missio Dei

EL ESPÍRITU "CONSAGRA" LOS DONES Y LA COMUNIDAD ¿Somos capaces de discernir qué es lo más importante o lo accesorio en nuestras celebraciones eucarísticas? ¿No es verdad, que frecuentemente lo accesorio absorbe todo el protagonismo y oculta lo importante? Y ¿qué es lo importante, lo nuclear, aquello que debería ocupar gran parte de nuestra conciencia y emoción? "¡Bendito el que viene…!" decimos. La Eucaristía es la celebración de una Venida, de una Misión que viene de Dios. En cada cele-bración eucarística descubrimos la Misión que viene de Dios. Y esto tiene re-percusiones importantes, que trataré de desvelar en esta reflexión primera "La Eucaristía que viene de Dios" y en otra segunda "La Eucaristía, fuente y cumbre de la Misión de la Iglesia"). La misión es, ente todo, trinitaria, yen consecuencia-eclesial. En la celebración eucarística la Misión es Misa 1. 1. LA MISIÓN QUE VIENE DE DIOS: EL HIJO ENVIADO Cuando en la Iglesia hablamos de "misión" nos referimos, ante todo, a un atributo divino. La misión la encontramos en Dios, en la Santísima Trinidad. Nuestro Dios es un "Dios en salida". No quiso mantenerse recluido y ocul-to en su misterio. Es un Dios que se revela, se muestra, sale de sí mismo: es creador, liberador, todo lo lleva a culminación. Es un Dios que sale de sí mismo.

This thesis analyses the implementation of self-help groups in Christian churches as an adversity-defying option for community service and missionary work within the horizon of the Kingdom of God.
After an introductory chapter, chapter two presents a study of current social conditions emphasizes the importance of self-help groups in light of the predicament of social changes, the expiring social welfare state, and the impending lack of financing in the public health sector. The focus lies on the methods, effectiveness and achievements of self-help groups in terms of health and social networking.
Chapter three is dealing with community service and missionary work in Christian churches in need of being theologically grounded in the theology of the Kingdom of God. The underlying concept of this theology is the inseparability of the two constituents, “missio dei” and “diakonia” of the Christian identity. In the church the individual can experience the though imperfect, but still real healing effect of the sovereignty of God, which becomes visible in the missional way of life beyond the church boundaries and allows for holistic convalescence.
On the basis of this theological and social groundwork, the author's thesis is then discussed in chapter four. If initiated and supported by a church that values community service and missionary work, self-help groups can effectively help people with difficult living conditions who are not part of the congregation. Furthermore, the participation of affected Christians make genuine conversation about the personal faith within the group possible and can thus reduce the participants' reservation with respect to faith and the Christian church. Resources and limitations in the implementation of self-help groups in Christian churches as well as the practical realisation are discussed.
Chapter five presents the author's findings which confirm his thesis and applies the insights gained to the self-initiated SHG “Gelegenheit” (Opportunity). In a concluding section the thesis is summarized and challenges facing the author, the SHG “Gelegenheit” and the church in light of the findings are stated.

My Pilgrims Way, Cyberpilgrimage and ‘Missio Dei’

Srebrenka Kunek
PhD (Monash University, Melbourne), MA (Theological Studies), University of Divinity, Melbourne (current), MA (University of Zagreb, Croatia), BA, Hon. (University of Zagreb, Croatia)

Misseo Dei and the Digital Age Symposium, 23-24 April 2019
CODEC Research Centre for Digital Theology
St John’s College, Durham University, England


Pilgrimage is a global phenomenon and dramatically on the rise in the networked environment of cyberspace (Helland, 2013: 32). Pilgrimage is ‘booming’ relative to the continuing decline in church attendance (Bartholomew & Llewelyn, 2004: xii).

Theological inquiry on pilgrimage is ‘rare’ (Bartholomew & Llewelyn, 2004: xiii-xiv) with churches and theologians having established a ‘long tradition of pilgrimage criticism’ (Post and van der Beek, 2016: 2).

Add to this mix missio Dei and the tensions of the concept: firstly, the church framing mission as part of ecclesiology (reference ?); secondly, church structures premised on extending mission through members (Hirsch, 2006: 82); thirdly, the potential of these structures to prevent the people as active agents spreading the Gospel thereby obstructing missio Dei (World Council of Churches, 1967: 19). Missio Dei potentially disrupts the doctrinal order of the church through the people it equips in mission.

My Pilgrims Way represents a response in being a people’s pilgrimage practice of missio Dei in online space and physical place.

Pilgrims Way is a collaborative online mapping and video storytelling project using geospatial mapping including vimeos of locations and uplifting local mission in community stories from subscriber contributions. Pilgrims Way platform is to include podcasts with presentations on pilgrimage and spiritually inspired experiences in daily life.

