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table of contents

4 Introduction

8 ”Mission Together in a Fragile World” by Dr. Daryl Balia

14 ”Hope and Change in Mutual Mission: Call to Action” by Dr. Elizabeth S. Tapia

21 “Hope, Suffering and Prayer: Clash of Periphery and the Center, A Christological Missiology” by the Rev. Charles W. Amjad-Ali, Ph.D., Th.D.

26 “Hope and Faith in a Fragile World” by Dr. Earl Trent

30 “Hope and Change in a Fragile World” by Dr. Alton Pollard

34 “Witnessing to Christ through Confessing Communities: Missional Evangelism and the Other” by Dr. Laceye Warner

40 Hearing the Voices of Emerging Theologians

41 “Hope and Change in a Fragile World” by the Rev. Jeff Conklin-Miller

44 “Hope in a Fragile World” by Arnold Sang-Woo Oh

45 “Hope and Change in a Fragile World - Listen” by Molly Kacal

49 “Bridging the Chasm: Conscientization as Christian Discipleship” by Dr. Maria Teresa (MT) Davila

55 “Radical Habits: Practices for Evangelism Today” by Dr. Frances Adeney

60 “Global Awareness in Contemporary Ministry” by Dr. Bo-Myung Seo

66 Afterword by the Rev. John L. McCullough

69 Our Missiological Reflection Continues ~ Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion about Hope and Change in a Fragile World

2

introduction The idea and intention of bringing to life within

CWS an ongoing commitment to theological reflection

took root through the vision, planning and prayers of

a Church World Service committee named Mission

Relationships and Witness.

With a rich history intertwined in the witness of the

National Council of Churches USA, Church World

Service upon its independence and autonomy from

the council realized that a clearer theology of CWS as

an organization needed to be articulated. As a sibling

organization in the historic U.S. ecumenical endeavor,

the distinct mission and work of Church World Service

deserved a distinct opportunity to engage in theological

or missiological reflection to help articulate, secure and

embed our understanding of God at work in us and our

work on behalf of God in the world.

A missiological convocation in October 2008 launched CWS’s first effort in missiological reflection. This

meeting initiated the long held hopes and recommendations of ecumenical partners and member communions

within CWS. The primary purposes of the CWS missiological reflection process were:

• to influence the present and future culture of CWS and its members

• to feed into the efforts and outcomes of Edinburgh 2010

• to instill within CWS’s own planning process called CWS 2020 the importance and recognition of God in the

midst of our work as a gift and grace of our mission, and

• to recognize, theologically, the need for the witness of our church partners that is manifest in tangible ways

through our service and work.

“Hope and Change in a Fragile World,” inspired by the biblical passage found in Romans 12:9-12, was the

theme for the October 2008 convocation held in South Bend, Indiana. The vision of hope and change juxtaposed

against the fragility of the world in which we live continued to call beyond the convocation event and became the

clarion call for CWS for the duration of the 2008-11 quadrennium.

Although the convocation itself contained several different experiences and learning modalities including

worship, a series of quality panels, learning stations or workshops, the bible study presentations, bible study and

theological reflections set a tone and lifted a high bar of expectation for hearing words that would inspire and

challenge CWS in its work. Earlier in the quadrennium the CWS Board received a report on the perceived impact

and outcomes of the convocation itself. Expressed at that time and affirmed by the Board was the desire to

continue to devote quality time for missiological reflection during Board meetings and beyond into the future. Thus a

continuing pattern of hosting times of missiological reflection became a part of the CWS Board practice and meeting

culture.

The speakers who made presentations and engaged the Board in discussions came from various streams and

a variety of contexts. Without exception, the theologians (formally and informally speaking) came from communities 4

where the CWS Board meetings were held. The changing venue of CWS Board meetings created the opportunity

to locate and engage theologians and/or practitioners of mission relevant to our work and its challenges. Our mining

for jewels uncovered many theological treasures. You will have the opportunity to read or view these presentations

in the material that will follow shortly.

Our presenters lifted up pertinent themes for our reflection. Many of these themes were repeated in different

ways by subsequent speakers. All of them brought to us a unique wisdom derived from their body of work and their

experience in the marketplace of mission. A number of themes emerged as each speaker kept in mind our general

theme of “hope and change in a fragile world.” Some of the themes identified through the various presentations

include:

• Confrontation and competition is most often adverse to mission

• We are called to giftive mission - meaning the giving and receiving of gifts

• Inter-religious or interfaith dialogue creates interfaith bridges in the 21st Century

• The regular practice of radical hospitality is needed

• The South is now North - present in America and other parts of the world

• Mutual mission respects and honors all partners involved

• Sharing is not optional

• Mutual trust and mutual affection are requirements for mutual mission

• Mutual mission begets mutual transformation

• The plurality of the American context is a rich mission field

• Transformation often comes through those and that which has been rejected

• We are called to be “living stones”

• God calls the rejected and the living into a new community as God’s people

• There is a need to recognize the full humanity of each other

• Issues of exclusion, discrimination and race

cannot be ignored

• We need to recognize the influence of

capitalist interests within Christianity

• Missionary standing has too often been an

elite one

• There is a need to better intertwine ordained

and lay roles in ministry

• Mission is to be approached with humility and

hope

• Greed is an important but not often

articulated challenge in mission today

• We need to confront the presence of

corruption in the church and world

• We are called to minister to the stigmatized

• The healing of the periphery (of society) also reaps a healing of the center

• God favors the servant

• Our call to service is often in tension with human desires for privilege and access

• Hierarchies are too often divisive

• The gospel of Christ initiated hope and change in the world –this means healing, deliverance, recovery of

sight and liberty

• We are called to heal, restore and embody the beloved community

• Missional Evangelism is the embodiment, not just proclamation, of the Gospel6

• God is the primary actor in evangelism

• Three systemic sins important for confessing communities to address are: the exploitation of creation; idolatry

of wealth and the oppression of the other

• Kyrie Eleison

Many of these themes cited above were raised as different threads by our speakers and interwoven

together during these four years to create a tapestry of hope for change in our fragile world and our part in it. Our

missiological reflections became a part of a union of weavers seeking to help us fulfill the vision and mission of CWS

in faithfulness to God’s call to serve the world. Each speaker helped us to see and recognize our work and next

steps in different ways and with different voices spoken from their experiences of life and faith. We invite you to

“listen” to them in this format and look for these themes and others as you read.

In the pages that follow you will find excerpts - shortened or summarized versions of the presentations heard.

They are presented in chronological order. A variety of media forms have been used to capture their voices. As they

were available, the fuller written manuscripts or audio- video presentations are provided at the end of each section.

It is our hope that the effort here represents the life and works of our still living ecumenical movement. The words

of these theologians continue as living prayers, proclamations and prompts to be agents of hope and change in our

fragile world.

Kyrie Eleison.

At the CWS missiological convocation in October

2008, Mission Together in a Fragile World was presented by The Reverend Dr. Daryl Balia, Director former director of the Edinburgh 2010 Project. Looking at the Edinburgh 2010 project, he makes an historic overview of the missionary endeavor and its legacy since 1910. Balia led in asking the question, “Where mission is going in the 21st century? Citing John Wesley’s approach of viewing the world as his parish, which bounds one to declare to the world the good

news, of tidings of salvation, he interjects that greed and corruption interrupt the good news we preach and disrupts the church’s mission endeavor. He contends that the church is called to be at the forefront addressing the collapse of the moral order and contribute toward social moral regeneration.  

