mission move- ment which became the example and forerunner of other student movements in missions to this day.
5 In fact, during the first 25 years after
Carey sailed to India, a dozen mission agen- cies were formed on both sides of the Atlan- tic, and the First Era in Protestant missions was off to a good start. Realistically speaking, however, missions in this First Era was a piti- fully small shoe-string operation, in relation to the major preoccupations of most Europe- ans and Americans in that day. The idea that we should organize in order to send mission- aries did not come easily, but it eventually became an accepted pattern.
Carey's influence led some women in Bos- ton to form women's missionary prayer groups, a trend which led to women becom- ing the main custodians of mission knowl- edge and motivation. After some years women began to go to the field as single mis- sionaries. Finally, by 1865, unmarried Ameri- can women established women's mission boards which, like Roman Catholic women's orders, only sent out single women as mis- sionaries and were run entirely by single gr Women at home.
.. There are two very bright notes about the 1^' First Era. One is the astonishing demonstra- ; tion of love and sacrifice on the part of those
who went out. Africa, especially, was a for- bidding continent. All mission outreach to Africa prior to 1775 had totally failed. Of all Catholic efforts, all Moravian efforts, nothing remained. Not one missionary of any kind existed on the continent on the eve of the First Era. The grue-
During the first 25 years after Carey sailed to India, a dozen mission agencies were formed on both sides of the Atlantic.
some statistics of al- most inevitable sick- ness and death that haunted, yet did not daunt, the decades of truly valiant mission- aries who went out af- ter 1790 in virtually a suicidal stream cannot be matched by any other era or by any other cause. Very few missionaries to Africa in the first 60 years of the First Era survived more than two years.
As I have reflected on this measure of devo- tion I have been humbled to tears, for I won- der— if I or my people today could or would match that record. Can you imagine our Ur- bana students today going out into mission- ary work if they knew that for decade after decade 19 out of 20 of those before them had died almost on arrival on the field?
A second bright spot in this First Era is the development of high quality insight into mis- sion strategy. The movement had several great missiologists. In regard to home structure, they clearly understood the value of the mis- sion structure being allowed a life of its own. For example, we read that the London Mis- sionary Society experienced unprecedented and unequaled success, "due partly to its free- dom from ecclesiastical supervision and partly to its formation from an almost equal number of ministers and laymen." In regard to field structure, we can take a note from Henry Venn who was related to the famous Clapham evangelicals and the son of a founder of the Church Missionary Society. Except for a few outdated terms, one of his most famous para- graphs sounds strangely modem:
Regarding the ultimate object of a Mission,
viewed under its ecclesiastical result, to be
9
FOUR MEN, THREE ERAS, TWO TRANSITIONS
hould be called frontier missions as the lames of many of them still indicate: China nland Mission, Sudan Interior Mission, Af- rica Inland Mission, Heart of Africa Mission, Unevangelized Fields Mission, Regions Be- yond Missionary Union. Taylor was more concerned for the cause than for a career: At the end of his life he had spent only half of his years of ministry in China. In countless trips back from China he spent half of his time as a mobilizer on the home front. For Taylor, the cause of Christ, not China, was the ultimate focus of his concern.
As in the early stage of the First Era, when things began to move, God brought forth a stu- dent movement. This one was more massive than before— the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, history's single most po- tent mission organization. In the 1880s and 90s there were only 1 / 37th as many college stu- dents as there are today, but the Student Vol- unteer Movement netted 100,000 volunteers who gave their lives to missions. Twenty-thou- sand actually went overseas. As we see it now, the other 80,000 had to stay home to rebuild the foundations of the missions endeavor.
They began the Laymen's Missionary Move- ment and strengthened existing women's mis- sionary societies.
However, as the fresh new college stu- dents of the Second Era burst on the scene overseas, they did not always fathom how the older missionaries of the First Era could have turned responsibility over to national leadership at the least educated levels of so- ciety. First Era missionaries were in the mi- nority now, and the wisdom they had gained from their experience was bypassed by the large number of new college-edu- cated recruits. Thus, in the early stages of the Second Era, the new college-trained missionaries, instead of going to new fron- tiers, sometimes assumed leadership over existing churches, not reading the record of previous mission thinkers, and often forced First Era missionaries and national leader- ship (which had been painstakingly devel- oped) into the background. In some cases this caused a huge step backward in mis- sion strategy.
By 1925, however, the largest mission movement in history was in full swing. By
then Second Era missionaries had finally learned the basic lessons they had first ig- nored, and produced an incredible record.
They had planted churches in a thousand new places, mainly "inland,'' and by 1940 the reality of the "younger churches" around the world was widely acclaimed as the "great new fact of our time." The strength of these churches led both national leaders and mis- sionaries to assume that all additional fron- tiers could simply be mopped up by the ordi- nary evangelism of the churches scattered throughout the world. More and more people wondered if, in fact, missionaries weren't needed so badly! Once more, as in 1865, it seemed logical to send missionaries home from many areas of the world.
For us today it is highly important to note the overlap of these first two eras. The 45 year period between 1865 and 1910 (compare 1934 to 1980 today) was a transition between the strategy appropriate to the mature stages of Era 1, the Coast lands era, and the strategy appropriate to the pioneering stages of Era 2, the Inland era.
Shortly after the World Missionary Con- ference in Edinburgh in 1910, there ensued the shattering World Wars and the world- wide collapse of the colonial apparatus. By 1 1945 many overseas churches were pre- pared not only for the withdrawal of the ; colonial powers, but for the absence of the missionary as well. While there was no very widespread outcry, "Missionary Go Home," as some supposed, nevertheless things were different now, as even the ! people in the pews at home ultimately | sensed. Pioneer and paternal were no longer the relevant stages, but partnership and participation.
In 1967, the total number of career mis- | sionaries from America began to decline (and I it has continued to do so to this day). Why?
I Christians had been led to believe that all necessary beachheads had been established. *• gjj By 1967, over 90 percent of all missionaries from North America were working with strong national churches that had been in istence for some time. " *1
The facts, however, were not that simple. ^ Unnoticed by most everyone, another era in^ missions had begun.
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Third (Final) Era (1934-?)
• “Specialized" mission agencies
• Non-Western dominance
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Donald McCavran emphasized ethnic groups
An explosion of awareness among the worldwide church to reach the unreached people groups
RALPH D. WINTER 259
-,.n ,« FOUR MEN. THREE ERAV TWO TRANSITIONS
The Third Era
This era was begun by a pair of young men of the Student Volunteer Movement— Cameron Townsend and Donald McGavran. Cameron Townsend was in so much of a hurry to get to the mission field that he didn't bother to finish coUege. He went to Guatemala as a "Second Era" missionary, building on work which had been done in the past. In that country, as in all other mission fields, there was plenty to do by missionaries working with established na- tional churches.
But Townsend was alert enough to nohce that the majority of Guatemala's population
did not speak Spanish. As he moved from vil- lage to village, try- ing to distribute scriptures written in the Spanish lan- guage, he began to realize that Span- ish evangelism would never reach all Guatemala's people. He was further convinced
of this when an Indian asked him/'Ifj'our God is so iif^rtTwh^can^ giuigerTle was befriended by a group of
The task is not an American one, nor even a Western one. It will involve Christians from every continent of the world.
•-) V-1C* .
oldeTmissionaries who had already con- cluded the indigenous "Indian" populations needed to be reached in their own languages. He was just 23 when he began to move on the basis of this new perspective.
Surely in our time one person comparable to William Carey and Hudson Taylor is Cameron Townsend. Like Carey and Taylor, Townsend saw that there were still unreached frontiers, and for almost a half century he has waved the flag for the overlooked tribal peoples of the world. He started out hoping to help older boards reach out to tribal people. Like Carey and Taylor, he ended up starting his own mission, Wycliffe Bible Translators, which is dedicated to reaching these new fron- tiers. At first he thought there must be about 500 unreached tribal groups in the world. (He was judging by the large number of tribal lan- guages in Mexico alone). Later, he revised his figure to 1,000, then 2,000, and now it is closer
to 5,000. As his conception of the enormity of the task has increased, the size of his organiza- tion has increased. Today it numbers over 4,000 adult workers.
At the very same time Townsend was ru- minating in Guatemala, Donald McGavran was beginning to yield to the seriousness, not of linguistic barriers, but of India s amazing social barriers. Townsend "discovered" the tribes- McGavran discovered a more nearly universal category he labeled "homogeneous units," which today are more often called "people groups." Paul Hiebert has employed the terminology of "horizontal segmenta- tion" for the tribes which each occupied their own turf, and "vertical segmentation" for groups distinguished not by geography but by rigid social differences. McGavran's termi- nology described both kinds even though he was mainly thinking about the more subtle
vertical segmentation.
Once such a group is penetrated, dili- gently taking advantage of that missiological breakthrough along group lines, the strategic "bridge of God" to that people group is es- tablished. The corollary of this truth is the fact that until such a breakthrough is made, normal evangelism and church planting can- not take place.
McGavran did not found a new mission (Townsend did so only when the existing missions did not properly respond to the tribal challenge). McGavran's active efforts and writings spawned both the church growth movement and the frontier mission movement, the one devoted to expanding within already penetrated groups, and the other devoted to deliberate approaches to the remaining unpenetrated groups.
As with Carey and Taylor before them, for twenty years Townsend and McGavran at- tracted little attention. But by the 1950s both ! had wide audiences. By 1980, 46 years from 1934, a 1910-like conference was held, focus- mg precisely on the forgotten groups , these two men emphasized. The Edinburgh-1980 World Consultation on Frontier Missions was the largest mission meeting in history, mea sured by the number of mission agencies sending delegates. And wonder of wonde , ^
57 Third World agencies sent delega •
the sleeper of the Third Era! Also, a simulta-
RALPH D. WINTER
261
neous youth meeting, the International Stu- dent Consultation on Frontier Missions, pointed the way for all future mission meet- ings to include significant youth participation.
As happened in the early stages of the first two eras, the Third Era has spawned a num- ber of new mission agencies. Some, like the New Tribes Mission, carry in their names ref- erence to this new emphasis. The names of others, such as Gospel Recordings and Mis- sion Aviation Fellowship, refer to the new technologies necessary for the reaching of tribal and other isolated peoples of the world. Some Second Era agencies, like Regions Be- yond Missionary Union, have never ceased to stress frontiers, and have merely increased their staff so they can penetrate further — to people groups previously overlooked.
More recently many have begun to realize that tribal peoples are not the only forgotten peoples. Many other groups, some in the middle of partially Christianized areas, have been completely overlooked. These peoples are being called the "Unreached Peoples" and are defined by ethnic or sociological traits to be people so different from the cultural tradi- tions of any existing church that missions (rather than evangelism) strategies are neces- sary for the planting of indigenous churches within their particular traditions.
If the First Era was characterized by reach- ing coast land peoples and the Second Era by inland territories, the Third Era must be char- acterized by the more difficult-to-define, non- geographical category which we have called "Unreached Peoples" — people groups which are socially isolated. Because this concept has been so hard to define, the Third Era has been even slower getting started than the Second Era. Cameron Townsend and Donald McGavran began calling attention to forgot- ten peoples over 40 years ago, but only re- cently has any major attention been given to them. More tragic still, we have essentially forgotten the pioneering techniques of the
First and Second Eras, so we almost need to reinvent the wheel as we learn again how to approach groups of people completely un- touched by the gospel!
We know that there are about 11,000 people groups in the "Unreached Peoples" category, gathered in clusters of similar peoples, these clusters numbering not more than 3,000. Each individual people will re- quire a separate, new missionary beachhead. Is this too much? Can this be done?
Can We Do It?
The task is not as difficult as it may seem, for several surprising reasons. In the first place, the task is not an American one, nor even a Western one. It will involve Christians from every continent of the world.
More significant is the fact that when a beachhead is established within a culture, the normal evangelistic process which God ex- pects every Christian to be involved in re- places the missions strategy, because the mis- sion task of "breaking in" is finished.
Furthermore, "closed countries" are less and less of a problem, because the modem world is becoming more and more interdependent. There are literally no countries today which ad- mit no foreigners. Many of the countries con- sidered "completely closed" — like Saudi Arabia — are in actual fact avidly recruiting thousands of skilled people from other nations. And the truth is, they prefer devout Christians to boozing, womanizing, secular Westerners.
But our work in the Third Era has many other advantages. We have potentially a world-wide network of churches that can be aroused to their central mission. Best of all, nothing can obscure the fact that this could and should be the final era. No serious be- liever today dare overlook the fact that God has not asked us to reach every nation, tribe and tongue without intending it to be done. No generation has less excuse than ours if we do not do as He asks.
Study Questions
1 . Describe the emphasis of each of the three eras and explain the tensions inherent in the transition from one era to another.
. 2. Name the key figure, approximate dates, and student movement associated with each era.
: 3* Explain the four stages of mission activity.
A History of Transformation
Paul Pierson
| ;vl I Paul Pierson is a Senior Professor of Mission and Latin American Studies at the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. He was Dean of the School of World Mis- sion from 1980 to 1993. He also pastored churches and served as a missionary to Brazil and Portugal.
The Church of Jesus Christ, especially its missionary arm, has generally understood the transformation of society to be an essential part of its task. While the focal point of mission has always been to communicate the Good News of Christ, calling people to repent and believe and be baptized into the Church, Christians have always un- derstood their mission to be fulfilled in teaching the nations "to observe all things" that Christ has commanded. Expecta- tion of people obeying Christ has always fueled hope that the culmination of this process of evangelization would bring about transformation of the social situations, the physical conditions, and the spiritual lives of believers. Sometimes changes were remarkable, at other times disap- pointing. But even when there was great cultural misunder- standing and error, the desire to bring individuals and soci- eties more into conformity with the kingdom of God has remained an integral part of mission.
Often missionaries moved into cultures which were al- ready undergoing change. They helped produce some of that change, often channeling it positively, or working against some of its harsher aspects. Missionaries often envisioned a model of transformed communities that looked suspiciously like those they had known in their own cultures; however, there is no doubt this transforming dimension was an essen- tial aspect of mission, and for the most part, beneficial. 1
Monasticism: Communities of Preservation and Transformation
Nearly all missionaries during the period from the fourth to the eighteenth centuries were monks. Though most of the monastic movements were expressly missionary, others were not, but nearly all of the monastic movements brought about
significant social transformation.
There were dozens of monastic movements, among them were the Benedictines and those movements which were born out of them, the Nestorians, who moved from Asia Minor ^ y . into Arabia, India, and across central Asia to China, the r- _ thodox, who went north into the Balkans and Russia, e Celts , who arose in Ireland, then moved into Scotland an England, and back to the continent, and later, the Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits .
Even though the Benedictines were not purposely Vjp sionary, they and the other groups moved into areas
262
Chapter 39
PAUL PIERSON
263
the Christian faith had not yet penetrated, forming communities which modeled and taught the Faith to the "barbarian" tribes moving into central and Western Europe.
The original intent of monasticism was to encourage men to develop lives of discipline and prayer, far from the concerns of normal life. But the monasteries and the soon-to-fol- low women's houses became self-sustaining communities organized around rules for daily life which included both work and worship. Work was both manual and intel- lectual, in the fields and in the library. This was a revolutionary concept in the ancient world where manual work was seen as fit only for slaves. Monks also became scholars, thus for the first time, the practical and the theoretical were embodied in the same per- sons. So the monks have been called the first intellectuals to get dirt under their finger- nails! This helped create an environment fa- vorable to scientific development and the monasteries became centers’of faith, learn- ing, and technical progress.
Monasticisms contribution to learning is well known, but its impact on agricultural development is not as widely recognized. Hannah wrote that in the seventh century "it was the monks who possessed the skill, capi- tal, organization, and faith in the future to undertake large projects of reclamation over fields long desolated by the slave system of village life... and the barbarian hordes.... Im- mense tracts of barren heath and water- soaked fen were by the monasteries' hands turned into excellent agricultural land."2
In the twelfth century the Cistercians withdrew from society and cultivated new land in deserted places. They worked out new methods of agricultural administration and became the greatest wool producers in Europe, furnishing the raw material for the textile industry.
The Nestorians, who flourished from the fifth to the thirteenth centuries, moved central Asia into India and China, in the West know little about this movement because most of the of its labor was lost. Yet as one scholar "Nestorian missionaries introduced and learning among people who were illiterate, including Turks,
Vigurs, Mongols, and Manchus, all of whom are said to derive their alphabets from Syriac, the language of the Nestorians."3
Orthodox monks from the Eastern Church did the same. Ulfilas moved north of the Danube in the fourth century and was the first to reduce a northern European lan- guage to writing, doing so, of course, to translate the Scriptures. In the third century the Armenians were the first national group to adopt Christianity, and in ad 406 their language was reduced to writing so that the Scriptures and other Christian literature might be made available. Constantine (later known as Cyril) and his brother Methodius went to the Balkans and devised two alpha- bets used to translate the Scriptures and es- tablish the Church. The Cyrillic script is still in use in Russia today.
When Patrick returned to Ireland from En- gland he initiated the remarkable Celtic mis- sionary movement that would continue for centuries, and which would be a source of missionary zeal and learning. His spiritual de- scendants moved from Ireland to Scotland, then to England, across the channel to the low countries, and finally into central Germany. They were later instrumental in the con version of Scandinavia. They combined a deep love of learning, spiritual discipline, and mis- sionary zeal. As a result "Ireland became liter- ate for the first time in Patrick's generation." 4 The great monastery at Fulda, founded in the eighth century' bv St. Boniface from this tradi- tion, became the main center of learning for much of Germany.
During the Carolingian Renaissance un- der Charlemagne, the monasteries of the Celtic tradition were again the major cen- ters of education and change. Hannah wrote, "On the whole they were able to achieve their destiny as Christian leaven in a rude society, to implant and preserve a Christian culture like a cultivated garden amid a wilderness of disorder."5
Forerunners of the Protestant Missionary Movement
For nearly two centuries after the Reformation Protestants engaged in very' little missionary activity outside of Europe. But in the late six- teenth century several movements arose, the
264 Chapter 39 A HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION
members of which sought to renew the Church and carry the Reformation further, from doc- trine into life. These movements would form the launching pad of Protestant missions, and included Puritanism , Pietism , Moravianism, and the Wesleyan/Evangelical revivals.
The Puritans focused on conversion and a more authentic Christian life. They also de- veloped the first Protestant mission theol- ogy. Two of their greatest mission advocates were Richard Baxter,
cussion of the sermon, Bible study, prayer, and mutual support, thus initiating a move- ment its opponents called Pietism.
Spener insisted that Christianity consisted not only of knowledge, but must also include the practice of the Faith. Along with his empha- sis on the necessity of the new birth and a holy life, he included a great concern for the needy.
A. H. Francke was Spener's successor as leader of the movement. He taught that re- birth should lead to
an effective pastor and prolific writer, and John Eliot. Eliot went to New England and became an effec- tive missionary to the Algonquin Native Americans, translat- ing the Bible into their language and forming a number of Chris- tian villages. Rooy wrote of him:
He traveled on foot and horseback, taxing his strength to the utmost... to bring the gospel to the natives. He brought cases to court to prevent defrauding of Indian land, pleaded clemency for convicted Indian prisoners, fought the selling of Indians into slavery, sought to secure lands and streams for Indian use, established schools for Indian children and adults, translated books, and attempted to show a deep humanitarianism that accom- panied their concern for salvation.6
Pietism laid the foundation for greater changes, and just in time. In the seventeenth century the Thirty Years War had devastated Germany. Misery abounded, class differences were exaggerated, the level of Christian un- derstanding and life was low, and the Lutheran Church was dominated by the State. The truth of faith was seen in terms of propositions rather than experiential or ethi- cal event or demands. Thus, between the ir- relevance of the Church and the widespread despair and atheism brought about by the Thirty Years War, Christianity soon lost its healing and transforming power.7
Philip Jacob Spener, influenced by Puritan writers during his theological studies, found the situation of his parishioners deplorable when he became the pastor in Frankfort. He began to invite groups into his home for dis-
The Pietism Movement was the parent of all those saving agencies which have arisen within Christendom for the healing of religious, moral, and social evils.
transformed indi- viduals and then to a reformed society and world. For him faith and action were inseparable.
He demonstrated this to a remarkable extent in his influ- ence at the University of Halle and his par- ish at Glaucha. Piety meant genuine con- cern for the spiritual and physical well being of one's neighbor. So the Pietists fed, clothed, and educated the poor. Francke es- tablished schools for poor children, includ- ing girls, a novelty at the time. He also founded an orphanage and other institu- tions to aid the poor. These were supported by faith alone and became the model later for the ministry of George Mueller in Bristol and the China Inland Mission.
The first Protestant missionaries to Asia came from the Pietist movement. Influenced by his Pietist court chaplain, in 1706 Frederick IV of Denmark sent two men from Halle to his colony in Tranquebar, India. Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Heinrich Plutschau were the first of about 60 Pietists who went to India in the eighteenth century. Ziegenbalg, who remained until his death in 1719, was remarkably holistic in his under-
■ standing of the task. He studied the religious beliefs and practices of the Hindus, trans- lated the Scriptures, planted a church, advo- cated the ordination of Indian pastors, set up ‘ ^
! a printing press, and established two schoo s. ^
■ The greatest of his successors, C. F. '-h , Schwartz, not only built up the church but • j worked with orphans and became an am^aS'^
sador of peace between Muslim rulers an • i: the British. Arriving in 1750, he remained un-
*
PAUL PIERSON
265
til his death in 1798. A great German missiologist wrote that "Pietism was the par- ent of missions to the heathen... also of all those saving agencies which have arisen within Christendom for the healing of reli- gious, moral, and social evils... a combination which was already typically exemplified in A. H. Francke."8
The Moravians, with roots both in the Pre- Reformation Hussite movement and Pietism, were one of the most remarkable movements in history. Known for their 24 hour, 100 year prayer watch, they were a highly disciplined, monastic-like community of married men and women devoted to win "souls for the Lamb." During their early years, one of every 14 mem- bers became a missionary, often going to the most difficult fields.
The fourth stream leading to the Protes- tant missionary movement flowed from the Wesleyan/Evangelical revival in England, with John Wesley as its best known leader, and the First Great Awakening in North America. Since the awakening in North America was in many respects an out- growth of Puritanism, we will examine only the movement in England.
Even before their salvation, the Wesleys and the other members of the "Holy Club" at Oxford showed concern for the poor and prisoners. At the same time they pursued the spiritual disciplines which earned them the name, "Methodists."
John Wesley began to preach immediately after his conversion in 1734. While the clear focus was on evangelism and Christian nur- ture, especially among the neglected poor, he wrote, "Christianity is essentially a social reli- gion, to turn it into a solitary religion is in- deed to destroy it." 9 The impact of the move- ment on social reform in England is well known. Robert Raikes started Sunday schools to teach poor children to read and give them moral and religious instruction on the only day of the week they were not working. Oth- ers organized schools among miners and colliers. John Howard tirelessly worked for reform of the appalling conditions in local prisons, then moved Parliament to pass laws for prison reform.
Evangelicals worked to regulate child labor m emerging factories and promoted the
education of the masses. A group of wealthy Anglican evangelicals at Clapham, a suburb of London, spent their time, fortunes, and politi- cal influence in a number of religious and so- cial projects, including the long and successful campaign of William Wilberforce and others, to end slavery in the British Empire. The Church Missionary Society, the greatest of the Anglican societies, was established in 1799. Several other societies were established, all motivated by the revival.
The Protestant Missionary Movement
William Carey is rightly called "the Father of Protestant Missions," even though others had engaged in such missions earlier. In 1792 he formed the Baptist Missionary Society; the fol- lowing year he sailed to India. His writing and example were the catalyst in the creation of similar societies in Europe and in the United States, leading to what has been called "the great century" of missions. His primary goal was to lead people to personal faith in Jesus Christ and eternal salvation; however he saw no conflict between that goal and his other ac- tivities in education, agriculture, and botany.
Carey labored widely to withstand social evils and bring change in Asia. He was better known as a horticulturist around the world than as a missionary. He fought valiantly against the practice of infanticide, the burn- ing of widows, the inhuman treatment of lep- ers (who were often buried or burned alive), and the needless deaths at the great religious pilgrimages of the time. He also founded Serampore College, which was established primarily to train pastors and teachers, but also provided for the education of others in Christian literature and European science.
False Recognition
Many nineteenth century missionary move- ments labored intentionally for social trans- formation, most without recognition, except at times in a false and negative light. For ex- ample, at Andover Seminary, Samuel Mills and his colleagues from the Haystack Prayer Meeting took the initiative in establishing the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions in 1810. One of the early fields chosen was Hawaii (then known as
9
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A HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION
the Sandwich Islands). Those early mission- aries were maligned by James Michner; but the reality was much different from the pic- ture he painted. Their major focus was the conversion of men and women to Christ and the gathering of converts into churches. But they also worked to protect the Hawaiian people from the sexual and economic ex- ploitation of the sailors and traders who came to the islands. The missionaries worked to end infantacide and other de- structive practices. After a few decades the islands were dotted not only with churches, but with schools in which Hawaiian chil- dren were taught by Hawaiian teachers. Several years later others devised a system of writing the language using Roman char- acters, translating the Bible and various text- books. By 1873 they had published 153 dif- ferent works and 13 magazines, along with an almanac in the local language.
A Striking Comparison
Many lesser known missionaries have dem- onstrated great concern for the totality of human need. One of them was Willis Banks, an obscure Presbyterian evangelist who worked in a backward area of southern Bra- zil. He built the areas first brickyard, brought children to live with his family, taught them to read, and then sent them back to teach others. Using a home medical guide, he treated infections, tuberculosis, malaria, worms, and malnutrition.
Banks introduced better methods of agri- culture and care of livestock. He build the first sawmill in the area and constructed machinery to cut silage. An anthropologist who visited the area 20 years after Banks' death gave a striking illustration of the re- sulting community development. He visited two isolated villages, both situated in virtu- ally identical circumstances, with inhabit- ants of the same racial and cultural back- grounds. The village of Volta Grande was Presbyterian and had benefited from Banks' evangelism and leadership. The people lived in houses of brick and wood, used wa- ter filters and in some cases had home pro- duced electricity. They owned canoes and motor launches for travel to a nearby city and cultivated vegetables along with the
traditional rice, beans, com, manioc, and bananas. They had two herds of dairy cattle and produced and consumed milk, cheese, and butter. They received and read newspa- pers, had the Bible and other books readily available, and all were literate. The commu- nity had pooled its resources to build a school and donated it to the State with the stipulation that a teacher be provided and paid. Consequently there was an excellent primary school there and many of its gradu- ates continued their studies in the city. Reli- gious services were held three times a week even though the pastor could visit only once a month.