Pilgrims Way is a response to cybernetics the domain of human computer interface (Pangaro.com, 2018), a misseo Dei practice with pilgrims as active agents, ‘I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me’ (Gal 2:20).

This is a book review of Michael Gorman's 2015 work, 'Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation and Mission'.  Working at the intersection of Biblical Studies and Missiology, Gorman shows how participation in the life of God is designed to advance the Gospel, as well as being fundamental to interpreting the writings of the Apostle Paul.

Der folgenschwere Begriff „Missio Dei“ (Mission Gottes) bedarf einer biblischen Begründung. Die Sendung Gottes durch Gott ist das tragende Motiv des Neuen Testamentes, ja schon zu Beginn der Heilsgeschichte ist Gott der erste Missionar. In Jesus ist Gott der Missionar schlechthin und im Heiligen Geist ist er der erfolgreichste Missionar. Mission nimmt uns hin ein in das Wesen Gottes und kann von daher nur umfassend und in Gottes Bild transformierend gedacht werden.

In drei Kapiteln werden wesentliche Themen rund um „Mission Dei“ dargestellt, 1. die jüngere Geschichte des Begriffs in der Missiologie, 2. die biblisch-systematische Fundierung und 3. die konfessionskundliche Fragestellung, in der u. A. auch auf das westliche und östliche Christenheit trennenden „filioque“, das heißt die Frage nach der Sendung des Geistes durch den Sohn.

A MTh programme with the focus on building missional leadership capacity has recently been developed at the Faculty of Theology at Stellenbosch University. The programme is a joint effort of the discipline groups of practical theology and
missiology and Ekklesia, an ecumenical centre linked to the Faculty of Theology. The focus of the programme is to serve as a learning community for pastors and congregational leaders who want to build their missional and ministerial leadership
capacity. Research done in congregations of the Partnership for South African Missional Churches (SAPMC) shapes the focus and content of the different modules in this programme. The purpose of the paper is to do a practical theological analysis3
into the background and development of the programme. After giving some insight into the rationale and motivation for starting the programme, the hermeneutical-rhetorical framework of the programme is explained. The paper goes on to give a brief exposition of the content covered in each of the modules, probes into three frames of interpretation pedagogical, theological and strategic) and ends by reflecting on feedback from some of the first students that recently finished the programme.

One of the most important theological developmentsin the last century has been the articulation and application of the doctrine of the missio Dei. As a Trinitarian doctrine, missio Dei resulted in
discussions about ‘mission’ moving from the periphery to the center of theological debate. As such, we have seen the rise of the categories of ‘missional theology’ as well as 'missional church.’ What has lacked, however, is commensurate work in applying the doctrine of the missio Dei to the field of theological education. This paper seeks to contribute to overcoming this deficiency. In providing a brief sketch of the origins and variations of the doctrine of the missio
Dei, this essay proceeds to explicate implications of this doctrine for how we understand the nature, purpose, and practice of both theology and ecclesiology, noting the unique relevance of
Anabaptism for the latter category. This serves as necessary groundwork for the ultimate aim of this piece, providing conceptual frameworks as well as practical suggestions for how the doctrine
of the missio Dei impacts the way in which we understand the nature, purpose, and practice of theological education. It is argued that such a perspective results in what may well be termed, a
mission-shaped vision of theological formation. This paper is offered in the hope that it might enliven the renewal of existing centers of theological education and provide a trajectory for new apostolic ventures in theological education from a missiological perspective.

The important term Missio Dei (Mission of God) needs a biblical foundation. The sending of God by God is a foundational motive in the New Testament. Even at the very beginning of salvation history, shortly after creation, God became the first missionary. In Jesus, God is the missionary par excellence, and in the Holy Spirit, God is the most successful missionary. Mission is part of the nature of God, and therefore mission can only be described holistically and in a manner that transforms human mission into the image of God’s mission.

In three chapters three important themes regarding the Missio Dei are discussed: 1. the recent history of the term in missiology; 2. the biblical and systematic foundations; 3. the debate between the Western and Eastern wings of Christianity over the “filioque,” that is the question, whether the Holy Spirit was sent by the Father alone or by the Father and by Jesus, His Son.

Enriqueça seus sermões, avive seu chamado e alimente seu coração com reflexões, testemunhos e exemplos os mais edificantes, neste livro gratuito.

