News
Edinburgh 2010 issues regular news releases on the Edinburgh conference, 2010.global, mission resources and other information related to the project. If you are interested in receiving our monthly electronic newsletter, please click here.
For more information on Edinburgh 2010, please contact our Communications Officer.
[March 1, 2010] Report on Minsk Consultation now online
The centenary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference was an important point of reference for a consultation on 'Christian Mission in the 21st Century: An Orthodox Perspective' hosted by the St. Cyril and St. Methodius Theological Institute in Minsk, Belarus from 4 to 7 February 2010. A report on the consultation can be downloaded here.
[February 26, 2010] 2010 Duff and Drummond Lectures with Dana Robert
The Alexander Duff and Drummond Trust has invited Dana Robert, Professor of World Christianity and History of Mission, to give three lectures on the shaping of world Christianity since Edinburgh 1910. Robert, a leading historian of Christian mission and keynote speaker at the Edinburgh 2010 conference, will explore the themes 'frontier', 'friendship', and 'fellowship' and reflect on their continued significance for twenty-first century mission. The lectures take place in Glasgow (24 May), Stirling (25 May) and Edinburgh (26 May). For more information, download the event flyer.
[January 28, 2010] Pope praises Pioneers of Edinburgh Conference
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Benedict spoke of the centenary of the World Misisonary Conference, held in Edinburgh in 1910. The Pope closed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January) with Vespers on Monday evening. In his homily he emphasized that everyone is called to seek 'full communion between all of the disciples of Christ.' To read the full press release, click here.
[January 27, 2010] Call for Papers - Dublin
The Irish School of Ecumenics and the theological journal Concilium have announced a call to papers for the international conference: 'From World Mission to Interreligious Witness: Visioning Ecumenics in the 21st Century'. Abstracts need to be send in by February 1, 2010. For further information visit our events calendar or the conference website.
[January 22, 2010] Application for Media Accreditation
We invite representatives of the international media to apply for press accreditation for the Edinburgh 2010 Conference and Sunday Celebrations to be held in Edinburgh, UK, from 2-6 June 2010. For more information click here.
[January 21, 2010] Deadline for Youth Multimedia Contest extended
The deadline for the Edinburgh 2010 Youth Multimedia Contest has been extended to 28 February 2010. We invite contributions from a wide range of youth (ages 18-30) from different theological, denominational, confessional, and geographical areas interested in Christian witness in the world today. In light of the centenary celebrations, projects should engage in the contest theme, 'The Changing Face of Mission'. The winner of the contest receives a sponsored invitation to the Edinburgh conference, 2-6 June 2010. For more information click here.
[January 8, 2010] Chinese, Kiswahili and Amharic
Chinese, Kiswahili and Amharic versions of the 2010.global brochure are now available on our website. Please follow this link.
[January 7, 2010] Tickets for Sunday Celebrations
Tickets for the final celebration of the Edinburgh conference are now available. Tickets for people in BRITAIN AND IRELAND are being distributed by the national ecumenical bodies (ACTS, CTE, CTYUN, CTI) to a wide range of churches. After this initial allocation any local tickets left over may be distributed after Easter to individuals. Please register your interest by an email to contact (at) scot2010.org.uk. For the INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, either resident in the UK or coming from abroad, please register your interest in attending the final celebration on Sunday 6th June from 3.00pm-6.00pm by an email to: jadam (at) cofscotland.org.uk. We are sorry if limited space means we cannot respond to all requests. More information on ticket allocation can be found here.
[December 10, 2009] Edinburgh 2010 delegates nominated
The Study Process Monitoring Group and most of the 20 stakeholders of Edinburgh 2010 have now nominated their delegates for the Edinburgh conference. The 250 participants come from a wide range of organisations and Christian traditions. Delegates will travel from places all over the world to meet in Edinburgh next year, including Russia, India, Chile, Namibia and New Zealand, to name just a few.
[December 2, 2009] Mission Project WARC/LWF
In November pastors and lay leaders from three continents met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to share stories of how they interpret mission in their context today. The meeting was part of a two-year study on 'Mission Today' developed jointly by the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (WARC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Results of the study are to be presented at the Edinburgh conference in June 2010. A video impression of the meeting was produced and is available on our resources page.
[November 11, 2009] Third Online Consultation
The final Edinburgh 2010 online consultation starts today on Facebook. It focuses on three study themes: Christian Communities in Contemporary Contexts; Mission and Unity - Ecclesiology and Mission; Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship. For more information download the event flyer or join our facebook group.
[November 5, 2009] Archbishop Sentamu to preach in Edinburgh
The Archbishop of York, Dr. John Sentamu, is one of the leading spokespersons for the Church of England. He accepted the invitation of the Edinburgh 2010 General Council to conduct the Sunday Worship on 6 June 2010 at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh. Archbishop Sentamu will be joined by representatives of the Evangelical, Pentecostal, Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches.
