Embracing Mission as God's Own
There are many challenges in transforming the church into a missional one. However, if the church wants to be missional, the first step is to recognize that mission belongs to God. Additionally, we need to understand that the goal of the mission is not for the church to find its benefit, but to fulfill and obey the eternal purpose and salvific work of God. In other words, the transformation process of the missional church should emphasize "mission-centered church" rather than "church-centered mission."[i] On the other hand, many may think that “mission-centered church" causes the role of the church to fade away. In reality, it reminds us not to stray from the high calling of the church.
At the International Missionary Conference in Willingen, Germany, in 1952, attendees began to realize that mission is “a movement from God to the world, with the church functioning as a participant in that mission.”[ii] Additionally, the Christian mission began by God, whose very nature is missionary. According to the missional perspective of the Old Testament, we see that “God’s primary missionary method is his covenant people.”[iii] Therefore, God called Abraham to express His missional intention, promising that blessing would come to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Then, God chose the Israelites to reflect His missionary character to the nations, calling them “God’s treasured possession, kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-6).
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis say that “Humanity was made in the image of the Triune God. The purpose of an image is to represent something, and we were made to represent God on earth.”[iv] However, the Israelites fail to represent God’s missionary character and missional intention, even though they are descendants of Abraham. Still, God did not stop His mission even when His chosen people failed to represent and reveal His eternal purpose. Therefore, at the beginning of the New Testament, Matthew, the author of the gospel of Matthew, described Jesus as the “Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), who will bless all the nations through God’s redemptive work.[v] It reminds us that God sent Jesus Christ into this world to continue His important mission of love and salvation.
Therefore, Christian mission does not belong to the Apostles, the early church, or denominational churches because it originates from God’s redemptive plan for humanity. As God’s salvific work continues, the church must engage in the mission of God, recognizing that God is the true source of Christian mission. Consequently, the church should not view mission as either a church-centered focus or just one of many church programs. Most importantly, evangelism should not be reduced to member recruitment. Moreover, the church should see itself as the people of God and understand how the church must reflect and reveal, as Jesus’ ekklesia, God’s missionary intention and purpose.[vi]
In summary, David J. Bosch said, “God’s salvific work precedes both church and mission. We should not subordinate mission to the church nor the church to mission.”[vii] But, mission will still be subordinate to the church if the church thinks and views mission as “a process of reproducing church.”[viii] The idea of mission as reproducing church will lead to mission being seen as merely an optional task. This is because the church does not believe that engaging in mission involves continuing God's divine mission, which is intended to bring salvation and restore the relationship between God and His created people, thereby fulfilling His eternal purpose and salvific plan for humanity.
[i] David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, 20th Anniversary ed. edition (Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2011), 379.
[ii] John R. Franke, Missional Theology: An Introduction (Baker Academic, 2020), 11.
[iii] Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008), 33.
[iv] Chester and Timmis, 33.
[v] Chester and Timmis, 34.
[vi] Daniel L. Guder, ed., Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Eerdmans, 1998), 6.
[vii] Bosch, Transforming Mission, 379.
[viii] Bosch, 385–86.
At the International Missionary Conference in Willingen, Germany, in 1952, attendees began to realize that mission is “a movement from God to the world, with the church functioning as a participant in that mission.”[ii] Additionally, the Christian mission began by God, whose very nature is missionary. According to the missional perspective of the Old Testament, we see that “God’s primary missionary method is his covenant people.”[iii] Therefore, God called Abraham to express His missional intention, promising that blessing would come to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Then, God chose the Israelites to reflect His missionary character to the nations, calling them “God’s treasured possession, kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:4-6).
Tim Chester and Steve Timmis say that “Humanity was made in the image of the Triune God. The purpose of an image is to represent something, and we were made to represent God on earth.”[iv] However, the Israelites fail to represent God’s missionary character and missional intention, even though they are descendants of Abraham. Still, God did not stop His mission even when His chosen people failed to represent and reveal His eternal purpose. Therefore, at the beginning of the New Testament, Matthew, the author of the gospel of Matthew, described Jesus as the “Son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1), who will bless all the nations through God’s redemptive work.[v] It reminds us that God sent Jesus Christ into this world to continue His important mission of love and salvation.
Therefore, Christian mission does not belong to the Apostles, the early church, or denominational churches because it originates from God’s redemptive plan for humanity. As God’s salvific work continues, the church must engage in the mission of God, recognizing that God is the true source of Christian mission. Consequently, the church should not view mission as either a church-centered focus or just one of many church programs. Most importantly, evangelism should not be reduced to member recruitment. Moreover, the church should see itself as the people of God and understand how the church must reflect and reveal, as Jesus’ ekklesia, God’s missionary intention and purpose.[vi]
In summary, David J. Bosch said, “God’s salvific work precedes both church and mission. We should not subordinate mission to the church nor the church to mission.”[vii] But, mission will still be subordinate to the church if the church thinks and views mission as “a process of reproducing church.”[viii] The idea of mission as reproducing church will lead to mission being seen as merely an optional task. This is because the church does not believe that engaging in mission involves continuing God's divine mission, which is intended to bring salvation and restore the relationship between God and His created people, thereby fulfilling His eternal purpose and salvific plan for humanity.
[i] David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, 20th Anniversary ed. edition (Maryknoll, N.Y: Orbis Books, 2011), 379.
[ii] John R. Franke, Missional Theology: An Introduction (Baker Academic, 2020), 11.
[iii] Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community (Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2008), 33.
[iv] Chester and Timmis, 33.
[v] Chester and Timmis, 34.
[vi] Daniel L. Guder, ed., Missional Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church in North America (Eerdmans, 1998), 6.
[vii] Bosch, Transforming Mission, 379.
[viii] Bosch, 385–86.
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