* * * * *
Ilustrações de incentivo ao serviço dos santos: Em torno deste eixo principal se desenvolve esta seleta.
Muitos pastores e pregadores conscientes adquirem, já cedo em suas carreiras, o costume de colecionar ilustrações. Essas verdadeiras ferramentas de trabalho são coletadas nos mais diversos meios de comunicação, de uma crônica ou notícia de jornal a livros específicos sobre o tema, passando pela experiência pessoal e o absorvido de relatos orais. Esta seleta é, de certa forma, fruto do e homenagem ao trabalho desses verdadeiros rapsodos modernos.
Tudo pode ser motivo de ilustração; a natureza e a sociedade são painéis poderosos de onde o observador perspicaz e atento poderá coletar exemplos para aplicação em seus sermões.
Independente de o sermão ser uma exortação missionária ou de chamado ao serviço, ele pode albergar ilustração de qualquer tipo. Poderíamos, assim, neste livro, fazer um apanhado geral de ilustrações de quaisquer temas. Mas tais obras existem em boa profusão. Assim, reunimos aqui apenas ilustrações que, de alguma maneira, refiram-se mais diretamente às obras de missões/evangelização e de incentivo à mordomia cristã, ou que possam ser mais facilmente correlacionadas a tais temáticas.
Colecionamos ilustrações de fontes diversas; algumas circulam já há bastante tempo; outras, que traduzimos diretamente do espanhol e do inglês, talvez nunca tenham sido veiculadas em nossa língua. Quando julgamos necessário, as ilustrações sofreram breves adaptações e acréscimos para enriquecimento da informação que buscam transmitir.
Ao final do livro, além de um índice geral das ilustrações, agregamos o artigo Adaptando Ilustrações Para Que Sejam Úteis A Você, de Craig Brian Larson, que apresenta oportunas dicas para que você possa criar e adaptar ilustrações ao propósito da mensagem que deseja comunicar.
Este é um livro gratuito, parte de uma família de publicações (abrangendo teatro, dinâmicas, esboços de sermões, poesias, citações etc.) que objetiva municiar a igreja lusófona com literatura de qualidade e gratuita para incentivar e enriquecer seus esforços de promoção e ação missionárias.
Somos mordomos e devedores de todos os homens (Rm 1.14), e serviçais de nossos conservos (Lc 22.24-27). Que os exemplos aqui narrados sirvam como brasas, tições de calor e luz a vivificar o nosso chamado.
Não deixe de compartilhar esta publicação, sempre gratuitamente, com todos os cristãos ao seu alcance.
A Deus, para cuja glória vivemos, seja tributado o louvor.

Sammis Reachers

#Missões #missionários #missiologia #ide #evangelização #sermões #pastores #pregação #cultodemissões #teologia #homilética #devocional #mordomiacristã

The studi analyses the unrecognized teaching of the narratives in Luke 16 concerning the response to the vision of Paul. The method used is narrative interpretation. As the results, Luke 16 teaches about both the role of the Holy Spirit to bring the chosen leaders to cross their boundaries as well as to teach them to practice Shared-Leadership in Missio Dei process. Abstrak Tulisan ini meneliti ajaran yang tersembunyi dalam narasi mengenai respon terhadap penglihatan Paulus dalam Kisah Rasul 16. Pendekatannya adalah kajian narasi. Sebagai hasilnya, Lukas 16 mengajarkan pertama, kedaulatan Roh Kudus yang mendorong pemimpin-pemimpin yang dipilihnya melintasi batas-batas pandangan mereka dan kedua, mengenai peran-Nya mengajarkan agar kepemimpinan bersama perlu diterapkan di dalam proses melaksanakan Misi Allah.

La Missio Dei es la acción de Dios a favor de un mundo caído en pecado. Consiste en Dios Padre que envía a su Hijo a morir por el pecado del mundo. Y mediante la resurrección y glorificación del Hijo, el Padre y el Hijo envían el Espíritu Santo para que, por el oficio de la predicación (kerigma) apostólica, la Palabra divina llegue a todos los hombres, los convierta y los incorpore al seno de la iglesia a través de los medios de gracia y la fe, la cual ha de ser alimentada por esos mismos medios en cada etapa de la vida cotidiana. De esta manera la iglesia va creciendo desde y hacia Jesucristo, a fin de que se cumpla el objetivo divino de “que todos sean uno” (Jn 17:21) hasta la consumación definitiva del Reino de Dios. Frente a esta perspectiva bíblico-confesional del crecimiento de la iglesia, actualmente se levantan otras voces que reclaman un paradigma de crecimiento de la iglesia alternativo, basado en criterios científicos, la experiencia y la razón, alegando que dicho paradigma es de iure divino (de derecho divino), o instituido por Dios. El presente trabajo, en particular, realiza una crítica constructiva a la propuesta del programa de iglecrecimiento Desarrollo Natural de la Iglesia de Christian Schwarz.