At the CWS missiological convocation in October 2008, Mission Together in a Fragile

World was presented by the Reverend Dr. Daryl Balia, former director of the Edinburgh

2010 Project. Looking at the Edinburgh 2010 project, he makes an historic overview of the

missionary endeavor and its legacy since 1910. Balia led in asking the question, “Where

mission is going in the 21st century? Citing John Wesley’s approach of viewing the world as

his parish, which bounds one to declare to the world the good news, of tidings of salvation,

he interjects that greed and corruption interrupt the good news we preach and disrupts

the church’s mission endeavor. He contends that the church is called to be at the forefront

addressing the collapse of the moral order and contribute toward social moral regeneration.

mission together in a fragile world

8

Dr. Daryl Balia

Our practice of doing God’s mission together in the world today is premised on the notion that mission is from

everywhere to everywhere...One way to get a grip of our moorings is to take an historical overview of the missionary

legacy which we have inherited through the witness of some of the great fathers and mothers of the faith…

‘God’s Heathens’

World missions…generally, was historically meant to include as primary agents those people who we

considered ‘lost’ in a world we knew little about. ..

Wesley, might have succumbed to the temptation of seeing the parish as his world for if mission meant

going to mostly white and nominal Christians who happened to be located abroad; There was clearly no strategic

formulation or policy at work, except the drive to recognise new circuits that were evolving abroad…The tide might

have changed in 1778 when the Methodist conference debated the matter of a mission to Africa, but it was only in

1786 when the Methodist conference for the first time sanctioned the sending of William Warrender for ‘heathen’

missions…

If the nineteenth century was the ‘great century’ for world missions, it is hardly surprising to encounter

resistance in earlier times to the notion of ‘reaching the un-reached’ among mainstream Protestants.. If John Wesley

saw the world as his parish but shared no passion for the conversion of the heathen, his missionary ‘disposition’

towards the other ‘stranger in our midst’ remains a challenge for us and was certainly far in advance of his time.

Slave owners and slave traders found justification for upholding their capitalistic impulses in slave dealing with the

belief that blacks were barbaric and uncivilized. Wesley’s understanding of natural law, human liberty and inherent

equality would not allow him to sit comfortably in midst of such eighteenth century cultural superiority. In his words,

‘Certainly the African is in no respect inferior to the European.’ In an interesting study, Irv Brendlinger has shown

that for Wesley the negro slave was no more the object of evangelical zeal for conversion than the English nominal

Christian.

…Wesley was indeed bound by ‘duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.’

North American Missions

Nineteenth century Christian missions, whether in Africa or elsewhere, were dominated by what came to be

called the three-self formula, namely, the need for self-governing, self-propagating and self-supporting churches …

American churches, at this time, constituted a hierarchical institutional structure which allowed only their obedient

native assistants to receive ordination as a loyalty ‘bonus’ for their perseverance in being trained, validated and

eventually granted access to power. … Americans had learnt from other contexts that it was important to secure the

support of the ruling elite and work through them for the conversion of nations.

Missionary Mandates

…An ideological framework was created for the American encounter with peoples of distant lands and a

predisposition nurtured through oversimplified distinctions. That the missionary lived as an aristocrat, having

full authority… Being usually a trusted friend of the colonial government… there was nothing to fear about state

intervention…No missionary at the time would have quite agreed that his function was a fiduciary one while that of

saving souls rested with his native subordinates… . Unless one assumes of course that the one who has to ‘look

after’ monetary matters is de facto the one in charge.

Questions relating to the suitability of native converts to progress towards the ordained ministry were never

dealt with lightly by the missionaries...One missionary was…clear in his understanding: ‘With ordained pastors over

self-supporting churches, it is plain that we cannot have the same authority over the churches we once had.’

Edinburgh 1910

‘Edinburgh 1910’ was ‘unique in the impetus it gave to Christian activity in many directions’ and ‘a fountain 10

head of international and inter-church co-operation on a depth and scale never before known.’ …

Edinburgh 1910 was a prototype… in that it stood out as the first ‘world’ gathering of missionaries and the

scope of its work embraced missionary efforts (albeit Protestant) from most parts of the world…Edinburgh 1910…,

is infamously remembered for its truncated delegations that served to exclude those from the ‘younger’ churches…

Edinburgh’s clock in 1910 was not one where Roman Catholic, Orthodox or emerging forms of independent

Christianity featured at all; God’s decisive hour seemed to be directed to God’s agents in heathen lands who were

mostly white, male and mainline Protestants only, with a small band of women helpers in attendance.

Edinburgh 2010

The initial conversations in looking towards a centenary gathering (called Edinburgh 2010) revolved around

the need to articulate a theology of ‘mission in humility and hope’. This was later modified to include the notion of

‘serving God’s mission together’ ... Still, the overriding considerations related to the presence of the ‘other’ …the

majority of Christians in the world were now no longer located in the global north. Women would no longer accept

being subservient partners... Pentecostalism was … accounting for over twenty five percent of world Christianity...

Christian discourse about mission was in need of a new way of speaking about God, a new language and a new

‘translation’ of God’s love for the same world.

Edinburgh 2010 was…conceived as an opportunity to do God’s mission again, in the presence of witnesses

from all parts of the world and without cultural domination… The hope was for a vision to evolve among churches

that would provide fresh energy and impetus for undertaking the task of mission in ways that would not cripple

existing resources or structures… Edinburgh 2010, (was) is meant to be a time to reflect, rethink and become

resolute about God’s mission again…

The landscape for mission in the twenty first century has certainly changed as, it might be said, the world

becomes a smaller place where mission is from everywhere to everywhere.

‘Greed and Corruption’

No missiological presentation … would be complete without reference to the current turmoil in world economic

markets, due to ‘greed and corruption,’ ‘It is essential that the churches be an active voice in national discussions’.

From the most cursory reading of church history it should be apparent that churches have not completely

ignored the prevalence and practice of corruption in society... But it might be misleading to claim that the ‘Christian

faith and tradition has a long history of condemning corruption’ when it fact the opposite is true.

…The struggle for the moral transformation of society does not require that artisans for the new humanity in

Christ be first themselves ‘cleansed’ from corrupt influences as though this is ever possible. Churches have and can

bring their moral capital, accumulated over centuries, to bear on the global effort to combat and prevent corruption…

given that corruption can thus be attributed to a whole range of possibilities... that does not detract from the enormity

of the challenge it presents to us who are seeking to do God’s mission in the world today.

To read Dr. Balia’s fuller manuscript, follow this link: Daryl Balia keynote presentation to CWS Missiological

Convocation Oct 21, 2008

12

At the CWS missiological convocation in October 2008, The Reverend Elizabeth S.

Tapia, M.A., Ph.D., presented Hope and Change in Mutual Mission: Call to Action.

She charged that engagement in mutual mission transforms each actor under the

guidance of the Triune God. She urged for the doing of mission together in genuine

partnership and mutuality to generate with others the transformative force needed in

our fragmented world.

Rev. Tapia served as the Director of the Center for Christianities in Global Context at

Drew University and Theological School in New Jersey and currently works for the

General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in New York.

hope and change in mutual mission: call to action

14

The Rev. Dr. Elizabeth S. Tapia

“Hopelessness is a form of silence, of denying the world and fleeing from it.” Paulo Freire

“We are in mission, all of us, because we participate in the mission of God who has sent us into a fragmented

and broken world. We are united in the belief that we are ‘called together in Christ to be reconciling and healing

communities.” These words came from a Letter From the 2005 Athens Conference on World Mission and

Evangelism. These words dwelt in my heart since I was particularly moved when on the shores of the Aegean

Sea… 600 people from 105 countries gathered to welcome ...a small boat … docked … to deliver, with love, a gift

from the churches in Jerusalem… a huge olive-wood cross, carved from the fragments of the trees uprooted to

build… the wall separating Palestinians from Israelis and other Palestinians. It was a “sign of both suffering and

hope.”

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I believe mutual mission can lead to mutual transformation. Those who are

engaged in partnership and mutuality in mission transform each other under the guidance of the Triune God. Doing

mission together in genuine partnership and mutuality with others generates a transformative force needed in this

fragmented world…

My purpose … today is …to give a word of encouragement. En cour - In heart is to put your heart in the heart of

mission that is proclaiming the unconditional love of God to all peoples and creation. I want to encourage you to

reaffirm your commitment to ecumenical partnership. I want to encourage you to let your hearts burn with fire for

mission, in oikos, here in a fragile but precious world. ..