The inhabitants of Jipovura, the other vil- lage, lived in daub and wattle houses with no furniture. They engaged only in marginal ag- riculture, and did not boil or filter their wa- ter. They had no canoes, used tiny kerosene lamps for light, and were mostly illiterate. A school had been donated to the community by a few Japanese families who had once lived in the area, but the people showed no interest in maintaining it and had ruined the building by stealing its doors and windows. Leisure time was filled by playing cards and drinking the local sugarcane rum. Alcoholism was common.10
Virtually all missionary movements in his- tory have been concerned about social trans- formation in one way or another. It has been seen as part of the ministry of communicat- ing and living out the gospel. Major empha- sis has been placed on education, health care, agriculture, and ministries of social uplift for girls, women, and other neglected and op- pressed members of society.
Establishing Education
Educational institutions usually had three goals: to prepare leadership for the church, to be an instrument to improve society, and to evangelize non-Christian students.
Degrees of success varied, but include the following examples:
• The tribal groups of Northeast India, which became heavily Christian begin-
ning late in the last century, have the sec- , ond highest literacy rate in the nation. " ||j In 1915 illiteracy among nominal Roman jjp Catholics in Brazil was between 60 and >>.>■&
PAUL PIERSON
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80 per cent, while that of Protestants (who normally came from the poor) was one fourth of that figure.11 Most schools in Africa during the colo- nial period were established by mission- aries. Leslie Newbegin pointed out in the 50s that in a 400-page United Na- tions document on education in Africa, not a single line revealed the fact that 90% of the schools being described were there because of missionaries. **
• Many of the outstanding universities in Asia were the result of missions, includ- ing Yonsei University and Ehwa Women's University in Seoul.
• Reporting on the educational work of the Basel Mission in the Gold Coast (Ghana), the Phelps-Stokes Commission reported in 1921, "The educational ef- fort of the Basel Mission in the Gold Coast has produced one of the most in- teresting and effective systems of schools observed in Africa.... First of all their mechanical shops trained and em- ployed a large number of natives as
journeymen Secondly the commercial
activities reached the economic life of the people, influencing their agricul- tural activities and their expenditures for food and clothing."
• In addition to the primary and secondary mission schools, teacher training institu- tions were established to expand educa- tional opportunities.
Bringing Medical Care
Early in the movement a limited amount of medical knowledge was often regarded as necessary for evangelistic missionaries. But by the middle of the last century fully trained physicians were being sent to the field. The 5?; first was Dr. John Scudder, sent by the Ameri- can Board to India. His granddaughter. Dr. Ida ' Scudder, later established perhaps the greatest t of all missionary medical centers at Vellore,
|; India. Dr. Peter Parker introduced eye surgery '% into China. His successor, Dr. John Kerr, pub- %- lished 12 medical works in Chinese, built a % targe hospital, and was the first in China to *i open an institution for the mentally ill. Pres- y byterians in Thailand established 13 hospitals v 12 dispensaries.
Touching the Neglected and Oppressed
Along with educational, medical, and agricul- tural ministries, others focused on some of the most neglected and depressed members of their societies. Half of the tuberculosis work in India was done by missions, and Christian in- stitutions took the lead both in treatment and the training of workers among those afflicted. Missions also took the
lead in working with lepers in several Asian countries, and estab- lished orphanages for abandoned children.
A few missionaries went beyond social service and attacked the political and so- cial injustices of colo- nialism. A celebrated example took place in the Belgian Congo at the turn of the cen- tury. Two Presbyte-
The Christian mission movement has had dramatic positive impact on every continent and continues to do so in even greater ways.
rian missionaries from the United States observed the forced labor of the Africans in the rubber industry, and published articles calling the monopolis- tic economic exploitation "twentieth century slavery." This garnered international atten- tion; the missionaries were sued for libel, with the suit finally dismissed.
Serving Women
One of the most significant results of Christian missions in many societies came through their role in ministering to and raising the status of women. In many of the cultures women were relegated to a very low status and had almost j no rights. Missionaries, usually single women, i evangelized them, teaching them to see them- selves as children of God. Then girls and women were encouraged to study, develop their gifts, and in some cases, enter profes- sions such as education and medicine.
Focusing first on the evangelization of women in cultures where men could not have contact with most women, the missionaries soon branched out into educational and medi- cal work with women. Soon women were em- ployed as lay evangelists, called 'Bible
rhaoter 39 A HISTORY OF TRANSFORMATION
women/ especially in China and Korea. Even though they were not yet given equal status with men, these faithful workers had a power- ful impact not only on the growth of the Church but on the status of other women. When the first Protestant missionaries arrived in Korea in 1884 and 1885, a woman had virtu- ally no status in society except as the daughter of her father, the wife of her husband, or the mother of her oldest son. By the middle of this century the world's largest women's univer- sity had been established in Seoul and its President, Dr. Helen Kim, was recognized as one of Korea's greatest educators as well as a leader in evangelization.
Women missionaries from the United States initiated the first medical work for women in India and China, established the first girls' schools, and eventually founded nursing and medical schools for women. This had a powerful impact on the medical care of women, as well as their status in so- ciety. As a result medicine is among the most prestigious professions open to women in India, and there are thousands of women physicians in that nation today. Dr. Clara Swain, the first woman medical mis-
sionary appointed to a field, arrived in In- dia in 1870. Beaver makes it clear that Swain and others saw no separation be- tween their medical and evangelistic work. Their manifestation of loving concern for their patients as individuals, and their me- diation of the love of God in Christ for per- sons were as important as their scientific knowledge and technical skill. The writings and speeches of the women medical mis- sionaries make it clear that they considered themselves evangelists.13
The story goes on. The Christian mission movement has had dramatic positive impact on every continent and continues to do so in even greater ways. Even though the basic aim of many of these mission efforts was to call people to faith in Him, and plant the 1 Church, the effects of those efforts has been seen to eventually extend to every part of the ! societies in which the church has been | planted. There is much to disappoint ajid ad- I mire in the record; but overall, the Christian movement is bringing a measure of fulfill- ! ment of God's promise that Abraham's de- | scendents would bring blessing to all the families of the earth.
H^tUrmson, William. Errand to the World. Chicago, Univ. of Chicago Press, 1987.
2. Hannah, Ian. Monasticism, London, Allen and Unwin, 1924. pp. 90,91.
3 Stewart |ohn. The Nestorian Missionary Enterprise. Edinburgh, T and T C a , ■ P-
4. Stimson, Edward. Renewal in Christ. New York Vantage Press, 1979. p.147.
5. Hannah, Ian. Monasticism, London, Allen and Unwin, 1924. p. 86. .gAr
6 Rooy, Sidney. The Theology of Missions in the Puritan Tradition. Grand Rapi s, er ma ,
7. Sattler, Gary. Cod's Glory, Neighbor's Good. Chicago, Covenant Press. 1 982. p. .
8. Dubose, Francis (ed.) Classics of Christian Mission. Nashville, Broadman, 1979k p. •
9 Bready, John W. This Freedom Whence. New York, American Tract Society • P- .
,0. Williams, Emilio. Followers of the New Faith. Nashville, Vanderbilt Univ. Press. 1967. pp.
1 1 . Pierson, Paul. A Younger Church in Search of Maturity. San Antonio, Trinity University Press, 1974. pp. 107,108.
12. As reported by Ralph D. Winter. Winter, p. 1 9.9. . .n_ iq80
13. Beaver, R. Pierce. American Protestant Women in Mission , Grand Rapids, Eer
p.135.
T^Was^the education, economic and societal transformation which characterized early mission e forts, seen as separate from or integrated with evangelistic work?
2. What unique contribution did the monastic movement bring in the realms of the scienc agriculture?
geria. She isl thropology School of 1 1 Biola Univi| Worldview tion of the G| ing
years. Meg \i sion mobiliJ of the PerJ Tempe, Arizj sion of the) called VVor/J From Wcl edited by K\ Used by pc Carey Librarl
Europe's Moravians:
A Pioneer Missionary Church
Colin A. Grant
Colin A. Grant was a missionary in Sri Lanka for twelve years with the British Baptist Missionary So- ciety. He was chairman of the Evan- gelical Missionary Alliance and Home Secretary of the Evangelical Union of South America. Grant died in 1976.
Used by permission from "Europe's Moravians: A Pioneer Missionary Church," Evangelical Missions Quarterly, 1 2 :4, (October 1976), published by EMIS, P.O. Box 794, Wheaton, IL 60189.
Sixty years before Carey set out for India and 150 years before Hudson Taylor first landed in China, two men, Leonard Dober, a potter, and David Nitschmann, a car- penter landed on the West Indian island of St. Thomas to make known the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had set out in 1732 from a small Christian community in the mountains of Saxony in central Europe as the first missionaries of the Moravian Brethren, who in the next 20 years entered Greenland (1/33), North America's Indian territories (1734), Surinam (1735),
South Africa (1736), the Samoyedic peoples of the Arctic (1737), Algiers and Ceylon, and Sri Lanka (1740), China (1742), Persia (1747), Abyssymafand Labrador (1752).
This was but a beginning. In the first 150 years of its en- deavor, the Moravian community jvas to send no less than 2,158 of its members overseas! In the words of Stephen Neil, "This small church was seized with a missionary passion which has never left it."
The Unitas Fratum (United Brethren), as they had been called, have left a record without parallel in the post-New Testament era of world evangelization, and we do well to look again at the main characteristics of this movement and learn the lessons God has for us.
Spontaneous Obedience
In the first place, the missionary obedience of the Moravian Brethren was essentially glad and spontaneous, "the response of a healthy organism to the law of its life," to use Harry Boer's words. The source of its initial thrust came as a result of a deep movement of God's Spirit that had taken place among a small group of exiled believers. They had fled the persecu- tion of the anti-Reformation reaction in Bohemia and Moravia during the 17th century and had taken shelter on an estate at Berthesdorf at the invitation of Nicolas Zinzendorf, an evangelical Lutheran nobleman.
The first tree for their settlement, which was later to be named Herrnhut ("The Lord's Watch"), was felled by Christian David (himself to go overseas as a missionary at a later stage) in 1722 to the strains of Psalm 84. Five years later, so deeply ran the new tides of the grace and Jove of God among them that one of their number wrote: "The whole place represented truly a tabernacle of God among men. There was nothing to be seen and heard but joy an gladness."
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*4
This was God's preparation for all that was to follow. Challenged through meeting with Anton, an African slave from St. Tho- mas during a visit to Denmark for the coro- nation of King Christian VI, Dober and Nitschmann volunteered to go and were commissioned. To them it was a natural ex- pression of their Christian life and obedience.
Dr. A. C. Thompson, one of the main nine- teenth century recorders of the early history of Moravian missions, wrote: "So fully is the duty of evangelizing the heathen lodged in current thought that the fact of anyone entering per- sonally upon that work never creates surprise... It is not regarded as a thing that calls for widespread heralding, as if something mar- velous or even unusual were in hand.
What a contrast to the hard worked for in- terest that characterizes much of the mission- ary sending scene today! Rev. Ignatius Latrobe, a former secretary of the Moravian missions in the United Kingdom during the last century, wrote: "We think it a great mis- take when, after their appointment, missionar- ies are held up to public notice and admiration and much praise is bestowed upon their de- votedness to their Lord, presenting them to the congregations as martyrs and confessors before they have even entered upon their labours. We rather advise them quietly to set out, recommended to the fervent prayers of the congregation..." No clamor, no platform heroics, no publicity, but an ardent, unostenta- tious desire to make Christ known wherever his name had not been named. This became knit into the ongoing life and liturgy of the Moravian Church, so that, for example, a large proportion of public prayer and subsequent hymnology was occupied with this subject.
Passion for Christ
In the second place, this surging zeal had as its prime motivation a deep , ongoing passion and love for Christ, something that found expression in the life of Zinzendorf himself. Bom in 1700 into Austrian nobility, he came early under godly family influences and soon came to a saving knowledge of Christ. His early missionary in- terest was evidenced in his founding, with a friend, in his student days of what he called "The Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed" for the spread of Christ's kingdom in the world.
He became not only host to, but the first leader of the Moravian believers and himself made visits overseas in the interests of the gos- pel. "I have one passion, and it is Him, only Him," was his central chord and it sounded through the more than 2,000 hymns he wrote.
William Wilberforce, the great evangelical English social reformer, wrote of the Moravians: "They are a body who have perhaps excelled all mankind in solid and unequivocal proofs of the love of Christ and ardent, active zeal in his ser- vice. It is a zeal tempered with prudence, soft- ened with meekness and supported by a cour- age which no danger can intimidate and a quiet certainty no hardship can exhaust. Today, we need a full theological formulation of our moti- vation in mission and an adequate grasp of what we believe. But if there is no passionate love for Christ at the center of everything, we will only jingle and jangle our way across the world, merely making a noise as we go.
Courage in the Face of Danger
As Wilberforce indicated, a further feature of the Moravians was that they faced the most in- credible of difficulties and dangers with remarkable courage. They accepted hardships as part of the identification with the people to whom the Lord had sent them. The words of Paul, "I have become all things to all men" (1 Cor 9:22), were spelled out with a practicality almost without parallel in the history of missions.
Most of the early missionaries went out as "tentmakers," working their trade (most of them being artisans and farmers like Dober and Nitschmann) so that the main expenses in- volved were in the sending of them out. In ar- eas where white domination had bred the faqade of white superiority (e.g. Jamaica and South Africa) the way they humbly got down to j hard manual work was itself a witness to their i faith. For example, a missionary named Monate I helped to build a com mill in the early days of j his work in the Eastern Province of South Af- | rica, cutting the two heavy sandstones himself, i In so doing, he not only amazed the Kaffirs j among whom he was working, but was enabled to "chat" the gospel to them as he worked!
To go to such places as Surinam and the West Indies meant facing disease and possible death; the early years took their inevitable toll. In Guvana. for instance, 75 out of the first 160
Florid ary fo Costa as the Work has st lnter\ and C Conv(
Study Questions
1 Which of the characteristics of the Moravians is most absent from the Chri: Which is most evident?
2. What is your answer to the question posed at the end of this article? Why?
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missionaries died from tropical fevers, poison- ing and such. Men like Andrew Rittmansberger died within six months of landing on the is- land. The words of a verse from a hymn writ- ten by one of the first Greenland missionaries expresses something of the fibre of their atti- tude: "Lo through ice and snow, one poor lost soul for Christ to gain; Glad, we bear want and distress to set forth the Lamb once slain."
The Moravians resolutely tackled new lan- guages without many of the modem aids, and numbers of them went on to become out- standingly fluent and proficient in them. This was the stuff, then, of which these men were made. We may face a different pattern of de- mands today, but the need for a like measure of God-given courage remains the same. Is our easy-going, prosperous society produc- ing "softer" men and women?
Tenacity of Purpose
We finally note that many Moravian missionar- ies showed a tenacity of purpose that was of a very high order , although it must immediately be added that there were occasions when there was a too hasty withdrawal in the face of a particularly problematical situation (e.g., early work among the Aborigines in Austra- lia in 1854 was abandoned suddenly because of local conflicts caused by a gold rush).
One of the most famous of Moravian mis- sionaries, known as the "Eliot of the West," was David Zeisberger. From 1735, he labored for 62 years among the Huron and other tribes. On one occasion, after he had preached from Isaiah 64:8, one Sunday morning in August, 1781, the church and compound were invaded by marauding bands of Indians. In the subse- quent burnings, Zeisberger lost all his manu- scripts of Scripture translations, hymns and ex- tended notes on the grammar of Indian languages. But like Carey, who was to undergo a similar loss through fire in India years later, Zeisberger bowed his head in quiet submission to the overruling providence of God and set his hand and heart to the work again.
Are we becoming short on missionary per- severance today? By all means let us ac- knowledge the value in short-term mission- ary assignments and see the divine purpose in many of them. But where are those who are ready to "sink" themselves for God over- seas? Let us look at such problems as children's education and changing mission- ary strategy under the Lord's direction full in the face; but if men are to be won, believers truly nourished, and churches encouraged into the fullness of life in Christ, a great deal of "missionary staying power" of the right sort is going to be needed in some places.
Of course, these Moravians had their weak- nesses. They concentrated more on evangelism than on the actual planting of local churches and they were consequently very weak on de- veloping Christian leadership. They centered their approach on "the missionary station, even giving them a whole succession of biblical place names, such as Shiloh, Sarepta, Nazareth, Bethlehem, etc. Since most of the early mission- aries went out straight from the "carpenter's bench" because of the spontaneous nature of their obedience, they were short on adequate preparation. In fact, it was not until 1869 that the first missionary training college was founded at Nisky, 20 miles from Hermhut.
Despite all this, the words of J. R. Weinlick bring home the all-pervading lesson we have to leam from the Moravians today. "The Moravian Church was the first among Protestant churches to treat this work as a responsibility of the Church as a whole (emphasis mine), instead of leaving it to societies or specially interested people." True, they were a small, compact and unified community, and therefore it may be said that such a simple missionary structure as they pos- sessed was natural. It is doubtful, however, if this can ever be made an excuse for the low : level of missionary concern apparent in many 1 sectors of God's Church today, or for the com- plex, and often competing, missionary society system we struggle with at the present time. Have we ears to hear and wills to obey?
Student Power in World Missions
David M. Howard
David M . Howard is Presi- dent of the Latin America Mission in Miami, Florida, having served as a mission- ary for 15 years in Columbia and Costa Rica. For 1 0 years he served as the International Director of the World Evangelical Fellowship. He has served as Missions Director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and Director of the IVCF Urbana Conventions in 1973 and 1976.
From Student Power in World Missions, by David M. Howard Copyright 1979 by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of the USA and used by permission of David Howard.
W" hy take time to read about the past? Why not get down to business to today's issues and planning for the future?
We learn from the past so that we can live effectively in the present and plan wisely for the future. He who will not leam from history is doomed to repeat her mistakes.
We leam about the Lord's working in past times so that we can understand him better and trust him more fully.
We turn to the Bible for basic information about those mighty deeds. And since the Lord did not cease those glori- ous workings when he terminated the writing of the Bible, we turn to later sources to leam of his subsequent deeds.
In particular, what has he been doing over the centuries in terms of work among college students in fulfilling the Great Commission?
Earliest Traces
Perhaps the earliest traceable instance in which students had a definite part in promoting a world outreach is found in Germany in the early 17th century. Gustav Wameck, the great historian-theologian of missions, writes of seven young law students from Lubeck, Germany, who, while studying together in Paris, committed themselves to carry' the gospel overseas. At least three of them finally sailed for Africa. All trace has been lost of two of these, but the name of Peter Heiling has survived. After a two-year stay in Egypt, he pro- ceeded to Abyssinia in 1634. He spent some 20 years in that land, where he translated the Bible into Amharic and finally died a martyr.
Heiling had no successors, and thus there was no con- tinuation of what he began. But the translation of the Scrip- tures was a significant contribution that unquestionably made its impact.
The important thing to note here is that his original im- petus to leave his own land and carry the gospel to another part of the world came when he banded together with fel- low students to pray and work for the extension of the Church overseas.
The Moravians
The name of Count Nicolaus Ludwig von Zirtzendorf (1700- 1760) stands high in missionary annals as a leader of the Moravian movement— one of the first, most effective and
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nost enduring of missionary enterprises, 'inzendorf had the good fortune to know per- onaily both Spener and Francke, the great eaders of the Pietists. The emphasis on a per- onal relationship to Jesus as Lord became the nost influential factor in his early life. Before he age of ten he had determined that his life- ong purpose should be to preach the gospel )f Jesus Christ throughout the world.
From 1710 to 1716, Zinzendorf studied in he Paedagogium founded by Francke in Halle, Germany. With five other boys he formed the Order of the Grain of Mustard Seed, whose members were bound together in prayer. The purposes were to witness to the power of Jesus Christ, to draw other Christians together in fellowship, to help those who were suffering for their faith, and to carry the gospel of Christ overseas. The same vision was carried over in his univer- sity days at Wittenberg and Utrecht. He never lost sight of this purpose.
In April, 1731, Zinzendorf attended the coronation of Christian VI of Denmark in Copenhagen. There he met Anthony Ulrich, from St. Thomas in the West Indies, who shared with the Count his deep desire that his brothers in the West Indies should hear the gospel. So deeply impressed was Zinzendorf that he saw the relationship be- tween this and the commitments he had made as a student. By August, 1732, arrange- ments had been made for the first two Moravian missionaries to sail for St. Thomas.
Thus, the modem worldwide missionary movement (which traces parts of its roots to the Moravians of 1732) was actually bom in the hearts of a group of students who joined together at Halle to pray for world evangelism.
The Wesleys
At the same time God was also moving among students in England, Charles Wesley entered Christ Church College, Oxford, in 1726, from which his brother, John, had just graduated. Be- cause of his desire to know God better he formed a small society of students for the study of the classics and the New Testament. They became known as the "Holy Club" (in derision from their fellow students) and as the "Meth- odists" (because of their methodical approach to life). John Wesley returned as a teaching fel-
low to Lincoln College at Oxford and joined his brother in the activities of this group.
In addition to worship and study, the group translated their piety into an outreach to the poor, the hungry and the imprisoned. This facet of the activities became an increas- ingly important part of their club.
While John Wesley is usually known as an evangelist and theologian and Charles as a hymn writer, they both began their fruitful careers as overseas missionaries. In October, 1735, the two brothers sailed for the colony of Georgia with General Oglethorpe. John Wesley's journal indicated that he was not yet sure of his own salvation at this point and that his sailing for Georgia was partly a quest for knowing God better. At the same time, he had the desire to share what he knew of Christ with the Indians of America.
Shortly after Wesley arrived in Georgia, the English colonists there tried to persuade him to remain in Savannah as their pastor. However, his desire to preach the gospel to the unevangelized Indians caused him to write in his Journal:
Tuesday, November 23 (1736) — Mr. Oglethorpe sailed for England, leaving Mr. Ingham, Mr. Delamotte, and me at Savan- nah, but with less prospect of preaching to the Indians than we had the first day we set foot in America. Whenever I mentioned it, it was immediately replied, "You cannot leave Savannah without a minister."
To this indeed my plain answer was, "I know not that I am under any obligation to the contrary. I never promised to stay here one month. I openly declared both before, at, and ever since, my coming hither that I neither would nor could take charge of the English any longer than till I could go among the Indians."
This desire to share the message of Chris- tianity with the Indians who did not know Jesus Christ was apparently a direct out- growth of the fellowship of students at Ox- ford who sought to know God better through their "Holy Club."
Charles Simeon
No summary of the movement of God among students in England would be complete with- out reference to Charles Simeon. As a student
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at Cambridge University in 1779, Simeon came to know Christ. Following his gradua- tion in 1782, he was appointed Fellow of King's College, ordained to the ministry and named incumbent of Holy Trinity Church at Cambridge. Thus began a remarkable minis- try that was to span fifty-four years.
Students who came under Simeon's influ- ence later became some of the great leaders of the church both in Great Britain and around the world. His informal gatherings of under- graduates in his home for Bible study and prayer were perhaps the most influential part of his work. Scores of students first came to a personal relation- ship to Jesus Christ.
Here they began to un- derstand the Word of God and its implica- tions for their lives.
And here they received their first visions of reaching out to others with that Word.
This outreach took very practical forms.
In 1827, a group of five students, strongly in- fluenced by Simeon's preaching at Holy
Trinity Church, formed the Jesus Lane Sun- day School in an attempt to reach the boys md girls of the community. Among those aTio taught in this Sunday School were men ;uch at Conybeare, Howson, and Westcott, later to be known through the world for biblical scholarship.
Another example of outreach in which Simeon had direct influence was the forming of an auxiliary of the British and Foreign Bible Society at Cambridge in 1811. The purpose of the Society had always been to make available the Word of God throughout the world in the language of the people. The involvement of students in this auxiliary undoubtedly served to broaden their horizons and help them see how they could relate to world evangelization Simeon's influence continued long after His death in 1836. The "Simeonites" (as the
The modern worldwide missionary movement was actually born in the hearts of a group of students who joined together to pray for world evangelism.
students who attended his informal gather- ings were dubbed) continued their activities in the Jesus Lane Sunday School and else- where in an outreach with the gospel. In 1848, the Cambridge Union for Private Prayer was formed and became a vital factor in the spiritual life and witness of many.
In 1857, David Livingstone visited Cam- bridge and delivered a moving missionary address. Partly as a result of this visit, the Cambridge University Church Missionary' Union was established early in 1858 for the purpose of encouraging "a more extended missionary spirit by frequent meetings for prayer and the reading of papers, and for bringing forward an increased number of candidates for missionary employment."
The Inter- Varsity Fellowship of England traces its origins directly to the work begun by Charles Simeon. The Cambridge Inter-Colle- giate Christian Union was formed in 1877.
From small beginnings, this movement soon spread to other British universities, then to other countries and finally around the world.
The Cambridge Seven
In 1882, the American evangelist, D. L.
Moody, visited Cambridge during a tour of Britain. The results of one week of meetings were beyond expectations as great impact was made at the university. Immediately af- ter his visit, there was a rapid increase in the number of students who applied to the Church Missionary Society of the Anglican Church for service overseas.
About the same time there was a mount- ing interest in a new mission, the China In- land Mission, recently founded by J. Hudson Taylor. In 1883-84, a group of seven outstand- ing students (six of them from Cambridge) applied to the China Inland Mission. The\ were all brilliant and talented men with good background and upbringing and a variety of athletic and academic abilities.
Montagu H. P. Beauchamp, son of Sir Tho- mas and Lady Beauchamp, was a brilliant student. William W. Cassels was son of a businessman. Dixon Edward Hoste was con- verted under D. L. Moody. He held a com- mission in the Royal Artillery and was later to become the successor of Hudson Taylor as director of the China Inland Mission. Arthur
280 Chapter 42 STUDENT POWER IN WORLD MISSIONS
Polhill-Tumer was the son of a member of Parliament. Outgoing and quick, he played cricket and made friends easily at Cam- bridge. He, too, was converted under D. L. Moody. Arthur's brother, Cecil Polhill-Tumer, was commissioned in the Dragoon Guards. Stanley P. Smith, son of a successful London surgeon, became captain of First Trinity Boat Club and stroke of the Varsity crew at Cam- bridge. Although he was brought up in a Christian home, he committed his life to Christ under the ministry of D. L. Moody. Charles Thomas Studd was the son of wealthy parents who knew every luxury of life. He was captain of the cricket team at Cambridge and generally considered the out- standing cricketer of his day.
In a variety of ways the Spirit of God be- gan to move upon each of these men con- cerning going to China. Slowly but relent- lessly, the Spirit brought each one to a place of commitment and subsequently to an appli- cation for missionary service. Sensing a unity of purpose and outlook, these seven desired to share their vision with fellow students. Following graduation, they traveled exten- sively throughout England and Scotland, vis- iting campuses and churches. Their impact for missionary work was far beyond the few months of time they invested in this tour. In February, 1885, the seven sailed for China, to be followed in subsequent years by scores of students who, under their influence, had given themselves to Jesus Christ to reach other parts of the world.