The Missio Dei is God's action in benefit of a world fallen into sin. It consists of God the Father who sends his Son to die for the sins of the world. And through the resurrection and glorification of the Son, the Father and the Son send the Holy Spirit so that, by the office of Apostolic preaching (kerygma) God's word comes to all men, to convert and insert them into the heart of the church through the means of grace and faith, which is to be strengthened the same means at each stage of everyday life. In this way the church is growing from and towards Jesus Christ, in order to accomplish the divine goal "that they all may be one" (Jn 17:21) until the final consummation of the Kingdom of God. Given this biblical and confessional perspective of the church growth, now there are another voices claiming for an alternative paradigm of the church growth, based on scientific criteria, experience and reason, arguing that this paradigm is de iure divino (by divine right), or instituted by God. This work, in particular, offers constructive criticism to the proposed program of church growth Natural Church Development by Christian Schwarz.

Salvation is central to the Church’s identity, yet its nature is seldom discussed in local contexts. Moreover, when it is discussed, its relationship to discipleship is ambiguous at best or completely unrelated at worst. At the same time, in the unraveling of Christendom in the West, the doctrine of the missio Dei has been influential in helping the Church to revisit a number of theological concepts, especially a theology of the Church -- ecclesiology. The interest of this project was therefore the exploration and articulation of a soteriological vision rooted in the missio Dei and its relevance for discipleship. The fields of missio Dei/theology of mission, missional ecclesiology, and Anabaptist theology were chosen because of their shared relevance to the issues in view and the Ecclesia Network. The result of this dimension of the project was a missional soteriology of discipleship distinguished by its participational, communal, and (re)creational characteristics.

More than simply wanting to develop a new missiological theory, however, the concern of this project was for the contextual implications of such a vision for the Church in North America. The Ecclesia Church Network was chosen as a context for field research as a particular, networked expression of the Church that sees mission, the missio Dei, as central to its identity. Through the use of research methods that engaged the Ecclesia at organizational, pastoral, and local church levels, a theological ethnography was developed and used as a basis for the formulation of contextual proposals related to the missional soteriology of discipleship that emerged. These proposals include ways for Ecclesia to raise the issue of soteriology, the possibility of published resources, launching communities of practice, developing a praxis-based curriculum, and the creation of an online platform for use across the network. In each case, these proposals were set forth as strategic ways to advance the witness of Ecclesia from the perspective of a missional soteriology of discipleship.

It is this power, the power of the Holy Spirit in believers’ lives, that functions as a core to the thesis of this paper. Through a combination of research and theological reflection, the thesis of this paper is: The Holy Spirit is the Triune God’s key catalyst of the new creation that Jesus calls for in his commands to love God and love the neighbor.

Any meaningful discussion of the various understandings of mission and Missiology needs to take cognizance of the important policy document accepted by the World Council of Churches at its 10th Assembly in Busan, South-Korea, in October 2013:
“Together towards life – mission and evangelism in changing landscapes”. This is the first new mission affirmation by the WCC in 30 years, and presents a compelling new vision of Christian mission, namely its rootedness in God and its present role in the trengthening/consolidation/reinforcement of the reign of God. This research explores the relevance of the aforementioned policy document for mission and Missiology in terms of three themes: “Where do we come from?”; “What is happening now?”, and “What could the future look like?”

After many years of experience of working in desperately poor communities in South Africa, Africa and South East Asia, the researcher has come to realise that in order to achieve sustainable social transformation, a holistic poverty alleviation approach is necessary. In evaluating the approach from a biblical perspective, he was struck by the realisation that a holistic approach is biblical. Several globally acknowledged missiologists refer to holistic poverty alleviation as Integral Mission, for example: (Buys, 2013a:67–96); Goheen (2011:25); Jansen (2017:21); Stott (2015:17-22); Wright (2010:274-278). The Cape Town Commitment II-B-3 states that “Integral Mission means discerning, proclaiming, and living out, the biblical truth that the Gospel is God’s good news, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for individual persons, for society, and creation. All three are broken and suffering because of sin; all three are included in the redeeming love and mission of God; all three must be part of the comprehensive mission of God’s people” (The Lausanne Movement, 2010). And the Micah Declaration defines Integral Mission as “the proclamation and demonstration of the Gospel. It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other. Rather, in Integral Mission, our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ” (Micah Network, 2001:1).
This study endeavours to, summarise and evaluate several tried and tested social development principles of poverty alleviation in the light of biblical and current missiological principles. In order to identify key principles, a practical assessment of the African Honey Bee project in the uMfolozi area in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, will be undertaken and evaluated. The object is to develop a biblical framework that can be practically applied by practitioners for Integral Mission elsewhere.

This article proceeds to an overview of the religious situation in Moldova, looks at different possibilities for future mission options and examines the mission of Evangelical Baptist churches in Moldova from missio Dei perspective. We will see how narrative descriptions of Moldavian churches show their values in mission, and how these values are connected with the missio Dei.

