Introducing Christian Mission Today

1. Christian Mission is Undergoing a Profound Global Paradigm Shift.

"The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning."

Changing landscape. The traditional understanding of Christian mission, as a unidirectional activity from the "Christian West" to a "non-Christian mission field," is now obsolete. Dramatic demographic shifts in the 20th and 21st centuries have moved Christianity's center of gravity southward and eastward, with two-thirds to three-quarters of the world's Christians now residing outside the West. This includes the explosive growth of Pentecostal churches, which now number around 500 million adherents globally.

Global realities. Beyond church demographics, significant global realities necessitate a new mission paradigm. These include:

• The collapse of colonialism, which historically shaped missionary channels.
• The pervasive influence of globalization, spreading Western economic and cultural norms.
• Rapid urbanization, making cities the primary locus of human life and challenges.
• Staggering social and economic problems, from poverty and hunger to environmental destruction.
• A resurgence of world religions and ideological pluralism.
• Tectonic cultural shifts in the West, demanding a fresh look at its own spiritual landscape.

New understanding. This confluence of changes calls for a redefined mission, one that is "in, from, and to all six continents." Mission is now understood as the "whole church taking the whole gospel to the whole person in the whole world," emphasizing participation in God's overarching redemptive story rather than mere geographical expansion. This shift challenges old notions and opens broader horizons for Christian engagement.

2. The Bible Narrates God's Holistic Mission to Restore All Creation.

"Mission is not just one of a list of things the Bible happens to talk about, only a bit more urgently than some. Mission is, in the much abused phrase, 'what it is all about.'"

Central narrative. The Bible is not merely a collection of isolated "missionary texts" but a unified narrative of God's mission to restore the entire world. From Genesis to Revelation, mission is the central thread, encompassing God's long historical journey to liberate creation from sin and corruption. This "missional hermeneutic" reveals that God's purpose is restorative, comprehensive, and universal, embracing all nations and all of human life.

Israel's calling. God's mission unfolds through a particular people, Israel, chosen not for their own sake but "so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations" (Psalm 67:2). Israel was called to be a "display-people," a "light to the nations," embodying God's creational purposes through a life of holiness and justice. Their mission was primarily centripetal, drawing others in through their distinctive communal life.

Jesus and the Church. Jesus' mission inaugurates the "already but not yet" kingdom, gathering and restoring Israel to its missional vocation. He is the "primal missionary," demonstrating holistic witness in life, word, and deed. The church, empowered by the Spirit, continues this mission, spreading centrifugally "to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). The book of Acts, ending abruptly, invites believers to participate in this ongoing, unfinished story of cosmic restoration.

3. Mission is God's Work, and the Church is Missional by Its Very Nature.

"The missionary movement of which we are a part has its source in the Triune God Himself."

Divine origin. Mission is fundamentally missio Dei, the mission of the triune God, flowing from His deep love to reconcile a fallen world. The Father sends the Son, and together they send the Spirit and the church. The church's mission is therefore not merely a task it undertakes, but a participation in God's own redemptive work, defining its very identity and being.

Missional identity. This understanding shatters colonial assumptions and non-missionary misconceptions of the church. The church is "missionary by its very nature," meaning its entire existence is oriented outward, mediating Christ's salvation to the world. This involves:

• Missional dimension: Every aspect of Christian life, from marriage to work, bears witness to God's kingdom.
• Missional intention: Specific activities like evangelism and cross-cultural missions are deliberately aimed at inviting people to faith.

Beyond institutionalism. Historically, the church often became introverted, focused on internal affairs and institutional maintenance, neglecting its outward orientation. A missional ecclesiology reclaims the church's role as a community positioned between Christ and the world, called to embody and proclaim the good news. This holistic view challenges both sacralization (churchism) and secularization (worldliness), which betray the church's true nature.

4. Authentic Mission Requires Both Evangelism and Social Action.

"We must repudiate as demonic the attempt to drive a wedge between evangelism and social action."

Historical dichotomy. The 20th century saw a damaging split between "word" and "deed" in mission. The Evangelical tradition, influenced by premillennialism and individualism, often reduced mission to personal evangelism, while the Ecumenical tradition, embracing the social gospel, prioritized socio-political action for justice and mercy. This created an unbiblical dichotomy, forcing a false choice between saving souls and transforming society.

Holistic approach. A faithful understanding of mission recognizes evangelism and social action not as separate components, but as "dimensions of the one, indivisible mission of the Church." Jesus' kingdom mission involved both powerful deeds demonstrating God's reign and words announcing its arrival. His words explained his deeds, and his deeds validated his words, all rooted in the Spirit's work to renew the world.