Thus the forward movement of the church continued to be inspired by youth. Whether it was among students at Halle with Zinzendorf, or at Oxford with the Wesleys, or at Cam- bridge with C. T. Studd and his fellows, the Holy Spirit continued to use students as spear- heads in awakening the church to its world- wide responsibilities.
Samuel Mills
On the North American continent, the begin- nings of overseas interest on the part of the Church can be traced directly to student influ- ence, and more precisely, to the impact of one student, Samuel J. Mills, Jr. (1783-1818). Bom in Connecticut as the son of a Congregational minister. Mills was brought up in a godly
home. His mother reportedly said of him, "I have consecrated this child to the service of God as a missionary." This was a remarkable statement since missionary interest was practi- cally unknown in the churches of that day, and no channels (such as mission boards) for overseas service existed in America. Mills was converted at the age of 17 as a part of the Great Awakening that began in 1798 and touched his father's church. His commitment to world evangelism seemed to be an integral part of his conversion experience. From the moment of conversion on through the years of his study and for the rest of his public minis- try, he never lost sight of this purpose.
The Haystack Prayer Meeting
In 1806, Mills enrolled in Williams College, Massachusetts. This school had been pro- foundly affected by the religious awakening of those years, and devout students on cam- pus had a deep concern for the spiritual wel- fare of their fellow students. Mills joined with them in their desire to help others.
It was Mills' custom to spend Wednesday and Saturday afternoons in prayer with other , students on the banks of the Hoosack River or in a valley near the college. In August, 1806, Mills and four others were caught in a thun- derstorm while returning from their usual meeting. Seeking refuge under a haystack, they waited out the storm and gave them- selves to prayer. Their special focus of prayer that day was for the awakening of foreign mis- sionary interest among students. Mills directed their discussion and prayer to their own mis- sionary obligation. He exhorted his compan- ions with the words that later became a watch- word for them, "We can do this if we will."
Bowed in prayer, these first American stu- dent volunteers for foreign missions willed that God should have their lives for service wherever he needed them, and in that self- dedication really gave birth to the first stu- dent missionary society in America. Kenneth Scott Latourette, the foremost historian of the Church's worldwide expansion, states, "It i was from this haystack meeting that the for- I eign missionary movement of the churches o ; the United States had an initial impulse/ 1
The exact location of the haystack was un- : known for a number of years. Then, in 18 /
DAVID M. HOWARD
281
Bryan Green, one of those present in 1806, visited Williamstown and located the spot. A monument was erected on the site in 1867. Mark Hopkins, who was then president of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, gave the dedicatory ad- dress in which he said, 'Tor once in the his- tory of the world, a prayer meeting is com- memorated by a monument."
The Society of Brethren
Back at Williams College, students continued to meet for prayer. They were influential in leading a number of other students into a commitment for overseas service. In Septem- ber, 1808, deciding to organize formally, they founded The Society of the Brethren for the purpose of giving themselves to extend the gospel around the world.
Desiring to extend the influence of this So- ciety to other colleges, one of the members transferred to Middlebury College to found a similar society. In 1809, following his gradua- tion from Williams College, Mills enrolled at Yale with the dual purpose of continuing theological studies and of imparting mission- ary vision to the students there.
Here he met Henry Obookiah, a Hawaiian, who encouraged him with the need of evan- gelizing the Hawaiian Islands. Obookiah did much in the next few years to stimulate stu- dent interest in evangelizing the Pacific Is- lands. He died prematurely before he was able to return to his homeland, but Latourette says of him, "The story of his life and mis- sionary purpose was a major stimulus to the sending, in 1819, the year after his death, of the first missionaries of the American Board to Hawaii." (James Michener's caricature of Abner Hale as the first missionary to Hawaii, in his novel Hawaii, should not be allowed to obscure the commitment which led Obookiah, Mills and other students to be con- cerned for the evangelization of those who had never heard of Christ.)
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American Board of Commissioners for ^ Foreign Missions
% ^ J^e, 1810, the General Association of Con- 'S^ 8regational Churches met in Bradford, Mas- T ^husetts, in annual meeting. Samuel Mills
(then studying at Andover Theological Semi- nary), with several fellow students, including Adoniram Judson, presented a petition re- questing the formation of a society which could send them out as foreign missionaries. On June 29, the Association recommended to the assembly "That there be instituted by this General Association a Board of Commission- ers for Foreign Missions, for the purpose of devising ways and means, and adopting and prosecuting measures for promoting the spread of the gospel to heathen lands." Al- though not legally incorporated until 1812, the Board began activities immediately. It was interdenominational in character, enjoy- ing the support of numerous church bodies. Volunteers were recruited and prepared.
On February 19, 1812, Adoniram Judson and Samuel Newell and their wives sailed for India, and five days later Samuel Nott, Gor- don Hall and Luther Rice also embarked on another ship for India. These first American missionaries joined hands with the great En- 1 glish pioneer, William Carey, who since 1793 had been evangelizing in India. Judson and Rice subsequently persuaded the Baptists of North America to form their own missionary society, which became the second foreign board in the United States.
Thus, within four years of the haystack prayer meeting, these students had been in- fluential in the formation of the first North American missionary society, and a year and a half later, the first volunteers were on their way to Asia.
The Student Volunteer Movement
In the history of modem missions, probably no single factor has^wielded a greater influ- ence in the world wide outreach of the Church than the Student Volunteer Movement (SVM). ffieliame^onts great leaders — men of the stature of John R. Mott, Robert C. Wilder, Rob- ert E. Speer, to name a few — stand high in the annals of the foreign missionary movement.
Its watchword, "The evangelization of the world in this generation," was so profoundly influential in motivating students for overseas service that John R. Mott could write, "I can truthfully answer that next to the decision to take Christ as the leader and Lord of my life, the watchword has had more influence than
282 Chapter 42 STUDENT POWER IN WORLD MISSIONS
all other ideals and objectives combined to widen my horizon and enlarge my conception of the Kingdom of God."
The SVM had its distant roots in the fa- mous Haystack Prayer Meeting held at Will- iams College in 1806. Out of that meeting grew two very influential developments.
First was the Society of Brethren at Andover Theological Seminary. Second was the Ameri- can Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis- sions, the first North American foreign mis- sion agency. One of the members of the Society of Brethren in later years was Ro^al Wilder, who sailed for India under the ABCFM in 1846. Returning to the U.S. for health reasons in 1877, he settled in Princeton, NJ, where his son, Robert, soon formed the "Princeton Foreign Missionary Society." The members of this Society de- clared themselves "willing and desirous, God permitting, -to go to the unevangelized por- tions of the world." Their prayers and activi- ties bore fruit in the summer of 1886.
At the invitation of D. L. Moody, 251 stu- dents gathered at Mt. Hermon, Massachu- setts, for a month-long Bible conference in July 1886. A great burden for world evangeli- zation was gripping some of these students.
A memorable address given by one of the Bible teachers. Dr. A. T. Pierson, contained the seed form of the SVM watchword, and he is generally credited with having originated it. As a result of Pierson's challenge, plus
other motivations, including "The meeting of the Ten Nations" and lengthy prayer meet- ings, 100 students volunteered for overseas service during the conference.
The foundations of the SVM were laid that summer, and the movement was formally or- ganized in 1888. During the school year 1886- 87, Robert G. Wilder and John Forman, both of Princeton, travelled to 167 different schools to share the vision they had received of world evangelization. During that year, they saw 2,106 students volunteer for mis- sionary work. Among these were Samuel Zwemer and Robert E. Speer, whose influ- ence in missions during the next decades is almost incalculable.
The SVM was formally organized in 1888 with John R. Mott as its chairman. A fivefold purpose was developed:
The fivefold purpose of the Student Vol- unteer Movement is to lead students to a thorough consideration of the claims of foreign missions upon them person- ally as a lifework; to foster this purpose by guiding students who become volun- teers in their study and activity for mis- sions until they come under the imme- diate direction of the Mission Boards; to unite all volunteers in a common, orga- nized, aggressive movement; to secure a sufficient number of well-qualified volunteers to meet the demands of the
"The Mount Hermon One Hundred"
DAVID M. HOWARD
283
various Mission Boards; and to create and maintain an intelligent, sympathetic and active interest in foreign missions on the part of students who are to re- main at home in order to ensure the strong backing of the missionary enter- prise by their advocacy, their gifts and their prayers.2
Taking a cue from the Princeton Foreign Missionary Society with its "pledge," the SVM developed a declaration card. The pur- pose of the card was to face each student with the challenge of the "evangelization of the world in this generation." The card stated: "It is my purpose, if God permit, to become a foreign missionary." When a stu- dent signed this, it was understood as his re- sponse to the call of God. Every student was expected to face the issue and either to re- spond to it in the affirmative or else show that God was clearly leading him elsewhere.
Growth and Outreach
The growth of the SVM in the following three decades was nothing short of phenomenal. In 1891, the first international student missionary convention sponsored by SVM was held in Cleveland, Ohio. It was decided that such a convention should be held every four years in order to reach each student generation. Until the 1940's, this became a pattern, interrupted only by World War I. The first convention at Cleveland was attended by 558 students rep- resenting 151 educational institutions, along with 31 foreign missionaries and 32 represen- tatives of missionary societies.3
By the time of the Cleveland convention, there were 6,200 Student Volunteers from 352 educational institutions in the United States and Canada. And 321 volunteers had already sailed for overseas service. In addition, 40 col- leges and 32 seminaries were involved in fi- nancial support of their alumni who had gone overseas as Volunteers.4 All of this had taken place in just five years since the Mt. Hermon conference. The Movement had also reached out and planted seeds of similar movements in Great Britain, Scandinavia, and South Africa.
An educational program in the schools was initiated and spread rapidly. Mott could later write that "At one time before the war
the number in such circles exceeded 40,000 in 2,700 classes in 700 institutions."5
These- efforts on the local campuses, the quadrennial conventions, plus literature, speaking tours and other activities, resulted in thousands of students volunteering for overseas service. "By 1945, at the most^on- servative estimate, 20,500 students from so- called Christian lands, who had signed the declaration, reached the field, for the most part under the missionary societies and boards of the churches."0
In 1920 (the peak year statistically) 2,783 students signed the SVM decision card, 6,890 attended the quadrennial convention in Des Moines, and in 1921, 637 Volunteers sailed for the field, this being the highest number in any single year. The motivations were genu- ine, the grounding in biblical principles was solid, and the leadership had a burning vi- sion for world evangelism.
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Confusion and Decline
But in 1920, an ominous change began to take place. "The Missionary Review of the World" (a journal founded by Royal Wilder in 1887) analyzed the SVM convention at Des Moines as follows:
The Des Moines Volunteer Convention... was marked by a revolt against the lead- ership of the "elder statesman." That con- vention was large in number but the del- egates were lacking in missionary vision and purpose and were only convinced that a change of ideals and of leadership was needed. They rightly believed that selfishness and foolishness had involved the world in terrible war and bloodshed and they expressed their intention to take control of Church and State in an effort to bring about better conditions. The prob- lems of international peace, social justice, racial equality and economic betterment obscured the Christian foundations and ideals of spiritual service.
From the high point of 1920, the SVM ex- perienced a rapid decline, 38 Volunteers sailed for the field in 1934 (as compared with 637 in 1921); 25 Volunteers enrolled in SVM in 1938 (as compared with 2,783 in 1920). In 1940, 465 delegates attended the quadrennial convention in Toronto (as com- pared with the 6,890 at Des Moines in 1920).
-3
284 Chapter 42 STUDENT POWER IN WORLD MISSIONS
Here was a movement whose influence on students and the world mission of the Church had been incalculable. Yet it could be said of SVM that "by 1940 it had almost ceased to be a decisive factor either in stu- dent religious life or in the promotion of the missionary program of the churches."7
What had happened to precipitate, or to al- low, such a drastic decline?
Dr. William Beahm has highlighted the fol- lowing factors, while stating that no one rea- son by itself is an adequate explanation of the steady decline.
1 . Many changes of leadership broke the continuity of its life and left the subtle impression of a sinking ship from which they were fleeing.
2. There was increasing difficulty in financ- ing its program. This was closely related to the depression and the loss of Mott's leadership.
The program tended to become top- heavy. In 1920 the Executive Committee was expanded from six to thirty members. Its emphasis upon foreign mission seemed to overlook the glaring needs in America, and so the Movement appeared to be spe- cialized rather than comprehensive.
When the interest of students veered away from missions, it left the Move- ment in a dilemma as to which interest to follow — student or missionary.
There was a great decline in missionary education. One reason for this was the assumption that discussion of world problems by students was an improve- ment over the fonder types of informa- tive procedure. The Conventions came to have this discussional character.
Their emphasis shifted away from Bible study, evangelism, lifework decision and foreign mission obligation on which the SVM had originally been built. In- stead, they now emphasized new issues such as race relations, economic injus- tice and imperialism.
The rise of indigenous leaders reduced the need for Western personnel.
The rise of the social gospel blotted out the sharp distinction between Christian America and the "unevangelized por- tions of the world."
3.
8.
9.
10. Revivalism had given way to basic un- certainty as to the validity of the Chris- tian faith, especially of its claim to exclu- sive supremacy. Accordingly, the watchword fell into disuse and the argu- ment for foreign missions lost its force.8 By the 1924 convention, attention was turning rapidly from world evangelism to the solution of social and economic problems. "The Missionary Review" stated that in 1924 "they failed to make much impression or to reach any practical conclusions."
Termination of the SVM
After 1940, its activities moved steadily away from an emphasis on overseas missions as SVM became mqrgT&yplved in political and social" matters. Ir{l959,/the SVM merged with theTTruted^tudent Christian Council and the Interseminary Movement to form the National Student Christian Federation (NSCF). This in turn was allied with the Roman Catholic Na- tional Newman Student Federation and other groups uTl966 td form the University Chris- tian Movement (UCM). The purpose of the UCM at its inception was threefold: "to pro- vide an ecumenical instrument for allowing the church and university world to speak to each other, to encourage Christian response on campuses to human issues, and to act as an agent through which sponsors could provide resources and services to campus life."9 It is obvious that these purposes, while legitimate in themselves, show little relationship to the original objectives of the SVM as spelled out at Mt. Hermon and in subsequent developments.
On March 1, 1969, the General Committee of the University Christian Movement at its meeting in Washington, D. C., took action in the form of an affirmative vote (23 for, 1 against, 1 abstention) of the following resolu- tion: "We the General Committee of the UCM, declare that as of June 3(£l969^jhe UCM ceases to exist as a national organization.... 10 Thus, the final vestiges of the greatest stu- dent missionary movement in the history of the church were quietly laid to rest 83 years^ after the Spirit of Gocd had moved so unmis- takably upon students at Mt. Hermon.
No human movement is perfect, nor can it be expected to endure indefinitely. But the great heritage left by the SVM can still speak
DAVID M. HOWARD
285
to our generation. The reasons for its decline can serve as warning signals. Its principal em- phases can redirect our attention to the basic issues of today: emphasis on personal commit- ment to Jesus Christ on a lifelong basis; accep- tance of the authority of the Word of God and emphasis on personal Bible study; sense of re- sponsibility to give the gospel of Christ to the entire world in our generation; reliance on the Holy Spirit; emphasis on student initiative and leadership to carry out these objectives.
Recent Advances
Yet God does not leave himself without a wit- ness. By the mid-1930s, with the decline in missionary interest, with the Great Depres- sion taking its toll, with war clouds rising again in Europe, with the liberal-fundamen- talist controversy raging, the Church was deeply discouraged. But once again God moved upon students who would not be de- terred from fulfilling God's call, in spite of surrounding circumstances.
In 1936 at Ben Lippen Bible Conference grounds in North Carolina, a group of stu- dents shared their concern that SVM seemed to have changed its original purposes. Convinced that they could not sit idly by and watch the Church give up its missionary outreach, they decided to act. The following week, a delega- tion from Ben Lippen went to Keswick, N.J., to share with a similar student conference the burden God had given to them. After careful consultation with some SVM leaders, and feel- ing that their purposes were now different, they decided to form a new organization.
Thus, the Student Foreign Missions Fellowship was or- ganized in 1938 and SFMF was formally incorporated under student leadership, and chapters were formed throughout the country.
Rapid growth was experi- enced, and once again the Church was awakened through students who re- fused to be daunted by the circumstances for their times.
In 1939, Inter- Varsity came to the U.S. from Canada. It
was soon evident that one of its purposes, that of fomenting missionary interest among students, overlapped directly with the pur- poses of SFMF. After several years of prayer and consultation, both groups felt led by God to a merger that was consummated in No- vember, 1945, the SFMF becoming the Mis- sionary Department of IVCF.
In December, 1946, the newly-merged SFMF and IVCF sponsored their first interna- tional missionary convention, attended by 575 students, at the University of Toronto.
The first convention was held in 1948 at the University of Illinois, Urbana, where it has been held since that time.
Following World War II there was a great upsurge of missionary concern. Veterans who had fought in the Pacific and Europe re- turned to the campuses deeply desirous to go back and share the gospel with the people who so recently had been their enemies.
These veterans had seen the world, life, and death in a way few students before or since had seen it. God used them to lead others into an understanding of mission obligation. From many campuses in the late 1940s and early 1950s, more students went overseas in missionary endeavor than at any other com- parable period in history.
However, during the 1950s it seemed as though the human race was begging for a breather. This general lull took its toll in mis- sionary interest as well. Once again there was a decline in the churches and among students.
286 Chapter 42
STUDENT POWER IN WORLD MISSIONS
In sharp contrast, the student world of the 1960s was marked by activism, violent upheavals, and negative attitudes. The anti government, anti-establishment, anti-family, anti-church attitudes were also expressed in anti-mis- sions reactions. Seldom have missions been looked upon with less favor by students than dur- ing that decade.
However, early in the next decade a sudden, unexpected change took place. Apparently recognizing that negativism was not going to solve the problems of the world, students began to take a more positive attitude and to work for change from within "the system." Nowhere was this more dramatically seen than at the Urbana student missionary conventions. In- ter-Varsity uses world evangelism decision cards' at these conventions as a regular part of the process of stimulating student re- sponses to missions. In 1970 seven percent
of the students at Urbana signed these cards. Three years later, 28 percent signed the card. The number grew to 50 percent by the 1976 convention. This per- centage has remained above 50 percent since then.
Now, as we turn toward a new millenium, we are still riding the crest of a great wave of student interest and activism in missions. Summer programs and short-term assignments overseas have increased dra- matically in recent years. The Perspectives Study Program of the U.S. Center for World Mission's Training Division, and similar programs of missionary preparation, have been attract- ing steady streams of candidates.
Today's students have the great privilege of standing on the shoulders of their fore- bears to view with thanksgiving what God has done in the past and to look ahead to the future with hope.
Now, as we turn toward a new millenium, we are still riding the crest of a great wave of student interest and activism in missions.
End Notes
I . Kenneth Scott Latourette, These Sought a Country (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1 950), p. 46. John R. Mott, Five Decades and a Forward View (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1 939), p. 8. Robert P. Wilder, The Student Volunteer Movement: Its Origin and Early History (New York: The Student Volunteer Movement, 1935), p. 58.
4. Watson A. Omu logoi i, The Student Volunteer Movement: Its History and Contribution (master's thesis, Wheaton College, 1967), p. 73.
5. Mott, Op. cit.., p. 1 2.
6. Ruth Rouse and Stephen C. Neill, A History of the Ecumenical Movement , 1517- 1948 (Philadel- phia: Westminster Press, 1967), p. 328.
William H. Beahm, Factors in the Development of the Student Volunteer Movement for Foreign Missions, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, University of Chicago, 1941.
(^8^ Ibid., pp. 14-15.
9. Report of Religious News Service, April 1, 1969.
10. News Notes, Department of Higher Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S. A., New York, XV, No. 3, March, 1969.
Study Questions
1 . Trace the roots of the Student Volunteer Movement.
2. If another student missions movement were to arise today, how do you think it would be similar to and different from the SVM in its origin, characteristics, and effects? What factors would promote the development of such a movement? What factors would hinder its development?
3. In your own words, explain the decline of the SVM and the lessons to be learned by contemporary students.
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Imperatives of Mission Today
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I think that probably most people would say that the first imperative of mission today is "Go". "Go ye into all the world..".
That is natural. "Go" is the first word of the Great Commission both in Matthew and in Mark. But in my list of imperatives for mission today it comes in third. In that case, what are my first two''. This will be something of an anticlimax, but as J study the way Jesus prepared his disciples for mission, I am beginning to reach the conclusion that the first two Biblical imperatives for mission ajSeTnot "Go and preach.." but "Come, and Wait". Kh,J y.
But before I elaborate on that, let me give-yett-my whole-44st for I may not be able to get to all of them before my time is up: here
are Six Imperatives of Mission Today.
1. Come. "Come to me", said Jesus (John 1:39; Mark 1:17; Mt 11:28).
2. Wait. "Wait.. [for the] power.." said Jesus.
3. Go. Then, only then, did he say, "Go ye into all the world."
(Mark 16:15).
4. Evangel ize. "Go., and preach the gospel.." (Mark 16:15).
5. Serve. "Do as I have done to you", said Jesus after washing his
disciples feet, and later*" made it clear, "I came.. to serve."
(John 13:15; 20:21).
6. Stay together; be one. Jesus prayed, "that they may all be one.., that the world may believe." (John 17:21). J- 3
i Nqw there was a time when Christians didn't feel the need to re-examine .the -Christian miss-ion. They didn't need to have -lists- of s-ix-i-mpe-r^t44^Si They didn't need to ask why they had missionaries, and what missionaries were supposed to do. It was almost axiomatic. It was simple and dangerous and overwhelmingly urgent. It was as simple as the command of Christ, and as urgent aslife and death. For millions upon millions were dying without Christ. Every second saw more souls slipping into c Christless eternity. No one had ever given them a chance. No one had ever told them that they could live forever in Christ. Faced with a challenge as simple as that, the Church exploded into the modern missionary movement, a race against time and against the devil for the greatest of all prizes, the eternal salvation of the human soul .
&
Dr. Samuel Hugh Moffett, missionary to China under the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. A., was on the faculty of Nanking Theological Seminary and is cur- rently at Princeton University.
This speech is one of a series delivered at the Division Assembly held at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada, January 3-6, 1952, by the Division of Foreign Missions of the National Council of the Churches of Christ In the U. S. A. and its related boards in Canada.
Additional copies may be obtained from:
DIVISION OF FOREIGN MISSIONS National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U. S. A.
156 Fifth Avenue New Yore 10, N. Y.
w
HTHERE was a time when Christians didn’t feel the need to re-examine the Christian Mission. They didn t need to ask why they had missionaries, and what missionaries were supposed to do. It was , almost axiomatic. It was simple, and dangerous.
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command of Christ, and as urgent as life and death. For millions upon millions were dying without Christ. Every second saw more souls slipping into a Chris tless eternity. No one had ever given them a change. No one had ever told them that they could live forever in Christ. Faced with a challenge as simple as that, the Church exploded into the mod- ern missionary movement, a race against time and against the devil for the greatest of all prizes, the
\ eternal salvation of the human soul.
If you are expecting me to ridicule that chal- lenge. I am going to disappoint you. It has never seemed ridiculous to me. As a matter of fact, in large measure it was the challenge which sent me to the mission field. But you know as well as I that there came a day of the shaking of the foundations. The old urgencies were denied, or at least ignored. No one seemed sure of anvthing eternal any more.
So the challenge changed. The Jerusalem Con- ference of the International Missionary Council said: "Our fathers were impressed with horror that men should die without Christ; we are equally im- pressed with horror that they should live without Christ." It was a shift of balance, really, more than a denial— a strategic withdrawal to what was con- sidered firmer ground. Millions upon millions are living in misery and in filth. No one can deny that. No one has ever given them a chance. No one has ever helped them to the life abundant that Jesus came to give them. It was a challenge to a future in history— a future without hunger and without hate, without sickness and without tears, where all men are brothers and the nations shall study war no more. So the Church went forth to build the Kingdom.
I do not intend to ridicule this view either. It has never seemed ridiculous to me to feed the hungry and heal the sick and work for peace. But again you know as well as I how the paralysis of doubt struck once more. The foundations shook and the roof fell
6
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in. Wars, depressions, brutalities, corruptions in a disheartening crescendo of defeat— and all this with- in what too many had believed was the Kingdom, western civilization. The Kingdom refused to stay built, and the builders begun to lose hope.
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missionary: the saver of souls, and the builder of the Kingdom. The problem of our time is that nei- ther is quite able to carry all Christendom with him
(to the Mission.
Actually, in basic motivation, there is not much difference between the saver of souls and the build- er of the Kingdom. In both the motive is love. But I am beginning to question just how far love is the motive of the Christian Mission. Was it the motive I in the original mission of the Church?
■f Of course, love is fundamental. It was love that started the mission. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have ever- lasting life.” But that was the love of God, the Father. The missionary was God the Son.
Of course, I am not preparing to deny that it was love that brought Christ into the world on His mis- sion of reconciliation. However, it may be worth noting that the Bible does not say so. It is full of His love for men, a compassion that knows no bounds, but where are we told diat He came to the world because He loved it? Insofar as the Bible dis- tinguishes between the Son and the Father in ref- erence to the mission, it tells us that the Father founds the mission because He loves, the Son goes on the mission because He is sent. The motive of the Son, the missionary, is obedience .
Look at the glimpse Paul gives us into the mind of Christ before the mission. The lesson is not love, but humility and obedience, "even unto the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:5-8). He loves the world, of course, but He goes because He is sent. He loves the whole world, but He goes to the Jews because He is sent. That is the only explanation He gives of the narrowness of His mission: “I am not sent but to the lost sheep in Israel.” He loves the world enough to die for it, but He goes to the cross be- cause He is sent: “Not my will, but thine, be done.” The insistent, compelling motive of the mission is
obedience. God is love, but it is obedience that forges and focusses and incarnates that love into a mission.
The lesson is absolutely the same when we turn to the apostles, the first missionaries of the Church.
4 )***«- a fAt-d th.«t
sent Philip to the Ethiopian^? Not according to the record. “The angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, ‘Arise and go/ ” And he went. Was it love that sent Peter to the proud and unclean, to the centurion? Not, according to the record. “The spirit said unto him, ‘Arise and go’ . . .” And he went.
Was it a passion for millions of lost Gentile souls, dying without hope and without Christ, that made Paul the apostle to the Gentiles? He loved his own people too much for that. But obedience ^made him a missionary. “Separate me ^Barnabas and Saul, savs the Spirit, hnd obedience^ sent him. almost re- luctantly, .to^he Gentiles. “The Lord commanded me, saving. ‘I have set thee to be a light of the Gen- tiles/ ” In the strange new world of the Bible, apos- tles and missionaries are made not by looking at the world ia love, .but by listening to God in obedience^ They go in love.„'but they go ‘because they obey. .