This CWS missiological convocation is important… a timely contribution to the decentralized centenary

celebration of the Edinburgh World Mission Conference. It is related to four mission themes Mission and Power;

Forms of Missionary Engagement; 8 Mission and Unity, as well as Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship

…I want to propose that our hope for and praxis of mutual mission can bring mutual transformation. Living in an

interconnected world with connected oceans, one’s pain becomes the pain of all; one’s joy becomes a communal

joy.

Now that I have recently migrated to the United States due to family reasons, I have realized that here, in America,

lies a huge mission field.

1. Immigrants (are) the new missioners? … nearly one in five people living in the US speaks a language at home

other than English, Do we truly welcome the strangers in our midst?

2. As the vitality and growth of Christianity have shifted from the North to the South and immigrant churches in

US, are there ways we can be in mission together? Who are your partners in mission nowadays? What needs to

change in power relationships? Christianity’s growth in the Two-Thirds World is characterized by vitality, at the same

time of poverty… How do we do mission together in the context of economic injustice…?

3. Furthermore, What are your hopes for doing mission in the 21st century? What changes do you

wish to make in making mission more mutual, more sustainable and more relevant? How do we move with an

eschatological hope and practical mission in the midst of domestic problems, world wide financial recession,

ecological crisis and increasing global violence? What kind of action is called for?

4. The personal is missional … Growing up in a brood of ten in a small village in Central Philippines, I learned

early on four principles of survival:

a) Sharing is not an option. It is an obligation.

b) When someone is sick or in need, don’t just stand there. Offer help.

c) When in doubt, look for direction: pray and consult with others.

d) If your neighbor or your sister/brother is hurting, stop talking. Do something.

5. Doing Mission is contextual; we live in financially unstable condition due to corruption and greed … What 16

is not given is how we can reverse the almost midnight point to the world’s possible annihilation …. With this

contextual background, how are we to speak of mutual mission?

6. Asia, the birthplace of a majority of religions in the world, is so rich culturally and spiritually, yet so poor

economically and ecologically. Asia is restless manifested in poverty...Their call to Action: “pay attention to the

importance of inter-religious dialogue, solidarity and cooperation …place premium on ecumenical leadership

development.”

Some models of Mutual Mission in Asia come from:

A) The Christian Conference of Asia.

B) The Swedish Mission Covenant Church (Sweden) and Hindustani Covenant Church in North India.

C) NCCUSA, NCCP and CWS show solidarity with the people of the Philippines.

D) Communities of Shalom at Drew/UMC aim to “engage congregations and communities to build a future of

hope and peace together through multicultural and multi-faith collaboration.” …Their six-point approach to change:

SHALOM

S - Systemic and Sustainable change

H - Healing, Health, Harmony and wholeness

A - Asset-based community development

L - Love for God, self and neighbor

O - Organizing for direct action

M – Multicultural and Multi-faith collaboration.

For me, these are some examples of doing mission together. The learning stations provided in this

consultation are living examples of these too.

Mutual Mission: What do we mean by mutual mission? It means we are being co-missioners with God in

kin-dom building here on earth. It means also being co-missioners with one another, transcending barriers of race,

creed, color, age and life situations as well as life preferences. By ‘mutual mission,’ we mean all parties involved

in… planning, implementing, resourcing and evaluating.

I believe mutual mission can lead to mutual transformation. Doing mission together in genuine partnership

and mutuality generates a transformative force needed in this fragmented world. Drawing from several models…

mutual mission means:

1 sharing a common vision.

2. a living dialogue.

3. committing ourselves to equal partnership

4. It means taking the time to celebrate and share our problems, concerns as well as our successes and surprises...

5. It entails a willingness to recognize, and repent of the pitfalls of a triumphalistic western Christendom, and the

arrogance of militaristic/economic power.

“Hope and Change in Mutual Mission” means I believe that Church World Service and its constituencies are

pregnant with hope.

Signs of Hope in Mission and you can certainly add to the list:

• Grassroots organize for change

• The ratification of the UN Declaration of the Right of Indigenous Peoples

• NGOs working together for peace, justice and sustainable development

• Peoples Movements: Women, Indigenous People, World Social Forum, etc.

• Increasing Interreligious Dialogue and projects

• Indigenous theologies of Hope

A Call to Action requires:

A) Self-critique.

B) Reaffirming the commitment to promote visible unity of the church.18

At the CWS missiological convocation in October 2008, The Reverend Charles W. Amjad-Ali,

Ph.D., Th.D, presented the bible study “Hope, Suffering and Prayer: Clash of Periphery and

the Center, a Christological Missiology,” a biblical reflection of Mark 5:21-43. Lifting up themes

from the two related stories in this gospel reading that highlights those living on the periphery

of society - ritually and socially outcast and anonymous against those in society who are in

the center or the places of privilege. Jesus performed or allowed healing for these on the

periphery and those in the center. The two models of healing in the Mark passage – one about

a woman who was not willing to give up, and a child resurrected are ones to be considered as

the church seeks to be witnesses of Christ in the world in the current age. Dr. Amjad-Ali is the

Martin Luther King Jr. Professor for Justice and Christian Community and Director of Islamic

Studies at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

C) Mutual mission requires mutual affection and mutual trust.

D) A sense of “humility”, acts of repentance, acts of reconciliation.

In humility, I’d say the WMC Edinburgh 1910 paved the way to the birth of the ecumenical movement. It

opened a door, but it was not the door. But one thing that stands out for me as I studied this history: The three

streams of ecumenical collaboration eventually came out of this Edinburgh meeting: Life and Work, Faith and Order,

and the International Missionary Council, merged into the present day World Council of Churches. Don’t you think

we should continue our ecumenical ties?

Yet, the challenge of race relations evident in 1910 is still very much with us today. Kyrie eleison... Roman

Catholic missiologists, Stephen Bevans, Eleanor Doidge and Robert Schreiter point to a multi-dimensional mission:

• Witness and Proclamation (Evangelism)• Enculturation• Liturgy, Prayer and Contemplation• Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation• Health and Healing (CWME)• Reconciliation• Interreligious Dialogue

My friends… We need each other to survive, to live meaningfully. Mutual Mission can give bring about mutual

transformation...this is possible when our work together is: dialogical, embodied, contextual, transformational,

creative, hope-filled and celebrative.

Use your power of 5 “Vs:” VISION, VOICE, VOTE, VISIBILITY and VIBRANCY.

I end with this prayer of Archbishop Oscar Romero, from El Salvador.: “We may never see the end results, but

that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not

messiahs. We are prophets of a future that is not our own. Amen.”

Follow: Elizabeth Tapia Keynote Address at the CWS Missiological Convocation October 21, 2008 to read the full

address.20

hope, suffering and prayer: clash of periphery and the center,

a christological missiology

The Reverend Charles W. Amjad-Ali, Ph.D., Th.D

Read: Mark 5:21-43

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer” (Rom. 12:12).

On the surface is an admirable picture of what the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) entitles the “Marks

of the True Christian.” It has the potential to be used, as a quietist mantra for us to withdraw from any Christian

practice and witness that challenges the structures of power… in the context of mission they have been viewed as a

call to the subjects of missionary activity to be passive recipients of the gospel:

I…want to bring into focus here, a character in the gospels who partially exemplifies the attribute ( of justice

and change)… the woman with the flow of blood When she hears of Jesus.... she reaches out to him, to heal

herself… a woman with a faith strong enough to go out and steal her salvation

Mission is not always a question of what we give…it is also… what they take from us. In the case of the

hemorrhaging woman…(she was) a member of the masses (the ochlos, “crowds”)…, she does not wait to receive

healing and grace from Jesus, but boldly takes what she needs from him.