There are 32 references to prayer in the book of Acts. The early church's devotion to prayer is both instructive and inspirational to those who seek to grow in the spiritual discipline of prayer. However, their prayers prompted them to action--action that helps fulfill the mission of God and advances the Kingdom of God.

Uued karismaatilised kogudused  on Eestis kirikumaastikul niivõrd uued tegelased, puudub neil sageli
piisav teadmine kohalikust ajaloost, keelest, traditsioonidest jms. Kuigi seda, mis kogudusi
teoloogiliselt eristab väga ei teata, siis sellest hoolimata kaitseb igaüks kiivalt oma unikaalsust.
Pigem peaks rõhutama neid teoloogilisi aspekte, mis kõiki kristlikke kogudusi seovad - Kristuse
kui Kuninga ülistamine, oma elu allutamine Tema tahtele, ligimese teenimine, Missio Dei's
osalemine. Käesolevas töös on välja toodud, et jõudumööda (mõnede eranditega) seda ka tehakse.

Abstract: This essay explores the relationship between different construals of the Trinity and missio Dei and their resultant understandings of the political formation of the church. Beyond the dilemma of either a Spirit-centered view of mission which frontloads the Trinity into the Spirit’s work in the world, or the the Jesus-centered view of mission which backloads the work of the Trinity onto the historical work of Jesus, we propose the Incarnation-centered view of mission. We argue that only the last offers a trinitarianism capable of resistance to the emerging global empire.

While theologies of missio Dei and their divergent missiological developments have been refined and contested in the academy over the past seven decades, the theoretical discussions and even the term itself are still far from commonplace in the life and discourse of many local congregations. Nonetheless, among such congregations there are examples of changing practice and new modes of local mission engagement that seem to be in alignment with aspects of a missio Dei orientation. In this article the experience of one congregation is be considered, asking whether a missio Dei perspective might be discerned in recent initiatives and developments in its engagement with its local community, particularly in relationship with Māori.

This introductory study was initiated by the observation that authors about the church differ in their understanding of and approach to church and  ἐκκλησία. An analysis of some authors reveals at least three main trends of ecclesiological approach that have an important influence on church missiology. The study concludes with the definition of important areas of study in both ecclesiology and missiology that can lead to a productive interaction between the modern day church and contemporary forms of  ἐκκλησία  as described in the New Testament.

The prayer ministry was birthed on July 7,1972 at Tba-Huw kyokay (church), through the charismatic movement in the Atayal church.  The movement started with four praying women who experienced events of a supernatural nature during the prayer meeting.  The women began speaking in different languages and were able to see images without opening their eyes as they prayed. After the meeting, these women could perceive hidden things in people’s hearts, hear voices which others could not, and they also received the ability to prophesy to churches and people through prayers. From the beginning of the Atayal church’s prayer ministry, believers and nonbelievers alike come to the Atayal church to request intercession for illnesses, financial issues, marital problems, and more. However, what is the significance of the prayer ministry within the Atayal context? What would be the appropriate way to use prayer as part of a church’s ministry? What are the functions of the intercessors in relation to the Atayal church’s prayer ministry? These phenomena were comparable to the ways of delivering God’s messages and performing miracles through the prophets in the Old Testament.  En-Chia, Lo observes that these phenomena were also similar to the Atayal traditional ceremonies, where priests or mediators were received as the gods’ instruments for instructing the Atayal people in offering prayers to gods through their intercession.  Thus, when a similar phenomenon occurred in the Atayal church, people were oriented to accept God’s messages through agents and intercessors. In reflecting on the practice of the Atayal church’s prayer ministry, it is crucial to recognize what the function of the agent and intercessor is, in light of a specifically Christian framework. Particularly, concerning the role of prophets and priests, it is vital to clarify their scriptural function and role by comparing them to Jesus’ earthly ministry. In the New Testament, prayer has prominent functions expressed in various ways. For instance, within Jesus’ earthly ministry, prayer plays an essential role in the relation between God the Father and humanity through the Son. Also, prayer holds a significant meaning in Jesus’ ministry and his daily life. Thus, when the Atayal church practices prayer ministry, its essential that the church comprehend the meaning of prayer and its function within its larger ministry, and that it is also partaking in and extending Jesus’ earthly ministry. This project will focus on intercessory prayer ministry. Since its function in the Atayal church is similar to the historical ceremonial proceedings to which the Atayal were accustomed when praying to other gods. I will try to also understand prayer in light of Christian framework, specifically, in light of a “missional church” ecclesiology and in light of the threefold office of Christ. In chapter 1, I will examine the ecclesiological framework centered on the idea of missio Dei and missional church, in order to locate prayer within this vision of the church. In chapter 2, I will further specify this vision of the church by relating it to Jesus’ threefold office of prophet, priest, and king, seeing the Atayal church’s intercessory prayer ministry as in light of Jesus’ priestly work. Finally, in Chapter 3, I will more specifically relate these theological frameworks to then conclude with some implications for the Atayal church’s intercessory prayer ministry.

