The Twentieth-Century Development of Mission and Missions1 By Nelson Jennings

One of the major discussions that has taken place over the past half-century has dealt with the terms mission and missions.2 This living history is essential for understanding many important dynamics in our own day. We must first consider how the international missionary movement took on fresh organi ational shape at the !"!# $din%urgh World &issionary 'onference. ()nternational at that time meant $uropeans* and +orth ,mericans* cooperating to work elsewhere in the world.- This monumental gathering led to a num%er of succeeding initiatives. including the eventual creation in !"2!-in the devastating wake of World War )-of the )nternational &issionary 'ouncil ()&'-. Over the ne/t forty years. until its integration into the World 'ouncil of 'hurches (W''-. the )&' organi ed occasional worldwide conferences to discuss developing missions-related issues.0 World War )) further contri%uted to the raising of many challenging 1uestions. particularly from non-Westerners. a%out the Western missionary movement. ,t their root. those 1uestions stemmed from twin reality. On the one hand. there had %een the undenia%le horror of Western countries. understood to %e 'hristian nations. literally killing each other. On the other hand. Westerners had an increased awareness of long-standing and even resurgent non-Western religious traditions and their often morally e/emplary practitioners. With these two stark realities. how could Western missionaries pretend to tell others a%out religious truth2 &oreover. there were 'hristian leaders who were inclined to interpret events as the hand of 3od moving %eyond the narrow confines of the organi ed church. 4or e/ample. the e/pulsion from 'hina-long the crown jewel of many Western missionary efforts-of missionaries in !"5" further pressed the issue of what 3od was doing in the world. )f 3od truly was providentially in control of all things. was he not orchestrating events in 'hina. and the developing 'old War. and other world events2 ,nd since that was the case. if 3od was somehow %ehind missionaries* having to leave 'hina. what roles were Western missions. missionaries. and churches to play in 3od*s world2 ,s church and mission leaders consulted with one another internationally and wrestled with such searching 1uestions. what %egan to crystalli e in many minds was articulated in the increasingly touted phrase missio Dei. the mission of 3od. The virtues of Western 'hristian civili ation had %ecome tainted. World events-most pointedly two major wars com%ined with a devastating economic recession and resulting in teetering $uropean empires-had gone in une/pected directions. ,nd while it was impossi%le to see the e/pulsion of missionaries from
$/cerpted from God: The Real Superpower. ,ppendi/ ,. ,lthough dated. one of the clearest descriptions of these historical developments is 6odger '. 7assham*s Mission Theology: 1948-1975 ears o! "orldwide #rea$i%e Tension-&'umeni'al( &%angeli'al( and Roman #a$holi' (8asadena. ',9 William 'arey :i%rary. !";"-. Two other e/cellent and more up-to-date summary articles are <ohn ,. &c)ntosh. &issio =ei. in &%angeli'al Di'$ionary o! "orld Missions. ed. ,. >cott &oreau. 7aker 6eference :i%rary >eries (3rand 6apids9 7aker. 2###-. ?0!-00. and ,. >cott &oreau. &ission and &issions. i%id.. ?0?-0@. 3 ,ccounts of the )&' ,ssem%lies a%ound. including the %rief %ut helpful summary on the W''*s we% site. http9AAwww.wcc-coe.orgAwccAwhatAmissionAhist-e.html. )t is interesting to note what might %e called the site*s revisionist historical description of the )&' ().&issionary.'- conferences as mission conferences.
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'hina as anything %ut negative. some were open to the possi%ility that the esta%lishment of a new socialist order there might %e something positive. or at least a providential act of 3od. ,fter all. 3od worked not just through the church and e/plicitly 'hristian structures. %ut through wider sociopolitical realities as well. 4urthermore. the church of <esus 'hrist was %ecoming worldwide. with the younger churches in the non-West now serving 'hrist along with the older Western churches. These 'hristian leaders were grappling with how to understand this new post-World War )) world of the !"B#s. 4or them. a traditional West-to-the-rest program of missions would no longer do. That approach was too church-centered. and it was too %ased in the West as well. The more 3od-centered missio Dei was %ecoming for many a more satisfactory concept to use for understanding 'hristian mission. )t would. in fact. %ecome the single most influential concept in wider (ecumenical- twentieth-century 'hristian mission theology. &any 'hristian leaders had moved in their understanding from missions to mission.5 4igure 5 summari es what this shift meant.

