The document discusses the evolving understanding of chaplaincy as a form of mission within contemporary Christian practice, emphasizing the importance of participation in God's mission, known as 'missio dei'. It encourages church communities to discern and engage in mission activities that align with God's work in the world while recognizing the need for contextualization and dialogue in a multi-cultural setting. The learning process includes listening, discussion, and practical exercises to deepen the understanding of mission as a communal and prophetic endeavor.

1. TMM 3427
Chaplaincy & Contemporary Christian
Mission
2. Chaplaincy as mission: models and
practice.
Revd Andii Bowsher, Co-Ordinating
Chaplain, Northumbria University
Lindisfarne Regional
Training Partnership

2. What
we're
learning
2/34
What is mission? Changing models of
mission and the influence of David Bosch
And...
~ a whole-church activity
~ in a (multi-) cultural context
~ related to evangelism/evangelisation
~ as prophetic dialogue
~ orientation to mission in Chaplaincy

3. Why
we're
learning
it
3/34
●
Because the Church exists by
mission as a flame by burning.
●
So a good understanding of
mission is fundamental to
ministry.
●
Chaplaincy as an arena of
mission is growing in
importance.

4. How
we're
learning
4/34
●
Listening
●
Discussing
●
Exercises
●
Questioning
●
Laughing (?)

5. 1 starting ...
5/34
What do you think
"mission" would
conjure up if said in
your church?
Mission?
2Mins

6. Buzz (2s or 3s) ...
6/34
Mission!
4Mins
What difference to
those understandings
might be made by the
pre-reading?

7. Understanding Mission
7/34
In 20th
Century missiology...
Karl Barth: Mission is God's.
Father sends Son, & send Spirit. God
sends Church.
Initiative in mission belongs to God.
Idea of “Missio Dei” emerges in 1950s.
Has become ecumenical: accepted by
Prots, many evangelicals, RC's and many
Orthodox.

8. Bosch's models of mission
8/34
Exercise
[in 2s or 3s]:
●
Have a go at
matching up
descriptors with
models
●
(it's sometimes not
easy)

9. Missio Dei ...
9/34
It's not so much that
God's Church has a
mission as that God's
Mission has a church
Participating in “Mission is to
participate in the movement
of God's love toward people”
(Bosch, p.390)

10. Missio Dei ...
10/34
NB: This way of thinking about mission
relativises church (and parachurch)
missions...
… only authentic in as far as
genuinely participate in God's
mission.

11. Missio Dei: my telling ...
11/34
1) God is at work in the world, drawing it
towards a future where there is no sorrow,
where the treasures of humanity find their
home, where love, joy and peace are
found in all their fullness.

12. Missio Dei: my telling ...
12/34
1) God is at work in the world, drawing it towards a future
where there is no sorrow, where the treasures of humanity find
their home, where love, joy and peace are found in all their
fullness.
2) In the here-and-now-meantime God is
creating and supporting love, making
justice, inviting people into joy, fostering
peace and (in all of this) glorifying the Son
in the Spirit.

13. Missio Dei: my telling ...
13/34
1) God is at work in the world, drawing it towards a future where there is no sorrow,
where the treasures of humanity find their home, where love, joy and peace are found
in all their fullness. 2) In the here-and-now meantime God is
creating and supporting love, making justice, inviting people
into joy, fostering peace and (in all of this) glorifying the Son
in the Spirit.
3) We have the privilege of joining in with
that creative and redemptive movement.

14. Missio Dei: my telling ...
14/34
1) God is at work in the world, drawing it towards a future where there is no sorrow, where the treasures of
humanity find their home, where love, joy and peace are found in all their fullness. 2) In the here-and-
now meantime God is creating and supporting love, making justice, inviting people
into joy, fostering peace and (in all of this) glorifying the Son in the Spirit. 3) We
have the privilege of joining in with that creative and
redemptive movement.
4) We have the responsibility to discern
God at work and how to support it.

15. Missio Dei: our discerning ...
15/34
Question:
What do we think that God is
doing in this world in general and
particular terms?

16. Missio Dei: our discerning ...
16/34
Exercise:
In what ways might the listed
activities be understood as
mission? (Identify God's interest
or agenda in it and what a
church's rôle might be).