Mark 5:21-43… is the only place in the gospels where two healings are purposefully and inextricably

intertwined. ….he two come from very different socio-economic, class, and political locations. Jairus’ daughter

represents the very center of Jewish society … while the hemorrhaging woman represents the extreme periphery

For Jairus, a Jew of high status, to come into the heart of the masses and fall to his knees before Jesus...

is a sign of his extreme desperation.. What is critically clear here is that the center must come to the periphery for

healing,

The drama is supposed to be played out at the center, yet the periphery takes over…the difference between

the two narratives is immediately apparent. …The woman is anonymous and obviously holds only a marginal

location in society. .. Jairus’ daughter, whose father is obviously a very powerful and religious upper-class man… the

woman is desperately ill... She is now broke and desperate.

Yet, she has not given up hope… She is willing to take matters into her own hands …so that she is not excluded

from the public arena and stigmatized no more.

Jesus’ response is unexpectedly not one of anger, but of love; …Jesus does not revile her…audacity,… rather he

calls her, “Daughter,” a term of deep compassion, love and endearment… he … stops, affirms her actions, and

claims her to be his family… Perhaps he uses the term “Daughter” because she has had the courage to take her

healing into her own hands; to break the oppressive religio-social codes …challenge the edifice of dehumanizing

processes. This is truly missiological.

Because of her courage, Jesus tells her, “Go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”… This is not just a spiritual

peace but it also represents a socio-political statement…

The story reverts once again to Jairus’ daughter… Jesus then moves toward the healing required at the center. .

Jesus radically privatizes this healing …the ochlos is kept from being a witness to the healing at the center…enters

the private space.

Those present are amazed; yet Jesus instructs them “no one should know In contrast, the healing of the

hemorrhaging woman, done in the most public of spaces …is made totally public both through her public confession.

…While the woman at the periphery is being healed, the news from Jairus’ house is of death. And yet the healing

of one at the periphery also heralds the possibility of restoration and even life at the center. The latter cannot be

achieved till the former has fully taken place…

This is a story of contrasts and preferences. The question for us is which of these two women is a model for mission

for us? To quote Bonhoeffer through Elizabeth Tapia again: “The task of a Christian, is not to lead a pious life, but to

be a witness to Christ in the world though life and action.” And through this we become a community of change and

hope, and in mutual mission through action.

To read Dr. Amjad-Ali’s fuller manuscript, follow this link: Charles Amjad-Ali Keynote Bible Study at CWS

Missiological Convocation October 22, 2008

24

In March 2009, the Reverend Dr. Earl Trent presented a Bible Study from I

Peter 2: 4-10. Trent related his comments to the need to build our mission on

the cornerstone and foundation of the Christian faith, which while rejected by

mortals, is alive and precious in the telescopic view of the Holy. He contends that

the rejected have often been the instruments of God’s transforming presence.

Dr. Trent has been the Chair of the Mission Relationships and Witness

Committee of CWS and will become Chairperson of the CWS Board in 2012.

He currently serves as senior pastor of the Florida Avenue Baptist Church in

Washington, DC.

hope and faith in a fragile world26

example: persons who have been displaced because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita… still long for home… in the

midst of a new and different, community.

The new people… comprised of the rejected … are now a part of this new people. .. may feel as if they lose

something in being associated with the formerly rejected.... The majority (also) needs mercy for the unintended and

unthought-of consequences of their corporate actions and privileges ...A new sense of being and a new sense of

becoming God’s people is what is being called for in I Peter.

Given our often competing feelings and values, where do we find our hope? In the midst of competing

sensibilities, we are called upon to live mercifully…This is the right thing.

To read Dr. Trent’s fuller manuscript, follow this link:

Earl Trent Bible Study in Missiological Reflection March 25 2008

The Rev. Dr. Earl Trent

Read: I Peter 2:4-10

Several themes are drawn from this text. The first is “stones…The second is “a new people” (built from this

stone.)

What does it mean to be “stones” and what does it mean to be “a new people? … in Church World Service.

With what are we building our spiritual house and who are we as inhabitants of this house?

What do you do with the imagery of stones...? Stones… stand in contrast to the fragile nature of the lives…

In the scriptural passage, these stones are the outcasts and the rejects. Yet in I Peter, the outcasts and rejects are

created into the new people…

In this context, the rejected are called by God… yet chosen and recognized by God as precious. Through

God’s eyes and like Jesus, the formerly rejected become living stones built together into a spiritual house…

The passage also provides an architectural statement. The cornerstone is where the walls line up.

Contemporary cornerstones are ceremonial… In this …scriptural motif, the author is saying to the faithful, line

yourselves up with Christ.

The “stones” in the passage may also mean the capstone. A capstone is the stone that is elevated to the

top…. The pyramid with its capstone is a psalm of triumph.

(An)other characteristics of stone … mentioned in Isaiah 8:14 … is a word of prophetic judgment..

Then there is the second figure: … God’s new people. The issue of being chosen...is special, an honor, a

privilege… and all the adjectives that there are that are the best ones to have and use. For example, refugees

who are rejected in their home land are now welcomed by those who speak another language. As outcasts who

have been subjected to merciless treatment to now receive mercy is beyond one’s ability to fully fathom. Another 28

30

In October 2009, the Reverend Dr. Alton B. Pollard, III presented a bible study of “Hope

and Change in a Fragile World.” Drawing from the Gospel of Matthew 9 as well as

utilizing other biblical texts and the wisdom of African and American proverbs, Pollard

related stories of healing, resurrection and the restoration of hope through changing the

condition of the poor, afflicted and otherwise challenged that Jesus encountered. Dr.

Pollard is the Dean of Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union in

Richmond, Virginia. Dr. Pollard specializes in African American Religion and Culture,

Sociology of the Black Church, Southern African Studies, Pan-Africanist Religious

Thought, American Religious Cultures and Sociology of Religion.

hope and change in a fragile world

Dr. Alton Pollard

The world’s experience of God was ushered into an era of hope and change in the world through Christ. The

baptism of Christ itself presented the opening up of heaven. However, this initiation and the recognition of God’s

favor demonstrated at the baptism ushered Christ into a season of being in the wilderness. In this wilderness, Jesus

was tempted by the adversary. Despite his diminished physical strength because of fasting and the propositions

made to him during that time in the wilderness, he remained clear in his resolve to fulfill his mission.

Christ’s message after enduring the temptation in the wilderness was to go to the temple – to proclaim that

hope and change had now come – that the prayers of the dispossessed had been answered and that God was

ushering in a new era of the good news that meant healing, deliverance, recovery of sight and liberty for those in

need. Jesus brought to life the gospel that he proclaimed by healing the blind, the lame, the leper and the deaf.

The dead were raised and the poor received good news. In the midst of death, Jesus proclaimed the

conditions of life, and in the midst of sickness, Jesus promoted health. The synoptic gospels recount the story of an

awakening of a young girl, the daughter of a religious leader, from the dead. Adjacent to that story is a healing story

of a woman who had suffered 12 years from excessive bleeding or hemorrhages. Matthew 9:18-26 is one of the

three places in the gospels where this story can be found.

Jesus ministry also brought light places where the shadows fell. Also found in Matthew 9 is a story of the

healing of two blind men. (vs. 27-31) It is here where you see Jesus as a principle actor in God’s mercy and where

the blind men who exercised their faith experience the opening of their eyes and the restoration of their sight.

Later in Matthew’s 9th chapter, a story of the healing of a man possessed by demons and also unable to

speak takes places. It is here where the demons that possessed him were cast out enabling the man to at last

speak. The crowds that witnessed this man being freed of his affliction were amazed declaring to all who would

listen that they had never experienced anything like it before in Israel.

Psalm 133 proclaims how good it is for those who believe and practice their faith to dwell together in a unified

house. The converse of unity is division. The consequences of division are captured well in the African proverb,

“when elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.”

The sages of proverbs from Africa. America and the Bible also warn against the dangers of hierarchies and

isolationism. Their wisdom prompts the putting aside of discrimination based on gender, generation, social class,

sexual identity, religion and race. The speakers of wisdom lift of the value of the very young and the very old on the

margins of the continuum of life and are too often overlooked, cast aside or suppressed. Contemporary and ancient

prophets urge the living out of justice kindness and humility by lifting stigmas that divide and incite hatred and

distrust.

