Introduction to the Missional Church Movement. Creative Tension A Clear Picture of Current Reality. Contextualization

Introduction to the Missional Church Movement

Peter Senge Garrett

Houston, Texas is now the most racially/culturally diverse city in the

U.S.A.

Between 1492 & 1965, 82% of the immigrants who came to the

US were from Europe.

The Immigration Act of 1965 changed everything.

Dr. Stephen Klineberg - Rice University


The United States is becoming a microcosm of the world.

• During the 1960’s, 3.5 million immigrants came to the US; only 38% were European.

• During the 1970’s, 5 million immigrants came to the US; only 18% were European.

• During the 1980’s, 10 million immigrants came to the US.


Two Current Revolutions in the US

• The aging or greying of America. – Anglos are overwhelmingly & disproportionately

represented among American seniors. – 70% over age 65 are Anglos. – In 2011 the leading edge of the Baby Boom

generation turned 65.– Today, if you reach age 65 in good health, you

have a quarter of your life ahead of you.


Two Current Revolutions in the US

• The colorizing or browning of America. – Young people in this country are

disproportionately non-Anglo. – 78% of Americans between the ages of 18 & 30

are non-Anglos.– During the 1990’s & 2000’s, 11.5 million

immigrants came to the US; 88% were from Asia, Latin America, Africa, & the Caribbean.

With the Immigration Act of 1965 & now with the internet – Religious

Pluralism is now a fact of life.

Four Fundamental Positions

• The Atheist view: no religion is true or all religions are equally untrue.

• The Inclusivist view: there is one, true religion, but some who are technically in other religions are nonetheless on a legitimate path to God by means of the correct religion, even if they don't know it.

Four Fundamental Positions

• The Exclusivist view: There is one, true religion, and the only path to God is through explicitly following that religion.

• The Pluralist view: There is no one, true religion. Multiple religions are legitimate paths to God.

Dialogue & Mission

1. The first perspective called for is to accept the coexistence of different faiths and to do so no grudgingly but willingly.

We cannot possibly dialogue with or witness to people if we resent their presence or the

views they hold.

Transforming Mission - David Bosch

Dialogue & Mission

2. Second, true dialogue presupposes commitment. It does not imply sacrificing one’s own position.

It is a false construct to suggest that a commitment to dialogue is incompatible with

a confessional position.


Dialogue & Mission

3. Third, dialogue (and, for that matter, mission) is only possible if we proceed from the belief that we are not moving into a void, that we go expecting to meet the God who has preceded us and has been preparing people within the context of their own cultures & convictions.

“We do not have God in our pocket, and we do not just take him to others.”


Dialogue & Mission

4. Fourth, that both dialogue & mission can be conducted only in an attitude of humility.


Dialogue & Mission

5. Fifth, both dialogue & mission should recognize that religions are worlds in themselves. Each one faces a different direction and asks fundamentally different questions.


Dialogue & Mission

6. In the sixth place, dialogue is neither a substitute nor a subterfuge for mission. They are neither to be viewed as identical nor as irrevocably opposed to each other.


Dialogue & Mission

7. In the seventh place, what has just been suggested should not be understood as just doing business as usual. We cant just keep doing what we’ve been doing.


Dialogue & Mission

8. How do we maintain the tension between being both missional & dialogical? We must admit that we don’t have all the answers. We should be prepared for surprises.

“We go not as judges or lawyers, but as witnesses; not as soldiers, but as envoys of

peace; not as high-pressure salespersons, but as ambassadors of the Servant Lord.”


Jesus spent time with both sinners & Samaritans.

• Matthew 9: 9-13• Luke 9: 51-55• John 4: 5-30

Documents

Introduction to the Missional Church Movement. Creative Tension A Clear Picture of Current Reality. Contextualization