This paper examines a discussion of station-vocation and its significance in the practice of the missio Dei within a Lutheran Australian context being the ‘small Church’. Upon my reading I considered it most valuable to add a ‘failing in vocation’ area towards the end of this paper and discuss what this means from a pastoral perspective and praxis—particularly in light of vocation and theologia crucis. In my learning I have discovered that the Book of Concord (BC) is not ‘missional’ in twenty-first century terms, but it is missional by its very nature in a biblical-foundation sense giving the ‘green light’ for missional praxis. I have learned that mission in the BC is implicit through explicit scriptural use such as the Great Commission texts where Melanchthon makes good use in the Apology of Augsburg (Ap), the Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope (Tr) driving a missional-narrative flavor/direction in the Confession of Augsburg (CA).  In summary this paper argues that station-vocation is an essential Lutheran doctrine that must be taught through slow, steady catechesis, thus equipping the individual Christian for the corporate nature of the Church through confidence in Luther’s Small Catechism (SC). This confidence spills over into daily life and service towards the neighbour through one’s vocation. This realization of God working through vocation and station gives joy in ‘belonging’ to one’s community particularly in small Church culture.  The average uninformed evaluation may dismiss growth or ineffectiveness of small Church culture by numbers or demographics. While both are important sociologically, neither can truly explain sufficiently the mystery of how God moves through vocation, Word and Sacraments and the incarnate life of small Church culture in God’s mission to the world.

Um dos motos da reforma era “ecclesia reformata semper et reformanda”
ou seja, uma igreja que foi reformada sempre precisa ser reformada.
Sendo assim, o próprio fundamento de uma igreja reformada é que essa
precisa analisar suas estruturas de tempos em tempos e à medida que
faz isso precisa contextualizar sua mensagem de forma a prestar culto a
Deus de uma maneira poderosa, fiel e cativante as gerações atuais. É
isso que pretendemos ao lançar o desafio de estabelecermos uma igreja
que considere os principais desafios da igreja missional em uma
plantação ou mesmo numa revitalização.
Não tenho a pretensão de ser utópico aqui, defendendo irrestritamente
todos os postulados da igreja missional, como se esses fossem o mesmo
que a “mensagem de Deus para os dias atuais”, mas para ser franco,
temos a necessidade de repensarmos a igreja em nossos tempos,
levando em consideração os postulados elencados por pessoas que
demonstram, com experiência e vida acadêmica, preocupação com a
igreja do Senhor no século XXI. Quanto a isso, não vemos em nenhum
setor do evangelicalismo, um segmento que pense a igreja de forma
orgânica, bíblica e fiel como o conceito de igreja missional.
A apresentação que hora confeccionamos é uma tentativa sincera de
encontrar um rumo para uma plantação ou revitalização que sejam,
não somente objetivas e eficazes, mas que promovam a glória de Deus
nessa geração, por meio do modo como o Senhor deseja ser glorificado,
através da Sua igreja. Tendo em vista a nossa necessidade momentânea
de atingir a presente geração com a mensagem impactante e fiel do
Evangelho, que também será confessional e reformada, sem deixar de
ser relevante cultural e academicamente.
Pensando-se nos que estão dentro (IN) e também nos que estão fora
(Out), a igreja missional atinge esse objetivo de forma satisfatória. Nossa
proposta visa ser fiel a esse posicionamento, analisando francamente a
cultura vigente e buscando a centralidade da mensagem de Cristo, que
é o Evangelho, de forma a ser transmitido de forma fiel e relevante em
nossos dias.
Abaixo apresentamos um modelo sucinto de plantação levando em
consideração os seguintes valores para a igreja:
MISSIONAL, CONTEMPORÂNEA, EVANGELISTA E SOLIDÁRIA.

Una comunidad de iglesias misionales se constituye en un cuerpo sólido de iglesias cuando construye su identidad y misión sobre la esencia trinitaria de Dios: Missio Dei, Missio Christus y Missio Spiritus Sancti. Esta identidad y misión nos invita a ser una “comunidad del pacto” con el compromiso y llamado que ello conlleva. Además, nos desafía a tener una misión centrada en la iglesia y una etno-teología.
Palabras claves: Missio Dei, Missio Christus, Missio Sancti, Pacto, Etno-teología y Misiología Eclesiocéntrica.

