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How is mission and missions defined? How is this similar to or different from your previous ideas about missions? Finally, tell us about any involvement in missions that you have previously had (i.e., short-term missions, praying for missionaries) and what you hope to gain from this class.

03. Book Cover Photoshop Template 11 182x300 - Defining Missions

Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey (Encountering Mission)

Response

Historically, the terms mission and missions have been used interchangeably, but more recently, a distinction between the two terms has emerged. A. Scott Moreau, Gary Corwin, and Gary McGee assert that the term missions pertains specifically to the work of the local church and mission agencies in spreading the gospel across different cultures.[1] However, the term mission is broader in scope, and it encompasses “everything the church is doing that points toward the kingdom of God.”[2] Somewhat surprisingly, Craig Ott, Stephen Strauss, and Timothy Tennent explain that the term mission does not occur in most Bible translations.[3] However, the term originates from the Latin word, mitto, that means to send, and it reveals itself in the Greek New Testament in verbs meaning to send such as ἀποστέλλω and πέμπω.[4] Within a generation of churchgoers who often focus more on “coming” rather than “going,” and “attending” rather than “sending,” the Greek language highlights a critical aspect of the terms mission and missions. Finally, Johannes Blauw takes the idea of ἀποστέλλω and πέμπω one step further by suggesting that the very essence of Church is its sending by stating, “It is exactly by going outside itself that the Church is itself and comes to itself.”[5]

The definitions of mission and missions mostly align with my previous idea of missions. However, the definitional distinction between mission and missions is helpful. Personally, I have never been able to line up my reading of Scripture with the current church environment where individuals sit in seats on Sunday morning and pay missionaries, pastors, and other vocational ministers to do God’s work, when Scripture appears to be abundantly clear that God calls all believers to make disciples (Matt 28:19). Accordingly, the term mission is a necessary distinction as all believers are part of the mandate to further the kingdom of God. Alternatively, not all believers are called to serve unreached people groups by crossing cultural boundaries. Individuals called to this specific type of “sending” need specialized support in the form of training and financial assistance. Thus, differentiating the term missions to identify a missionary’s unique calling appears prudent.

My involvement in cross-cultural missions has been limited. I have not participated in any short-term or long-term cross-cultural mission trips overseas; however, I have participated in several inner-city mission endeavors. Furthermore, I have a good friend who moved to Kathmandu, Nepal with his wife almost twenty years ago as missionaries. They provide a holistic missionary approach, which includes Gospel recordings, church plants, and discipleship training alongside caring for orphans, medical support, and vocational training. I continue support my friends’ ministry in various ways and enjoy meeting with them during furloughs.

After scanning the course material, I have concluded that I am quite ignorant when it comes to cross-cultural missions. Although my home church financially supports missionaries, my awareness has been limited to missionary speakers who periodically discuss far-off lands. In general, I hope to expand my breadth of knowledge not only regarding a biblical and historical perspective of cross-cultural missions, but also regarding effective strategies that reach unreached people groups. More specifically, I am interested in how to reach cultures that have often been antagonistic toward Christianity, such as Muslims, in order to gain the courage necessary to reach individuals with Muslim backgrounds who are entering my local community. 

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[1] A. Scott Moreau, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee, Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015), 17.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy C. Tennent, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues, ed. A. Scott Moreau (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), xiv.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Johannes Blauw, The Missionary Nature of the Church: A Survey of Biblical Theology of Mission (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962), 122.

 

Bibliography

  • Blauw, Johannes. The Missionary Nature of the Church: A Survey of Biblical Theology of Mission. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1962.
  • Moreau, A. Scott, Gary R. Corwin, and Gary B. McGee. Introducing World Missions: A Biblical, Historical, and Practical Survey. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015.
  • Ott, Craig, Stephen J. Strauss, and Timothy C. Tennent. Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues. Edited by A. Scott Moreau. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.
Wilder - Defining Missions
Derek Wilder Executive Director
DEREK WILDER, PhD, is the Executive Director of Lives Transforming Group, Inc., a Christian counseling ministry focused on personal transformation, and the author of FREEDOM and Minds on Fire. Wilder has a Master of Theological Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling, and a PhD in Biblical Exposition. Wilder's scholarly focus lies in Pauline studies, with his doctoral dissertation specifically examining the ontological implications present in the eighth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Wilder, an adjunct professor, founded Convergence Therapy, integrating cognitive therapy and grace-based theology into the accredited college course: “Thought Life & Spirit Growth.”