[October 28, 2009] SCOT publishes 2010 leaflet
As the year 2010 approaches more and more local initatives are added to the international efforts to commemorate the World Missionary Conference. SCOT, the Scottish Coordinating Team, has published a leaflet this Tuesday to promote Edinburgh 2010 among Churches in Britain and Ireland. You, your church or organisation are invited to remember, celebrate and be inspired by God's call to mission. For further information please download the SCOT leaflet or send an email to contact (at) scot2010.org.uk.
[October 14, 2009] Second Online Consultation
The second of three consultations starts today on Facebook. It focuses on three study themes: Mission and Power, Forms of Missionary Engagement and Theological Education and Formation. For more information download the event flyer or join our facebook group.
[October 9, 2009] 2010.global Brochure available Online
Christians all over the world are invited to celebrate God's call to mission on 6 June 2010. Set up an event in the Edinburgh 2010 spirit, tell us about it and share the information on our website. 2010.global brochures in English, Spanish and French are now available as PDF download from our website. More languages are to follow.
[October 1, 2009] Dana Robert gives Keynote Speech
Professor Dana L. Robert is one of the leading scholars of mission history and mission theology. She has been invited to open proceedings at the Edinburgh conference with a keynote speech on 3 June 2010 and thus to prepare delegates for an intensive 4-day programme. To find out more about Professor Robert visit her website.
[September 29, 2009] New Team Member appointed
Adele Ngomedje, a member of the Evangelical Church of Cameroon, will be helping Daryl Balia, International Director, to deal with various tasks including delegate issues. Adele brings to Edinburgh 2010 the experience acquired while working for the organisation of the Conference on World Mission and Evengelism which took place in Athens in 2005. She holds an MA in Interpreting and Translating (United Kingdom) and a degree in Bilingual Studies (Cameroon).
[September 16, 2009] First Youth Online Consultation
The first of three consultations starts today on Facebook. It focuses on three study themes: Foundations for Mission, Christian Mission among other Faiths and Mission and Postmodernities. For more information download the event flyer or join our facebook group.
[August 7, 2009] Call for Papers - Conference on World Christianity
The Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity at Liverpool Hope University is pleased to announce its third annual conference on World Chrisitanity from 11 to 13 June 2010. The organisers invite paper and panel proposals on a specific topic related to the theme of the conference, "Christian Unity in Mission and Service". Full panel and paper proposals are due on or before Friday, 18 December 2009. For further information please visit our events section.
[August 6, 2009] Study Theology in Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh School of Divinity is one of the largest single site centres for the study of theology and religious studies in the UK, and one of the host of the Edinburgh 2010 conference. To watch a video on New College follow this link.
[August 6, 2009] - Youth Online Consultation
We would like to invite you to take part in the Edinburgh 2010 Online Consultation, hosted on Facebook by the Edinburgh 2010 Youth. The first of three consultations starts on September 16. It focuses on three study themes: Foundations for Mission, Christian Mission among other Faiths and Mission and Postmodernities. For more information download the event flyer or join our facebook group.
[August 5, 2009] - Now available in North America
Edinburgh 2010. Mission Then and Now, edited by David A. Kerr and Kenneth R. Ross, is now available to a North American audience on amazon. The book was published by Regnum and co-published by WCIU Press. For more information visit our resources section.
[July 29, 2009] - Book Launch Party in Edinburgh on Sep 22
New College and the Centre for the Study of World Christianity invite you to the launch of the two latest books on Edinburgh 2010. Meet the editors and authors of Edinburgh 2010. Mission Then and Now and The World Missionary Conference. Edinburgh 1910. For further information visit our events calendar.
[July 28, 2009] - Towards 2010 Conference in Edinburgh
The Towards 2010 network is hosting the third of three day conferences on the Scottish context of Edinburgh 1910. The conference takes place in October 2009 at New College in Edinburgh. For further information visit our events website.
[July 28, 2009] - Mini-symposium in New Zealand
ANZAMS (Aotearoa-New Zealand Association for Mission Studies) are inviting to a mini-symposium about Edinburgh 2010 themes at Laidlaw College, Auckland Campus. The conference takes place October 30-31, 2009. For further information visit our events pages.
[July 20, 2009] - News about the centenary now available on Twitter
To reach as many people as possible, we are embracing social networking sites. We not only have an Edinburgh 2010 facebook group, but also our own Twitter page. Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? So follow our tweets, tweet back and get connected with each other.