In search of the beloved community of God, American sacred wisdom urges is to “speak truth to power in love

and humility; afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted; be affirming of all and alienating of none.” The African

American mystic Howard Thurman proclaimed that we will know when the beloved community has been manifest

when “we have lost our fear of our sisters and brothers and are no longer ashamed of ourselves.

Continuing in the wisdom of Dr. Thurman, “Let us now go forth to save the land. For this is why we were

born.” Amen.

The PowerPoint of Dr. Pollard’s presentation may be found by following this link:

Alton Pollard Presentation to CWS Board October 21, 2009

32

witnessing to christ through confessing communities: missional evangelism and the other

In March 2010, The Reverend Dr. Laceye Warner presented “Witnessing to Christ through

Confessing Communities: Missional Evangelism and the Other.” Drawing from various

historical interpretations and responses to the “Great Commission,” she addressed

the misconceptions of evangelism, and spoke to the need to take ecclesial evangelism

seriously, even among those whose primary mission is not evangelism, she contends that

ecclesial evangelism is the work of God’s Spirit and a the Missio Dei. Dr. Warner is Associate

Dean for Academic Formation and Programs; Associate Professor of the Practice of

Evangelism and Methodist Studies, and the Royce and Jane Reynolds Teaching Fellow at

Duke University Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina.

34

Rev. Dr. Laceye Warner

The familiar passage, Matthew 28:16-20 has been commonly called “The Great Commission.” It is one of four

Gospel commissions ~ each having its own unique and increasingly demanding account of the commission. Yet,

Matthew 28 is probably the most familiar and has often been used as a rally for American and European Christians

to accomplish mission and do evangelism around the world.

In early Christianity, the commission was considered to have been accomplished by the apostles. Luther and

Calvin disagreed, but were not successful in revising this interpretation. It wasn’t until William Carey’s work, An

Enquiry, published in 1792 that a turning point occurred in the understanding of the commission.

These words in Matthew’s text have had an impact in our practice of missional evangelism. The themes of

Matthew 28 have pervaded the UMC and other church’s approaches to mission and evangelism. Yet, there are

three misconceptions that invite a constructive theological response based on Matthew’s commission.

Misconception 1: Matthew 28 often emphasizes and inspires Christians or individuals in the “going.” This is

said not to dissuade persons from going, but the emphasis on “going” has tended to glamorize exotic locations and

the perpetuation of colonialism. “Going” is needed, but not as a mission tourist who stays a few days takes a few

great photos and then goes home unchanged. There is an opportunity in this misconception. Matthew identifies the

ekklesia or gathering of the people of God as key in the “going.” It is time to imagine what it means to receive and to

send. It is about going and being the people of God in any given place.

Misconception 2 assumes that human responsibility is the key to making disciples. Actually, it is God inviting

humankind into the role of discipling. Human strategies are helpful, but the larger question is who we are in relation

to the reign of God? There is an opportunity in this misconception: the verb ‘discipling’ indicates God is the primary

actor in evangelism.

Misconception 3 has to do with a focus upon confession which at times becomes a list of individual sins

one has committed; this is a myopic approach to evangelism. Evangelism and mission is made manifest in the

life of a congregation in its life in the world. Confession is a two-sided coin: it is a confession of belief, and it is a

confession of sin. There is an eschatological ethos in confession that gives us a perspective that is larger than the

present tense. The opportunity here is that Matthew invites disciples to practice the love of God and neighbor within

communities of faith.

This reflection supports the ecclesial character of missional evangelistic practices in and by Christian

communities of faith to and with “the other.” Inspired by Matthew’s commission, some terms are helpful to define.

Missio Dei or the Mission of God is a Latin term indicating the sending of God.

Evangelism is the embodiment, not just proclamation of the Gospel. Evangelism is the heart of God’s mission. It

is a sharing of the Gospel message. Scott Jones in The Evangelistic Love of God and Neighbor based on William

Abraham, The Logic of Evangelism provides a helpful definition: “that set of loving, intentional activities governed by

the goal of initiating persons into Christian discipleship in response to the reign of God.” This is at the heart of God

sending.

We are to move from Going to Gathering…to “Go!?” The sense of how we go is as important as the going.

“Go” has received disproportionate attention. When we talk about going to make disciples of all Nations, the

question has been asked are we talking about “Nations” or “Gentiles”? There is no clear consensus. The evils and

complexities of colonialism have pervaded. The command to “Go,” according to the scholar Dr. Musa Dube has

seemingly given Christians an unrestricted passport to all nations without their consulting the nations in question.

In Matthew’s commission there is a use of “all the nations.” Dr. Amy-Jill Levine points out that ethne, which is

used in Matthew most often indicates an ethnological description, but could indicate a religio-ethical usage. So it

can be used to mean not as going to other nations, but going to people who have other practices.

“Jesus came to them” is an important message in the passage. Despite betrayals, Jesus comes to the

disciples and promises to be with them always ~ to the end of the age (v. 18). This is an important distinction in 36

understanding “Emanuel” or God is with us. When we go, Jesus is there and when we depart, Jesus is there.

John Wesley, founder of 18th century renewal movement, uncovers a collaborative relationship between God

and the ones God calls to realize God’s reign. The verb matheteuein or “to disciple,” which is rare term, indicates

God is the primary actor in evangelism. It is to an urgent discipling that we are called. All Christians as a part of

our discipleship is a commission through our baptisms to Christian service, including evangelism: “to proclaim the

Gospel in our words and in our lives.” Discipleship is not a church membership drive but an opportunity to invite

others to participate fully in the reign of God, and to bring people into God’s discipleship.

Ecclesial Evangelism is an ecclesial confession ~ an ecclesial evangelistic practice from the verb terein,

which is to observe or to practice. The verb entellesthai is to command. Jesus’ commandment is in obedience to the

invitation to love God within communities that love God and love neighbor.

There are three systemic sins that are important for confessing communities to address: exploitation of

creation; idolatry of wealth, and the oppression of “the other” as defined by ethnicity, gender and ability. These

systemic sins are areas of current interest in confessional communities and present opportunities for ecclesial

witness beyond preaching and confessing for confessional communities:

The “Care for Creation” which is supported by the Gospel text found in Mark 16:15. Here Jesus says to them,

“Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” When Wesley points out that all of creation

will be redeemed and brought into the realm of God, he broadens the scope of our understanding of creation

beyond human beings. Practices that are redemptive are not a “check-list” but come from within the communities of

practice.

“Wealth-sharing” is within the most often spoken of topics in the bible. Money is third only to the themes of

love and faith. Yet money is not often talked about in our churches. As supported in Luke’s commission, Luke 24.

44-49 is best read through the lens of the year of Jubilee found in Luke 4:16-20. The year of Jubilee, although

admittedly never achieved provides an opportunity for a redistribution of wealth. There are financial practices like

micro-finance, micro-lending, and debt-reduction that can be utilized and seen as more than good stewardship

practices, but a part of our calling as confessing communities sent into the world for redemption and reconciliation.

Regarding a third opportunity of “breaking oppression,” perhaps there has been much progress, but there

is much more to be done in the world. The commission in John 20: 19-23 states, “As the Father sends me, so I

send you…” Confessing communities prayerfully have their own examples of being co-participants in breaking

oppression.

In conclusion, Brian Stone in Evangelism after Christendom, the most evangelistic thing the church can do

today is to be the church. The church doesn’t need a strategy, the church is the strategy. Ecclesial Evangelism

takes seriously: confession and redemptive ecclesial practices; eschatological dimensions of a witnessing

community, and pneumatology or the Holy Spirit. Revelation 21:1-6 is a vision of the church in all its beauty - “the

church above” in all its fullness where there is no suffering, mourning, violence, addiction and where we live by

sight because our faith has been fulfilled. Nevertheless, we live in the “church below” that has not yet lived into its

fullness. There is still a beauty here that can be glimpsed as we participate as communities of faith and witness

God’s unfolding reign.