Figure 4: The shift from missions to mission

missio Dei from missions to mission

From Christians activities to Gods initiatives

From God working only in the church to God working primarily in the world

From Western mission agencies to the worldwide church

To spell things out a little more. the mind-set e/pressed %y missio Dei fundamentally rests in the primacy of the triune 3od in carrying out 'hristian mission. Thus. missio Dei involves three interrelated themes. 4irst. whereas 'hristian missions had focused-perhaps unwittingly %ut nevertheless in actuality-on 'hristians* activities to spread the 'hristian faith. %y contrast missio Dei focused on the triune 3od*s initiative and activity. There was the feeling that the Western church had often slipped into its own planning. initiatives. and programs in carrying out its missionary task. The necessary corrective was to recogni e that the 4ather. >on. and Coly >pirit have %een taking the initiative. and continue to do so in e/ecuting the divine mission of %ringing salvation to the world.
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This is actually the title of a !"?#s %ook %y an influential D.>.-,merican mission leader9 6. 8ierce 7eaver. )rom Missions $o Mission: *ro$es$an$ "orld Mission Today and Tomorrow (+ew Eork9 ,ssociation 8ress. !"?5-.

>econd. Western 'hristianity had %een encased within a church-centered understanding of 'hristian missions that saw the church as 3od*s e/clusive instrument in %ringing salvation to the worldF that is. the view had %een that 3od worked through the church alone to save the world. Missio Dei recogni ed that 3od also works (some leaders asserted. primarily wor+s- directly in world events-that is. nonecclesiastical social. political. and economic realities. Third. missions to mission meant that %ecause of the presence of the 'hristian church in all regions of the world. Western missions organi ations should no longer %e the initiators of 'hristian outreach. The worldwide church. present now throughout the world in its various national and local e/pressions. was primarily responsi%le for carrying out the evangelistic task within its respective national and local conte/ts. )nstead of e/patriate missions pressing in from the outside. the church in its one mission under 3od had to find new ways of outreachcooperative action. reconciliation. interfaith encounter.GB )nsofar as missio Dei meant 3od*s using his church in his worldwide mission. this concept Hof missions to missionI essentially legislated against mission sending organi ations in general. replacing them in favor of the normal evangelistic activity of the various e/isting national churches.? )n these three senses. 3od*s mission was thought to have trumped 'hristian missions.