17. Missio Dei: our discerning ...
17/34
Exercise: In what ways might the listed activities be
understood as mission? (Identify God's interest or
agenda in it and what a church's rôle might be).
● An interfaith walk,
● setting up an election hustings meeting,
● a project to help with the material and legal
needs of asylum seekers
● an introduction to Christian faith course
● helping to run a food bank
● participating in a LETS scheme
● campaigning for a café chain to stock FT coffee
● A regular group to teach meditation

18. Missio Dei: our discerning ...
18/34
Discuss : how might these activities be
subverted and become something other
than Mission?
● An interfaith walk,
● setting up an election hustings meeting,
● a project to help with the material and legal needs of
asylum seekers
● an introduction to Christian faith course
● helping to run a food bank
● participating in a LETS scheme
● campaigning for a café chain to stock FT coffee
● A regular group to teach meditation

19. Break ...
● 15mins

20. Picking up again ...
What kind of answers, do you think,
would people in your church give to the
question
“what
is
salvation?”

21. Picking up again, still ...
What kind of answers, do you think, would people
in your church give to the question “what is
salvation?”
In the light of what we've been
thinking about Missio Dei,
how would you evaluate those
kinds of responses ?

22. Whole church ...
22/34
"The Church exists by mission
as flame by burning"
(Emil Brunner, The Word and the World)
Who is responsible for mission in the church?
What answers would you anticipate finding in
your church ?

23. Whole church ...
23/34
"The Church exists by mission
as flame by burning"
(Emil Brunner,
The Word and the World)
●
What reasons (practical, theological or
any other-ogical) might there be to
consider mission as a whole church
affair?
●
What difference does it make if we think
of mission as a whole Church enterprise?

24. Contextualising and inculturating
24/34
Item:
the Good News of Jesus
Christ can only be heard
and therefore
communicated
in terms that make
sense to particular
people in particular
contexts.

25. Contextualising and inculturating
25/34
Theological basis for taking
this seriously:
accommodation and incarnation.
infinite > infinite;
material > spiritual.
kataphatic & apophatic

26. Contextualising and inculturating
26/34
“Missional” church
means learning to “speak local” .

27. Multi-cultural mission
27/34
Gospel: at home in any or all
cultures...
“indigenising” and “pilgrim” trends.
ongoing conversation with
different cultural perspectives

28. Chaplaincy
28/34
●
Remember: more next week .
-Contextual:
dealing with a particular slice of life.
-Catholic/universal
-Missionall
universal church responding to the context
●
learning the context
●
discerning the Divine
●
experimenting speaking local

29. Mission as Prophetic Dialogue
Bevans & Schroeder, Constants in Context.
Dialogue: Rooted in the (inner) Life of
Triune God: “communion of gift and
reception, identity and openness to the
other”
●
Listening
●
Kenotic

30. Mission as Prophetic Dialogue
Dialogue -Multi-level effects:
●
loving respect
●
valuing others
●
images God's love and care
demonstrates a concern for truth and
justice
●
enables gospel witness in ways that
make sense

31. Mission as Prophetic Dialogue
Prophetic dimension:
recognises the (potential and likely)
falling short of
●
human lives,
●
human efforts,
●
human structures,
●
cultures
●
and attitudes.

32. Mission as Prophetic Dialogue
Components of mission:
●
Witness and proclamation
●
liturgy, prayer and contemplation
●
commitment to JPIC
●
interreligious dialogue
●
inculturation
●
ministry of reconciliation.

33. Wrap up ...
33/34
For yourself : write
out 2 or 3 things that
were new to you.
In 2s agree on a 'headline'
and strapline to share which
encapsulate a main learning
point. Share...

34. ●
Bevans, S. & Shroeder, R., Constants in
Context, Theology of Mission for Today
(New York: Orbis, 2004).
●
Donovan, VJ. 1982. Christianity
Rediscovered: An Epistle from the
Masai. London, SCM
●
Ward, P. 2002. Liquid Church. Peabody
MA/Carlisle, Hendrickson/Paternoster
●
Wright, Christopher JH, 2006, The
Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's
Grand Narrative. Downers Grove, Ill, IVP
Academic
Especially recommended ...