Goodness is stronger than evil; love is stronger than hate; light is stronger than darkness; life is stronger than

death; victory is ours through Him who loved us.

(Desmond Tutu, South Africa from John 1:5)

~

To hear the audio recording of Dr. Warner’s presentation, follow these links:

“Witnessing to Christ through Confessing Communities: Missional Evangelism and the Other.”

38

Discussion following Dr. Warner’s Presentation

Hearing the Voices of Emerging Theologians

Duke University Divinity School

March 11, 2010

In March 2010, the Church World Service Board held its meeting on the campus of the Duke University

Divinity School. The Divinity school environment provided a wonderful theological context for reflection and the work

of governance. In addition to the presentation by Dr. Warner just highlighted, three students of varying experience

and different levels of academic study presented to us their reflections on “hope and change in a fragile world.”

Brie bios of these emerging theologians are found below; their comments follow in the pages to come.

Jeff Conklin-Miller is a doctoral student in the Th.D. program at Duke University Divinity School with primary

areas of concentration in Theology, Ethics, and the Practices of Christian Mission, Witness, and Evangelism. His

secondary areas of study include Theology and Practice in the Wesleyan Tradition. Conklin-Miller’s dissertation is a

contemporary (North American) missional ecclesiology, drawing from the Wesleyan tradition and the insights of John

Howard Yoder and Rowan Williams.

Arnold Oh is a doctoral student in the Th. D. program at Duke University Divinity School with a primary area

of study in Theology and a secondary concentration in Mission. The focus of Oh’s dissertation is the role early

Protestant missionaries’ theology and Christology in particular had in the interpretation of the Great Pyongyang

Revival in Korea from 1903 to 1907. His work examines the formation of religious subjectivity found within modern

Koreans stemming from this particular theo-historical moment.

At the time of her presentation, Molly Sue Kacal was a candidate for a Master of Divinity degree in the class of

2011. Having worked overseas partnering with pastors and missionaries, her vocational aspirations include pursuing

a leadership role within an inter-denominational church mission that provides feeding centers, homes and schools

for orphans, health care, and counseling centers in rural communities or desolate places. In her words, she desires

to be a faithful child of God who takes seriously the teaching to look after orphans and widows in their distress and

to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27, NIV)

Rev. Jeff Conklin-Miller, Ph.D. Candidate

It’s important for you to know for what follows that my own experience in mission is located almost entirely in a

congregational context. Before I was a doctoral student, for eleven years, I was a pastor, serving United Methodist

congregations seeking their way in the plurality and diversity of Southern California. In that context, the church

struggled to know how it was a part of the one body - one church. What we learned painfully and repeatedly in

facing our racial, cultural, linguistic, economic separations from one another - is that we do not know what it means

to be “one body.” At the same time, we found ourselves facing the need to minister in a rapidly changing, “Post-

Everything” world: “post” modern, “post” Constantinian, and “post” colonial. The texture of what constituted “church”

and what constituted “world” grew more complex: the church struggled with sometimes competing visions of its own

identity and calling, all of which cohered, I think, in deep questions pertaining to what we call “mission.”

So, to pick up on one of the questions posed to guide this time together, when we ask how might we better

or more faithfully respond to the challenges of being a church in the world, in my work here at Duke, I start with the

terms of your name itself, namely, “Church” and “World. We may not dwell much on the relationship of church and

world, other than to determine that the two are linked by the calling of one to serve the other. However, I’d argue

that mission requires a theological differentiation of church and world. I’m quick to add that this can be, and often 40

has been problematic, as the differentiation of the church and the world is prone to overstatement, and is thus

often implicated in underwriting the church’s sectarian preparation from the world which consequently undermines

mission. In contrast, my work seeks to live in the space between church and world, trusting that the church exists in

“the creative tension of, at the same time, being called out of the world and sent into the world….”

That’s the space I want to focus on, the “tensioned” space between church and world, and I’ll raise two

particular tensions for our consideration here in relation to questions of Church, World, and Service in Mission. The

first, the tension is between “performance and patience” and the second tension is between the “boundedness” and

the “openness” of the church.

How do we strike a balance between Performance and Patience? The tension here can be narrated in

different terms; perhaps as the tension between “action and contemplation” or between “service and prayer.”

While performance emphasizes human action, the skilled participation of the trained actor, patience names the

stance of hopeful presence, expectant waiting, placing trust not primarily in the agency of human action, but in the

eschatological promises of God. In practice, performance calls for metrics, visible results and measurable outcomes,

while patience asks for what one author has called “deep breaths and long views.”

While this may be impressionistic, I think the church’s engagement in mission shows more concern for

performance than for patience. Missional evangelism after the advent of “church growth” theory has been concerned

with numerical results, and what constitutes “success” in congregational mission is often quantified in the numbers

of dollars raised and given. However, in some comments on the nature of 21st century mission, Archbishop of

Canterbury, Rowan Williams suggests that “We need a long-term view,” because “mission,” he says, “always

requires an almost superhuman level of patience.” So, the question to ask here is, in a world that determines

legitimacy in terms of market shares, does the church see its mission most in terms of performance or patience?

What does, or what would patience as such look like in the work of the Church in mission?

Can the church in the world be both “bounded” and “open” at the same time? In her book, Feminist Theory

and Christian Theology, Serene Jones says that “to understand the church as the gift of God, one must tell,

simultaneously, at least two stories about how God relates to it.” First, there is “the story of a God who creates,

forms, envelopes, and protects the church…” Then there is “the story of a God who judges and forgives the church.”

However, this story of God’s grace in creation, judgment, and forgiveness is not told only for the sake of establishing

and securing the church’s identity. Rather, she argues, “out of these two economies of divine grace emerge two

different pictures of the same church: the church marked by its boundedness, on the one hand, and by its openness

on the other.” 4

What might it mean to extend her ecclesiological reflection to a missiological context? In other words, what

does it say about the church seeking to serve the Missio Dei in the world when we say that the church is both

marked by its boundedness and its openness? More specifically, what practical embodiments would develop from

such ecclesial and missional commitments?

One direction for these reflections might be aimed, fruitfully I hope, at the consideration of the practice of

confession and repentance. I’d argue that repentance names not only an “intra-ecclesial” practice of the bounded

church, but is also an expression of the church’s “openness” in mission, in the world. The question is, Can we

combine these concerns to name how both patience and the bounded openness of repentance can be embodied

expressions of the church’s mission in, with, and to the world? At the least, this would challenge much of the

imagination in contemporary North American (white) Protestant congregations that often see mission in terms of the

“surgical strike.” What shape does mission take in order to embody presence in patient and repentant terms?

42

Arnold Sang-Woo Oh, PhD Candidate

I was in Seoul, Korea couple of years ago at a conference for North Korea where a large gathering of

international missionaries who were interested in North Korean missions was held. The first speaker to greet the

delegation was a high profile leader within Korean missions. He said in 1985 there were 5000 full-time Korean

missionaries who gathered together in Wheaton Illinois; while there they committed to an annual per capita gift of

$500. In 1992, 12,000 full-time missionaries gathered and the annual per capita income increased to $12,000. He

continued by saying that that by the year 2025, he believed and was working toward a goal of 200,000 full-time

missionaries with a per capita gift of the same. This trend begs the question, how does the hope of the gospel so

seamlessly flow through the same channel as hope in capitalism? The mark of success of hope in people has been

framed too often in terms of nation-state, capitalism and missions. In short, the speaker colonized the vision of hope.

