Foundations for mission - Blog

“Mission – backwards looking or on the rise? 99 years after the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh” was the theme of the conference organised jointly by the German Association for Mission Studies (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Missionswissenschaft) the Protestant Academy (Evangelische Academie) at Loccum, near Hanover on 14-16 September 2009. About 90 scholars and practitioners discussed the legacy of Edinburgh 1910 and the meaning and practice of mission today.

A report of the event by Dr Michael Biehl of the Missionacademie of the University of Hamburg is attached here.

Jointly sponsored by CTBI’s Global Mission Network, Global Connections – formerly the Evangelical Missionary Alliance, and the British and Irish Association for Mission Studies, the ‘Sinking Foundations’ conference held at the beginning of July at All Nations College, Ware, Herts, UK provided a fruitful context for reflecting on the current profile of Christian mission. The conference was part of a research project contributing to Edinburgh 2010 study theme 1 on 'Foundations for Mission'. Read a preliminary report in the attached file below.

The June 2009 report of the Edinburgh 2010 Study Process by the Research Coordinator Dr Kirsteen Kim is attached here. 

Attached here you can find the preparatory material on "The primary role of the local church in mission"

An international group of bible scholars, mission theologians and mission leaders is meeting this weekend at the Ecumenical Institute, Bossey, Switzerland to draft a paper on 'Foundations for mission', theme 1 of the Edinburgh 2010 study process. Members of the working group are drawn from different confessional groups and represent different institutions and organisations in all continents. Their paper will form the first chapter of the pre-conference publication which will inform discussion in Edinburgh and around the world in 2010.

The group will draw on their own expertise and also on the work of groups already working on this theme for Edinburgh. A consortium of umbrella ecumenical, evangelical and academic mission groups in Britain and Ireland have been studying how organisations and individuals are motivated to do mission and how they justify it. This research will be represented at the consultation by Canon Janice Price and Dr Paul Rolph. A working group of the Francophone Association for Mission Studies, represented by Revd Jacques Matthey, is researching 'mission in the Bible'. 'Towards 2010' which met in Scotland between 2002 and 2007 invited mission scholars from many different parts of the world to reflect on the original commission themes of Edinburgh 1910. Dr Emma Wild-Wood will be representing their work.

Other participants are: Dr Edmund Chia, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, USA; Dr Simanga R. Kumalo, University of Kwazulul Natal, South Africa; Dr Christina Manohar, Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, India; Rev. Dr Nestor Miguez, Instituto Universitario ISEDET, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Dr Peniel Rufus, United Theological College, Bangalore, India; and Prof. Petros Vassiliadis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece.

The event is hosted by Dr Deenabandhu Manchala, who leads the World Council of Churches project on 'Just and inclusive communities', which has also been considering 'Foundations for mission'. The International Director of Edinburgh 2010, Dr Daryl Balia will also be participating, and the Research Coordinator, Dr Kirsteen Kim will be the facilitator.  

Renowned Evangelical mission theologian Dr David Hesselgrave has written an article asking 'Will We Correct the Edinburgh Error?' and urging that Edinburgh 2010 should address issues of theology and not only strategy and policy. The article is attached here and is reprinted with permission from Southwestern Journal of Theology, 49.2 (2007): 121-49 [full version available online at http://www.baptisttheology.org/journal.cfm]. Responses are invited to Kirsteen Kim (k.kim (at) leedstrinity.ac.uk) for possible posting on this site.