!vangeli"als #eparate and Consolidated

That all sounds fine and good-to a point. ,nd that point (actually a group of points- was the one at which many leaders in international 'hristian mission(s- circles %alked at what was happening within the ecumenical movement. That movement took concrete shape in the !"5@ formation of the W''. and particularly in its emphases that developed through the !"B#s and !"?#s. We will ne/t look %riefly at what happened with these dissenting leaders-evangelicals-in the !"?#s and !";#s. )n reaction to the focus on the missio Dei and going from missions to mission. evangelicals %ecame a separate and identifia%le movement on a worldwide scale. $vangelicals did not. of course. o%ject to an emphasis on missions* %eing fundamentally 3od*s mission. 6ather. they saw a shift away from a traditional. theologically orthodo/ emphasis on world evangeli ation. That had %een the spirit of $din%urgh !"!#. the evangelicals asserted in the late !"@#s. and thus that monumental conference can rightly %e considered the predecessor of the HevangelicalI J:ausanne movement* of our time. 7y assem%ling together starting in the !"?#s. evangelicals were thus simply getting %ack in touch with their historical roots.; The underlying issue for evangelicals was whether or not people %elieved the 7i%le. They concluded that those in the ecumenical movement had %ecome persuaded %y li%eral theology (which had emerged out of nineteenthcentury 3ermany- that the 7i%le*s teachings were not literally true. Organi ationally speaking. the initial evangelical gathering was a !"?? World 'ongress on
This phrase is on the cover of 7eaver*s )rom Missions $o Mission. 6alph W. Winter. The >ignificance of One J>.* side%ar comments in his The 6ise and 4all of the )&'. Mission )ron$iers (Octo%er !"""-. availa%le online at www.missionfrontiers.orgA!"""A!#Aimc.htm. 7 :ausanne 'ommittee for World $vangeli ation. The ,ausanne S$ory: The "hole #hur'h Ta+ing $he "hole Gospel $o $he "hole "orld ('harlotte. +'9 :ausanne 'ommittee for World $vangeli ation. !"@;-. !2.
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$vangelism in 7erlin convened %y 7illy 3raham. Ce and others wanted to focus on world evangeli ation and the 7i%le*s message of salvation for individuals who would %elieve in <esus and his death on the cross. That !"?? meeting led to the !";5 :ausanne 'ongress on World $vangeli ation (:'OW$-. a movement continuing to the present. 4igure B presents a %rief timeline of the modern missions movement.

Figure $: Twentieth-"entury unifi"ation and fragmentation of the modern missions movement%

!"!# K $din%urgh World &issionary 'onference

!"2!-)nternational &issionary 'ouncil ()&'-

!"5@-World 'ouncil of 'hurches (W''-

!"?! K )&' a%sor%ed into W'' !"??-7erlin World 'ongress on $vangelism !";5-:ausanne 'ongress on World $vangeli ation (:'OW$-

($cumenical-

($vangelical-

&ow !vangeli"als Defined Themselves

The stated purpose of the :'OW$ is $o !ur$her $he e%angeli-a$ion o! $he world .y .uilding .ridges o! unders$anding and 'oopera$ion among #hris$ian leaders e%erywhere $o mo.ili-e $he whole 'hur'h $o pro'laim $he whole gospel $o $he whole world.@ This statement clearly has some key and carefully crafted terminology. The wording sheds light on the conscious distinctives of the evangelical. :ausanne movement in distinction from the ecumenical W''. )t also shows how evangelicals were seeking to incorporate positive elements of certain emphases of the mission Dei concept outlined a%ove. These twin o%jectives of distinguishing and incorporating can %e sifted out under three points. 4irst. the purpose is for the evangeli ation of the world %y . . . proclaimHingI the whole gospel. The term e%angeli-a$ion is intended to %e more holistic-including %oth word and deedthan the term evangelism. which is proclamation9 World evangeli ation re1uires the whole 'hurch to take the whole gospel to the whole world." This assertion focuses on the distinguishing
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)%id.. !? (emphasis mine-. )%id.. 2@-2".