A community of missional churches is constituted as a strong group of churches when it builds its identity and mission on the Trinitarian essence of God: Missio Dei, Missio Christus and Missio Spiritus Sancti. This identity and mission invite us to be a Covenant Community with the commitment and calling that it demands. In addition, it challenges us to have a mission centered on the church and an ethno-theology.

Keywords: Missio Dei, Missio Christus, Missio Sancti, Covenant, Ethno-theology and Ecclesiocentric Missiology.

The past several decades has seen the trend of Christianity moving southward. Apart from few exceptions, the South is comparably weaker than their Northern counterpart with regard to socio-economic and technological development. This is why problems of suffering in the forms of poverty, famine, injustice, and slow recovery from disasters are becoming more pervasive at this “new” place for the Church. With the current COVID-19 pandemic, it is timely for the Church to contemplate the missional response to such suffering. Therefore, this paper seeks to explore the place of suffering in the biblical theology of missions.

This article investigates the Farewell Discourse in John 13-17 from the perspective of missional theology. A narrative approach is followed to ascertain how John’s Gospel establishes a basis for the Father sending the Son, who sent the Spirit and his followers into the world. The overarching motive for this mission is God’s love for the world and his desire for the world to know him and believe Jesus is indeed his Son. Within this mission the commandment to love is given to Jesus’ followers as a clear instruction to follow the same sacrificial pattern of humility as practiced by Jesus.

This study aims to achieve two main goals: firstly, develop a conceptual framework to measure missio Dei as experienced spirituality in people's lives; secondly, create survey questions, based on this framework, within which spirituality can be surveyed quantitatively and qualitatively. The discussion starts with a literature study to find connections between missio Dei and people's spiritual experiences, then develops a framework within which missio Dei can be measured as a subjective experience of spirituality, and ends with recommendations for ethical considerations and the data analysis of the responses from a survey to measure spirituality of people during the lockdown, isolation, and quarantine periods of 2020-2021. The novel contribution of this

I am the managing editor of the Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies. Here is my editorial for the edition we have just released. In this edition, we look at contextualization in theory through the eyes of Malaysian scholar Teresa Chai. We then look at examples of contextualization, i.e. Christology in China, theology of ministering to immigrant Chinese in Canada, a look at contextualization in practice in the lives of transformed Filipino women, and whether the concept of grace in the Quran is similar or dissimilar to the concept of grace in Scripture. The entire edition can be downloaded free at www.apts.edu (click on "About APTS" on the home page. Key words: Contextualization, Asia, China, The Philippines, Chinese migration to Canada, Grace in the Koran/Quran

A retrieval and reworking of the metousia/participation tradition of metaphysics in an attempt to construct an epistemology compatible with Christian trinitarian theism. Critique of modern and postmodern epistemologies. Participation draws from St. Maximus the Confessor, Thomas Aquinas, John Wesley and versions of participation or analogia entis.

Baik di dalam teologi misi PL maupun PB, pemikiran misi akan muncul jika terjadi pola perubahan dari pemikiran yang nasionalis-eksklusif menjadi pemikiran yang universalis-idealis. 1 Pola perubahan dari nasionalis ke universalis inipun dapat kita jumpai dalam pemikiran misi sepanjang sejarah gereja.

In this paper I suggest that theologizing is a significant missionary task because theology defines the church's mission and priorities. Theology drives methodology. In a next step I break this down for my missionary work in Thailand looking at issues like evangelism, discipleship and ecclesiology.

Mission is at the heart of Pentecostal theology and identity. From the early Pentecostals to the church today, active in reaching out to communities beyond their locality, mission has been a priority historically and generally remains a priority for the contemporary community. In recent years, however, there have been some complicating elements in the discussion of mission within the broader Christian community and subsequently within Pentecostalism. That is, what is mission? The term has been used in multiple ways by the Christian and non-Christian community to refer to, among other things, the goals or corporate mission of an organisation or business (as in “mission statement”), social mission (that is, the contribution to the social or environmental betterment of a community), the mission of the local church (that is, the purpose and focus of the church in a local community), and overseas mission (that is, the sending of workers to cross-cultural communities). Clearly, “mission” is a slippery term. Added to this complication—for Christians who affirm the importance of Scripture for directing their theology and practice—is that the term “mission” is not explicitly developed in the biblical text. While numerous passages describe missionary activity, there is an absence of the term itself in the biblical text. Yet there is something within the breadth of Scripture that allows biblical scholars and missiologists such as Christopher J. H. Wright to make the claim that “the whole Bible is itself a ‘missional’ phenomenon.”