Kingdom witness. The church's mission is to "be the witness, to do the witness, and to say the witness." This means:

• Authentic Evangelism: Proclaiming the kingdom of God in Jesus, contextualized to be both relevant and challenging, relational, and flowing from a community whose life demonstrates the gospel's truth.
• Mercy and Justice: Actively engaging in deeds of mercy and justice, not as optional extras, but as expressions of self-giving love and signs of the kingdom's presence. This includes addressing structural injustice and caring for the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized.

5. Faithful Contextualization Navigates Between Syncretism and Irrelevance.

"No verbal statement can be produced which relieves the Church of the responsibility continually to re-think and re-state its message."

Inevitable process. Contextualization is not optional but essential to the gospel's nature. The gospel, being universally valid, must be translated and embodied within every culture. This process is unavoidable, as the gospel always takes cultural form, and the challenge lies in ensuring this contextualization is faithful, not distorted.

Dual dangers. The church faces two sets of pitfalls:

• Ethnocentrism vs. Relativism: Ethnocentrism imposes one cultural expression of the gospel as normative for all, while relativism denies any standard for judging cultural expressions, leading to a loss of truth.
• Syncretism vs. Irrelevance: Syncretism compromises the gospel by absorbing it into idolatrous cultural forms, while irrelevance makes the gospel incomprehensible or alien by clinging to foreign or outdated cultural expressions.

Subversive fulfillment. The New Testament, particularly John and Paul, offers a model of "subversive fulfillment." This approach:

• Employs cultural terms: Uses familiar cultural categories and language (e.g., logos in John) to connect with people's deepest longings.
• Challenges worldviews: Simultaneously subverts and critiques the idolatrous assumptions embedded in those cultural terms, filling them with new, Christ-centered meaning.
• Affirms and critiques: Recognizes both the creational good and the sinful distortion within every cultural practice, institution, and belief.

6. Western Culture Itself is a Primary Mission Field Requiring Critical Engagement.

"The Church has lived so long as a permitted and even privileged minority, accepting relegation to the private sphere in a culture whose public life is controlled by a totally different vision of reality, that it has almost lost the power to address a radical challenge to that vision and therefore to 'modern Western civilization' as a whole."

Urgent task. Developing a missiology of Western culture is an urgent task for the global church. Western culture, now a powerful global force, has a long, uncritical association with Christianity, leading to deep accommodation to its pervasive idols. The church in the West often lacks critical distance, operating under myths of a "Christian" or "neutral" society, blinding it to the humanist religious core shaping its public life.

Liberating the gospel. The theological task involves liberating the gospel from its Western cultural captivity by:

• Public truth: Reclaiming the gospel as universally valid truth, not just a private opinion.
• True story: Understanding the Bible as the comprehensive, true story of the world, against which all cultural narratives are judged.
• Comprehensive scope: Recognizing the gospel's claim over all of human life—individual, communal, social, and cultural.
• Restorative nature: Emphasizing God's plan to restore all creation, not just save souls for an otherworldly heaven.
• Present power: Believing the gospel is God's active power breaking into history now.

Missional identity. The ecclesiological task is to recover the church's missional identity as "an alternative community for the sake of the world." This means:

• World-oriented: Existing not for itself, but to bring good news to the world.
• Countercultural: Maintaining a redemptive tension with culture, offering both solidarity and prophetic challenge to its idolatries.
• Public square engagement: Equipping believers to live out their callings in every sector of public life, witnessing to Christ's lordship.

7. A Missionary Encounter with World Religions is an Urgent and Complex Task.

"No other issue presents more challenge than the issue of Christian faith and other faiths."

Intensifying factors. The church is now in a "real missionary encounter" with world religions due to:

• Expanded plurality: Globalization and migration mean adherents of diverse faiths live in close proximity.
• Global South context: The growing church in the South often exists as a minority amidst flourishing ancient religious traditions.
• Ideology of pluralism: The widespread belief that all religions are equally true, often fueled by a relativistic spirit and guilt over past Christian imperialism.
• Global crises: Religious tensions exacerbate ecological, political, and military threats, making interfaith cooperation seem essential for peace.

Missionary posture. A faithful Christian stance is a "missionary encounter," characterized by:

• Unflinching commitment: Upholding the comprehensive truth claims of the gospel.
• Non-coercive approach: Offering the gospel as an attractive, credible alternative through life, word, and deed, without force.
• Comprehensive understanding of religion: Recognizing that religion is an all-embracing vision of life, shaping all aspects of culture, not just a private sphere.

