Objectives
By the end of this module you will be able to:
- identify the mission of the church as found in the New Testament
- articulate the difference between mission and ministries
- articulate a theology of mission for the contemporary church
- discuss the implications of mission for the local church
Introduction to Module 8
Like many topics in theology, mission can be studied from the point of view of what the scripture says, how the idea developed in the history of Christianity and what the challenges for today are.
The New Testament aspects are well presented in the readings, especially in the second reading. It is important to realize that the foundation document of the Christian church (the New Testament) gives Christians their basic theology of mission. This understanding is core to any theology of church and mission.
There are many different words used for mission today including evangelization. These are mentioned in the first reading. Among these the word "inculturation" is important. It means the insertion of Christianity into a culture, but not in a way to push the culture aside - as happened so frequently during the colonial period. Often the Christian message was identified with a particular culture, be it Spanish, Anglo-Celtic, Dutch or whatever.
Ideally there should be interaction between the local culture and the Christian faith in such a way as to respect the culture. This means that in many ways the cultural ways of doing things will be able to part of their Christianity. Some customs however might be excluded, or need transforming, because they conflict with Christian values. This step of deciding which values are compatible with Chrisitianity requires careful discernment.
This particular aspect of mission is not specifically taken up in the readings but the Decree does allude to it.
Introduction to Reading 8.1
"Mission" in Ecclesia: A Theological Encyclopedia of the Church, ed. C.O’Donnell, Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1990.
One of the issues in using the word "mission" with reference to the nature of the church is its exact meaning. In some sense Jesus was the original founding missionary. However the word "mission" to designate the proclamation of the faith was first used only in the sixteenth century. Thereafter it was frequently used to indicate the proclamation of the Gospel in foreign countries especially when one spoke of Francis Xavier, Martin de Porres or Matteo Ricci. Today the word is not confined to faraway countries, and the nature of the church as missionary is being reasserted because it is felt, in many cases, the church has lost its missionary or proclamatory edge.
This short encyclopedia entry deals with the history of missions in the Catholic Church and with the Vatican II Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity" (Ad Gentes) and then with some postconciliar statements on mission. As such it serves as a good introduction to Reading 8.2 which is the Vatican II Decree on missions, Ad Gentes.
Exercise 8.1
8.1.1 In what century was the theology of missions first taught as a discipline?
8.1.2 What is the link between the World Council of Churches and missions?
8.1.3 What does this article say about the Churches of the East and mission?
8.1.4 What is the difference between mission and ministries according to this reading?
Introduction to Reading 8.2
Vatican II "Ad Gentes Divinitus",(Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity), in the Documents of Vatican II, ed. W. Abbott, (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1966).
This is a reading which is rich in content. The idea here is to grasp the general rationale or basis for missionary work. It will soon become apparent that the church by its nature is missionary. When the church is not missionary it is less a church; it is not living up to its calling.
The results of the Christian Research Association (CRA) in Australia has shown that some congregations have little or no sense of mission. In the light of this it seems necessary for the churches to remind themselves of their true nature. Note the role of the Spirit (Pneumatological aspect) in the missionary work of the church. This comes through clearly in the biblical references.
This decree consist of the following chapters:
Chapter 1: Doctrinal Principles
Chapter II: Mission Work Itself
Chapter III: Particular Churches
Chapter IV: Missionaries
Chapter V: Planning Missionary Activity
Chapter VI: Missionary Cooperation
Conclusion
When you are answering the questions try to use your own words as much as possible, otherwise it becomes an exercise in simply copying parts of the text. Using your own words forces you to think of alterative ways of saying it and hence tests your comprehension.
Exercise 8.2
8.2.1 Write down all the scriptural references to mission in # 1-4, look them up in your Bible, and note their meaning.
8.2.2 Read # 1-9 and then in a summary in about a page and in your own words, describe why the church is missionary by nature.
8.2.3 Why is the formation of the Christian Community important?
8.2.4 What does the decree say about inculturation? (e.g. #22)
8.2.5 What does it say about ecumenism?
8.2.6 Who are the missionaries today?
8.2.7 How are missionaries to prepare themselves for the missions? (Chapter IV) Make brief notes.
8.2.8 To whom is the message of missionary cooperation addressed in Chapter VI?
Introduction to Reading 8.3
P.Egan, "Empowering God’s People at Grassroots level, in Redefining Church: Vision and Practice, ed. R.Lennan, (Sydney: E.J.Dwyer, 1995), 57-70.
This reading is really about a sense of mission and how that can be translated into pastoral planning. Do not forget, mission is the task of spreading the Good News and ministries are the particular services rendered to achieve the mission.
As the title suggests, this reading is concerned with empowering ordinary Christians, that is, helping people to become active, as opposed to passive participants in the community of the church. The mission of the church to the whole world is discussed. In this context ministries are those ways in which the mission is realized. It is important for every congregation, every community called church to look outwards (as well as inwards) to its mission in the world, and how it can carry it out by means of individual ministries.
The article goes on to show how the Maitland diocese applied its understanding of mission in practical terms in its Synod.
Exercise 8.3
8.3.1 Describe the sense of "mission" that comes through in the article.
8.3.2 What processes were followed in the Maitland diocese to realize their mission?
8.3.3 Do you agree with the general thrust of this article that there is so much talk about ministries that the sense of mission has been overlooked?
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