At this point most of us are inclined to change the subject in embarrassment and go on to more practical tilings like techniques and methods, and campaigns and appeals. How can we wait around for missionaries to listen to the voice of God? I re- member a girl in college who was earnest and in- tense and desperately wanted to go as a missionary to Africa. But God had not called her. There were no voices, no visions, and this inexplicable silence on the part of God was making her almost ill with anxiety. So one night a tough-minded, realistic friend of mine stepped in to take a hand. She gath- ered a group of girls together, robed them all in white sheets, and at midnight stole into the troubled girl’s room, moaning in hollow tones. Come to Africa. Come to Africa.”
Don’t laugh at the poor girl, waiting for the voice of God. She was as much right as wrong: wrong in her stereotyped ideas of how God speaks, but completely right in believing that without the posi- tive assurance of Gods leading she would never be a missionary, even if she did go to Africa. In a
Those have been the two most familiar imperatives of mission for the last two hundred years: "Save souls", or "Build the Kingdom".
Put the problem for most of those two centuries neither imperative had quite been able to rally all Christendom behind it in a world mission.
We have let those two imperatives divide us: soul-savers against kingdom builders, and neither has been able to finish the missionary task. 'TW " /wj., i ^ 4 ywwkvAw j wit /v/-
We will have to take another look, soon, at those two priori tes. There are on the list of six, though I describe them somewhat differently. But perhaps the first problem in arranging missionary priorities is that neither one of those two should be first on the list. So ^ ^ ** ^ ^ - ^4 * W 4
1. Come. The first thing our Lord said to his
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disciples was neither "Go into all the world and save souls", or "Go, and build the Kingdom". His first imperative was "Come". It is not the Great C^T^Tion^ lx is a simple invitation, so simple that we forget
Gilbert Tennent, despite impeccable connections with 18th century Princeton back in the exciting days of the Great Awakening, w*s was not the most loveable of men, nor the most tactful of evangelists.
In fact he was so prickly and belligerent at times that
scuttled the Awakening before it reallyqot off the groun^wirh a \
thundering sermon t^smugly orthodox ^^r^s-byta^ on
rather delicate subject "The Dangers of an Unconverted Ministry" . ^ No .
Philadelphia pastors I have ever known take^f kindly to loud sermons questioning their conversion. ^^pinnent learned to be more diplomatic
with his fellow Presbyterians, moderator. Put in that
He was even la£ er elected a presbytery . njitdirT^H sermcn of his, he managed
to put his finger on something which is extremely important still today to anything we say about mission.
For whatever else we say about other imperatives, the first
step in
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mission is not toward the world but to Jesus Christ, and not for
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others, but for ourselves. And if we are too sophisticated, too
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denominationally proud, for that first simple, humbling step,' then we do not belong in the mission to which Jesus calls His disciples.
34; The secrrf* imperative is sti44 -nat ^to" ^ntwi s "Wait". > ^
It has long bothered my impatient, activist, missionary soul that in a no&brr well known verse when Jesus says, "Come unto me", what he asks us to come to him for is not the stirring great commission to world mission I want to hear, but a disappointing put-down, "Come unto me.. and rest." "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). He calls them, he fires them up, but keeps telling them to wait. Even after the resurrection, he talks to them about the kingdom of God, but says, "Don't leave Jerusalem, but wait.." (Acts 1:4). Wait for what? Wait for the promise and the power of God. (Acts 1:4, 8). That is how Jesus trained his disciples for mission. Learn how to wait.
They say that a young man came up to Dr. Thomas Chalmers after that great old Scottish evangelist had preached his heart out about God's call to ministry and mission, and said, "I want to leave school and get into the work at once." "Are you sure about that?, said Chalmers. Wouldn't it be better to finish your education first?". "No,
I can't wait. There's a whole world cut there waiting for the gospel, and the Lord says "Go", and I can't waste any more time in school." Ami the wise doctor said, "Well, there's a lot to be done all right, and perhaps the time is getting short, but.., well, suppose you had a forest
dvxi
out there that needed cutting, and needed it quickly, and you asked two
men to go out and do the cutting, and one of them picked up his old axe
and raced^t^-dr^^fL while the other thought to himself, ‘SbetrWi»M; I 'ia+Jc sharpen my axe first??', and stopftld long enough to do i-f before he raced into the forest. By the end of the day, which of the two do you think would have cut down the most trees?" ^ ^ ^ ■
The second imperative is still not "Go", but "Wait. Wait for
the call, and the promise and the power. pored, ^ ainriUdzkj
IMPERATIVES OF MISSION TODAY
Moffett
OMSC, New Haven: Evangel i sm:
1/4/88
First Among Equals
The meaning of evangelism Church planting Church growth Case study: Korea
■^1 Social Action: "Faith Without Works Is Dead"
Works of compassion
Action for freedom and justice
Case study
Unity: "That They All May Be One"
Unity and mission: a contradiction?
The Biblical imperative
The evangelistic and missionary imperatives
Case study: China, Japan and Korea
x. (W
'jTf , Geo
Recommended reading:
G. H. Anderson, "A Moratorium on Missionaries".
Mission Trends No. 1, pp. 133 ff.
W. Dayton Roberts, Revolution in Evangelism Moody Press, Chicago, 1967
Gustavo Gutierrez, "The Hope of Liberation"
Mission Trends No. 3. pp. 64 ff.
Richard J. Neuhaus, "Liberation Theology and the Captivity of Jesus" Mission Trends No. 3. pp. 41 ff.
Paul A. Crow, Jr., Chri stian Unity: Matrix for Mission Friendship Press, 1982
Lesslie Newbigin, "The Gospel Among the Religions"
Mission Trends No. 5. pp. 3 ff.
3
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3. Arid— , there are those who wait and never go. For them, there^s the third imperative^ "Go ye irtc ell the world.." (Matt. 16:15). v{j*As the Father has sent me, so send I you." (John 20:21). ^ jirvi^} /u*** -j v* J
B*tl*lJow far do you have to go to be a missionary?
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But I must go into more detail with the other three imperatives :
4. ..and preach the gospel to the whole creation.."
(Mark 16:15)
For I have given you ?n example, that you should also do as I have done to you." (John 13:15, after washing their feet), "..even so send I you." (John 20:21)
..that they may all be one.., that the world may believe.." (John 17:21)
5.
CM1 . 6. Uaste
Memo To Judge Bork
Though nothing fails like failure,
As Custer might have said,
And all his elephants could not Keep Hannibal ahead,
Please note as you re-enter Those chambers you have known, That judges liberals send up Will get grilled like St. Joan.
W. H. von Dreele
friend since childhood, wrote five years ago about a trip with her, visiting first the Citadel in Charles- ton, and then Mepkin — “which used to be the Luces* southern retreat. . . . Here,” Wilfred Sheed wrote, “the welcome is very effusive, in the manner of priests in old movies . . . and it looks for an uneasy moment as if they are buttering up the patron.
“But Trappists are tricky. Being released from al- most perpetual silence by guests, the talk bubbles out gratefully like fizz from a bottle. As this subsides, they turn out to be quite urbane and judicious talkers. . . . They genuinely seem to love Clare,** and “she considered them her last family. I have never seen her more relaxed.**
“. . . After her daughter’s death,** Sheed continued, “Clare could no longer bear to go [to Mepkin] for pleasure, and [giving it away to a religious order] was an ingenious way of keeping it and letting it go at the same time. The expansionist abbot of Gethsem- ani, Kentucky, . . . was only too happy to take it, and I dimly remember the Luces’ ironic discussion of this back in 1949 while the deal was being completed. They were onto the abbot’s game but did not think less of a priest for being a shrewd businessman. And what better way to retire the place that Ann Brokaw had loved more than any other in the world?
“Clare immediately moved both her daughter’s and her mother’s remains to Mepkin, where they now share adjoining graves. And then, to everybody’s sur- prise, it turned out sometime later that Presbyterian Harry had decided to join them, and he was buried in the middle, after a nervous ecumenical service. The cost-conscious abbot of the moment suggested a double tombstone with Clare’s name on it too, cutting off, as she noted, all possibilities of future husbands or new religions” — at this point she must have given off that wonderful, wry nasal laugh.
Last Wednesday, in Washington, Clare’s doctor con- fided to the White House that Clare would not live out the week, and that no doubt she would be pleased by a telephone call. The President called that night. Her attendant announced to her who it was who was calling. Clare Boothe Luce shook her head. You
see, she would not speak to anyone she could not simultaneously entertain, and she could no longer do this. The call was diplomatically turned aside. The performer knew she had given her last performance, but at least she had never failed.
And then last Sunday, her tombstone at Mepkin no longer sat over an empty grave. She is there with Harry. Over the grave is — “a shady tree sculpted above the names, and to either side her mother, Ann Clare, and her daughter, Ann Clare, in a grove of oak and cypress and Spanish moss running down to the Cooper River.**
When Bill Sheed wrote those lines, five years ago, he quoted Abbot Anthony telling him quietly as they walked away, “She’s taking it pretty well this year. She’s usually very disturbed by this.”
Clare Luce, now at Mepkin finally, is no longer disturbed. It is only we who are disturbed, Hank Luce above all, and her friends; disconsolate, and sad, so sad without her, yet happy for her, embarked finally, after stooping so many times, to pick up so many splinters, on her way to the Cross. — WFB
NOTES & ASIDES
□ Dear Mr. Buckley:
Three weeks ago I purchased a new Mac II com- puter and a drawing program called Adobe Illustrator. I have enclosed seven cartoons drawn on my new system that I would like you to consider for pub- lication in NR. Hopefully, they are up to your high and humorous standards. I am not asking for com- pensation for them (although I wouldn’t turn it down) since I am not a professional cartoonist. However, with a little encouragement from NR, who knows? I am drawn to try to publish my work in NR because I am 1) a longtime subscriber and enthusiast, 2) an arch-conservative who is tired of liberal-slanted politi- cal cartoons, and 3) a fellow Yalie (’60) who would like to show that Garry Trudeau is an aberration of our great university.
Please give me your ordinary amount of considera- tion and I will look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely, Gilbert L. Shelton Middleburg, Va.
►
P.S.: Last week, my wife and I received a telephone call from James and April Clavell, our neighbors in France. In the course of the conversation, he men- tioned that you had loaned him your Kaypro with a hard disk, but that he still didn’t trust it — I think because he can’t see, touch, and feel the disk. We encouraged him to try it for a while and get tape back-up or copy to floppies if he feels nervous about
22 National Review / November 6, 1987
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ECU Missions Introduction
II. Mission in the New Testament.
B. The Great Cornmi ssion
The classic Biblical base for the missionary imperative is the Great Commission. I have heard from some people who are critical of recent missionary trends that we must return to "Great Commission missions." What do they mean? And more important, what does the Great Commission teach us about mission? That task may be more complicated than we may think. After all, there are five texts of the Great Commission in the flew Testament, one in each of the four gospels and another in the Ecck of the Acts:
Matthew 28: 18-20 Luke 24:45-45
Mark 16: 15-16 John 20:21 (and 17:18)
Acts 1 :8
But
before we focus on these extremely important passages, it
is important to remember that the church's world Christian mission
is
us
at
not based on proof-texts. It proceeds from the whole heart of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit as given to ir. the entire Bible. It is trinitarian and it is- Biblical and in its complete force ana meaning it cannot be grounded in any isolated passages cf cur cwn choosing but only in the whole Word of God. But since we rarely have time to study the whole Bible at any given time, the very least let me urge you, when you seek a Biblical view of missions, to link any emphasis you make on the Great Commission with two other extremely important "seed texts" in the New Testament which will give a broader, sounder Biblical base to ycur search for a scriptural foundation for Christian mission. To the' five texts of the Great Commission, add the Great Announcement of Jesus in Luke 4:16-2C, and his words about the Great Commandment in Matthew 22:36-40.
1. The Great Announcement.
■"And
he went to the synagogue, as his custom was. and there was oiven him the book of the prophet Isaiah [61:1-2]:
Luke 4:16-20.
he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and
And he stood up t.o read;
'The
Spirit of the Lora is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'*’" "And he began to say to them, 'Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. 1 "
The importance of this passage is two-fold. First, it relates mission to thke coming of the Kingdom. It is an announcement of the coming of that Kingdom, and it# begins to describe what that means: ftwAv good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight for the blilnd, liberty ror the oppressed". Here is the justification for social action in Christian mission, ard fcr the theme of liberation which has become so prominent a part of missionary theology in recent times, particularly in Latin America. It is our Piblical justification for good works, and education and healing as an integral part cf the missionary task. It broadens the whole sccpc- of mission. But in so broadening, some have begun to distort it and take it out of focus by deliberately omitting the final phrase, "the acceptable year of the Lord". This changes it all, for this is the focussing phrase, a messianic phrase, a cart of the Isaiah passage that speaks of salvation^ "of ‘
salvation not just for Jews, but for the whole world. The Great Announcement is an announcement
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Lesson 9
STRATEGY FOR WORLD EVANGELIZATION
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We have seen that Cod's overwhelming love for the nations has given us a part in his work. Our participation is not from mere legal command. It is an opportunity of joining him in this work, our right by covenant, our privilege by commission, our obligation by his grace. That he is giving us such responsibility is almost as inconceivable as the mystery of the gospel.
Moreover, this r espons fc> il ity is given to the church with a goal in view.
His followers must make disciples of all nations. The gospel of the Kingdom must be proclaimed, believed, and obeyed by some followers among every people in every generation. Their lives must bear fruit in society and in character and thus be further witness to Cod's Kingdom. In working toward the evangelization to the world, we do not overstep our authority nor our commission. As a church we must work together towards the complet ion of world evangelization.
How then shall we live in obedience? This kind of corporate obedience can be seen as a united act of faith working through love according to hope.
Obedience is faith at work— that is, faithfulness to take costly sti^s involving risk. Obedience is faith working through love, motivated and patterned after his great love. Obedience is faith working according to hoge— that, is to make bold statements of faith regarding the future according to his revealed will.
This kind of obedience requires the faith and faithfulness that is strategy.
But how legitimately can we use "strategies" in Cod's work? Is not the Holy Spirit sufficient? Is it even possible to suggest strategies for world evangelization? In this lesson we will consider the place, value, and natue of strategy in accomplishing the task of world evangelization.
In this and the following lesson, we will focus on the broad overall thinking and "same-planning" that constitutes strategy. In subsequent lessons we
will examine the more detailed methods and "how-to's" that suqqest tactics of missions. — — -
We do all this with a view to overcome the pall of pessimism that pervades much of the evangelical world by exposing the "unwinnable war" syndrome. We seek as well to encourage you to obey Christ by working with others in the body of Christ toward a common goal and a cooperative method.
You will find the strategic considerations which follow will necessarily suggest priorities. We trust that in working through these lessons you will examine your own stated ideas of mission strategy, and expose your tacitly held, but unstated priorities, goals and methods.
9-1
Diring this lesson you will read:
*********
*********
********
* "T° Reach the Unreached," Edward R. Dayton, 581-582, 594-596
* 573-57S°‘rth Dimensi0n of Mi«ions: Strategy." C. Peter Wagner.
*
* "Strategy." Edward R. Dayton and David A. Fraser. 569-572
* "The Work of Evangelism." J. Herbert Kane. 564-568
* 555-56°" 3nd ‘he Chlrch'" Edward R* Uayton and David A. Fraser,
*
* mJSS'* TaSk' 0pP°r,unity' and Imperative." Donald A. McCavran.
*
* "Evangelism: The Leading Partner." Samuel Moffett. 729-731
““******.*.*,*
After studying this lesson you should be able to:
° ,aC,°rS 'ha' shou,d b« considered when placing m,ssion
O State the natire. pirpose and goal of evangelism, o List and describe five factors of evangelization, o Distinguish "evangelism" and "evangelization."
° eCvrngXSa°t?oSn:hy 903,5 be Stated *
7 ° avoided.hOW 3 dkh0t°my be,ween social action and evangelism can be ° Evangelization?6 Kin9d°m °f C°d 9'VeS bala"ce and dynamic *o
y
9-2
The Value of Strategy in Missions
Some Christians feel that planning ministry efforts strategically cirtails
that afhIV,Q^- ° an attitude reflects, in part a belief
mhanV^ffSP/r °i .C°d, Ca" 0n,y WOrk in comP,ete spontaneity apart from
snirit.nl °rn and ,nteMect# Thus' the making of plans cannot be a spirit uai endeavor.
But most of those who carefully and consciously use strategy in their ministry acknowledge the pre-eminent role of the Holy Spirit.
o The Mystery of Mission Strategy
Thro^oh aP°rnhoY ^ °f Cod seeki"9 a" mankind. yet with and
through a chosen people. The several dimensions of this mystery suaoest
the importance of clear and strategic obedience. mystery suggest
Strategy helps is state our faith for what Cod will do.
Strategy helps us maintain our faithfulness in what we are to do
************
*
**********************
* ^Tsy^^nd’D^V596 (7ce Mys,ery of Evangelization"). Wagner.
, b/3 and Dayton and Fraser, 569-570 ("Why Have a Strategy")
******.**.***.,,,**,,** * * * * . * * * . ,
o The Nat ire of Mission Strategy
1) Strategy is a way of approaching a problem or achieving a goal.
very person and organization actually uses some strategy to reach certain goals.
2) ,^SS.i0n Jstrate9y is the way the body of Christ goes about obeying
e Lord and accomplishing the objectives which he lays down.
o Four Types of Mission Strategy
Contrasting four different approaches to strategy demonstrates the value strategy.9* m,SSions' and flights basic feat ires of good mission
***.*************, ***************
*
*
Read Dayton and Fraser, 570-572 ("Types of Strategies-)
**************** + **********11****
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9-3
II.
The Process of Strategy In Missions
******************
★
* Read Dayton, 594-595 and skim Wagner, 574-580 ****************************^^^^^
Peter Wagner describes what he calls "Four Strategies of Missions." There are, in fact, at least four dimensions of any good missions strategy.
By expanding one of these four strategies, we can readily see how Wagner's list roughly coincides with Ed Dayton's five questions which serve as steps in developing mission strategy:
o The Right Coals What is the Result?
o The Right Place What People?
o The Right Time What are They L fce? '
o The Right Personnel — Who Should Reach Them?
o The Right Methods — How Should They be Reached?
These five questions are helpful in shaping our thinking of mission strategy on a global scale. They are at the same time the right questions to ask when developing strategies for the evangelization of a particular group or area.
III. The Right Coals
The goal of missions certainly has something to do with evangelism. But what is evangelism? What is the goal of evangelism? We would all agree that evangelism aims at making disciples.
*************************#a^a##aa
*
* Read Wagner, 574-576 ("The Right Coals") and Kane, 564-566
* "Purpose of Evangelism")
*
*********************************
But beyond the conversion of individuals, or the making of disciples, evangelism has a broader, global purpose related to the extension of Cod's Kingdom rule everywhere, the penetration of the very last people group. It is this global dimension of the gospel which suggests a distinction of evangelism (of particular people) and evangelization (of all people groups, countries, and the world.)
9-4
I
A* Evangel ism Versus Evangel izat ion
Evangelism and Evangelization share the same nature (communication of the gospel) and purpose (to give a valid opportunity to accept Christ) but they differ, evangelism is an activity, evangelization adds the dimension of a goal.
1. "Evangelism" is making good news known. How it is made known (and with what aim it is made known) has been the subject of considerable debate. The following three "P's" denoting the types of evangelism should not imply that they are mutually exclusive. Indeed, the most effective evangelism consists of all three being employed simultaneously.
o Presence. Presence evangelism is that which radiates the character of Jesus by the guality of Christian character and concern registered in the life of the evangelist. To be specific, it is the type of evangelism reflected in the Christian's care of the sick, his concern for the uneducated and poor, and his consistent godly life as a member of the community. In itself "presence" evangelism does not denote a verbal witness as such, nor even dose ident if icat ion with the people.
o Proclamation. Only the genuine good news of Jesus Christ can reproduce the Church. Our task is to be sure we communicate the flg.?P.el and to select the appropriate means and media for this communication. At a minimum this is verbal proclamation by preaching or personal testimony.
o Persuasion. To produce results, proclamation must intend to evoke a positive response from those who hear the gospel. The gospel confronts people with the necessity to make a commitment to Jesus Christ. People must be urged to make a decision. The goal of evangelism is the making of disciples.
Good evangelism is usually a balanced "3-Pn evangelism.
**********************************
*
* Read Kane, 566-568
★
*******************************^^#
2. ^Evangelization" is in fact evangelism, yet has preminently a "closure" perspective, since it aims always at a comprehensive goal, such as evangelism throughout a people group, city, country, or the world. Evangelization then adds two more "P's" to the list:
o Plant ing. Those who believe the gospel and make a commitment to Jesus Christ must be incorporated into the body of Christ.
They must become members of a local assembly of believers. This church is the context in which they can grow h Christ and in which they can properly serve Christ.
o Pr opagat ion. Evangelization aims at the planting of churches that are able to spread the gospel throughout their own people group and also beyond to penetrate for the first time still other people groups. The ultimate goal is always wor Id evangelization.
9-5
Take note of Brad Gill's challenge (p. 599) "It is not enough for us today to go across the world and do a good job. We must work toward the goal of finishing the task of evangelization." World evangelization should be the ultimate goal behind all mission activity.
B. Evangel ism Versus Social Action?
We trust that the dichotomy suggested above between evangelism and social action strfces you as a false one. It is. Surely the church is called to do more than proclaim the gospel, just as it is certainly called to do more than social action.
********************************^A
*
* Read McGavran, 541-542
*
******************************A^A^
Scripture gives the churches literally hundreds of images and imperatives regarding what it should be and do. We must not pick and choose our marching orders from the Bble, setting up an arbitrary, convenient, or ethnocentric pr ior it izat ion of activity. What shall we do with the amazing diversity of scriptural demands? And how shall we respond to the even more complex diversity of needs readily seen worldwide?
******************************AAA^
*
* Read Moffett, 729-731 (especially "More Than Balance")
* and Dayton and Fraser, 555-559
*
*****************************^^^^^
o Some people have polar ized these mission activities into mutually
exclusive tasks of social action and evangelism. It is not so possble to polarize social action and evangel izat ion.
o Some have "parallelized" these tasks into double thrusts of God's work that are co-existent, equal, yet distinct enterprises which find unity in their mot ive, not in their goal . This partnership under the concept of holistic ministry is useful to an extent, but it does not help greatly in specifying goals for a missionary enterprise.
o Some have pr ior it ized these tasks, affirming that all tasks have the same goal (The Kingdom of God) and insisting that we must be able to recognize a primacy among activities if we are to see the goal of God's Kingdom rule truly realized.
| We affirm the primacy of evangelization and the necessity of the
accompanying and resultant social action, best understood as develop- ' 1 ment.
*******************************^^A
*
* Read now the remainder of McGavran, 543-554
★
**********************************
9-6
' I , i *
C. Evangelism and The Kingdom of Cod
Evangelism has its biblical goal in Evangelization. Evangelization only makes sense in the context of the Kingdom of Cod. Social action, at the same time, finds its only biblical warrent in the truth and teaching of the Kingdom of Cod. if we strive to understand the reality of the Kingdom of Cod, and the scriptural roles given to the church in the fulfilling of the gospel of the Kingdom, we can be spared much false splintering of Cod's work and people.
If evangelism is pitted against social action, a false bifurcation of God's purpose easily results.
If social action is seen in the scope of "5-P" Evangelization (carefully planned accompanying social action as part of Presence) and (freely encouraged res ultant social action as part of Propagation), a dichotomy need not develop.
If both social action and Evangelization are seen in Kingdom context, we can move beyond an uneasy and inert balance into an active and free dynamic of making disciples who are committed to obey Christ the King in all that he commands.
**********************************
*
* Review carefully the comments of Kane and Moffett regarding
* the Kingdom of God, 564-566 and 729-730.
*
* Read Dayton and Fraser, 559-561 ("The Kingdom of Cod and
* Mission")
*
a***********'******************'*'***
Christ has promised to bring his reign of justice, peace, and righteousness. We cannot accomplish and must not attempt the establishment of his reign. But we who acknowledge his reign in our hearts must certainly manifest His rule in society. We know that when we work towards justice, peace, and righteousness we work with Cod. However, we can best accomplish that work if we give priority to that task he has given us: world evangelization.
9-7
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Lesson 10
THAT EVERYONE MAY HEAR
Lesson 9 surveyed the need and nature of mission strategy. We saw that good mission strategy gives attention to five factors:
The Right ^oais)
— o The Right Place,
" o The Right T ime^.
— o The Right Personnel
— o The Right Methods^
We suggested approaches to understanding the right goals in missions.
This lesson explores the right place, time, personnel and methods.
During this lesson you will read:
* *********************************
★
* "To Reach the Unreached," by Edward R. Dayton, 582-596
* "The Fourth Dimension of Missions: Strategy," by C. Peter Waqner
* 576-580
*
* "Today's Task, Opportunity, and Imperative," by Donald A. McGavran,
* 541-554
*
* "What it Means to Be a World Christian," by David Bryant, 825-827
* "A Church for Every People by the Year 2000," by Brad Gill, 597-600 *********************************
After studying this lesson you should be able to:
o
o
o
Define
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a people group.
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Evaluate the people group approach to world evangelization.
. * V- I e ***•*» m’M
Use a receptivity scale to compare the responsiveness of people groups, given examples of people groups.
o Explain why it is important that efforts be continued and/or begun
among all people groups, even though they demonstrate a resistance to the gospel.
o Explain the value of the Engel scale and use the Engel scale to compare two given people groups. - ^ |4w *
o Evaluate a particular case study of cross-cultural evangelism given a list of criteria for choosing evangelism methods.
p
o Explain the term "World Christian". ^ i/U ucu ft (*> tuuU*y i .
i, OUy e /[WvjJ[
o Explain the concept of a "strategy of closure". ^ ’>v ■
o
cLX - ^
I
The Right Place: The People Group Approach
A. Approaching the World
B.
Our immense world can frighten us from daring to think of wor Id evangelization. Perhaps this is a healthy intimidation. We are cast upon God. We have no business developing grandiose armchair strategies unfounded on facts, conveniently scaling down the real world to fit our gifts and perspective, or unrealistically (and perhaps arrogantly?) overestimating our own roles.
But world evangelization is without question a b ig job. Can you think of a more profoundly difficult task? How shall we even approach it?
**********************************
*
**********************************
0 ^ ca & flit*;
o Some approach the world as an assortment of world reliq ions to be challenged.
All of these perspectives are valid, but the task is most easily grasped and accomplished by fox: us inq on sociological groupings, the way people tend to view and understand^ themselves.
o Others, then, approach the world as well over 25,000 people groups (16,750 yet to be reached).
