In Matthew 28:19-20, Matthew records Jesus’ last words to His disciples these verses have become known as “The Great Commission.”Since, the giving of the Great Commission followers of Christ has left their own culture in order to engage another with the saving message of the Gospel. Numerous books, articles and blogs have been written on the subject of World Evangelization or Missions. One such book on missions is called, “The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends” this book was written by Michael Pocock, Gailyn Van Rheenen, and Douglas McConnell. All three men are experts in the field of missions; the writers have served overseas and are now currently engaged in equipping the next generation through teaching at Dallas and Fuller Theological Seminary. The authors bring a wealth of personal and academic excellence to their particular chapters as well as a passion to carry the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The balance between academia and real world application make “The Changing Face of World Missions”, an informative and exciting read. “The Changing Face of World Missions” attempts to educate readers as well as evaluate certain trends which are taking place around the world in the area of missions. The book is divided into three sections; which are the global context of missions, missional context, and strategic context. The authors describe the chapters by saying, “(t)he global context describes major trends in the world in which we minister; the missional context deals with trends internal to the body of Christ and the mission community; and the strategic context focuses on trends of a strategic or procedural nature” (14). The thesis for the book is found on page twelve where the authors e... ... middle of paper ... ... book needs a chapter in which all of the arguments and information may be summed up. My eyes were open within section two to the work of the Gospel within other cultures. I would apply the lessons learned through the book by focusing on hospitality, reaching out to internationals here in America by inviting them into my house and sharing a meal with internationals. I will also apply the principles in relation to the use of money and the need to do things in ministry which are reproducible by local believers. I would recommend this book to serious students of missions stressing the importance of the case studies which allow individuals interested in missions to apply concepts within real world examples. “The Changing Face of World Missions” is an informative and educational book which should be included on the bookshelf of any serious student of missions.
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Show MoreReverend Josiah Strong's Our Country: Its Possible Future and Its Present Crisis inspired missionaries to travel to foreign nations.
"History of Missions." Home - Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. Web. 20 Nov. 2011. .
Tennent, Timothy C. 2010. Invitation To World Missions. 1st ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications.
In the bible we see that one of the first well-known missionaries was the Apostle Paul. Even though we see that Paul had background work in taking care of or killing those who did not share the same mind set as he did, he did however experience a life changing moment where he was able see the importance of acceptance and bringing Christianity into ones own identity. The work of the Apostle Paul was given by God to serve all people and share with them God’s grace and message through Jesus Christ. 3 This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for[a] Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,.” Paul traveled to many places and was known for sharing the...
Mead, Loren B. The Once and Future Church Reinventing the Congregation for a New Mission Frontier . The Alban Institute, Inc., 1991. Kindle eBook file.
While working on this report the committee had four goals they wanted to meet. (1) To develop our understanding of the interrelation of the gospel and culture with special reference to God's revelation, to our interpretation and communication of it, and to the response of the hearers in their conversion, their churches and their life style. (2) To reflect critically on the implications of the communication of the gospel cross-culturally. (3) To identify the tools required for more adequate communication of the gospel. (4) To share the fruits of the consultation with Christian leaders in Church and mission.
It was because of this vision that encouraged him to strive hard in the way of God and spread the Message from indigenous to universal level. Thus, his doctrine compelled him to travel towards Asian world, an area which remained in total darkness if it was not Paul who lit the light on its path through his evangelism. After receiving Discipleship on the road to Damascus that transformed an arrogant persecutor into a humble servant of Christ, he established a framework for the success of his mission. It is significant to choose a region, habitation, either urban or rural, and the objective universe to work with, but the compulsion is to function with a widespread visualization. It is the basis of Christian mission that in it, universal and particular, both aspects are combined
As a Christian I stand on the belief that the Bible is the inspired word of God and as such the process for its documentation was orchestrated by God for all humankind. Christian’s further believe God has prepared the hearts of humankind to receive the gospel upon hearing if they choose to. Working under this precept we can agree that cultural barriers, specific to hearing the gospel, should not be a factor for other cultures. Since the revelatory Word of God has no barriers the approach used to expose cross-cultural communities to it does. For that reason this essay will identify critical elements to consider when developing a ministry philosophy involving cross-cultural communities.