This project addressed the lack of a covenant defining the practice of hospitality towards children for team members of Westview Boys’ Home. The purpose of the project was to facilitate the creation of such a covenant. The Westview ministry team already claimed hospitality as a strength; the hope was that reframing the ministry around this strength would improve the quality of care for children and the quality of life for the community. Invited into a communal discernment process (the methodology), the ministry team invested weeks in the examination of biblical texts, theological tradition, personal and communal narratives, cultural trends, psychological data, and sample covenants. These conversations worked toward the development of a local theology of hospitality. The location and definition of principles and practices of hospitality funded the communal composition of a covenant. Process and covenant affirmed and strengthened the ministry team’s ability to function as a hospitable...

Abstract
This thesis critically evaluates the experiential missionary practice of Breakthrough International (BCI), an African charismatic Church, from a perspective of Missio Dei, a modern paradigm of mission conceptualized by ecumenical missiology.
BCI, within its African world view, where the spiritual is tangibly real, has grown out of its experience of the Spirit, the divine principle of origin and normal experience of faith. Theological academic discourse, bound to an enlightenment concept of truth within a modern Cartesian world view, can reasonably access and evaluate BCI’s experience of the divine as proper source for theological discourse through BCI’s narrative.
Missio Dei, a response to the old church centered paradigm of mission, redefines mission as an activity of God, in which the mission centered church participates. God’s mission unfolds in (post)modern history transformed through Christ’s coming to an eschatological reality. It is realized as such by the local congregation in (post)secular times, acknowledging God’s preferential option for the poor and aims to humanize and liberate the world. God’s mission is mediated through culture, and through contextualization creates a polycentric cultural identity of the gospel modeled after Christ’s incarnation. It is in as much contextual as it is culture critical.
BCI resembles Missio Dei in a very limited fashion. The difference in world views, and its focus on personal experience, creates an uncritical paradigm of mission aiming to save the believer not the world. With little regard for the history of mission BCI wants to rewrite personal (hi)story without involving itself in world history imposing a spiritual agenda upon the world from the perspective of those who are victimized by history. Though it represents the poor it doesn’t grasp Christ’s incarnation and its implications for an understanding of the struggle of the poor as an issue of theology proper. Poverty is spiritualized to a matter of personal piety. BCI does not appreciate the contextuality of the gospel but understands it as above culture. It creates a Christian subculture in limited communion with the church universal, very reluctant to involve itself in the public domain.
Our dialogue with BCI’s narrative form of theology acknowledges that modern, ecumenical missiology needs to rediscover the experience of the Spirit as source of mission; yet BCI needs to develop a theology which makes use of scripture, tradition, and reason in order to find a broader and sustainable understanding of its experience of the divine.

Este artigo objetiva compreender, através de pesquisa bibliográfica, o desenrolar da Missio Dei
no livro de Jonas. Em um determinado contexto histórico, Jonas foi enviado pelo próprio Deus
para pregar contra a grande cidade ímpia, isto é, Nínive. Percebe-se que no livro de Jonas Deus
está em Missão. Deus enviou Jonas e garantiu que o profeta chegasse na cidade. E mesmo diante
da falta de interesse do profeta em pregar contra Nínive, Deus usou as poucas palavras do
profeta para fazer com que toda a cidade se arrependesse. O arrependimento dos ninivitas e a
atitude de Jonas foram usados para ensinar o profeta e os israelitas; e também possui ensinos
sobre missiologia, pregação e arrependimento para hoje. Portanto, conclui-se que Deus está
Missão e nos convida a participar dela. Contudo, a garantia de que a Missão será bem sucedida
é o próprio Deus.

While theologies of missio Dei and their divergent missiological developments have been refined and contested in the academy over the past seven decades, the theoretical discussions and even the term itself are still far from commonplace in the life and discourse of many local congregations. Nonetheless, among such congregations there are examples of changing practice and new modes of local mission engagement that seem to be in alignment with aspects of a missio Dei orientation. In this article the experience of one congregation will be considered, asking whether a missio Dei perspective might be discerned in recent initiatives and developments in its engagement with its local community.

The practice of hospitality is an important aspect of participation in the mission of God, but mission is mutual. Are we also prepared to surrender the host’s power and become guests, accepting invitations into another's  spaces, cultures and lives? That place of initial discomfort could become the space in which we learn together how to be a genuinely intercultural community that reflects God’s saving and reconciling purpose for the world.

Abstract: This essay explores the relationship between different construals of the Trinity and missio Dei and their resultant understandings of the political formation of the church. Beyond the dilemma of either a Spirit-centered view of mission which frontloads the Trinity into the Spirit’s work in the world, or the the Jesus-centered view of mission which backloads the work of the Trinity onto the historical work of Jesus, we propose the Incarnation-centered view of mission. We argue that only the last offers a trinitarianism capable of resistance to the emerging global empire.