Defining a People Group
The Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization has defined a "people group" as:
"A significantly large sociological grouping of individuals who perceive themselves to have a common affinity for one another because of their shared language, religion, ethnicity, residence, occupation, class or caste, situation, etc., or combinations of these. "
Recently, an operational definition has emerged:
"From the viewpoint of evangelization, a people group is the largest group within which the gospel can spread as a church planting movement without encountering barriers of acceptance and understanding."
Thus, we see that in considering "the right place" in mission strategy, our question should not be so much "Where?" but "Who?"!
*
Read Dayton, 582-587
o Some approach the world as 167 countr ies (221 z protectorates, and territories) to be penetrated.
' j 5 ./hi* **1" , i--
10-2
II. The Right Thae: Resistence and Receptivity
A. The Concepts of Resistence and Receptivity.
Some people groups are more resistant (or more receptive) to the gospel as it has been presented.
Various social and political factors may affect the receptivity of a people group.
**********************************
★
* Read Dayton, 593 and Wagner, 576-578 ("Right Place at the Right
* Time")
*
**********************************
B. Stewardship: Recognizing Cod's Work
IM Ajm1 4
It is important for missionaries to recognize Cod's work of "ripening" a people to respond to the gospel. Many mission leaders feel this process suggests that a certain priority should be given to responsive peoples. Great harvests can be overlooked in the interest of keeping allocations of manpower and money evenly distributed. They insist that we should not hesitate to respond with additional resources to evangelize a people that have demonstrated interest in the gospel. Some Biblical bases for this emphasis emerges from Jesus' parables and his call to look to ripened harvest fields. The point is well taken: The time is ripe now for many people groups.
C. Obedience: Keeping at Our Work
Now is also the time for aJJ people groups, whether they are responsive or not. God has charged us to make disciples from every nation. People thought to be resistant to the gospel may be quite open to new methods of evangelism or different personnel.
III. The Right Personnel: The Force for Evangelization
A. The total available force for evangelization should be surveyed.
o We tend to think of the available force for evangelization in terms of geography or nationality. If the work force is in the country, or nearby geographically, it is easy to consider those workers as the primary work force.
o We need to think of the availability and suitability of workers within the culturally and socially defined people group. By definition (see p. 8-3), an unreached people group would not have a strong church, although there may be a few scattered believers who might serve as workers.
o We need to survey the potential mission force inside and outside of both the people group and the country.
10-3
B. Factors for Evaluating the Potential Force for Evangelization
1) Most effective communicators
o The most effective workers are E-l communicators of the \ 1 A' ^ same people group. f i f\0 . nXAti
o Oftentimes the least effective communicators are near- neighbor workers. E-3 laborers sometimes encounter less prejudice than E-2 missionaries.
2) Least opposed workers
o In assessing the total work force, it is wise to estimate the forces known to be opposed to the work of the gospel.
o Government restrictions and opposition are the most obvious barriers. Some restrictions are focused on the national or regional origin of mission efforts. Others are focused on evangelistic intentions.
C.
o Religious and economic structures often pose the most subtle threat. Those workers and organ izat ions able to most readily identify and serve will probably do best. ■)**»♦*
Fruitful Workers
Much can be said about the spiritual gifts, the qualities and qualifications of the workers. But one essential characteristic stands out: the powerful fullness of the Spirit of God resulting in costly obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ.
**********************************
*
* Read Wagner, 580
*
**********************************
•V. The Right Methods: Uncovering God's Strategies
We have considered several dimensions of mission strategy: grasping
scriptural goals, approaching the world as a mosaic of people groups, recognizing receptivity, and considering the forces available to evangelize and those opposed to evangelization. All these are strategic considerations of broad, global application. But how shall we then serve? What methods or tactics should we use?
We need to discover God's strategies, his best way for reaching a particular people.
10-4
A. Approaching Methodology
Four approaches to mission methodology are valuable: o Bblical - Begin with the Bble.
All sound methods of evangel iza ion find ample warrant within the framework of scripture. Therefore, the cr oss-cultur al worker should first search the scripture for basic evangel ist ic pr incples. He should be careful, however, not to woodenly imitate what he finds.
Good mission methodology takes felt needs into account from the start - as well as those needs that may not be perceived.
******
<3>
The Engel Scale can help in estimating the spiritual needs a particular people may sense.
The pragmatic approach assumes that success and failure are both possble, and that methods used can be a factor in either. The missionary should carefully study all efforts to persuade, change, help a people, make disciples, or plant churches. If a given method has worked, he may borrow it (even from a secular source) or discard it if it is not helpful.
Traditional methodology is similar to the Standard Solution strategy. Previously used methods are never discarded. Yet there is a certain strength in this methodology.
But the ethnocentric assumption that one's methods are always Bblical can easily engender an attitude of inflex bility and abr as iveness.
o Need-oriented - Begin with the needs of the people
* Read Dayton, 589-592 ^
**********************************
o Pragmatic - Observe what methods work
**********************************
Read Wagner, 579-580 ("The Right Methods")
*
**********************************
o Traditional - Do what has been done before
10-5
B . Choosing the Right Methods
»
The methods for world evangelization should be:
B iblical. The methods must be derivable from the Bible or soundly based on principles derived from the Bible.
Effective. The methods must be those that Cod blesses with success.
Efficient . Methods must represent the most economical use of funds and personnel available. There must be little wastage of time, money and energy.
Culturally relevant. Methods must be sensitive to the culture of the people group. Evangelists must know their people group thoroughly. They should develop and evaluate methods in the light of this knowledge.
In particular, the evangelist must be aware of the needs of the people as the people themselves perceive them. In communicating the gospel to a people we must begin where they are. We must understand how they themselves perceive their spiritual needs and then relate the gospel of Christ to this perception.
Reproducible. The methods used should be those that the indigenous church can duplicate within the limits of its own resources and potentials.
C. Designing Keys and Unlocking Doors
Unique solution strategy requires careful and continual planning.
o The five questions we have used to guide us in large scale
planning of strategy may also be used in planning strategy for a particular situation. v ^
o mu
**********************************
*
* Read Dayton, 594-596
*
**********************************
o We must be continually reminded of the mystery of evangelization. We labor, but Cod gives the increase. This dependency on Cod's Spirit should shape all of our thought and planning.
We must plan as if we could not pray, but we must pray as if we could not plan.
Thus, God alone will receive the glory.
10-6
V. Participate in the Purpose
hav.ng briefly surveyed the Bible and different periods of history, we have o reentlessly working in all times and peoples according to his p crpose to bring his redemptive rule to all nations. Throughout this studv bfve h°tCd th°Se Wh° resP°nded to Cod's call to work wUh him in V
yet ^nf^niTedP?lrP°Se' Wi" be yOUr response to Cod's 9'obal purpose
We want to clearly challenge you to participate in Cod's p crpose. "WorW^hriTti^ns0" ib6S th°Se Wh° h3Ve committed themselves in this way as
**********
*
************************
* Read Bryant, 825 - 827. (Watch for the definition of the term
Gap on page 825#) oiLo o~ < <u^>viuL **^,1*7
* ^ Cvwwv - CuSd^' lUif/ Al<
*********************ilili,i,i,i,i,iliti'tiiii'
Up to this point in the course we have focused on "seeing Cod’s world-wide p crpose in Christ, and a world full of people without Christ. The remainder of the course is given primarily to seeing a world full of possibilities in order to enable you to see a world sized part. But we want to challenge you at this point in the course to sericTSTy consider your participation as we examine possibilities. Some of the fresh possibilities may explode some stereotypes and motivate you to be a nart Some of the realities may do the reverse. But consider your part now and throughout the remainder of the course*
VI. Take on the Task
It is one thing to be willing to be a part but a more difficult thing to take on personal responsibility for the completion of the task. To do so demands that we not ju*t "work hard" but "work smart," spending our
I™51 s,rate9lc avenue of obedience. Obviously Cod has never intended that one person assume sole responsibility for world
evangelization. How then can we jointly bear the responsibility that Cod gave us for the work of the gospel?
®rad Gil.' elplains 5 basic watchword that has gripped the hearts of many lending to their individual efforts the more potent power of a movement/'
******** *************************
*
*
*
Read Gill, 597 - 600 *1
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Cl" suggests that undertaking such a task would require three things:
o
o
o
Sensitivity to Cultire Strategy of Closure Sacrificial Commitment
Lessons 11-14 focus on the sensitivity to culture. Lessons 15 - 20 explore methods, tactics, and lifestyle dynamics related to a strategy of ciosire. But at this point we are asking you to prayerfully consider this challenge to sacrificial commitment.
10-7
Largest Protestant Denominations in the Third World
1. Church of Christ, Zaire
2. Assemblies of God, Brazil
3. Philippine Independent Church (Aglipay)
4. Kimbanguist Church, Zaire
3. Anglican Church, Nigeria (CMS)
6. Council of Dutch Reformed Churches, S. Africa 7* Protestant (Reformed) Church, Indonesia
8. Nigeria Fellowship of Churches of Christ (S.U.M.)
9. Church of South India
10. Church of Christ, Manalista (Philippines)
11. Anglican Church Uganda (CMS)
12. Anglican Church of South Africa
13. Presbyterian Church in Korea (Tonghap)
14. Council of Baptist Churches, N.E. India
15. Baptist Convention, Brazil
16. Batak Christian Protestant Church, Indonesia
17. Pentecostal Churches of Indonesia
18. Congregations Crista, Brazil
19. Evangelical Pentecostals , Brazil for Christ
20. South African Methodist Church
21. Methodist Church in South Asia (India)
22. Presbyterian Church of Korea, (Hapdong)
23. Madagascar Church of Jesus Christ
24. Burma Baptist Convention
25. United Ev. Lutheran Churches in India
26. Church of Central Africa, Malawi (Presbyterian)
27. Korean Methodist Church
28. Evangelical Lutheran Church, Brazil
29. Presbyterian Church of Brazil
30. Zion Christian Church, South Africa
31. Tanzania Evangelical Lutheran Church
Adherents (Adults Adherents
|
The largest denominations (World) |
Adherents |
Adult |
|
1. Evangelical Church in Germany 2. Church of England 3. Southern Baptist (USA) 4. United Methodist (USA) |
28.500.000 27.660.000 14,000,000 14,000,000 |
22,000,000 9,600,000 11,600,000 10,300,000 |
- Statistics adapted from World Christian Encylo- pedia, 1982
MISSION
FRONTIERS
No»th Anwlcin Cantw* fo» World Mission Atowto Csnts. E An on ton. AB Canadian Cantra. Taonto. ON Carotna OMoa. USCWM. RMoigri, NC Graat Lakaa Cantor. Cokanbua. OH GUI Stalaa Cantor, Baton Rouga. LA MxJ-ABanoc Olfica. USCWM. PNtoda<r*M. PA »Adv.aai Cantor. Oak Park. IL Na«* En^and Cantor, Boston. MA Nartowaal Can Us. Vanoouvar. BC Rod aim Cantor. Porland. OR Uppar Mxtwasl Offlcto. USCWM. ktoinaapd*. MN Rocky Mountain Cantor. Oanvar, CO US Cantor. Pasadana. CA
January-February 1989
Recipe: collect 300 mission leaders from around the world, ask them to focus on goals for the year 2000, and stir vigorously for 72 hours. What do you get? One prophetic manifesto, an assortment of mind-boggling materials, a web of informal networks, and (indirectly) a new information office to sustain the momentum.
Not bad for a long weekend!
Bulletin of the U.S. Center for World Mission
Singapore's Amara Hotel, site of the January 5-8 Global Consultation on World Evangelization by AD 2000 and Beyond
GCOWE 2000
Meeting of the Century?
Volume 11, Numbers 1-2
Inside:
Edlorial 2
Raf>h D. Winter 3
Cover Story
Pressing Forward to AD 2000: A Global Consultation Advances the Frontier Missions Movement 4
Great Commission Manifesto 11
Commentary
Sparks from the Lausanne Covenant 12
Unreached Peoples
Muslims in Delhi and Bombay 16
Missions in the Bible
Two Great Study Bibles— And Yours?.... 22
Mobilization
ACMC Prepares to Mobilize 6000 Churches by AD 2000 24
Opportunities
Snowbirds Welcome!.... 25
Book Service 26
Editorial
Friday evening, February 24, 1989 (Singapore time)
GCOWE 2000 will not necessarily be “the Meeting of the Century.” Everything depends on how we all respond to the trumpet call.
Dear Friends,
Does your church give a quarter of a million dollars to missions EACH MONTH?
I am sitting-as I write (his— in a Friday evening service during a mission confer- ence in a church in Singapore which does give that much! About 2,000 people tonight are in this former movie theater. (See further references to this congregation across the page.)
OK. now the service is over. (Loren Cunningham, who was speaking, was too in- teres ling to allow me to write further!)
Later: Marvel of our age — I am writing these words with a ballpoint pen at mid- night Friday, the 24th of February. In a moment I’ll “fax” this (for just a few cents) from Singapore to Pasadena. But it is only 8 a.m. there. This will go to press probably within three or four hours, even before Pasadena time catches up with my time here in Singapore!
But I have more important things to tell you than such fascinating details.
"The Meeting of the Century” took place right here in Singapore. I re-lived that meeting reading through Darrell Dorr’s superb story (see pages 4-11) just before getting on the plane yesterday. He implies, and I’ll admit, that the January 5-8 Global Consultation on World Evangelization by AD 2000 and Beyond” will not necessarily be The Meeting of the Century.” Everything depends on how we all respond to the trumpet call. No one could have predicted exactly what happened, but nothing hoped for has lost ground, and some amazing pluses are already in the picture, not the least of which is the blow-by-blow back- ground Jay Gary has almost completed now for the two years that preceded this conference. We’ll tell you more about that book in our next issue.
Yes, decisively yes, this event has enriched and empowered the much-larger confer- ence, the ‘‘Lausanne IT’ Congress coming up in July in Manila. Now, on that subject, don’t miss what I consider the most perceptive, brief summary ever written on the meaning and impact of the Lausanne Covenant (by Tom Houston, recently resigned head of World Vision International) — see pages 12-15.
Finally, a couple of quick items: Did you worry that this issue of Mission Frontiers had gotten lost in the mail? It was delayed partly by the Singapore Conference — we wanted to be able to tell you about videotapes, etc., but also (please pray!) by the loss of our out- standing associate editor, John Holzmann, who has joined a truly strategic organization — Caleb Project
Also, some of you will want to know how the pledges for the “Last $1000” Cam- paign are coming in. The mortgage will be burned when just $295,000 more in cash comes in. Toward that amount, we have fairly certain pledges-yet-to-be-fulfilled of $236,345, plus another group of unconfirmed pledges of $156,387. Soon now, we’ll be able to celebrate the elimination of all debt, including the burning of the major mortgage from the Point Loma College.
Most Cordially,
Q UhJtz:
Ralph Winter
P.S. Nothing is more amazing than the figures at the bottom of page three!
The Bulletin of the U.S. Center for World Mission Volume 11, Numbers 1-2 January-February 1989
Mission Frontiers is published 12 times a year. Subscriptions: $4.00 per year.
Contents copyright © 1989 by U.S. Center for World Mission.
Editorial and business offices: 1605 Elizabeth Street. Pasadena CA 91104 Phone (24 hours): (818)797-1111.
Staff: Ralph D. Winter, Editor; Darrell Doit, Managing Editor; Dan Scribner, Circulation.
Th« U. S. Center lor World Mission Is a member ol the Interdenominational Foreign Mission Association, the Evangelical Foreign Missions Association, the Evangelical Council lor Financial Accountability, and the Evangelical Press Association.
Ralph D. Winter
It is not easy to see very far ahead at this point in world history. But what we do see is staggering.
This issue hums with excitement flowing from the AD 2000 meeting in Singapore (January 5-8) and with anticipation of the upcoming “Lausanne IT congress in Manila. Just think: this congress will feature 20 ma- jor “tracks” focusing on different themes — one on Unreached Peoples, another on AD 2000, and another on the heart-warming phenomenon of Third World Missions!
But what if not enough people take no- tice? What about the mainline denomina- tions? What about the mass of charismatic fellowships that now dot our land and that often haven’t begun to think seriously about missions?
Well, let’s take a look.
Can Old Dogs Re-Learn Tricks?
In one of the older and more diversified churches there is apparently room for a wide diversity of things — including Frontier Mis- sions!
Let’s be honest. Over the years, decades, centuries, just a whole lot of strange people have accumulated somehow in the Presby- terian Church (USA) — the 3-million mem- ber denomination, the Lutheran Church (the new mega-church called the ELCA), the Methodist Church, etc. Strange? Yes, strange to the faith. These are cultural streams by now, not just fellowships of the recently converted. I’ll bet not one in 100 of the members of these churches prays even once a week for the completion of the Great Commission.
In any case, there is now — it is a fact — a “Frontier Mission Program” in the PCUSA. They are doing their work with funds raised by the offerings associated with the Global Prayer Digest (a Presbyterian version there- of). Over $1 million has come in from that source so far.
And their “Advisory Committee” met here at the USCWM yesterday and today. Their “Global Mission Unit,” now locatkl in Louisville, has this officially within their purview. Twelve different Unreached Peo- ples are being tackled with these funds, and more is planned as the word spreads.
Furthermore, the Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship (the group that actually edits the Presbyterian version of the Global Prayer
Digest ) will have a full-time director begin- ning in June — Harold Kurtz, a veteran mis- sionary from years of evangelistic and church-planting outreach in Ethiopia.
Another “older denomination” that has already gotten going in unreached people ef- forts is the Lutheran Church-Missouri Syn- od, the only sizable body that stayed out of the recent ELCA union. They took hold of the Edinburgh 1980 watchword, “A Church for Every People by the Year 2000,” shortly after the 1980 meeting. Their Synod voted to triple their missionary force by 1990, and to enter 10 new fields where they could en- gage unreached people groups. Already they have entered 18 new fields!
But What About the Young Dogs?
Was the Assemblies of God overseas mission harmed by the Swaggart affair?
Yes, momentarily, but this year their mis- sion budget is up 13% and will likely ap- proach $100 million!
Phil Hogan, who for years has headed up their work, was a driving force in the Global Consultation on World Evangelization by AD 2000 and Beyond.
Or take the Foursquare International board. Clear back in 1976 (the year the USCWM was founded, and at the same con- ference on Unreached Peoples where this center was first publically mentioned as an aspiration), they prayerfully chose a goal of 100 unreached peoples engaged by 1990. They are now on the 160th! And their mis- sion program has grown all out of propor- tion in totally new ways.
I expect to be in Singapore by the time this goes to press, ifie reason I am going is simply to encourage a “mission field” church that is going all out to send mission- aries (giving $250,000 per month already). The Calvary Charismatic Center, humanly speakmgTis the work of a missionary kid, but all the rest of its 20 pastors are “mission field Christians.” I am asked to speak on the prospect for AD 2000. I'll tell them that in AD 40 there were 40,000 non-Christians for each committed Christian believer. In 1900 there were only 100 per believer. In January 1989 there are less than 10 non-Christians per evangelical believer (only six in Un- reached Groups). The future is staggering!
Strange and marvelous things happened as a whole nation was aroused to evangelize the world in a few short years — a hundred years ago. What things? New missions focused on forgotten frontiers, and old denominations slowly but decisively shifted into high gear as a new awareness flooded the country, sparked by a student mission movement and by a lay movement that powerfully promoted the completion of the mission task. We are seeing the same thing happening before our eyes.
January-February 1989/Page 3
Cover Story I
Pressing Forward to AD 2000
With a flurry of new materials and a last-minute surprise , a global consultation advances the frontier missions movement
h\ Da,
Expectations were high as 314 mis- sion leaders from 50 countries descended on Singapore’s Amara Hotel during the first week of 1989. But if these partici- pants in the Global Consultation on World Evangelization by AD 2000 and Beyond had high hopes, it was because consultation organizers and promoters had set the pace.
David Barrett, editor of the World Christian Encyclopedia and Anglican mis- sions researcher, had heralded the momen- tum leading up to the consultation as an accelerating “global evangelization move- ment.” Panya Baba, director of the Evan- gelical Missionary Society in Nigeria and a member of the consultation’s program committee, declared, “What we are wit- nessing today as the AD 2000 plans start to work together is not an accident. It is the plan of the Holy Spirit.” And Ralph Winter, director of the U.S. Center for World Mission, had written, “Why would
I call this the ‘meeting of the century’? Simple. Never before has so broadly- backed a global meeting of mission strat- egists been proposed for the single pur- pose of evaluating what could be done specifically by the end of this century — with both the hope and confidence that the task can be finished.”
But could GCOWE 2000 live up to such high expectations? By the end of the January 5-8 gathering, answers were mixed. Participants had exchanged a great deal of information, strengthened working relationships, and issued a stirring “Great Commission Manifesto.” But the con- sultation wavered at several key junctures, and only a last-minute initiative from the floor ensured the creation of an ongoing information office.
Reasons for Optimism
There seemed to be ample reasons for the wave of optimism undergirding the
consultation. First, support for GCOWE 2000 mushroomed after an ad hoc steering committee, chaired by Thomas Wang, in- ternational director of the Lausanne Com- mittee for World Evangelization, con- ceived the consultation in May 1988.
Second, as invitations were sent to representatives of AD 2000 plans and oth- er leaders of “Great Commission net- works,” positive responses came from across the spectrum of Christianity. Par- ticipants included Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Charismatics, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Pentecos- tals. Also represented were the Lausanne Committee, Campus Crusade for Christ, World Vision International, Third World Mission Advance, and 180 other organiza- tions. More than half of the participants came from the non-Westem world.
Third, a flurry of new, exciting books and working documents— promising to “turn heads from Nairobi to New York,” according to Jay Gary, consultation direc- tor— came off the press as reference mate- rials for GCOWE. Participants received some of these in the Christmas mail and others only after arriving in Singapore.
Books included: Seven Hundred Plans to Evangelize the World: The Rise of a Global Evangelization Movement , by Da- vid Barrett and James Reapsome; Count- down 1900: World Evangelization at the End of the Nineteenth Century , by Todd Johnson; and Towards AD 2000 and Be- yond: A Reader , edited by Luis Bush, Jay Gary, and Mike Roberts.
Two other documents heightened antic- ipation: “Two Thousand Plans Toward AD 2000: a Kaleidoscopic Global Plan to See the World Evangelized by AD 2000 and Beyond,” prepared by a 15-member task force directed by Barrett; and “AD 2000 Global Goals: A Selection of 168 Proposed Great Commission Goals.”
Bill O'Brien (left), executive vice-president of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, served as chairman of the program committee for GCOWE 2000. Thomas Wang (right), international director for the Lausanne Committee for World Evangeliza- tion, led the 18-member steering committee.
4/Mission Frontiers
Cover Story I
GCOWE 2000 had its share of both tension and laughter. Here participants enjoy an offbeat news report from Jim Reapsome, director of the Evangelical Missions Infor- mation Service.
A Call for Unprecedented Cooperation
The common theme in these docu- ments— a plea that Christians from many backgrounds recognize each others’ initia- tives, build upon them in a new level of cooperation and coordination, and shun a “standalone, self-sufficient” posture — was also the driving force behind the consulta- tion itself. Organizers hoped to foster networking and peer reviews, prevent un- necessary duplication, lay the foundation for subsequent national and regional con- sultations, and promote the development of “Biblical, measurable, and strategic” AD 2000 goals.
Pre-consultation literature eloquently spoke of the need to appropriate the “cor- porate giftedness” of the global Church and to give special emphasis to unreached peoples and other unevangelized popula- tions. A December 5 cover letter charac- terized the “kaleidoscopic global plan” as “a collective action plan for the next 24 months or so for those committed to achieving ‘something beautiful for God’ by AD 2000.”
72 Hours Packed With Activity
These aspirations were fanned by Thomas Wang’s opening address on Janu- ary 5. Reminding participants of the few years remaining before AD 2000 and the brevity of the 72 hours of the consulta- tion, Wang declared, “God is ringing a bell in heaven. Time is up pretty soon. It’s time to get serious.” Decrying paro- chial “turf-ism,” he added, “The next chapter of church history has not yet been written. How it gets written depends very much upon what we do, or fail to do, to- day.”
In response, participants plunged into a series of presentations and discussions during the next three days:
♦ Six case studies of AD 2000 plans were put forward to shed light on the con- sultation’s working documents and sug- gest lessons that could be applied in other contexts. Plans described included: Hong Kong 2000, a national plan; The World By 2000 (international radio); AD 2000 Together (Pentecostal/charismatic); New Life 2000 (Campus Crusade for Christ); Evangelization 2000 (Catholic); and Bold
Mission Thrust (Southern Baptist). Fol- lowing each presentation, participants dis- cussed the plan’s strengths, weaknesses, and transferable concepts.
♦ Continental meetings allowed par- ticipants to identify national and regional AD 2000 goals and prayer strategies.
Study was also made of a proposal for a series of interlocking national, regional, and international AD 2000 consultations in the 1990s. These sessions were intend- ed to help participants see their respective countries as both mission fields and mis- sion bases.
♦ A task force led by Floyd McClung, international director of Youth With A Mission and a member of the GCOWE program committee, worked through four drafts of a “Great Commission Manifesto.” The Manifesto, intended to summarize the spirit and intention of the consultation for the benefit of the general public, was pre- sented to participants at the concluding session and unanimously affirmed.
Four basic goals were highlighted in the Manifesto:
“1. Focus particularly on those who have not yet heard the gospel.
“2. Provide every people and population on earth with a valid opportunity to hear the gospel in a language they can under- stand. It is our fervent prayer that at least half of humanity will profess allegiance to the Lord Jesus.
“3. Establish a mission-minded church- planting movement within every unreached
people group so that the gospel is access- ible to all people.
“4. Establish a Christian community of worship, instruction in the word, heal- ing, fellowship, prayer, disciple making, evangelism and missionary concern in every human community.”
♦ Sprinkled throughout these multi- ple tracks were plenary addresses from members of the program committee. Un- der the theme of “Dreaming,” Bill O’Brien, executive vice-president of the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board, eloquently portrayed the scenario of a worldwide celebration in AD 2000 to re- joice in the fulfillment of the Great Com-
The Great Commission World
✓ 4,000 mission sending agencies
✓ 56 global ministries
✓ 9 global mega-networks
✓ 262,300 foreign missionaries
✓ $8 billion/year to foreign missions
✓ 788 global plans since AD 30
✓ 387 global plans now in existence
✓ 254 of these plans making progress
✓ 1600 nonglobal AD 2000 plans
✓ 400 conferences a year
✓ 1,300 citywide evangelistic campaigns each year
✓ 10,000 articles/books each year
✓ 42 million computers
Source . Seven Hundred Plans to Evangelize the World
January-February 1989/5
Cover Story I
mission. He asked, “Dare we dream to- gether? Dare we think this group assem- bled could take some corporate action that might affect the destiny of the world?” Floyd McClung, addressing the theme of ‘Targeting,” declared, “It is essential to focus our efforts to reach those who have never heard the gospel. This is especially true of the Muslim, Buddhist, and Hindu worlds but also includes those peoples that must be re -evangelized. Special fo- cus must be given to world-class cities and the least-evangelized nations of the world.”