[July 14, 2009] - An Engaging Summation of the 1910 Conference
The World Missionary Conference in 1910 was a defining event in the history of world missions. Brian Stanley here presents his careful research revealing the compelling story of this turbulent, influential gathering in Edinburgh. This book is both an account of the conference itself and an examination of the Protestant missionary movement as it neared the apex of its size and influence. The World Missionary Conference: Edinburgh 1910 is an engaging summation of, in Stanley's own words, "the many-sided legacy of the Edinburgh conference, not simply for the history of the ecumenical movement but also for Christian missions and the wider field of Christian discourse on questions of race and culture."
Brian Stanley is the newly-appointed Professor of World Christianity and Director of the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, at the University of Edinburgh, School of Divinity. For further information please visit the publisher's website.
[July 6, 2009] - 2010.global invites the World to be part of Edinburgh 2010
Edinburgh 2010 is more than a single conference that is taking place in Scotland. It is a movement and series of events that hopefully reaches Christian communities all over the world.
The Global Events Committee wants to invite YOU to be part of the 2010 movement. You can pray for the project, watch the Edinburgh celebrations online, or even organise a 2010 event in your local community. The hope is that next June people in Asia, Africa, America, Europe and Australia are all reflecting on what it means to witness to Christ today. Further information will be provided in our newsletter and on the website.
The Global Events Committee was established in April 2009 by the General Council to coordinate and link up events in the Edinburgh 2010 spirit. Edgar Ruddock (USPG), Ruth Padilla De Borst (Latin American Theological Fellowship), Roger Schmidt (Lutheran World Federation) and Jasmin Adam (Communications Officer) are part of this team. Via Skype and online discussions the committee is currently working on a detailed participation guide. The guide will be available as download from the Edinburgh 2010 website in as many languages as possible.
[June 29, 2009] - Events Committee Meeting in Edinburgh
On 23 and 24 June the Events Committee met in sunny and hot Edinburgh to further shape the programme of the 2010 conference. The meeting was attended by members of local churches and the University, as well as representatives of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) and the World Council of Churches (WCC). Guided by decisions of the General Council the remit of the Events Committee is to plan the content and flow of the 2010 conference. Administrative support will be given by the Office of Lifelong Learning at the University of Edinburgh.
The 2010 conference takes place from 2 to 6 June at Pollock Halls in Edinburgh. 250 delegates will have the opportunity to discuss the past, present and future of Christian mission. These delegates will be appointed by the stakeholders of the General Council and the Study Process Monitoring Group to assure that both academics and people with a practical interest in mission are part of the convention. Stakeholders were asked to send delegates according to a quota that reflects the picture of today's World Christianity: 60% of delegates should be coming from the Global South, 50% should be women and 20% younger than 30 years of age.
The spiritual ethos of the conference focuses on elements of thanksgiving, penitence and commitment. The hope of the Events Committee is that serious theological reflection will come out of the conference as well as go into it. Beginning with worship and bible study the daily schedule at Pollock Halls commences with three working sessions on the various mission themes and transversals. Each day closes with an evening prayer led by representatives of different denominations.
On Sunday the 250 delegates will spread out to local churches, not only to take part in worship but also to start diffusing their experience and knowledge gained during the past four days. The conference then culminates in three hour worship at the Assembly Hall in Edinburgh where delegates will be joined by local and international guests. At least 850 tickets for interested visitors will be available from the Edinburgh offices by the end of this year. The details of ticket release will be published in the newsletter, on facebook and on our website.
By live streaming the Edinburgh 2010 event on the internet the message will hopefully be heard in Christian communities around the globe. The Events Committee hereby invites everyone to join the celebrations by watching online, organising local 2010 events, or simply by praying for our common cause: Witnessing to Christ Today.
[June 4, 2009] - First Publication of the Edinburgh 2010 Series
Edinburgh 2010. Mission Then and Now is now available from Regnum Publisher's. The book was edited by David A. Kerr and Kenneth R. Ross and offers a collection of articles on the 1910 World Missionary Conference.
Though the outcomes of the 1910 Conference have differed in many ways from the expectations of its participants, after a century its momentous significance is clearer than ever. While the colonial missionary movement went into decline, from its work emerged a world church, with deep roots and vigorous expression on every continent. As the centeneray of the Conference approaches, the time is ripe to examine its meaning in light of the past century and the questions facing Christian witness today. This book is the first to systematically examine the eight Commissions which reported to Edinburgh 1910 and gave the conference much of its substance and eduring value. It will deepen and extend the reflection being stimulated by the upcoming centenary and will kindle the missionary imagination for 2010 and beyond. For further information pease visit the publisher's website.
[May 28, 2009] - Seoul Consultation Papers now Online
From 22-24 March 2009 Study Group 9 met for a consultation on "Mission spirituality and authentic discipleship" in Seoul, South Korea. The papers presented at the consultation are now available for download as PDF files. Please follow the link for further information.