Theology of religions. A sound theology of religions starts with the "public truth of the gospel," affirming the "finality of Christ" as the unique and ultimate revelation of God and the only way of salvation. This involves:

• Revelation beyond gospel: Acknowledging God's general revelation in creation (Romans 1-2) and common grace, which produces a universal "religious consciousness" in humankind.
• Subversive fulfillment: Engaging other religions with a sympathetic, insider approach (discerning longings, affirming good) and a critical, outsider approach (challenging distortions, recognizing idolatry), ultimately pointing to Christ as the fulfillment.

8. Urban Centers are the New Frontier for Global Christian Mission.

"If we are to reach the world of the twenty-first century, we must reach its cities."

Urban explosion. The world is undergoing an unprecedented urban revolution. By 2050, 80% of the global population is projected to live in cities, with the majority of this growth occurring in the Southern hemisphere. This demographic shift makes cities the primary locus of human life and, consequently, the "new frontier" for Christian mission.

Strategic importance. Cities are crucial for mission due to:

• Sheer numbers: Concentrating vast populations, offering immense evangelistic opportunities.
• Cultural power: Serving as centers of political, economic, academic, artistic, and media influence, shaping national and global culture.
• Missionary encounter: Being the focal point where religious pluralism, world religions, and the pervasive "religion" of economic modernity/consumerism converge, demanding a robust Christian witness.
• Socioeconomic need: Housing the majority of the world's poor in burgeoning slums, presenting urgent calls for holistic mission and justice.

Agenda for urban mission. A faithful urban church must prioritize:

• Engaging secular folk: Welcoming skeptics, addressing intellectual and religious questions with humility and intelligence, and communicating a comprehensible, relevant gospel.
• Countercultural identity: Cultivating a community that contrasts with urban idolatries (e.g., consumerism, workaholism) while affirming life-giving aspects of city culture.
• Holistic mission: Integrating evangelism with social responsibility, addressing both personal and structural needs, especially among the urban poor.
• Training believers: Equipping lay members for their callings in the public sector, recognizing their crucial role in witnessing to Christ's lordship in the marketplace.
• Planting urban churches: Establishing new, missional congregations rooted in Christ, whose presence, deeds, and words make the gospel known in their specific urban contexts.

9. "Missions" Remains an Indispensable Task for Reaching the Unevangelized.

"The Church’s mission is concerned with the ends of the earth. When that dimension is forgotten, the heart goes out of the whole business."

Distinguishing "Mission" from "Missions". While "mission" encompasses the church's entire witness to the whole gospel in the whole world, "missions" (with an 's') refers specifically to the task of establishing a gospel witness in places or among peoples where it is nonexistent or very weak. This distinction is crucial to prevent the broader concept of mission from eclipsing the urgent need to reach the unevangelized.

Biblical imperative. Scripture consistently points to a universal horizon for God's mission, "to the ends of the earth." The book of Acts, particularly the church at Antioch, provides a pattern for intentional, cross-cultural "sending mode" missions to plant new churches. This task is not merely an optional extra but integral to the church's confession of Christ as Lord of all.

Identifying world need. Tools like "unreached people groups" and the "10/40 Window" help identify populations with minimal or no indigenous Christian presence. These areas, predominantly in Asia and Africa, contain billions of people who have yet to hear the gospel in a culturally relevant way. The task of missions is far from over, demanding a renewed focus on these neglected populations.

10. Overcoming Obstacles Requires Spiritual Renewal and Strategic Resource Allocation.

"The missionary problem is a personal one. Seek the deepening of the spiritual life, and missionary consecration will follow."

Lack of fervor. A primary hindrance to a fresh missions initiative is a pervasive lack of spiritual fervor within the church. This manifests as lukewarm love for Christ, worldliness, and a lack of vital prayer, often stemming from comfort, compromise with cultural idols, or theological relativism. Spiritual renewal, fervent devotion, and entire consecration are essential to rekindle missionary passion.

Inadequate resource allocation. Despite the vast need, missions resources are often misallocated. A disproportionately small percentage of financial and personnel resources are directed towards genuinely unevangelized areas, with the majority supporting established churches or cross-cultural partnerships. This "scandalous imbalance" requires a strategic re-evaluation of how the global church deploys its resources to reach those who have never heard.

Colonial legacy and structures. The lingering legacy of colonialism continues to impede missions, fostering unhealthy financial dependence, paternalism, and an uncritical adoption of Western models. The future of missions requires:

• Local church ownership: Empowering local congregations as the primary engine for missions, while leveraging mission societies for expertise and coordination.
• Third-world leadership: Recognizing and supporting the dramatically increasing missionary force from the global South, which brings new models and perspectives.
• Authentic partnership: Cultivating multilateral, adult partnerships that genuinely share resources, responsibilities, and power across diverse cultural contexts.

Last updated: December 8, 2025