To borrow from Alasdair MacIntyre’s book Whose Justice, Whose Rationality and in light of your theme, we

have to ask the question, “Whose hope and whose fragility are we talking about?” The words, “hope” and “fragility”

do not exist in a vacuum, but bear a significant historical and cultural cache. Justice, peace, equality, freedom are

words that we often use without keeping in mind the long history of development and the felt sense of fragility in

various parts of the world. Fragility has taken a particular position in modernity (i.e., systems of economic,

political, and social governance in our contemporary period) since the colonial period. Fragility is too often

associated with colonialization, related to Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and what is means to be black,

feminine, dependent, poor, uncivilized, un-Christian, war-torn, under-developed or developing countries, etc. Hope,

conversely, has a mirror tradition. It is typically associated with what it means to be white, European, American,

masculine, self-sufficient, developed, modern, etc.

There is a colonialization of hope because there is a colonialization of identity. It is rooted in the exploitation of

people’s fragility - an inescapable condition of being a creature. To place ourselves in the role of mediation between

people’s experience of fragility and hope – vis-à-vis mission – is to say that we are translators of hope. This is a task

that requires much self-examination and an incredible amount of humility.

To help the poor, relieve disasters, etc., is no doubt helpful, but we must uncover or unveil the ways in which

we frame the problems of the world, and the motivations that drive us to action. In light of the shift of the center(s)

of Christianity from the global north to the global south, we must ask the question, How now do we understand the

hope that emerging Christianity in the ‘fragile’ global south offers us? And perhaps a more poignant question we are

confronted with in light of God’s activity in the global south is, how do we see our own fragility in light of this rising

hope?

Molly Kacal, M. Div. Candidate

LISTEN ~ Listen to God – to the places where God is calling. Listen to the culture in which you are serving and the

cries of that culture.

No one knows a culture better than the people who live within it on a daily basis: those people who are born

into it and the ones who immerse themselves within the culture. If we, the church, are to bring hope to a fragile

world and allow the world to change, we must first recognize that it is not us changing the world – rather it is our

Lord and Savior bringing about any changes we may see that builds the Kingdom of Heaven.

If we are to faithfully respond to the various challenges that we face as a church within the world in this 21st

century, we must first learn to listen and care, and while responding, we must be constantly in prayer for our hearts

to be broken as God’s heart is broken. Only in that brokenness can we truly have compassion for the lonely, the

dying, the hurting, the grieving, the lost, the weak – the ones who Jesus calls ‘the least of these.’ It is when our

heart is transformed into God’s heart that we allow God to work through us to bring about change in this fragile 44

world. In the brokenness God gives us, true compassion is expressed, and then we become more accessible for

God to use and move us to build His Kingdom.

As we enter into the world as the hands and feet of Christ, we must first LISTEN to God’s voice, where God is

calling you, as one of His disciples. Then – we must listen to the culture in which we desire to reach and hear their

cries.

As I continue, I would like to share one short story about where God has taken me and how I believe God has

worked through me. After graduating from my undergraduate school, I felt certain that God was calling me to live

beyond myself, so I headed to Swaziland, Africa. It was here that I learned the importance of listening to the culture

and not only hearing their needs, but realizing that they had much to teach me. In Swaziland, our team met a lady

named Madame Mhylanga at a fruit market who was collecting fruit for children who come to her house for a meal

and informal lessons. In the words of Mother Teresa, she invited my team to ‘come and see.’ So we loaded up a

van and headed 3 miles uphill on a path orphans and vulnerable children take every day to a small shelter made

from tree bark and aluminum. This single mother of three tries to keep the children as long as she can each day,

knowing that many of them when they leave each afternoon go home to some horrible situations.

Hearing the longing in the lady’s voice for help to care for the little ones who walked daily to her home, I desired to

relieve the stress of this mother and care for these orphaned and vulnerable children. During the first few months,

three teammates and I taught the children as they circled around us on the ground; we also found ways to purchase

food when they had none. Knowing that these children needed an accredited education, I worked alongside a team

member to raise funds for twenty-two students to attend a recognized school. Our team met with the tribal chief

to ask for his favor to move the care center closer to the school as a ‘safe’ place for the children before and after

school. In order to ease the children’s transition from learning at the care center to a school environment, I worked

within the recognized school to teach and tutor the children. Currently, the care center in Mhlanya serves at least

seventy-five children and functions as an informal school for both children and adults; it has a tutoring center and a

feeding center with a small orchard. Even though I am an ocean away, God continues to use me to raise support

for children to attend school, as well as raise awareness of how this lady and her community care for orphaned and

vulnerable children in their village. In listening to the cry of the mother and responding to God’s calling, I was able to

become the hands and feet of Christ for these children. It became essential for me to immerse myself in this African

culture in order to gain a better understanding of the people to and with whom God called me to care.

Since living in Swaziland, I have led short-term mission teams to Russia, Ireland, as well as an 11-month

journey partnering with pastors and missionaries around the globe. Through these experiences, I have learned the

importance of building interdenominational partnerships with pastors and long-term missionaries – for they have

listened to their culture and understand it far better than myself.

When I arrived in Thailand, I sat across the table with the local pastor to ask what he perceives as his

biggest need within his church and community. In listening to his needs and knowing where the gifts of my team

align with the needs, he asked us to take prayer walks around the village, teach English in Buddhist schools, build

relationships with the people around the community, and invite them to church, as most of the people in the village

are Buddhist. This was his desire, and we became the hands and feet of Christ – and the church grew in number.

Rather than going in with our own agendas, we must first listen to people who know the population in which

we are working: these people do not have to be the same denomination as you. If we are to help in the building of

God’s Kingdom, then we must put aside our denominational differences and allow the very nucleus of the Gospel

to not only be heard through our words, but also seen through our actions. God calls us to Love God and Love

People. Through loving God, we are able to more effectively love people and live out Christ’s desire to care for the

least of these – the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the prisoner.

Before I conclude, I want to add that in listening to our own U.S. culture and in leading young people to step

outside their comfort zones and immerse themselves in another culture, I have learned that not only does one’s

worldview shift but also one’s faith grows. Therefore, not only do we need to listen to the cry of other cultures, but 46

we need to listen to the cry of the future of the church and provide opportunities for young people to step beyond

themselves and create a space for God to transform them more into the likeness of Christ, while at the same time

building the Kingdom of Heaven. They will not only gain in experience, but they will be transformed to build God’s

Kingdom whether they remain in the American culture or venture into international missions.

So, when all is said and done, we must remember to Listen to God and Listen to the cry of our surrounding

cultures, including our own. We must build relationships – because in the end, that is all we have.

In October 2010, Dr. Maria Teresa (MT) Davila presented in reflection on the Gospel

narrative of the servant Lazarus and his rich master. During her presentation, Davila

spoke of the change of favor or status in the reality of God’s design away from the

rich and toward the servant. The advantages afforded the rich in the temporal realm

are reversed in the design of God’s holy realm. As human beings, our call to service

is at times in tension with common human desires for power, privilege and access;

this very human desire often work in cross purposes to God’s intention for us and

reveals the ongoing sinful condition or our inheritance as human persons. Dr. Davila,

a laywoman in the Roman Catholic tradition is Assistant Professor of Christian Ethics

at Andover Newton Theological Seminary in Newton, Massachusetts.

48

bridging the chasm: conscientization as christian discipleship

Dr. Maria Teresa (MT) Davila

I may be preaching to the choir by presenting to you today. CWS has a long history of Christian leadership that

has covenanted to care for the poor, the refugee and the environment. CWS has historically affirmed the mandate

of Matt 25:31-47 reflecting what it means to be agents of hope and change in a fragile and vulnerable world. CWS

has an incarnational practice of participating in the suffering of others as Christ took on the suffering of others as the

ultimate act of love. There is something about God’s option for the poor that becomes incarnational in the contexts

where we serve. We are called to be present to the suffering of others.

My question as a mother of four young children between the ages of 8 and 1 1/2 years, committed to making a

life here and not moving to Asia or Africa is, what does it mean to be a disciple that honors God’s option for the poor

in our context of privilege?

We live in a culture of consumerism, rugged individualism and “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” that rules

us in our societal expectations and norms. There is a paradigm actively at work that “everyone needs to be out

for themselves and if it doesn’t work out, it is your own fault. “ A mantra of “I shop, therefore I am” is prevalent.