And Luis Bush, president of Partners International and director of the 1987 CO- M1BAM missions congress for Latin America, covered the theme of “Fulfill- ing” by enthusing over the “streams” of faith and obedience now flooding the earth: “God’s people are in motion. They are moving. They are being mobilized, and all of a sudden we see potential for the completion of the Great Commis- sion.”
The Big-Picture Plan
But it was the “kaleidoscopic” or “big- picture” global plan that was the heart of
GCOWE deliberations. Fifty pages long, this working document contained 104 in- novative “action points,” grouped under 29 categories, that Barrett and his editorial task force put forward as a blueprint for collaboration. Proposals in the plan ranged from developing systems to match evangelizers and unreached peoples and beginning a new global order of itinerant evangelists to creating a worldwide elec- tronic communications network and a cat- alogue of necessary resources.
Central to the plan was its advocacy of a full-time AD 2000 Global Task Force,
The “Kaleidoscopic” Global Plan: A Summary
A central topic of discussion at GCOWE 2000 was the 50-page “kaleidoscopic global plan” drafted before the consultation by a 15-mcmber working group led by David Barrett. The document’s 104 “action points,” grouped under 29 major headings (see below), were “designed to help Christians to definitively overcome various crucial problems, most of which have each sunk a number of world evangelization plans in the past.” Working groups at GCOWE 2000 hashed over each category of proposals and generated 300 pages of suggested revisions for Barrett and his colleagues to consider.
♦ Responsibility: Proclaim human responsibility to obey Jesus’ Great Commission.
♦ Present Status: Acknowledge that current global progress in evangelization is inadequate.
♦ A New Start: Begin by acknowledging the existence of 2,000 global and local plans.
♦ Definitions: Spread new, exciting definitions of key terms: “Great Commission”, “Evangelization”, etc.
♦ Socio-political Concern: Monitor and measure the world’s status and related ministries.
♦ The Unfinished Task: Circulate a detailed survey of unevangelized populations.
♦ Great Commission Christians: Recognize their massive presence among 9,000 peoples.
♦ Great Commission Global Plans: Build on today’s 387 current global plans.
♦ Multichanneling: Foster a parallel but cooperative approach among the world’s global plans.
♦ Goals: Compile all global AD 2000 goals and monitor their progress.
♦ Scenarios: Draw out the implications of alternate scenarios for AD 2000 and Beyond.
♦ Failures: Warn AD 2000 promoters that one possible scenario is total failure.
♦ Modifications: Encourage sponsors of global plans to change and combine these plans as needed.
♦ New Plans: Suggest that upcoming or incipient plans support our big-picture plan.
♦ Resources: Catalogue all Christian resources and list who benefits from them.
♦ Redistribution: Press for the redistribution of more resources towards the unevangelized world.
♦ Redeployment: Motivate missionaries to redeploy to unevangelized populations.
♦ Innovations: Generate a continuous stream of new ideas, methods, and publications.
♦ Engagement: Advise agencies how to engage new target populations.
♦ Segmentization: Match up workers with all unevangelized population segments.
♦ Nonresidential Mission: Help agencies develop ministry options to unevangelized populations.
♦ Itineration: Inaugurate a new global order of itinerant Spirit-led evangelists.
♦ Computers: Establish electronic communications between Great Commission agencies.
♦ Logistics: Facilitate logistics of new forms of cooperative global mission.
♦ Programs: Aid national and regional task forces and consultations.
♦ Prioritization: Assist agencies to prioritize programs and possible ministries.
♦ Administration: Ask agencies to each implement one or two points of this overall collective plan.
♦ Materials: Produce primary data, diagrams, and releases and disseminate them widely.
♦ Apologia: Expound the revised big-picture global plan in all 100 Christian mega-languages.
6/Mission Frontiers
In three separate sessions, GCOWE participants met in small working groups to evaluate and revise the big-picture plan. They generated 300 pages of suggestions, which David Barrett and other GCOWE organizers are now reviewing.
a team of people focusing on continuing research, publications, and consultations and ensuring that individual agencies take responsibility for one or more action steps. The document presupposed both existing AD 2000 plans and the necessity for “all the background things Christians already know to be necessary.”
In three separate sessions, GCOWE participants met in small working groups to review and revise the big-picture plan. They generated 300 pages of suggestions for Barrett and his task force to consider, and a number indicated their willingness to help implement one or more of the 104 action points.
But the big-picture plan generated ten- sion as well as excitement A minority of participants expressed concerns that the plan could be perceived as top-down, ig- noring grassroots input, that its theologi- cal base and spiritual emphasis needed strengthening, and that it was too detailed to be effectively communicated to their constituencies. In a “review and clarifica- tion” statement issued the final day of the consultation, the GCOWE steering com- mittee switched gears and characterized the kaleidoscopic plan, not as a collective ac- tion plan, but as something that “would become part of our ongoing ‘tool boxes,’
challenging our thinking and helping equip us in decision-making.”
Fracas in the Family
Soon other points of tension began to emerge. Latin American participants, in a “statement of concern” about Roman Catholic participation in the consultation, said “the religious-political force of the Roman Catholic Church is using all means available and is in fact the most fierce opponent to all evangelistic efforts on our part.” Only a half dozen Catholics were present at GCOWE 2000, but the Latins protested the inclusion of the Ev- angelization 2000 plan as a featured case study and declared that cooperation with Catholics “goes beyond our historical and biblical commitment.”
Gino Henriques, a Catholic priest from India who presented the Evangelization 2000 case study, responded by saying, “For whatever hurts they have received from Catholics, I’m not only grieved but I would beg pardon for those hurts, an<?I love them in the Lord.” A moving mo- ment in the consultation came when Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board president Keith Parks, due to follow Hen- riques on the program, first brought the priest back to the lectern and publicly ac-
knowledged him as a brother in Christ.
Another group of participants, noting the prominence of the proposed Global AD 2000 Task Force within the big- picture plan, voiced their concern that GCOWE 2000 not create an additional structure that might duplicate the roles of the Lausanne Committee or the World Ev- angelical Fellowship. Others responded that they felt the need for a movement, like GCOWE, that is broader and more in- clusive than cither Lausanne or WEF. Thomas Wang, as director of the Lausanne and chairman of GCOWE 2000, had earli- er stated his own opinion that whatever happened at Singapore would enrich Lau- sanne II, where an AD 2000 emphasis is scheduled to constitute one of 20 “tracks.”
Many participants, while intellectually stimulated and spiritually challenged by the many reference materials, also began to suffer from bad cases of information overload. One leader confessed in a small group session, “After awhile, I just gave up trying to digest all the material and be- gan to focus instead on getting to know the brothers and sisters around me.” As if to acknowledge the torrent of paper, the consultation’s first daily newsletter fea- tured an article entitled, “How Am I Sup- posed to Read All This Stuff?” The steer- ing committee acknowledged procedural shortfalls and attributed many to the hasty preparations for the gathering.
Getting the Numbers Straight
Meanwhile, in an eddy off the main current of consultation proceedings, a small group of prominent mission re- searchers were meeting to clarify technical definitions and statistical estimates of the unfinished task in world evangelization.
Weeks earlier, David Barrett had pulled together a GCOWE 2000 task force of researchers to seek unanimity in defin- ing the job to be done. Barrett’s success in catalyzing helpful discussion prompted Thomas Wang to appointed him chairman of a similar task force commissioned to achieve new consensus among mission re- searchers in time for the July 1989 “Lau- sanne II” congress in Manila. GCOWE 2000 thus provided a convenient forum for the results of the first task force to be pre- sented in rough draft and for a few mem-
January-February 1989/7
Cover Story I
bers of the second. Lausanne-related task force to begin to meet.
In addition to Barrett, members of the LCWE task force present at GCOWE 2000 included Ed Dayton of the Missions Advanced Research and Communications Center, Ralph Winter of the U.S. Center for World Mission, and Bob Waymire of Global Mapping Intcmatiqnal. Other members, including Patrick Johnstone, author of the well-known Operation World manual, were absent.
The view of the unfinished task on which GCOWE 2000 itself was based was largely the result of Barrett’s own work. He has divided the world into
15.000 population segments (including
1 1,500 ethnolinguistic peoples) and esti- mated that approximately 3030 of these segments (including 2000 peoples) are unevangelized.
Other researchers have partitioned the world differently, often with different em- phases in view. Winter, for example, leaning on terms developed in a 1982 Lausanne-sponsored huddle, has preferred to focus on the task of planting church movements among people groups where no such movements exist, and has popu- larized the view that approximately
16.000 peoples are unrcached by this defi- nition.
Working under a heightened sense of both external pressure — represented by Lausanne II and public confusion — and internal constraints — represented by the momentum generated by GCOWE, the task force began to probe each other’s ethnographic, missiological, and statisti- cal assumptions with greater depth than they had in previous, isolated, relatively sporadic conversations. They agreed to consult with each other more often and to work more vigorously at presenting a united front in the preparation of materi- als.
A Global Task Force?
As participants approached the final day of GCOWE 2000, attention was fo- cused on the question of whether the steering committee would continue to press for an ongoing Global Task Force. About 85% of the respondents to a con- tinuation questionnaire had indicated their support for the Task Force, but a vocal minority had expressed either reservations or opposition.
In the afternoon prior to the closing session, the steering committee met for a final time to consider continuation.
Weary from criticisms of the consulta- tion’s procedural shortfalls, committee members were also buffeted by conflict-
ing concerns that the prospective Task Force would be too inclusive, exclusive, or competitive with existing bodies. Mindful in prayer that “unless a kernel of wheat fall to the ground and dies, it re- mains only a single seed,’’ and confident that the Holy Spirit would foster an AD 2000 movement in His own way, they decided to not press for a continuation structure.
Floyd McClung later explained, “We sensed that the Lord was not calling us to a new structure but instead a new sense of servanthood to one another. We ex- perienced a tremendous sense of joy as we placed this in the Lord’s hands.”
One Surprise Follows Another
Unaware of this progression of events, participants gathered for the closing even- ing session. Following the hearty ap- proval of the Great Commission Mani- festo, Thomas Wang came to the lectern and announced the steering committee’s decision to dissolve itself and not present a proposal for continuation. McClung took the microphone, added a few explan- atory comments, and then led the gather- ing into a time of worship.
Participants were still musing on the unexpected turn of events when McClung began to give the benediction. Was it really over, just like that, after all had been said and done?
But then, just as participants were pre- paring to leave, McClung acknowledged a written request from Ralph Winter to address the gathering. Winter expressed gratitude for the steering committee’s hu- mility and sensitivity, noting that partic- ipants who favored a continuation office ought not to run roughshod over the mi- nority who disapproved. But he added, “There should be Christian freedom if some of us here want to get together to encourage and fund a simple, meek-and- mild information office to help us more efficiently help one another.”
He then suggested that those interested in such an office gather at the front of the room a few minutes after the final ses- sion concluded. About 85 participants did so, and after an hour-long discussion agreed to establish an information office to be staffed by Jay and Olgy Gary, who had served GCOWE 2000 from its incep-
The GCOWE 2000 Steering Committee: "We sensed that the Lord was not calling us to a new structure but instead a new sense of servanthood to one another ” 8/Mission Frontiers
'
Cover Story I
tion as project coordinators. Four other guidelines were developed for the “AD 2000 Global Service Office”:
♦ The office will be accountable to an advisory committee comprised of as many members of the GCOWE steering committee as are able to serve, plus addi- tional members as the committee sees the need;
♦ Financial support will come from as many agencies as continue to believe in the office’s importance and are able to contribute.
♦ The office will assist, as requested by the Lausanne Committee, in prepara- tions for the AD 2000 track of the “Lau- sanne II” congress in Manila.
♦ The office will undergo a review of mandate and performance after 6-9 months.
Participants in this post-GCOWE dis- cussion agreed to avoid any claim that their initiative is an official result of GCOWE 2000 and to honor the steps tak- en by leaders and participants at the con- sultation.
Furthermore, Bill O’Brien and Jim Montgomery — two members of the GCOWE steering committee — pointed out that this new form of “ad hoc-ery” supported, not contradicted, the steering committee’s action because it validated the committee’s rationale that it was free to yield the AD 2000 movement as some- thing the Holy Spirit would forward in His own way.
The AD 2000 Global Service Office
In the weeks since GCOWE 2000, the Global Service Office has taken its initial steps. A working committee — consisting of former GCOWE program committee members — is in place, a larger advisory committee has begun to take shape, and plans are in motion for a separate editorial committee for an AD 2000 Monitor newsletter.
Gary has stated his intention to pri- marily network with agencies with AD 2000 plans, mission associations, media ministries, and foundations. He is now completing work on the GCOWE 2000 compendium, due to appear in early April. The compendium will contain not only edited transcripts of GCOWE 2000
addresses but also Gary’s first-person ac- count of the progression of events before, during, and after the consultation.
Evaluating the Consultation
So how to evaluate GCOWE 2000? Did it fulfill expectations? For many, yes; for others, no. The meeting of the century? It’s still too early to say.
The consultation was hastily orga- nized, and participants received reference materials too late to properly digest and act upon them. The 72 hours of the event were filled with more agendas and expectations than they could reasonably contain. Diversity brought breadth of perspective, but also reduced many deci- sions to the level of the least common de- nominator. Rigorous peer review and de- velopment of a collective, roll-up-the- sleeves action plan — eagerly anticipated before the consultation — gave way to a cordial but relatively indiscriminate affir- mation of one another and an agreement to keep talking.
Comparisons to 1888
Ironically, while frequently citing Todd Johnson’s Countdown to 1900 as a key reference tool, leaders and participants at GCOWE 2000 nevertheless repeated some of the same shortcomings the book chronicles. Following GCOWE 2000, Johnson, himself a participant at the con- sultation and a member of the task force behind the formation of the big-picture plan, lamented the consultation’s lack of a “sense of urgency.”
Prominent within Countdown to 1900 is an assessment of a major conference in London in 1888, a conference remarkably similar to GCOWE 2000 in its scope, ambition, and results. Johnson describes the 1888 conference in this way:
“Because it was so hastily organized and because so many speakers were on the platform, there was no opportunity for genuine strategic planning. ‘Dividing up the world’ was pushed aside as the dele- gates tended to focus on what was being done and not on what remained to be done. [A.T.] Pierson’s rallying cry fell on an auditorium of men and women just learning to listen to each another, not on Christians ready to plan the final conquest of the world.”
In another passage in his book, John- son cites another assessment of the Lon- don conference by a leading periodical of the day. This assessment, too, could well apply to GCOWE 2000:
“They ‘were of one mind and one soul’ in desire and purpose, to ‘preach the gospel to every creature.’ How best this could be done was the dominant thought. Much information was given. Difficul- ties and obstacles were stated with great candour. Many statements were made of a most encouraging and stimulating char- acter.
“But the meetings were deliberative, not executive. Therefore it was that many questions of great practical and doctrinal interest were hardly touched, and others were ventilated only, not decided. The conference was not a council, and was too large, miscellaneous and popular to develop into true practical deliberative forms, or to elicit much boldness of speech or freedom of opinion. This, no doubt, was felt by many to be a want, but it was inevitable.”
AD 2000 Plans
✓ Throughout history, at least 788 global plans have emerged to evangelize the world.
✓ These plans have sprung from every continent and every major tradition of Christianity.
✓ More than 1/2 of history’s plans have emerged since 1948.
✓ By 1988, one new plan appeared each week, of which 31% were from the Two-Thirds world.
✓ About 254 global plans are active today and making progress, and 1/2 have target dates for AD 2000.
✓ Of these, 89 spend more than $10 million a year.
✓ Of these, 33 spend more than $100 million a year.
✓ Between now and the year 2000, $40 billion will be spent on these plans.
Source: Seven Hundred Plans to Evangelize the World
January-February 1989/9
Cover Story I
Thomas Wang: Predicted before GCOWE 2000 that whatever happened in Singapore would strengthen the " Lau- sanne II" congress in Manila this July.
Looking on the Bright Side
But GCOWE 2000 was at least not “large, miscellaneous and popular,” and whereas the 1888 gathering featured too many platform speakers and had no con- tinuation structure to show for its efforts, GCOWE safeguarded time for working groups and informal networking and also resulted, though circuitously, in an ongo- ing information office that can maintain momentum toward the year 2000. And that’s just the beginning of the consulta- tion’s list of achievements.
Jay Gary points out that GCOWE gave international identity to the AD 2000 movement: “We’ve entered a new era of Great Commission Christians talk- ing and journeying together. Many of the groups present at the consultation— such as the Assemblies of God, the Southern Baptists, Campus Crusade for Christ, and Wycliffe Bible Translators — were repre- sented by their top leaders. These organi- zations are big enough to go their own way, but they’ve chosen not to.”
Other fruits of the consultation in- clude:
♦ A remarkable new set of reference tools— “concise, prophetic, accurate docu- mentation,” in Gary’s words, and a new emphasis on cooperative AD 2000 goal- setting.
♦ Enthusiasm for subsequent national and regional AD 2000 consultations and other initiatives.
10/Mission Frontiers
♦ Heightened awareness of the “win- dow of opportunity” the Church must ap- propriate in the next 2-3 years if it is to seriously pursue any set of AD 2000 goals. While the consultation itself may have been characterized by hesitancy at several points, participants have returned home with new sensitivity to the calendar.
♦ New momentum for such crucial projects as the proposed “Adopt-a-People” clearinghouse, long discussed but only now receiving the attention it deserves. Plenary addresses and informal conversa- tions in Singapore generated support for the March 15-17 Adopt-a-People sympo- sium at the U.S. Center for World Mis- sion. And prior to the consultation, about 30 U.S. participants agreed in ad- vance that a worthy goal would be to press for each unreached people to be adopted in a church-mission partnership by 1991.
♦ Additional breezes in the sails of the new Lausanne Statistical Task Force as it seeks to further cooperative mission research. Already clear is the fact that Barrett has recently discovered far greater linguistic diversity in certain areas of the world than has been published earlier. Among other things, this discovery has lent new credence to Winter’s estimate of 16,000 people groups remaining to be reached. A statistical picture of unprece- dented scope is expected to appear in the next few weeks.
♦ A mechanism for coordinated prep- arations for the AD 2000 track at “Lau- sanne II” in Manila this July.
♦ Impact on a wide range of addition- al gatherings scheduled to occur within the next 2-3 years. For example, on the heels of GCOWE 2000, the North Ameri- can Renewal Service Committee met in Orlando, Florida January 16-17 and decid- ed on an AD 2000 focus for its August 1990 Congress on the Holy Spirit and World Evangelization. The committee represents Pentecostal denominations and renewal movements in Catholic and mainline Protestant churches, and the congress is expected to draw. 50,000 peo- ple to the Hoosierdome in Indianapolis.
Vinson Synan, chairman of the Re- newal Service Committee, says of
Jay Gary: Served as consultation director for GCOWE 2000 and was then ap- pointed coordinator for the new AD 2000 Global Service Office.
GCOWE 2000, “This Consultation was truly an historic moment for the Church. Churches and ministries that had never talked together pledged cooperation in completing the task of world evangeliza- tion by the end of the century.... The vi- sion, data, and resources shared in Singa- pore will set the agenda for the Church until the end of the century.”
Jay Gary concedes, “Those closest to the consultation raised expectations which were perhaps unrealistic.” But consultation organizers and participants can be forgiven if rhetoric outpaced reali- ty in this instance. For, like a group of mountain climbers who, bruised and weary, fail to reach the pinnacle on the first attempt, they at least attained a new plateau. Base camp is now at a higher altitude, and the summit waits for those who are able and willing to try again be- fore night comes and the window of op- portunity is lost.
For further information on GCOWE 2000 or the AD 2000 Global Service Of- fice, contact: Jay Gary, AD 2000 Global Service Office, P.O. Box 129, Rock- ville. VA 23146, USA, phone (818) 792-9355, fax (818) 792-3455.
To order materials prepared for GCOWE 2000, see the descriptions on page 26 and the order form on page 27 of this issue of Mission Frontiers. I
Cover Story II
Great Commission Manifesto
January 8, 1989 Singapore
We, the 314 participants from 50 nations gathered for the Glo- bal Consultation for World Evangelisation by A.D. 2000 and Beyond, come from many different churches, denominations and ministries under the direction of the Holy Spirit for what we consider to be a singular moment in the history of the Church.
We identify ourselves as a gathering of Christians who by faith alone have accepted Jesus Christ, true God and true man, revealed in the infallible and holy Scriptures as our Lord and Savior. We are committed to biblical righteousness in our be- havior and to growth in holiness.
We gratefully acknowledge the worldwide witness and ministry of faithful men and women throughout the previous twenty centuries.
We humbly confess our pride, prejudice, competition and diso- bedience that have hindered our generation from effectively working at the task of world evangelisation. These sins have impeded God’s desire to spread abroad His gracious provision of eternal salvation through the precious blood of His Son, Je- sus Christ.
We turn from these sins and failures to express our belief that God has graciously opened to us a window of opportunity for completing the magnificent task He has given us. We boldly seize this crucial moment, more impressed with God’s great power than any force arrayed against us.
We have listened to each other and rejoice at what God is doing through many plans for world evangelisation. We learned that there are over 2000 separate plans relating to world evangelisa- tion.
We see afresh that cooperation and partnership are absolute ne- cessities if the Great Commission is going to be fulfilled by the Year 2000. For the sake of those who are lost and eternal- ly separated from God, we have dared to pray and dream of what might happen if appropriate autonomy of churches and ministries could be balanced with significant partnership.
Empowerment
We acknowledge that the evangelisation of the world can be carried out only in the power of the Holy Spirit. Listening
and ready, we declare our dependence upon the Holy Spirit and commit to undergird all efforts for world evangelisation with personal and corporate prayer. We recognize that human ener- gy cannot replace divine activity nor can spiritual success be measured in terms of human achievement. The effectiveness of our endeavours does not lie in human expertise but in the sovereign activity of the Holy Spirit.
Compassion
The Good News of Jesus Christ brings special meaning to suffering humanity. God’s love brings hope to those who live under the bondage of sin, and who are victims of poverty and injustice. We believe that Christians involved in world evangelisation should live among people as servants and mini- ster to the needs of the whole person.
Toward Fulfillment
The revelation of God in Christ is plain. The commission to His Church is clear. The unfinished task is apparent.* * The opportunity to work together is ours.
We believe that it is possible to bring the Gospel to all peo- ple by the year 2000. This can be accomplished with suffi- cient dedication, unity, and mobilisation of available resourc- es, powered and directed by God.
To accomplish this objective, it will be necessary to:
1 . Focus particularly on those who have not yet heard the Gospel.
2. Provide every people and population on earth with a valid opportunity to hear the Gospel in a language they can under- stand. It is our fervent prayer that at least half of humanity will profess allegiance to the Lord Jesus.
3. Establish a mission-minded church-planting movement within every unreached people group so that the Gospel is ac- cessible to all people.
4. Establish a Christian community of worship, instruction in the word, healing, fellowship, prayer, disciple-making, evangelism, and missionary concern in every human commu- nity.
To God be the glory for all he enables us to do by the end of this millennium!
Cooperation and Partnership
• These were our documents of reference:
• Seven Hundred Plans to Evangelize the World: The Rise of a Global Evangelization Movement , by David B. Barrett and James W Reapsome, New Hope Publishers, 1988
+ Countdown to 1900: World Evangelization at the End of the Nineteenth Century, by Todd M. Johnson, New Hope Publishers, 1988
• Towards AD 2000 and Beyond: A Reader, edited by Luis Bush, Jay Gary and Mike Roberts for the Global Consultation on World Evangelization by AD 2000 and Beyond, 1989
?ooTW° Thousand Plans Toward AD 2000: a Kaleidoscopic Global Plan to. See the World Evangelized by AD 2000 and Beyond ” 1988 1 *
• “AD 2000 Global Goals: A Selection of 168 Proposed Great Commission Goals, “ 1988 January-February 1989/11
Commentary
A native of Scotland, Tom Houston has served as a pastor both in his home country and for a multi-racial Baptist church in Nairobi, Kenya. For twelve years he was director of the British and Foreign Bible Society in London. Having just completed a five-year term as president of World Vision International, he is currently on sabbatical. Houston was a speaker at the 1974 Lausanne Congress and has served the Lausanne Committee in several capacities since then. He is scheduled to address the 1989 Manila congress on “Good News for the Poor"
Cooperation in Evangelism and the Lausanne Covenant
by Rev. Tom Houston
The 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization rallied evangelicals around the world to take new initiatives in both evangelism and missions.
s.u<rj2 ^native was the founding of the U.S. Center for World Mission in y/o. j Now, as Christian leaders look back on the fifteen years since this landmark congress and also look forward to " Lausanne II" in Manila this July there is a growing appreciation for the fruits of the Lausanne movement and for the well-crafted document that has undergirded it. Tom Houston here shares his reflections on the past and present value of the Lausanne Covenant which is excerpted on page 15.
The Lausanne Covenant has a paragraph (7) on “Cooperation in Evangelism,” but the Covenant itself as a whole, and the way it was drawn up, also speak eloquently about this subject.
12/Mission Frontiers
The Miracle
That the Lausanne Covenant was agreed upon by 2000-3000 people from 150 nations from all branches of the Christian Church in the space of ten days has to be one of the miracles of contemporary church history. There are those who say that if we were to attempt it now, it would not be possible. This means that we need to understand how it came to be adopted and what was its sig- nificance.
The Secret
I believe that, humanly speaking, the Covenant was adopted with such wide agree- ment because it broadened the worldview of evangelicals in such a way as to put together under one umbrella matters that had been in- creasingly in tension both in the experience of individuals and in relationships between groups.
Someone has said that a theology is a set of answers based on Scripture to the .set of questions that any generation is asking.
The trouble with some of our theologies is that they are a set of answers taken from Scripture to the set of questions that an earli- er generation was asking. At Lausanne, the coming together of different Christians from so many cultures made it possible for us to widen our concerns to include the burning questions of the day.
All the key concerns of evangelical state-
ments of faith were restated with commenda- ble precision, and this reassured everyone present. In the wake of these, it became possible to venture out to statements on new subjects. These subjects included evangel- ism and social concern, church and “para- church” agencies, culture, freedom, persecu- tion and human rights, the theology of diver- sity and unity, church growth, and other missiological concerns.
