Mission in theological education

1. MISSION IN THEOLOGICAL
EDUCATION
Review and Prospects
2010 May
Presented by Joshva

2. Mission – evolution‘Kahler’s
statement,
“Mission is the
Mother of
Theology”
Wright:
The entire Bible
is a missionary
book

3. Edinburgh 1910

4. 1952 Willingen

5. Achimota 1958

6. 1961 New Delhi

7. 1972 Bangkok

8. Reflecting on Mission
 Mission as ?The word Mission is found in the
NewTestament only once in Acts 12:25
 Evangelion – to announce the good news
(evangelism)
 Martyria - to bear witness (IMC 1952)
 Oikumene – to become one in/with Christ
(ecumenism) – Koinonia (fellowship) (IMC 1947)
 Kerygma – to preach (IMC 1947)
 Didache – to teach (IMC 1947)
 Diakonia – to serve (1967 Hoekendijk)

9. Mission
Creative
Tension
Church with others
missio Dei
Mediating
Salvation
Quest for
Justice
Evangelism
Liberation
Common
Witness
Ministry by
(Whole) People
of God
Witness to
people of
Other Living
Faiths
Action in
Hope
Theology
David Bosch’sTransforming Mission
Additions by Norman EThomas to Bosch
– Contextualization, and Inculturation,
dialogue in ClassicTexts

10. Holistic Mission
Plurality of Mission
Prophetic Liberative
Nourishes
Culture
Building
Communities
Proclamation
Development-
oriented
Participatory
Dialogic
and
interactive
Developed from WCC’s Statements 1980 -2005
You are the light of the
world Unity

11. Mission includes
 An Action of emptying
 A Process of learning and listening
 Content – good news
 Effect – transformed lives
 People – all no barriers
 Place – any where
 Culture – dignity restored
 Method – prophetic, dialogic
 Means – community based
 Reflection – critical improvement
 Institution - supportive
 Relationship – reign of God
Does not include
Fixed doctrines
Rejection
Ethno-centric attitude
Superiority complex
Denominationalism
Fundamentalism
Exclusive dualism
Allurement
Monetary persuasion
Offensive words
Proselytising

12. Mission Concepts in IMC
 Missio Ekklesia
 Missio Dei
 Missio Humanitatis
 Missio en Deo?

13. Missiological origins of
theological education
 We can trace missionary origins for
theological education in many colleges
 It was missionaries who came together first
ecumenically. So the ecumenical theological
education has a missiological background.
Missionaries founded theological colleges
with ecumenical visions. – IMC andTEF
 All the contextual discussions come from the
experiences and inputs of missionaries
around the world.

14. Mission Agencies and
Theological Education
Mission Agencies Theological
Institutions
servant
evangelist
prophet
Shepherd
Ecumenists
Diverse mission
inculturation
Academic standard
Theological concerns for contexual reality
Transition?

15. Missiological Challenges
 Transforming theology– taking sides - disability, HIV/AIDS
 Common witness – Learning Ecumenically – unknown
common spaces
 Reflecting contextually – to the borders and risks –
intercultual texts
 Neo-liberal values and Alternative life affirming gospel
message – challenging claims of modernity and
secularisation
 Facing postmodern context with confidence emphasising
relational, narrative, process and holy spirit factors –
emerging church and challenges of pluralization
 Challenging religious myths and ignorance – religious
fundamentalism - differentiating Evangelicals from
Fundamentalists

16. Missiology in Theological
Education
 Missiology as critique while theological
education as academic scrutiny
 Missiology as risks while theological
education as consolidation
 Missiology takes church to borders and
theological education takes church to
tradition and doctrines
 Missiology moves from particular to universal
whereas theological education moves from
universal to particular

17. Global Mission Tasks
 New Relationship or partnership – new ways
of sharing resources - mission as
interdependency
 Networking of churches and Christian
institutions – sharing missiological
experiences
 TrainingTheological teacher Leaders among
growing Churches as Christian mission
 Taking theology to all – via new technology –
elearning – nonformal theological education

18. Creative tension or synergy
Einstein’s moving frames
 Intellectual input and praxis
 Interdisciplinary and multifaceted approach
 Critical but creative and appreciative
engagement
 history versus Contemporary
 Particular (Tradition) and Universal
(Ecumenical)
 Transformation and restoration
 Individual and communitarian

19. Some Metaphors of
Theology and
Mission

20. Rice Bowl Theology – C S Song
Rice as
Theology and
Bowl as Mission
studies – For a
hungry person
rice cannot be
given without a
bowl and a bowl
cannot be given
without the rice

21. Missiological root of theology –
tree can be sustained by other roots too but main root
needs to be there – contextual theologies, ecumenical
studies, intercultural theologies and so on. (Carey)

22. Missiology in Theological
education
 Mission is a movement. Missiology is to guide
the movement. It has risks and dangers.
 An institution without movement is dead or
nearing dead. So any theological education
without taking missiological studies seriously is
nearing an end.
 Mission formation (both at global and local) is
the essential core of the ministerial formation
without which the theological college face dead-
end.