First, Sweeney provides an overview of American evangelicalism that is brief and balance. This is demonstrated by his broad yet comprehensive writing style and selection of chapter themes. Next, Sweeney’s inclusive approach provides the reader not only with the history of the more famed evangelicals, but also acknowledges the influences Pentecostals, charismatics, women and black leaders of the movement. Additionally, he is not afraid to highlight many of the shortcomings within the movement. In fact, “he confronts the American imperialism and “cultural chauvinism” that often accompanied mission in the nineteenth century (98) as well as the unfortunate embrace of slavery and racism by some evangelicals.” Lastly, chapter four contains a good summary of the development of modern missions movement. To his credit, Sweeney includes within this summary several trailblazing women in the rise of evangelical missions and affirms that women “worked more freely with internationals abroad than they could minister to Americans at home.” Moreover, he discusses criticism concerning “contextualization” and offers a couple of perspectives on the demographic trends of evangelical
In general, I do not believe that Christian mission and contextualization occurs only when a Christian or a group of Christian travel to remote places in the world to spread the Gospel; that concept of missiology is another way of imperialist point of view. Mission and contextualization occurs every day, not only on mission abroad.
The missionary expansion and their work within different nations is a dilemma of well intentions versus prosperity and power. Many missionaries remained out of politics and out of local culture and only served the communities for the better. They increased educational opportunities and provided medical care; most importantly they served to ensure the communities could actively participate in the international community. While the government and businesses reaped the rewards of increased prosperity and power, these rewards were in many ways not the purpose of missionary expansion but merely an outcome.
This a great book and as mention before is a must not just for religious leaders but also the lay minister as well who are seeking to go on mission trips even though he focuses on foreign mission work the lessons he offers can be used here in the United States as well. For those who are going to read this books it can help them to be more accepting and open with those who they encounter from different cultures but to be open a missionary has to be able to through away certain stereotypes they have come to learn.
I spent every spring and summer in middle school doing mission work and community service. I loved the opportunity that it gave me to build relationships and share my beliefs with people I didn’t know. Little did I know that this would pave the way for a life-changing experience that I would encounter one day. Each spring my church would host a missionary event called “The Ignite Project.” I felt an urge to join the group, recognizing that it was a calling to profess my faith in Jesus. These mission trips helped me to go out
As Catholics, we profess a universal church; encountering Christ brings with it the responsibility of reaching out to those on the peripheries. This service and need to bring with us the joy of the Gospel to all starts with those around us who are overlooked and reaches to the furthest ends of the globe. As missionary disciples, we must make the Universal Church a presence at the peripheries; for example, we help persecuted Christians in Egypt, homeless and displaced civilians in Ukraine, child refugees from North Korea, typhoon survivors in the Philippines, flood victims in Mexico and people with physical disabilities in Vietnam, Cuba, and Haiti.
“Jesus said to them again, ‘...as the Father has sent me I also send you’” -John 20:21. This verse shows us Christ’s will for Christians to proclaim His Father’s word. But why would mission work be so important that the Holy One Himself would feel the need to implore Christians on His Father’s behalf to go forth and teach as Christ himself taught? The answer is simple, not encoded within the context of vague scriptures. In 1 John 2:2 the Bible says, “He himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not ours only, but also for the whole world”. With this logic it stands to reason that mission work is a necessity, for if our sins have been acquitted does it not also mean that we ourselves should share this way of miraculous salvation with those who need salvation that much more than we do? Throughout this essay we will delve deeper into the purpose of missions and God’s intent for missions. We will also take a look at one specific mission agency’s goal, purpose, and mission. Then to conclude we will view the results of the Gospel within North Africa, and challenges that missionaries face when among the inhabitants of the countries who are hostile to the teachings of the Gospel.