A number of factors helped people to be comfortable about this innovation. First, there was an intensely practical and ethical tone to the wording. In this we recovered the emphasis of the New Testament Letters where doctrine and practice are never separat- ed
Second, the document was presented as a Covenant to be entered into and not a creed to be signed. We were committing our- selves to a way to live as well as a set of be- liefs.
Third, the controversial nature of the new themes was not dodged. Tensions were artic- ulated about social concern, political libera- tion, and the nature of reconciliation. We said what we did believe and denied what we could not accept and clearly left the door open for further light to break forth.
Fourth, the singleness of purpose in relat- ing all to World Evangelization also helped. We were talking about the basis on which we could work together to accomplish a God-given task that was related to the world outside of our churches and not only to rela- tionships between us.
All of this is one classic way of enlarging an inadequate worldview, a way recognized by sociologists such as Peter Berger. It was
a memorable experience to be part of it It gave us a covenant under which thousands have been more than happy to work ever since. In my view, the 1974 congress saved the unity of evangelicalism in a very creative and Biblical way and put in the mix a state- ment to which anyone now would have a hard time saying “No.”
A Banner
There have been numerous and diverse ex- amples of cooperation under this new banner in the last 15 years. Nigeria presents one of the most striking.
Nigeria has more than its fair share of churches, denominations, and independent groups with their normal and sometimes vir- ulent tensions. Under the Lausanne banner, most of these diverse groups have been able to come together for four congresses focused on the evangelization of their country. A re- markable impetus has been given to the growth of the churches, so much so that Ni- geria may become the first country since the birth of Islam to witness the growth of the Christian population beyond that of the Muslim population.
This is bringing its own tensions, but the solidarity of Christians in the face of these is little short of miraculous. These dynamics would have almost inconceivable if it had not been for the Lausanne Covenant and the congresses it brought about.
Another example of the effect of the Lau- sanne banner on a wider constituency can be seen in the Nationwide Initiative in Evangel- ism (NIE) in England from 1978 to 1981. Methodists who attended the World Council of Churches (WCQ Assembly in Nairobi in 1976 came back and asked the Archbishop of Canterbury to convene a group of Ecumeni- cal, Evangelicals, and Catholics to explore an apparent convergence of thought about evangelization. Such a convergence was re- flected in three documents: the Lausanne Covenant; the Catholics’ “Evangelization in the Modem World”; and the WCC “Confess- ing Christ Today.” A meeting of represen- tatives from the three streams did take place, with at least three results.
First, a census of all England’s churches was taken and the results published — the first study of its kind since 1851 and the ba- sis for evangelistic planning by many groups in recent years. Second, a study group of five ecumenical, five Catholic, and five evangelical theologians produced a pa- per, “The Faith We Affirm Together,” which
greatly clarified where tensions were present and absent between these three groups. Third, an assembly was held to explore how England might be re-evangelized. This was a great meeting, but it had little direct out- come, largely because leadership changes oc- curred within some of the denominations within the same year.
The whole process, however, made a sig- nificant difference in Mission England, Billy Graham’s 1981-85 evangelistic campaign, both in the degree of co-operation that was accomplished and in the response to the mes- sage which was forthcoming. In a way, it extended the process I have described as tak- ing place at Lausanne to another, more local- ized, context.
For the record, I need to add that under the banner of the Covenant significant confer- ences have taken place on lifestyle, the ho- mogeneous unit principle, culture, unreached peoples, the relationship of evangelism and social responsibility, and the Holy Spirit and conversion. In all of these the same dis- criminating methodology has been employed to widen still further the practical application of our expanded worldview.
The Subject
The words in the Covenant that relate to cooperation were a significant help towards its realization. It blessed the “wide diversity of evangelistic approaches.” It admitted that we have some “ecclesiastical ghettos” that we need to get out of. It spoke about churches sometimes being in bondage to cul- ture rather than to Scripture. It admitted that “visible unity is in God”s purpose” but was also quick to say that many of the forms of organizational unity do not necessarily forward evangelism. Individualism was called sinful and duplication, needless.
These were new words for some of us in an evangelical document.
Maybe the most daring statement was that our disunity undermines our gospel of reconciliation. Time is proving this state- ment to be true. It is becoming apparent that the way we do evangelism actually sows the need for reconciliation later instead of planting the means of reconciliation later. I understand that to evangelize is to get a per- son to receive and follow Jesus Christ. On the other hand, to proselytize is to present some invitation to “join us.” By these defi- nitions, there is a fairly strong element of proselytizing in a lot of our evangelism. It is not unnatural. Fellowship is vital for
Commentary
In my view, the 1974 congress saved the unity of evangelicalism in a very creative and Biblical way and put in the mix a statement to which anyone now would have a hard time saying “No."
January-February 1989/13
Commentary
To me the unrecognized genius of the Lausanne Covenant is that it makes cooperation essential. The Covenant, if it is accepted and followed, makes it inevitable that we start to have a Christian vision for where we are placed.
14/Mission Frontiers
Christian growth. The local church is a real- ity and a necessity, yet it tends to become a box that is hard to get out of in when you want to relate to others outside the box.
In some countries, where comity arrange- ments led to people from a single tribe com- ing into a single denominational box, the gospel of reconciliation really is affected by our disunity. In such cases we have very little ability to affect tribalism.
In the face of that kind of reality, while I welcome the Covenant’s pleas for unity in truth, worship, holiness, and mission, they do seem to be a bit weak, and yet, by impli- cation, all the elements to get us really co- operating are strongly present within the Covenant
We all know that cooperation has to be at different levels and can therefore be based on different criteria, depending on the objective. There are some places where we do better to have separate activities. The world we have to reach is so diverse that our own diversity must be appropriated to reach it.
There are some areas where we at least need to know what others are doing while we do our own thing. I, for example, eventual- ly realized that I could not pray for revival only for our own church. The local church is not our local denominational church but the aggregate of true believers in any given geographical locale. It is the whole that must be renewed and grow, not just our part especially at the expense of others.
We had to work out a way of giving meaning to this truth. It led to a weekly contact with some at least of my brother pastors to make sure that their struggles and triumphs were regularly shared with our peo- ple in the weekly prayer bulletin. Now that was not cooperation, but it did lead to the kind of strategic planning that the Covenant calls for and it reduced duplication.
Then there are areas where we need joint activity in the pursuit of common goals.
Francis Schaeffer used to say that it’s possi- ble to be co-belligerents even when we can- not be allies.
To me the unrecognized genius of the Lausanne Covenant is that it makes coopera- tion essential. Let me put it this way: the Covenant, if it is accepted and followed, makes it inevitable that we start to have a Christian vision for where we are placed.
That vision will include belonging to a church that is winning people to Christ and Rowing in numbers, character, understand- ing of the truth, internal and external rela-
tionships, and impact on the community. We will be supportive of those who are try- ing to clean up and operate the political units to which we belong. We will be ac- tive in caring about the relief and develop- ment of the poor in our neighborhood, and we will be contributing money and people for evangelistic and social purposes in other countries as yet unreached by the gospel.
Now if that is the vision, we cannot do it on our own. We need to cooperate with all other Christians in the same place. If, how- ever, our vision is more limited and we are only looking for converts and new members for our church, of course we don”t need oth- ers. In fact, we can probably manage better without them.
The Challenge
Clearly, the Lausanne Covenant gave us a bigger umbrella of a worldview under which we could shelter together against the storms that beset those who undertake the work of evangelization. Some of us, however, would like to take out some of the panels of this umbrella, a prospect that would bring discomfort to us all. As we move towards Manila, I believe we need to work more at realizing all the cover that our Covenant gives us and to open ourselves even more to cooperation in evangelism wherever it will help us to realize our Christian vision for our city, our country, and the world.
As I see it, we need to give special atten- tion to such areas as: genuine acceptance of evangelism and sociopolitical involvement as two parts of our Christian duty; coopera- tion between those who have different views on the person and work of the Holy Spirit; the degree and the areas of cooperation with ecumenicals and Roman Catholics; and some rapprochement on the issue of the roles of women in evangelization.
I do not think we need a new umbrella. I do think we need to appreciate the umbrella we have and not act as though we did not have it. Otherwise we will get uncomforta- bly wet and correspondingly ineffective.
To obtain copies of the Lausanne Coven- ant ( excerpted on the following page), a more extensive exposition of the Covenant, or further information about the July 1989 “Lausanne II” congress in Manila, write to: Lausanne Committee for World Evangeliza- tion, 5950 Fairview Rd., Ill Fairview Plaza, Suite 202, Charlotte, NC 28210, USA. ■
Resources
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To Get the Flavor. . . Choice Phrases from the Lausanne Covenant |
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Introduction ... We are deeply stirred by what God is doing in our day, moved to evMeeUza^on111 fd challenged by the unfinished task of evangelization.... We are determined by his grace to obey Christ’s commission to proclaim [the gospel] to all mankind and to make disciples of every nation. 1. The Purpose of God his nSDle^kTnro !hng °U‘m 0nL?u W°rld a people for himself, and sending exrePn^nn of hk l ? wo[,dtobe h>s servants and his wimesses, for the hfs name ? h kingdom’ the budding up of Christ's body, and the glory of 2. The Authority and Power of the Bible thC P?wLer of God's word t0 accomplish his purpose of . message of the Bible is addressed to all mankind... Through it eve^,f F™SP l SpCakS toda£ Te illumines the mind of God's peopled eiy culture to perceive its truth freshly through their own eyes and thus discloses to the whole Church ever more of the many-colored^, sdomofGod. 3. The Uniqueness and Universality of Christ ... Jesus Christ has been exalted above every other name; we long for the y when every knee shall bow to him and every tongue shall confess him. 4. The Nature of Evangelism „T° evangelize is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins rdmTne I ^dh^T the .dead according to the Scriptures, and that as the [he8S^ ?nh u °fferS ^forgiveness of sins and the liberating gift of the Spirit to all who repent and believe.... In issuing the gospel invitation we have no liberty to conceal the cost of discipleship.... The results of evangelism » “i°„ to w"S” St ™° Chtoh and responsible 5. Christian Social Responsibility ... When people receive Christ they are bom again into his kingdom and ofZ urSgC°u1CridXhibit bUt 3150 10 Spre3d “S nghte°USness in the ™dst |
To get the entire text of this globally- accepted modern statement of the Christian faith, ask for your free copy of The Lausanne Covenant: An Exposition and Commentary. Also write for a subscription to the most desirable of all free periodicals — World Evangelization, the magazine of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization. |
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6. The Church and Evangelism io, peT"toESwS" Wh0" “ “ “te “>« 7. Cooperation in Evangelism and n^«;nndw.0UrSel^S ? SCf 3 deePer unity in worship, holiness - f We urge die development of regional and functional cooperation for the furtherance of the Church's mission, for strategic planning for mutual encouragement, and for the sharing of resources and expenence. 8’ |
Send orders and inquiries to: LCWE 5950 Fair view Road III Fairview Plaza Suite 202 Charlotte, NC 28210 (704)554-6803 |
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January-February 1989/Page 15 |
Unreached Peoples
Adapted by permission from "A Call to Prayer: Muslims in I Delhi" and "Muslims in Bombay, A Call to Prayer, A Call to Action," by Caleb Project. Research teams from Caleb Project spent three months in fall 1988 in these two cities.
A Tale of Two Cities
Profiles of Muslim Peoples in Delhi and Bombay
India, a vast land of unimaginable diver- sity, is known as a Hindu nation. Yet not all of India’s millions bow to idols. Hidden among masses of Hindus, and virtually neglected by p, missionary efforts, lie more than one hundred million Muslims.
Some unoffi- cial estimates suggest that as many
Muslims live in India as in the entire Arab world! In the following
pages we will describe some of the Muslim communities in two major Indian cities. Names of individuals have been changed.
DELHI
Delhi, the capital of India, displays the diversity and contrasts of a modernizing third
world urban center.
Imported cars and city buses share crowded streets with horse-drawn carts and wandering cows. People of varying languages, educational levels, and cultures
migrate to Delhi from all over India, drawn by both economic and educational opportuni- ties. Temples of all shapes and sizes, scat-
1 6/Mission Frontiers
tered steeples of ancient churches, and myriads of mosque minarets reflect the relig- ious diversity in this metropolis of eight million people.
More than one million of these people are Muslims. Unlike nominal Muslims in countries where they are the majority, many Delhi Muslims are devout adherents to Islam. When the call to prayer sounds out across the city five times a day, many men head for the mosques ^ith white caps on for prayer. Women at home faithfully read their Quran and bow in prayer toward Mecca.
Even so, a caste system and the use of charms and spiritual mediators indicate the influence of Hinduism on Indian Islam.
Dehli Muslims themselves, however, display vast diversities. Cultural, educa- tional, and economic differences divide them into distinct groups with limited interaction. Separate church-planting efforts are needed if all these groups are to be reached.
In a sense, all North Indian Muslims look to Delhi as the focal point of Islam. Because of this, if a church movement were birthed among Dehli’s Muslims, it could well ripple across the more than one hundred million Muslims of India.
Old Delhi Muslims
Old Delhi is well known as the tradi- tional Muslim sector of the city. The largest mosque in India is located at its center, and within its neighborhoods can be found fami- lies whose ancestors walked these same streets 400 years ago.
Many Old Delhi Muslims pray daily at the mosque. Their Islamic steadfastness is seen in their high regard for the Quran and its teachings. The women almost always wear the bourdka , a black veil that covers from head to foot for modesty. Children also go to the mosque regularly to learn how to pray and chant the Quran in Arabic.
New Delhi Muslims
Whereas Old Delhi Muslim families trace their city roots back centuries, most of the 200,000 Muslims in New Delhi are middle- class families who arrived in the city some time within the past forty years. Seeking new educational and occupational opportuni- ties, New Delhi Muslims usually settle near a major Muslim university in the suburbs.
Many New Delhi Muslims believe the study of Islam is an important part of their education. Even though they are financially
successful and modernizing, they still choose to devoutly follow the Islamic faith and practices. Their high morals and community concern have earned them the respect of other Muslims in Delhi.
Unreached Peoples
^ - vU
A breakthrough among New Delhi Muslims may well have long-reaching effects. They have strong influence on the education and direction of the younger gener- ation. Because of their good reputation and strong family ties in various North Indian towns, an exciting spread of the gospel could occur if New Delhi Muslims came to Christ.
East Delhi Muslims
Across the Jamuna River, away from the bustling centers of Old and New Delhi, lies East Delhi, a newly settled and generally despised area. Here thousands of Muslim migrants find low-cost housing for their families.
Thirty to forty thousand middle-class Muslim businessmen are drawn to East Delhi by opportunities to make money. The owners of small manufacturing or retail enterprises, they seldom interact with Muslims across the river and mostly befriend other East Delhi businessmen. However, their closest ties remain with rela- tives in the villages from which they have come.
East Delhi Muslims can read and write — unlike their illiterate, hired workers. But they are less educated and more traditional than modernized Muslims settling in New Delhi. East Delhi Muslims are more concerned with immediate financial success than with higher education. Because of these values, other Delhi Muslims consider East Delhi businessmen to be uncultured and ignorant.
If a church movement were birthed among Delhi’s Muslims, it could well ripple across the more than one hundred million Muslims of India.
January-February 1989/17
Unreached Peoples
Javed of East Delhi
Javed is one of these businessmen. Bom in a district about 100 kilometers from Delhi, he came to Delhi when in his thirties and soon began a wholesale
KEYS TO BARRIERS
ED: Education ECON: Economic REL: Religion R.O.:Region of Origin
spice business. He has hired young men from his village to transport goods from farmers to his shop.
When in Delhi, Javed’s workers sleep in the warehouse, while he lives upstairs with his wife and six children. All the children work in the fcroily business after school. His oldest son is in his last year of high school and hopes someday to take over the family business.
Javed and his family practice a less- than-orthodox Islam. They believe that charms worn around their necks will break curses and overcome sickness. With the help of local Muslim holy men, they seek to outsmart or escape
n
invisible powers.
People Groups and
Barriers of Delhi
At least seven different people groups can be found in
Delhi. Each group, f oid-Delhi represented in this
diagram by an ellipse, is R
separated from other groups by various barriers; these barriers hinder f Laborers
communication and effective
evangelism across groups.
Poor Laborers
Poor laborers make up approximately 35% of Delhi’s Muslims, making them the largest group of unreached Muslims in Delhi. These unskilled and semi-skilled laborers make up the lowest economic class. Many spend twelve hours a day performing grueling manual labor. Others sell vegetables from a cart or work in small factories. Some seek a better life, yet few rise above their low status. Most have lost hope of ever escaping mundane, low- paying jobs.
Many laborers come to Delhi from villages in surrounding states. They either sleep in the factory where they work or rent a small room with other workers. Their earn- ings, which are sent back to families, are much more than they could make in the villages. They try to visit their families as often as possible, and eventually they move their families to Delhi, where they usually live in small thatched huts or rented rooms. These shelters seldom provide electricity or plumbing.
These labor- ers have little time to carry out the daily obligations of a good Muslim.
Many also lack knowledge of Islamic teach- ings and add superstitions to their religious practices.
Prayer Focus x_
0 The Muslims in Delhi are committed to their Islamic faith, but God is committed to bringing them into his kingdom. Pray with power for God to break the stronghold of Islam (Mt. 16:18).
0 Pray for the salvation of India’s highest Islamic leader, Shahi Imam Buchari , living in Delhi.
0 A movement beginning in Delhi could turn North India upside down. Pray for a powerful Muslim convert church to arise in Delhi among those with the greatest potential to influence other Muslims.
0 Pray that God’s people would take advantage of the Delhi Muslims’ rare openness to Christians.
18/Mission Frontiers
BOMBAY
Diverse Muslim Cultures
"There are one and one-half million Muslims in Bombay... and only a handful of persecuted, scattered converts. No church has yet been
effective in reaching out to them,” laments a leading national Christian.
Churches in Bombay are filled with Catholics and converted Hindus, but devoid of
converted Muslims. Ever since the Muslims invaded India 800 years ago, the situation has remained the same: no generation of Muslims has yet been reached with the gospel. The need for compassionate, committed Christians to live and share the good news with Bombay Muslims is great, but no one is doing it.
Each day thousands of Bombay Muslims make their way to mosques to pray. Islam teaches them to ceremonially wash before each of their five daily prayers. Many of these Muslims earnestly seek to know the one true God, yet they fail to recognize their need for an intercessor between man and God. They reject the idea that to be clean before God, men must be washed in Christ’s blood. Unknowingly, they are following a path that leads to eternity apart from God!
So each day the process continues. . . Bombay’s Muslims making their way to their mosques, washing five times a day, but never really becoming clean. Several cultu- rally distinct Muslim groups live in this city of ten million people. They include:
The Memons
In the 15th century 700 families converted from Hinduism to Islam and then endured severe persecution. Today their descendants are known as Memons. The 50,000 Memons in Bombay are highly respected for their great faith, community identity, and business success. There are no Memons known to be followers of Jesus, and the tight community structure would make it extremely difficult for a few
Memons to stand alone if they were to choose such a path. What is needed is a mass movement to Christ, similar to the Memons' past movement to Islam.
For 500 years Memons have followed Islam. Today they remain untouched by the
Gospel. Will another 500 years pass before they have an opportunity to follow Christ? Not necessarily. Memon churches could become a reality. If the Indian church and
Christians throughout the world will whole- heartedly seek God on their behalf, thousands of Memons could well decide to follow Jesus. Rev. 7:9 promises that there will be Memons before the throne of God. Pray this into being!
Unreached Peoples
The Chaiwalta
■
Family
mm
Living in the very heart of the Memon community in Bombay, the Chaiwalla family eagerly express their pride in being Cutchi Memons. Mrs. Chai- walla, a widow of 15 years, is a teacher at a Muslim school. Deeply respected and obeyed by her children, she has taught them a real love for life. But their hopes and dreams for the future, aJong with the emptiness of Islam, will not satisfy their spiritual thirst. They are in desperate need of living water.
Prayer Requests 0 Pray for the hundreds of Memon families like the Chaiwalfas.
OPray for a turning to Christ and the emergence of a growing, vibrant church among the Memons.
January-February 1989/19
Unreached Peoples
bound by the restrictions of normal family life. This freedom, coupled with the loneli- ness of separation from family, makes migrants ripe for the gospel.
The Bohras
Perhaps the most distinct Muslim people group in Bombay are the 50,000 Bohras. Their spiritual leader is the Syedna , a man who must approve of all marriages, business endeavors, and other major decisions within the community. The Syedna demands complete allegiance from his followers and requires blind faith in his decisions. But many Bohras are beginning to question his integrity and ethics, and unrest and discon- tent are therefore on the increase within this people group.
20/Mission Frontiers
The Isna Ashrl
Approximately 400,000 followers of the evangelistic Shia Isna Ashri sect of Islam live in Bombay. Many are Iranians who highly revere the Ayatollah Khomeini among other leaders. They consider themselves the only true Muslims, but most are not as fanatical as their counterparts in Iran.
“His Holiness” Al-Moosavi Saheb heads the Shia Isna Ashri sect for all India and southeast Asia. He maintains personal contact with Khomeini and in his friendly, personable way serves as administrator and spiritual leader for this Muslim sect in Bombay. He has persuaded Muslims from other sects to become Shia Isna Ashri and has stated his regret that money is not pres- ently available to send out foreign mission- aries.
The Malayans
Nevertheless, there is reason for hope for the thou- sands of Malayalis and other Muslim migrants in Bombay. Compared to others, they have an amazing amount of freedom in their lives since they are not
The quarter million Malayalis are proba- bly the most prominent group of migrants in Bombay. They speak Malayalam in a world of Urdu-speaking Muslims. Eighty percent are men who, leaving their families behind, migrate to Bombay, determined to make money. They live crammed together, fifteen to twenty in a single room (a lati ) and save their rupees to support their wives and children, whom they may only see once every ten months. Even though there are many Malayali churches in Bombay, there is a cultural chasm between Malayalam Chris- tians and Malayalan Muslims, which no Muslim can cross
without commit- ting social suicide.
My Friend Mohammed
Each time I passed Mohammed’s coconut stall, he would joyfully greet me, “Salaam alaikum' (peace be upon you), the universal Muslim greeting. He would then pull up a little stool, and slash open a fresh coconut for me to drink, indignantly refusing my three rupees payment. Five tiroes a day he would shut down his stall, don his white prayer cap, and walk a half mile to the nearest mosque to pray.
Prayer Requests
0 Pray for Mohammed, his young wife, and family back in Kerala. Pray that they would hunger for a personal relationship with the one true God through Christ Jesus.
0 Pray Acts 26: 1 8 for Mohammed, that his eyes would be opened so that he may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that he may receive forgiveness of sins.
Unreached Peoples
A lone Bohra Believer
Farida pays a high price for remain- ing steadfast in her decision to follow Christ. Her mother threatens suicide if Farida fellowships with other believ- ers. Wider knowledge of her conver- sion could result in expulsion from her family in a society in which family is everything. If expelled, little hope remains for her family and other Bohras in the community to see a rele- vant witness of a new life in Christ. ;■■■■
Prayer Requests
0 Pray that Farida and those disci- pling her would continually seek the Lord as they grapple with tough issues of a Bohra following Christ.
0 Pray for laborers to be raised up to plant a culturally relevant church among the Bohras.
THE INDIAN CHURCH
Over the centuries God has made the name of his Son known in India. The church has existed in South India for many years. Recent revivals among tribals in Northeast India brought many to faith in Christ. Although much has happened to give God glory in these places, Jesus is not honored as Lord in most of North India.
The church in Delhi and Bombay has a largely traditional and Western flavor. Many churches show little signs of life, and few have organized outreaches. Some fellowships are growing, rarely because of conversions, but mostly due to South Indian Christians moving to these cities. Several Christian communities exist, but they lack a concern for reaching their Muslim neighbors.
The few evangelical churches in Delhi and Bombay do desire to see Muslims come to Christ, but they spend most of their effort on
feeding those within the flock. Most evan- gelistic outreach is focused on those who arc Christian by heritage, not by faith. Some believers may desire to reach out to Muslims, but they do not know how to begin.
Even if Muslims did find Christ, they would not fit into the culture of existing churches. By becoming Christians, Muslims would be forced unnecessarily to leave their culture and embrace a “Christian” one. In turn, Indian Christians have historically been suspicious of any Muslim who turns to Jesus. The prevailing attitude is that Muslims will always resist the gospel, and that those who profess to believe are proba- bly insincere. Also, most Indian Christians do not see the need for Muslim converts to have churches that are culturally suitable for them. Mission agencies run by South Indian Christians are doing solid cross-cultural work. But as yet, none are known to have targeted Muslims in their work.
Prayer Requests
0 Dream with God about an awakened Church in India and the creation of new churches for Muslims.
0 Pray that God might cause the Church in Delhi and Bombay to be bom afresh with life and vigor.
0 Pray the Indian Church will reach out to her Muslim neighbors with love and sensitivity.
0 Pray that Indian believers will leam how to share Jesus in a way that it will be “great news” for the Muslims.
0 Pray that believers will live in a way that brings glory to God and makes Christ known.
To obtain the Delhi or Bombay prayer booklets excerpted in this article, send $2.50 for each booklet (includes postage and handling). More complete strategy reports, intended for limited circulation, are also available. For orders, inquiries, and further infor- mation on opportunities for prayer or involvement, contact:
Caleb Project P.O, Box 40455 Pasadena, CA 91114 (818) 398-2121
Although much has happened to bring God glory in South India and Northeastern India, Jesus is not honored as Lord in most of North India.
January-February 1989/21
Missions in the Bible
It is not our normal task to discuss the merits and demerits of study Bibles. But the Great Commission is based in the Bible. Indeed, it is the basis of the Bible. If, on this subject, these two widely-used study Bibles give an uncertain sound, then we can believe that a whole lot more in our evangelical tradition may be uncertain about what is or what ought to be the central focus of the Christian faith.
Page 22/Mission Frontiers
Two Great Study Bibles — and Missions
—Ralph D. Winter
It is wonderful how many study Bibles are in use these days. Here are two which have very widespread backing. But how well will readers of these Bibles catch on to the mission theme which is basic to the Bible? Not very well, although both have something to offer.
The NIV Study Bible has got to be one of the most monumental achievements in mod- em times.
One reason it was now possible is be- cause never in history has there been a larg- er, more financially capable mass of Bible- reading people than there is in the U.S. to- day. This enables the huge, advance finan- cial investment necessary to produce Hercu- lean efforts of this kind.
Only enormous teamwork could have produced, first, the new translation, the NIV — which is a story in itself — and then the extensive study apparatus of this particu- lar study Bible.
$22 Bargains
Just think, both Bibles have practically a seminary education built into their foot- notes! And, to be able to buy them for a lit- tle over $20 — when a single course in semi- nary would cost $250.
What you get in the case of the NTV Study Bible is over 2000 pages, 35 charts, di- agrams and drawings, 57 maps, 20,000 study notes (its most remarkable asset), 35,000 concordance references, 100,000 cross-reference entries, etc.