evangelical characteristic of word proclamation and the need for people to %elieve ver%ally e/pressi%le content. )t also acknowledges that limiting 'hristian ministry to word proclamation is a truncated view of the whole gospel. Whereas this is not the same as a missio Dei understanding that stresses 3od*s activity in the world outside the church. it does appreciate the stress on the gospel importance of the totality of life %eyond what is directly spiritual and church-related. >econd is the stated purpose of %uilding %ridges of understanding and cooperation among 'hristian leaders everywhere to mo%ili e the whole church. $vangelicals recogni ed and rejoiced in the church*s growth outside the West. To carry out the task of world evangeli ation. cooperative action %etween Western and non-Western 'hristian leaders was seen as strategic and even necessary. ,t the same time. evangelicals (at least Western evangelicals- did not concur with such new ways of outreach as the type of interfaith encounter that ecumenicals in the W'' were advocating. 'hristians were to %e mo%ili ed not to dialogue %ut to proclaim. . . to the whole world salvation in <esus 'hrist alone. The stress on proclaiming the gospel to the whole world points to a third distinctively evangelical emphasis. The a%sorption in the early !"?#s of the )&' into the W'' was %ased on the %elief that 3od*s mission involved the servant church around the world more so than Western%ased missions agencies. What concerned evangelicals a%out this aspect of the ecumenical movement from missions to mission was the inevita%le focus %y newly esta%lished churches on ministry within their own countries at the e/pense of other. still-unreached areas of the world. The separate integrity of missions agencies needed to %e cultivated along with that of churches in order to keep 'hristians* eyes looking ever outward to reaching the unreached with the gospel.!# )nsofar. then. as missions centered on preaching <esus 'hrist to the world*s unevangeli ed. with the more all-encompassing mission of the church possi%ly losing that cutting edge. the vitality of 'hristian missions needed to %e protected and emphasi ed in its own right.

#o 'hat(s the Big Deal)

7y the mid-!";#s. then. the ecumenicals and evangelicals had separate parallel organi ations. namely. the W'' and the :ausanne movement. The former em%raced the missio Dei with its divine-initiative. %roader-than-the-organi ed-church. and glo%al-cooperative emphases. The latter emphasi ed world evangeli ation. that is. gospel proclamation in word and deed to all the world*s peoples. most especially the unreached. With the :ausanne movement. missions-to-mission had %oomeranged %ack to a sharpened emphasis on missions. 7ut were the two movements really so different2 Ees. Eou may %e scratching your head at this point and wondering how. %ecause in many ways their respective emphases sound 1uite similar. ,fter all. ecumenicals and evangelicals %oth wanted 'hristianity to minister to people all around the world. right2 6ight. there is overlap %etween the two movements. 7ut there are profound differences as well. (>ee fig. ? for a comparison of the movements.- Cere is the clearest way ) know to descri%e those differences9 from an ecumenical perspective. the evangelicals were (and still are- too
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Winter. The 6ise and 4all of the )&'.

narrow- and closed-minded. $vangelicals restricted 3od to working only in and through the organi ed church K %ut didn*t 3od also work in and through social. economic. and political movements as well2 ,lso. evangelicals hung on to old ideas of every%ody in the world having to %elieve in <esus 'hrist in the same way that Western 'hristians had %een insisting for centuries%ut wasn*t that arrogant proselyti ing. as well as unfair to a loving 3od and to other sincere religious people from centuries-old traditions2 4rom an evangelical perspective. ecumenicals had left (and still have not returned to- the %asic 'hristian faith of %elief in the 7i%le as 3od*s perfect Word and in <esus as the uni1ue >avior of all people. &issions is all a%out people hearing a%out <esus so that they can %elieve in him and not perish %ut have eternal life (<ohn 09!?-.

Figure *: !"umeni"al vs% evangeli"al mission+s, distin"tives

$cumenical missionaries and church leaders. therefore. %ecame inclined to focus on such issues as peace. justice. and interreligious dialogue. What happened with apartheid in >outh ,frica. for e/ample. was a major concern of the W''. $vangelicals. on the other hand. have channeled their energies toward identifying the world*s unreached peoples and mo%ili ing churches to send missionaries to those peoples for evangeli ation and church-planting. 4or ecumenicals. missio Dei emphasi es 3od*s initiative throughout the world. Cow 3od works is something that we as people must hum%ly discover as we lovingly serve and learn from others. 4or evangelicals. missions emphasi es 3odLs command and guidance for 'hristians to work and strategi e so that all people can hear a%out <esus. )f people do not hear. they cannot %e saved and are doomed to an eternity in hell. The difference %etween those emphases is a %ig deal. ,nd on top of that. ecumenicals and evangelicals must %elieve that it*s a %ig enough deal to stay as organi ationally separate-as churches. schools. and missions organi ations-to date as they have ever %een.