[May 27, 2009] - Join us on Facebook!
The Edinburgh 2010 facebook group is now online. Meet other people interested in mission related topics, discuss ideas and get the latest news on Edinburgh 2010.
[May 19, 2009] - Atlas for Global Christianity available for Pre-order
The Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh University Press, 380 pages, oversize, full-colour) is now available for pre-order for £60 or $100 (60% off the retail price of £150 or $250). This price is good until the 31st of August 2009. The Atlas should be available by the end of 2009. A flyer with more detailed information and an order form can be downloaded here. For further information please visit the publisher's website.
The Atlas of Global Christianity (AGC), is edited by Todd M. Johnson, Director, Center for the Study of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Kenneth R. Ross, Council Secretary, Church of Scotland World Mission Council. Revd Professor Ross was one of the key figures in developing Edinburgh 2010, and led the earlier Towards 2010 study process.
The Atlas is a visual quick reference of the changing status of global Christianity over the 100 years since the epoch-making Edinburgh 1910 World Missionary Conference. It is the first scholarly atlas to depict the 20th century shift of Christianity from the Global North to the Global South. Contextual information on world issues and world religions is included. The atlas is ecumenical in that it covers every Christian tradition including Anglicans, Independents, Marginals, Orthodox, Protestants, and Roman Catholics. This is the first atlas to incorporate historical essays on Christianity 1910-2010 by scholars from each region of the world. Included is an interactive electronic product that contains all maps and graphs ready for classroom use.
[May 18, 2009] - Programme Committee reorganised
At its meeting in April the Edinburgh 2010 General Council decided to reduce the size of the Edinburgh 2010 event planned for 2-6 June next year from 1,200 to 250. Scaling down the Edinburgh event will, it is hoped, allow the impact of the study process to take root more effectively in the other missional events being planned in various countries for 2010. The main focus of the programme will now be on the nine study themes and the transversals, although on the final day there will be a large celebration in the Assembly Hall. The events planned for the previous days in Pollock Halls will, of course, also take place within the context of worship.
The Council renamed the Edinburgh 2010 Programme Committee as the Edinburgh 2010 Events Committee, and also revised its remit and its membership. The task of the Events Committee is to plan the content and flow of the event on the basis of the decisions of the governing bodies, with the help of the International Director, Dr. Daryl Balia, and staff and in liaison with the University of Edinburgh. The Committee plans to meet in Edinburgh on 23 and 24 June. Part of the agenda is a joint session with the University Liaison Committee.
[May 15, 2009] - Call for Papers
The Faculty of Theology at Aarhus University (Denmark) hosts an International Conference on "Church and Mission in a Multireligious Third Millenium" in January 2010. Deadline for paper proposals is the 15th of October 2009. For more information visit the conference website.
[May 8, 2009] - Edinburgh 2010 Centenary Celebrations condensed
The General Council of Edinburgh 2010 met in Scotland from 15 to 17 April to further develop plans for the celebration of the centenary of the 1910 World Missionary Conference, which is widely recognised as the parent of the contemporary ecumenical and world missionary movement.
The Council has firmed up many of its plans in the shadow of the global economic crisis, but also in the days of rejoicing immediately around the celebration of Easter in our different traditions. The three key components to the 2010 celebrations have again been affirmed.
The first is the study process, which the Council recognises as the central part of its strategy to allow the impact of the centenary to spread far beyond one place and time. The study process has been developed globally around nine key themes relating to the challenges of the Christian Gospel to the realities faced by millions of believers in widely different contexts and cultures.
The second is a series of events around the world, which are being encouraged by the General Council but planned and executed locally, in which different church communities choose their own ways to mark the centenary. “This way of marking the 1910 Conference recognises and affirms the development of the Church around the world in the last 100 years,” says Andrew Anderson, the Council Chairman.
The third will be a four day event in Edinburgh itself. This will bring together some 200 delegates, when those taking part in the international study process will engage with representatives from the worldwide church to explore what challenges the study process may bring to the life of churches over the years to come. Then the final day will see a much larger gathering, of over a thousand people, designed to be a day of celebration, thanksgiving, penitence and re-commitment.
In all of the above the Council believes it is developing a process rather than just a programme - one that will be rooted in the life of churches all around the world. As plans have sharpened, the scale of the single event in Edinburgh itself has been reduced, to allow the impact of the process to take root more effectively everywhere else. There is now a structure in place that is theologically vibrant, intellectually credible, financially responsible, is rooted in the lives of ordinary people, and is one whose impact will be felt for many years to come, as we reflect on, and celebrate our core theme “Witnessing to Christ Today”.
Latest Discussion on Study Themes
For more information on the Edinburgh 2010 study themes, please click here.