But What Do They Say? .
No longer do huge numbers of people use the long-famous Scofield Reference Bible. It helped many people, and Scofield was himself a highly mission-minded man. He helped found the Central American Mis- sion, for example. But what does the Sco- field Bible say about missions? Absolutely nothing. It faithfully traces 280 themes by chain reference throughout the Bible, not one of which has anything to do with Mis- sions. The NIV Study Bible does only a little better. The Disciple' s Study Bible is sub- stantially better.
A Quite Different Bible
The latter also employs the NIV text and the same cross-references. But otherwise it is a quite different type of study Bible. Its
comments at the bottom of each page refer in every case to one of 27 major Bible doc- trines, a virtual systematic theology which has been taught for some years in the Sun- day School program of the Southern Baptist Convention.
The disadvantage of this is that these comments refer you away from the text, in one sense. The advantage is that specialists in each of the 27 themes contribute the great bulk of the material in this Bible, rather than scholars in the text itself. The result is re- markably different. You really need both Bibles, the one to comment on words and phrases in the text, the other to comment on the subjects and implications of the text.
In ihe Disciple’s Study Bible, the concor- dance is one-third as large, but about 200 pages have been added, the large sections covering the following:
♦ 40 pages of “Summaries of the (27) Doctrines” (one page on Missions)
♦ 30 pages on “Histories of the Doc- trines” (one page on Missions)
♦ 95 pages of “Life Helps: Relating Doctrine to Life” (2.4 pages on Missions)
♦ 28 pages giving the chain references for the 27 doctrines. Here we see references to missions only 33 times throughout the Bible, in only 6 of the Old Testament books and 9 of the NT books. By comparison, un- der the doctrine “Christian Ethics,” there are over 1,000 references, giving three times as many to “Property Rights” in this section as are given to the entire theme of Missions!
But despite the small content, since mis- sion specialists are the ones dealing with their dimension of the Bible, the Missions content in this Bible is truly superb. See the excerpts on the opposite page.
Check Your Own Bible
See how your own study Bible introduc- es Genesis. Look up what is said beneath Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 19:3-6, Psalms 67, Isaiah 49:6. These present the acid test for a study Bible. In each case the Disciple's Study Bible comes through magnificently. The NIV Study Bible misses out almost com- pletely on the middle two, although it has an amazing statement under Isa 49:6: “Togeth- er with Gen 12:3, Ex 19:5-6, this verse is sometimes called the ‘great commission of the Old Testament.’” Not bad!
Missions in the Bible
From The Disciple's Study Bible:
(Produced by Holman Bible Publishers and the Southern Baptist Sunday School Board)
The Outline of Genesis:
Genesis: The Creator Creates a People
I. The Nature of Human Life 1:1-11:9
II. The Mission and Nature of God’s Family 1 1 : 10-50:26
“Conclusions/Teaching” (excerpts)
“The book of Genesis expresses how God’s people received their identity
. . .our identity centers in missions. From the beginning God has worked to bless all peoples. God’s people are blessed so they can be a blessing to all nations. God chose or elected His people to achieve His missionary purpose.
. . .Genesis calls God’s people today to understand our identity anew. We are creatures of the one Creator God. As such, we need to accept responsibility to care for the world God created for us, to join in God’s missionary purpose of blessing all na- tions. and to live as faithful family members of God’s people.”
Study Note under Genesis 12:1-3:
“God’s purpose and actions provide the ultimate source for our missionary teaching and actions. With this chapter Genesis moves beyond the universal primeval history of God’s dealing with all humankind. ..(to) a new direction. With Abraham, God began to carry out His purpose through one man, his family, and his descendants. While He worked through one family, God made His universal purpose clear. He wanted to bless the whole human race. In faith Abraham accepted God’s challenging call and provedja blessing to other nations. . .Israel often forgot their blessings were for the purpose of blessing others. . .As believers we can follow Abraham’s faithful example or easily for- get we have been blessed to bless others. . .The seed thought of missions is here. All na- tions are to be blessed in Christ Jesus.”
V J
The Southern Baptists chose theme specialists, each commenting all the way through the Bible. That way each theme was safeguarded far better than for general Bible scholars to give notes on one book at a time. The results are quite different.
From The NIV Study Bible:
The Outline of Genesis:
I. Primeval History 1:1-11:26
II. Patriarchal History ll::27-50:26
“Theme and Message” (excerpts)
“Genesis speaks of beginnings — of the heavens and the earth, of light and darkness, of seas and skies, of land and vegetation, of sun and moon and stars, of sea and air and land animals, of human beings (made in God’s own image, the climax of his creative activity), of sin and redemption, of blessing and cursing, of socie- ty and civilization, of marriage and family, of art and craft and industry. The list could go on and on.
...(Genesis) is foundational to the understanding of the rest of the Bible. Its message is rich and com- plex, and listing its main elements gives a succinct out- line of the Biblical message as a whole. It is supremely a book of relationships, highlighting those between God and nature, God and man, and man and man. It is thor- oughly monotheistic, taking for granted that there is only one God worthy of the name and opposing the ide- as that there are many gods (poloy theism), that there is no god at all (atheism) or that everything is divine (pantheism). It clearly teaches that the one true God is sovereign over all that exists (i.e. his entire creation), and that by divine election he often exercises his unlim- ited freedom to overturn human customs, traditions and plans. It introduces us to the way in which God ini- tiates and make covenants with his chosen people,
pledging his love and faithfulness to them and calling them to promise theirs to him. It establishes sacrifice as the substitution of life for life. It gives us the first hint of God’s provision for redemption from the forces of evil (compare 3:15 with Ro. 16:17-20) and contains the oldest and most profound definition of faith (15:6). More than half of Heb 1 1 — the NT roll of the faithful — refers to characters in Genesis.
“Literary Features” (an excerpt)
...(God) brings out of the fallen human race a new humanity consecrated to himself, called and destined to be the people of his kingdom and the channel of his blessing to the whole earth.
Study Note under Genesis 12:2-3:
God’s promise to Abram has a sevenfold structure: (1) “I will make you a great nation,” (2) “I will bless you,” (3) “I will make your name great,” (4) “you will be a blessing,” (5) “I will bless those who bless you” (6) “whoever curses you I will curse,” and (7) “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” God’s original blessing on all mankind (1:28) would be restored and fulfilled through Abram and his offspring. In various ways and degrees, these promises were reaffirmed to Abram... to Isaac... to Jacob... and to Moses. The sev- enth promise is quoted in Ac 3:25 with reference to Pe- ter’s Jewish listeners (see Ac 3:12) — Abram’s physical descendants— and in Gal 3:8 with reference to Paul’s Gentile listeners— Abram’ spiritual descendants.
January-February 1989/Page 23
Mobilization
ACMC Prepares to Mobilize 6000 Churches by AD 2000
— by Mike Pollard
There is a fresh move of God on a glo- bal level emphasizing the completion of world evangelization by the year 2000. Such strategies may originate at the mis- sion agency level, yet personnel and fi- nances must come from the church. The mobilization of the North American church for world missions has never been more critical than at this time.
Such was the focus of the manage- ment, regional directors, and several board members of the Association of Church Missions Committees (ACMC) when they convened January 4-7 in Naperville, Illinois to assess their role as catalyst for the church’s missions involvement during the next decade. Ray Howard, Mountain States Regional Director, left the retreat encouraged, feeling that the meeting “was very helpful in focusing the staff and re- sources of ACMC on tackling the major task of mobilization rather than just on the tasks of providing resources and tools. We made a major jump in our vision.” Tom Telford, Northeast Regional Direc- tor, summed up the meeting by noting, “ACMC is fifteen years old — a mere teen- ager. At this meeting, we began growth into adulthood.”
Possibly the most significant goal arising from the retreat was that of re- cruiting 6000 churches (2% of the church- es in North America) into the ACMC mobilization movement by the end of this century. This percentage has often proven to be a “critical mass” number re- quired to begin and sustain a significant movement. Independent task forces were assigned to report by June 1989 on ACMC’s funding, marketing, manage- ment, publishing, and membership needs. The retreat also emphasized ACMC’s de- sire to link up more closely with the U.S. Center for World Mission and the Lausanne Committee for World Evangeli- zation.
Those attending the planning retreat unanimously affirmed the importance of
24/Mission Frontiers
serving denominational missions pro- grams and developing more significant re- lationships with denominational leaders. The majority of the churches in North America are denominationally affiliated, and 65% of ACMC’s members are de- nominational churches. In the past ACMC has been branded “for independent churches” that have no access to denomi- national help and guidance for their mis- sions programs. Yet ACMC offers help to churches that denominational headquar- ters may be unable to give. Networking with churches of other denominations and backgrounds circulates fresh new ideas which can positively influence the denom- ination’s whole program. “We don’t want to compete with denominational missions programs to their detriment or ours,” says David Mays, Great Lakes Regional Direc- tor. Ray Howard agrees: “Most certainly, we want to build missions vision along denominational lines. That’s the path of least resistance and greatest effectiveness.”
Bill Waldrop, ACMC’s Executive Di- rector, believes the ACMC can achieve its goals, but not without a struggle. Liken- ing the North American church to the Co- rinthian church of Biblical times, he be- lieves the North American church “is free and wealthy, but has been seduced by its surrounding culture.” David Mays agrees: “People (in the North American church) are focused on their own personal needs and concerns. That’s expressed in the way we worship and pray, in the substance of our curriculum.”
Despite the Corinthian-like culture of the late twentieth century in North Ameri- ca, Waldrop believes God is developing churches like the New Testament church at Antioch. Though surrounded by a mate- rialistic, self-centered, immoral culture, the Antioch church focused its vision and efforts outward. Similar churches today will provide the momentum for the ACMC movement of this decade. “Such churches,” he says, “while not neglecting the personal needs of their own people,
Bill Waldrop, ACMC Executive Director
call them to personal holiness, local out- reach, and global mission.”
In many ways ACMC enjoys distinct advantages as it seeks to mobilize local churches for world evangelization. “Churches are comfortable with ACMC because they know we’re not going to try to conform them to a model that works in another region,” says Tom Tisher, North- west Regional Director. David Mays ech- oes this thought. “We don’t have the stig- ma of trying to sell a program to the church. We come to churches as a net- working organization of their peers.” Possibly the greatest challenge that awaits ACMC is that of awakening churches to Scripture’s missions mandate, helping them see the job is not yet fin- ished. Says Ray Howard: “The church needs to realize that it exists to reach the the whole world. We’ve decided to cultu- rally interpret John 3:16.” He continues: “The church has the primary role in world evangelization. Once it sees the job isn’t done, isn’t optional, and doesn’t belong to somebody else, and that missions is a key issue in its obedience to Jesus, then all you need to do is organize the troops.” For more information on ACMC or the ACMC 1989 national conference ( July 26-29), contact ACMC, P.O. Box ACMC, Wheaton, IL, 60189, (312) 260-
1660. m
Opportunities
Snowbirds Welcome!
(and Other Volunteers, Too)
— by Art McCleary
Southern California is a nice place to be, especially in the wintertime. Just ask the retired couples who descend on our cam- pus every year between October and April! Most are members of the Mobile Missionary Assistance Program (MMAP) and come with their R-Vs in groups of eight for three weeks at a time. A few come through contact with our Personnel Office and stay longer.
Just to let you know that such volun- teers are welcome and needed, we’ve added more R-V parking spaces and converted part of our dorm into furnished efficiencies. Needed? You bet! How can snowbirds help at the Center? Here a few examples:
♦ Roger and Grace Hamilton of Kansas work in the office of the International Com- munity Development department at our Wil- liam Carey International University (WCIU). Roger is a retired college professor and Grace a nurse. They expect to be here for several months. In January, they went to Mexico for two weeks with a joint class from BIOL A University and WCIU. They plan to take the Perspectives course on Tuesday evenings this spring.
♦ Mendell and Sevilla Smith are back again this year from Colorado for a couple of months. A retired engineer, Mendell helps in Graphics. Sevilla, a part-time realtor, vol- unteers in the mailroom.
♦ Joyce McKenzie, a homemaker from northern California, does research for two agencies on campus: Frontiers and the Insti- tute of Global Urban Studies.
♦ Rags and Ronni Ragland helped Wy- cliffe Bible Translators for ten years and now want to promote the Perspectives course back home in Washington state. They are volunteering here for a few months and tak- ing the course themselves. A retired forest- er, Rags works in maintenance, while Ron- ni, an registered nurse, works in our mailroom.
♦ Lloyd and Naomi Pfander came from central California to look us over for two months. They’ve now decided to stay on for a year or more. Lloyd taught 5th grade for many years and Naomi was a school admin-
istrator. Lloyd helps us here in the cafeteria and Naomi at Frontiers.
♦ Carl and Jenny Batchelor served here many times in the past with MMAP. They live nearby and both work in the mailroom at different times each year.
♦ Edwin and Clara Olsoe came for two months from Washington. He is a carpen- ter/cabinet maker, she a homemaker. Ed- win’s skill is needed in maintenance and Cla- ra is a blessing in our child-care center.
These volunteers enjoy their work and count it a privilege to gather with us each morning to share what God is doing within the Center community. Their mission vi- sion grows further on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings as they hear more reports from throughout the campus and around the world. And the generational mix inspires all of us!
With 140 residential units and twelve main campus buildings, we have about two million dollars worth of deferred maintenance projects waiting for people like you or oth- ers you know. We can use painters, plum- bers, electricians, tree trimmers, upholster- ers, interior decorators, and seamstresses to repair or upgrade dorm rooms, classrooms, houses, offices, auditorium seat cushions, drapes, blinds, and much, much more.
Agencies and departments of the Center and university desperately need accountants, bookkeepers, receptionists, general office clerks, data entry clerks, researchers, pro- grammers, etc. The list goes on and on.
Many vital ministries are crippled due to lack of staff. Young people must raise sup- port to work here, a process which often takes several months and which can be more difficult because the work is not overseas.
Most positions on the campus can be filled by self-supported individuals who have good health, a desire to be productive, and an ability to come quickly. Whether you come for a month, six months, or two years, your services can make an eternal difference!
Get in on a blessing. Call Personnel at (818) 398-2330 to volunteer your services. ■
Joyce McKenzie, a homemak- er from northern California, does research for two agencies on the USCWM campus.
USCWM volunteers enjoy their work, and their mission vision grows as they hear reports of what God is doing throughout the campus and around the world.
January-February 1989/25
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Lesson 8
THE TASK REMAINING
We have glimpsed an awesome panorama of Cod's purpose through the ages We have envisioned the end he has in view: that every person would hear of H.s name and that some from every people would believe in His name. But where is the World Christian movement? How close are we to accomplishing world evangelization? As the remaining task is measured and described do priorities emerge?
During this lesson you will read:
★
* "World Mission Survey," by Winter/Fraser, 329 - 3/46
* "The New Macedonia: A Revolutionary New Era in Mission
* Begins," by Ralph D. Winter, 293 - 31 1
*
* "The 2. <4 Billion: Why Are We Still So Unconcerned ■
* by David Fraser, 327 - 328
* "The Task Remaining: All Humanity in Mission Perspective "
* by Ralph D. Winter, 312 - 326
*
* "To Reach the Unreached," By Ed Dayton, 587 - 589
**.**.*«*.***,**,*****,, ****•*,,*«
fc l-/Wt
v b <• £. i tr
1 1 1
After studying this lesson, you should be able to: o Describe "people blindness." (*r CU1*** # '
o
Distinguish countries, nations, and people' groups.
Identify megaspheres, macrospheres, and minispheres.
Define a reached and an unreached people group. b 7
Define a "viable" church.
Use the E scale to estimate cultural distance of the evangelist.
Use the P scale to estimate cultural distance of the church.
Define and distinguish Evangelism, Regular Missions, and Frontier Missions.
Explain the rationale for a Frontier Missions priority.
State the approximate number of people groups beyond the reach of the gospel at this time, and the total population of these groups.
State the approximate percentages of the mission force engaged in Frontier and Regular Missions.
Evaluate the idea that Christian nationals in every country can finish the task.
Evaluate the idea that reaching every people group with a different church would destroy Christian unity.
8-1
The Status of the World Christian Movement
*******************************^^^
*
* Read Winter and Fraser, 329 - 346
*
*********************************^
More individuals confess the name of Christ than any other religion.
An arm of the church lives in almost every land. The Christian movement grows as never before, exceeding in many places, the population growth. There is no room for pessimism. But at the same time the gospel is not known and believed in most of the world.
II. Cultural Distance from the Gospel
The most stunning and awesome reality is that even if Christianity flexed all of its muscle, and shouted the gospel to all within its sphere, still there would be silence among over 2.5 billion people.
Why?: Cultural distances between the evangelizing force and the people
without Christ.
*********************************^
★
* Read Winter, 293 - 306 (2nd paragraph) and Fraser, 327 - 328 **********************************
1 1 1 .Perspectives on the Peoples of the World
Why don't Christians today know much about the people groups still without the gospel? We will offer four alternate vantage points which will enable us to escape our "people blindness" and make three basic distinctions which tend to elude us. The four distinctions build on:
A . Political
o Common view: "nations" refers to countries
° God's view: "nations" refers to peoples
o Basic distinction: countries and peoples
**********************************
*
* Read Winter, 312 - 314
★
**********************************
B . Strategic
o Common view : o Strategic view :
o Basic distinction:
We tend to focus on the actual count of individuals (Christians or non-Christians). We can focus on the potential movement to Christ within people groups (reached or un re ached) .
Reached and unreached peoples.
8-2
In 1978, the Lausanne Committee's Strategy Working Croup defined Unreached People Croup as a group with less than 20% practicing Christians. Many considered this too loose a definition, allowing almost all societies to classify as Unreached. An alternative proposal by the USCWM emphasized the presence or absence of a church rather than a % of believers. The USCWM concept was called a Hidden People, and was slightly reworded by the Edinburgh 1980, World Consultation on Frontier Missions Convening Committee as follows:
"Hidden Peoples: those cultural and linguistic sub-groups, urban or rural, for whom there is as yet no indigenous community of believing Christians able to evangelize their own people."
The Edinburgh Conference further equated this with the concept of frontiers and the task of frontier missions.
In the Spring of 1982 the Strategy Working Croup decided to redefine Unreached People Croups as "a people group within which there is not yet and indigenous community of believing Christians with the spiritual resources to evangelize this people group."
By now, then, we can relax in the awareness thst Unreached, Hidden, Frontier, Unpenetrated, all are synonymous, the particular flavor of each phrase not conflicting with the others but illuminating a slightly different aspect of the phenomena. Unreached emphasizes the fact that these groups constitute a remaining task to be performed — of reaching out . Hidden emphasizes the fact that these groups are generally overlooked by the major focus given to break-throughs already made. Frontier emphasizes the fact that such groups cannot be reached without crossing a cultural barrier to reach them. Unpenetrated stresses the fact that no missiological break-through has taken place, so as to reach the people from within (on an E0, E .5 or El basis) .
ft************'**'****'****'**'**'*******
★
* Read Winter, 315 - 316 (3rd paragraph) and Dayton, 587 - 589
* (Defining unreached)
*
**********************************
C . Cultural
o Common view: We tend to define any work that takes place at
a significant geographical distance as being "missions". A missionary is then understood as one who is on a foreign or distant "field".
o Cultural view: It is better to understand Christian workers
laboring at a significant c ultural distance as undertaking "missions" work.
o Basic Distinction: Evangelism and Missions
We reserve the term "Missions" for cross- cultural work (E2-E3). Certainly evangelism takes place in all mission work, but we use the term "E vangelism"to designate evangelistic work within the same culture as that of the evangelist.
8-3
D. Missioloqical
We can either look on the evangelistic event from the evangelist's point of view or the evangelized people's point of view. We must learn to do both.
o Our view: The Evangelist's communication distance.
We tend to focus on the cultural dislocation of the missionary. The "E" scale measures this cultural distance (E0-E3).
o Their view: The People's conversion distance. We must
learn to understand the unecessary cultural dislocation of the would-be respondents as they consider becoming part of the church nearest to them culturally.
The "P" scale measures this cultural distance (P0-P3).
o Basic distinction: Regular and Frontier Missions.
Whenever a church is unecessarily objection- able or not culturally accessible to a people, we consider this people group to be beyond the frontiers of the gospel. Work among these people is called Frontier Missions. Foreign workers among a people group which has a viable, indigenous, evangelizing Christian movement are still considered missionaries, but we refer to this kind of work as Regular Missions.
**********************************
*
* Read Winter, 316 - 319
*
**********************************
IV. Demographics of the World Christian Movement
It is quite revealing to measure the extent and potency of the Christian movement following the three basic distinctions.
A. How many countries and peoples?
Only a few dozen countries (67 countries, 221 territories, protectorates), but over 22,000 people groups.
B. How many reached and unreached people groups?
(Domestic and Frontier)
And the corollary - who are they? The major blocs of unreached, frontier peoples: Tribal, Hindu, Muslim, Chinese, and Buddhist.
**********************************
*
* Read carefully. Winter, 319 - 323
*
**********************************
8-4
C. How many Regular Frontier Missionaries?
A great imbalance exists. Most missionaries work among reached people groups. Few work with unreached people groups.
**********************************
*
* Read carefully. Winter, 324 - 326
*
**********************************
V. The Task Remaining
A. The Highest Priority - A Church for Every People
1) Penetrating Frontier People Croups.
2) Mobilizing the Total Mission Force.
**********************************
*
* Read Winter, 319 ("The Task," 1st paragraph) and scan Winter and
* Fraser, 329 - 346, once more noting the priorities reflected
*
**********************************
B. The Theological Problem - The Church for AN Peoples?
1) Unity vs. liberty
2) Unity vs. uniformity
**********************************
*
* Read Winter, 306 - 311
We have problems with culture. One of our greatest problems with culture is that we don't recognize the extent to which our own culture colors all we do, feel, and say. We have all experienced the confusion of clashing cultures, but we are seldom able to overcome, and even explain, such conflicts and difficulties.
A more subtle problem then emerges. Problems with cultural differences can be blamed on the reality of different cultures. The cultural diversity of humanity is often viewed as the prime impediment for the progress of the gospel. When resistance is encountered, culture can be considered the enemy of the gospel, something to be overcome or broken in order that Christ might reign. Mission endeavors have often fought to conquer "culture," and when successful, find the victory empty and fruitless. As we shall see, cultural differences are without question a barrier to communication, but if gospel communication is to take place, culture cannot be fought on every count. Rather, culture can be understood as an "ally" to Cod's work.
What is culture? Why is it so difficult to work cross culturally? What should our attitude be toward culture? Does the gospel seek to use or destroy human culture?
★ ★★****★**★*★*★★★★★★*★******★**★★★
★
* "Understanding Culture," by Lloyd Kwast, 361 - 364
*
* "Culture and Cross-Cultural Differences," by Paul Hiebert,
* 367 - 374
*
* "World-View and Contextualization, " by David Hesselgrave, 398 - 400
*
* "Christ and Culture," by David Hesselgrave, 365 - 366
★
★ ★★A******************************
After studying this lesson you should be able to:
o Define culture using a four layer model of worldview, beliefs, values, and behavior.
o Explain the concept of worldview.
o Given cultural symbols, identify and distinguish "form" and "meaning."
o Explain the phenomenon of ethnocentr ism.
o Explain the phenomenon of culture shock.
o Explain the "neutrality" of culture with reference to the prospect of
making cultures new by "taking possession" of culture.
11-1
I. The Concept of Culture
*********************************
★
* Read Kwast, 361 - 364; Hiebert, 367 - 370
*
*********************************
Culture is the integrated system of learned patterns of behavior, values, beliefs and world view.
A. Behavior . What is done? Behavior includes customs, products, and languages which are learned basically as symbol systems of forms and learned meanings. The linkage of form and meaning constitutes a symbol. "What is done?" begs the question "What is meant?"
B. Values. What is good or best? Much behavior is dictated by a
system of values: standards of conduct and judgment which guide
in what is good, best or beautiful. The value system often overlaps with a given culture's felt needs. "What is good or best?" is related to the question "What is needed?" The "ought" touches the "sought."
C. Beliefs. What is true? Values reflect an underlying system of beliefs, ideas, or cognitive patterns. Often theoretical beliefs are held but do not affect values or behavior as the operating belief system. Beliefs function as a mental map of the world, guiding in decisions and action.
D. World View. What is real? Beliefs are based on the basic assumptions people have made about the nature of reality.
*********************************
*
* Read Willowbank, 508 - 509 (Section 2); Hesselgrave, 398 - 400
*
*********************************
11-2
II. Cr oss-Cultur al Differences
Cultural differences are profound, occurring at all four layers or levels.
*********************************
*
* Read Hiebert, 370 - 374
*
*********************************
A. Misunderstandings commonly result on the behavioral level because of a confusion of form and meaning.
B. Ethnocentr ism can be described as judging features of another culture by features of one's own. Ethnocentr ism almost always bases judgment of one level of another culture on a corresponding but deeper level
of one's own culture. Most commonly "their" behavior is judged by "my" values, but other levels can be involved.
C. The newcomer to a certain culture almost always experiences a profound sense of disorientation when he tries to adopt the behavioral patterns of that culture. Such disorientation results because his theoretical knowledge of the deeper (less obvious) levels of that culture may exceed his personal relationships which normally
would accompany and introduce these insights.
)
1 1-3
111. The Nature of Culture
*************************** + *** *
* Read Hesselgrave, 365 - 366; Willowbank, 507 - 510
(Section 1, and Section 3, first three paragraphs).
* *
*************
A. Cod created culture.
o
o
Cod is above culture. He created culture, but is not a cultural being per se. Cod is supr acultur al (above culture) and yet is not barred from it.
Cod involves himself redemptively m culture. The heart of the incarnation of Christ is not only that he took on human form, but that he subjected himself to the constrictions of a human culture.
B. Cod created man as a cultural being.
o Cod created mankind in his likeness. He endowed him
with creative powers. He commanded him to control nature and organize society. Such is the origin of culture.
o
Man abrogated his vice regency not mean the destruction of the did mean that only under Christ culture renewed.
in rebellion. This fall did image of Cod in man. It can man be redeemed and his
o Culture, though tainted by mankind's self-centeredness and self worship, is neither inherently good nor invariably evil. Culture is, in a sense, "neutral," a potential ally
and an opposing for ce. No "kingdom" or fully godly culture exists.
C. Cod redeems man and renews culture.
possesses culture, using it to communicate, and
transforming it to bring healing to mankind and qlorv to himself. ^ 7
o Cod blesses man as he fulfills the cultural mandate.
D‘ Jherefore, we can certainly respect other cultures and anticipate Cods work in and through them. We must, on the other hand, take care not to think too highly of our own culture, confusinq Cod's supr acultur al truth with a false "super culture" of our own.
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