Shopping is a central part of our U.S. identity. We also have concepts of what is good poor and what is bad poor. If

a hurricane hits you then you are among the good poor. If you are among the chronically poor, including veterans,

immigrants, the forever unemployed or addicted, then you are among the bad poor.

The secularization of certain laws and cultural attitudes has become a part of our cultural system and created

a separate secular canon in our country. An example of this secular resistance that leaks into our churches includes

perspectives of illegal immigrants as simply being law-breakers. The teachings of Christ affirm a family’s right to

seek a better life, and mandate us to welcome and provide hospitality to the stranger has been challenged by this

secular canon. We have to ask what is shaping the identity of the people we serve in our churches ~ our faith or the

secular canon?

Human beings were created for relationships with God and each other. Sin is the breaking of these

relationships. Structural sin includes corporate structures that prevent relationships from flourishing. Does this

mean all corporations are evil? If you look at a corporation’s mission statement or its policies, you have to ask,

does the corporation support the breaking of relationships in its pursuit of money? Our humanity is compromised

whenever our relationships are threatened. This is a threat to our own dignity and humanity as well as the dignity

and humanity of others. Yes, there is a loss of human dignity to the poor, but the privileged lose their human dignity

when they participate in structures and systems that don’t support relationships. This is a threat to all of human

beings and to creation.

In what kind of action might we engage? Conscientization is a necessary practice for Christians whose

privilege limits and clouds our ability to fulfill the essence of human dignity ~ to be daughters and sons of God and

sisters and brothers to each other and to the environment. Conscientization is becoming aware of the obstacles to

full humanity, especially the poor and recognizing our destiny is tied to the most vulnerable. The destiny of others is

infinitely linked to ours because of our universal condition as children of God.

The Luke 16:19f story of Lazarus and the rich man provides an exercise of Christian imagination.

There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at

his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from

the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by

the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was being tormented,

he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on

me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.”

But Abraham said, “Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like

manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. Besides all this, between you and us a

great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one

can cross from there to us.” He said, “Then, father, I beg you to send him to my father’s house— for I have five

brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.” Abraham replied, “They

have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” He said, “No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to

them from the dead, they will repent.” He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will

they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ’ (NRSV Luke 19-30)

In reading this Gospel story, what is the chasm between the rich man and Lazarus that Luke describes? How

do we continue the conversation further? The distance between Abraham and the rich man is the same distance as

between the space between the rich man and Lazarus. This chasm was created on purpose so that the rich man’s

life would not touch the life of Lazarus. In Micah and other Lucan passages, it is not an argument against riches, but

an argument about when riches create chasms between one’s own security and privileges and those who do not

have these things. These chasms blind us to our shared humanity.

I’d like to tell a story about an experience on the “T” line here in Boston. It seems I often meet people with

Cerebral Palsy (CP) seemingly by random. Sometimes I wonder if I have a special tie to persons with CP. On

the “T” one day, a person with CP started speaking to me. Thoughts of Dorothy Day and her mysticism related

to Matthew 25 came to mind as I thought my duty had been completed in acknowledging this person in one

conversation. The conversation led to a continuing relationship with this man whose name is Michael. After awhile,

I no longer saw him on the “T.” I was concerned about him, but afraid to reach out in fear of what a relationship

with him might demand. I was able to track him down and found out that he actually lived just one block from me.

As a result, we have re-established a relationship outside the “T” and through the difficulties of sometimes not

understanding his speech well and the challenges of his wheel chair, he has become a significant in the life of my

family.

Sometimes I feel my own work in ethics damning me. Reading it becomes a judgment of my life as I face the 52

ways I don’t measure up in my own life. My dissertation on God’s preferential option for the poor is a harsh volume,

yet it is about faithfulness. In prayer, I confront my own flaws, but come to the realization that God is bigger than

my flaws. I have to yield to God’s bigness. The confrontation of flaws in our churches is a larger conversation. The

reflections of Ignatius about the cross reveal his conflict when he asks “Why for me – why, have you done this for

me a flawed being?” You have to move through it - identify the flaws and then say thank you in gratitude knowing

that our recognition of it moves us onward in imitating Christ. It is to acknowledge and have faith that God is able to

work despite our flaws and to be incarnate in us.

To view a video of Dr. Davila’s presentation follow this link:

In March 2011, Dr. Frances Adeney presented material from her work in her book Graceful

Evangelism. The section in this book entitled “Radical Habits” provided keys for graceful

evangelism, or honoring the Christian faith in diverse religious contexts. Adeney urged

learning from the errors of evangelistic approaches of the last century which includes the

accepting the often differing perspectives and experiences of others. Dr. Adeney’s material

provided a helpful backdrop for the discussion of CWS’s mission statement – its appropriate

articulation and the living of it in the dynamics of the multi-religious contexts where we

serve. Dr. Adeney is the William A. Benfield, Jr. Professor of Evangelism & Global Mission at

Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

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Dr. Frances Adeney

There are seven practices that further the cause of gospel through a witness of grace and love toward

others… Practicing these radical habits will lend biblical consistency to the outreach of both individuals and

communities…

A few critical assumptions undergird the practices of graceful evangelism: 1) God’s grace is never limited to

Christian interaction. 2) Graceful evangelism is neither competitive nor cooperative, but reflexive. 3) Listening and

identifying with the people to whom we are sent forms the basis of developing these practices

The giving and receiving of gifts is the perfect metaphor for graceful evangelism. Giftive mission metaphor

emphasizes the appropriateness of giving and receiving gifts as part of our witness. Seeing ourselves as bearers

and receivers of gifts improves our relationships with people of other religions and counters anti-mission forces of

distrust (and) self-aggrandizement …

The metaphor of the gift is important in the 21st century because Christians are frequently and inevitably in

contact with people of other cultures who hold different beliefs. The metaphor of gifts puts relationships ahead of

making a sale. The two-way interaction of giving and receiving gifts leads Christians into better relationships with

those of other religions.

Giftive mission expresses itself in the radical habits of Christians. Examples of giftive mission are shown

through the example of innovative missionaries of every generation that have tailored the gospel message to the

times…

One example is Paul, the apostle… He insisted that God’s gracious gift was for all people – gentiles and

not just for the Jewish people… This paradigm became the primary one for Christian mission. Paul encouraged

the church… to accept the gift of God’s grace and remove… restrictive Jewish constraints of membership and radical habits:

practices for evangelism today

holiness… The Gospel was for all...

Another is St Patrick of the fifth century… Although kidnapped by the Celts, he was determined to spend his

life as a gift to the Celts…Patrick believed that the true basis of mission was in community, which is discovering

together what it means to b a part of God’s story of grace.

In Latin America, Bartholome de Las Casas found himself defending a Christian principle that all are equally

able to love and glorify God. Rejecting the notion of the innate inferiority of native peoples, he influenced a more

inclusive view of human rights. Stemming from his own experience as a young person…, given a slave by his father

as a gift, he befriended the young man and then knew a person can never be considered a gift, to be owned by

another.

Catherine Booth a co-founder of the Salvation Army, spent her life convincing Christians to give to the

poor, provide medicine for the sick, and help the disadvantaged. To the wealthy, she preached the giving of their

resources and time. She developed different strategies in the 19th century for doing this.

William Sheppard in the late 19th century focused the importance of mission to African traditional religionists.

As the first African American Presbyterian missionary to Africa, Sheppard made deep connections to leaders of the

Kasai tribe in Congo. He never disparaged the beliefs of the Congolese and only rejected religious practices that

conflicted with his Christian view of human rights. The results of Sheppard’s respect for others made a mark on

mission history.

Mother Teresa measured her gift … not by how many came to her for help, but by how other Christians treated

the ones that did come to receive services from the Sisters of Charity... She was blessed by the dying poor, seeing

in each one the face of Christ. Her influence on global culture is unrivaled....

Doing an excursion into the history of evangelism and development makes questions better answered… Using

a model of learning that brings us the knowledge of difference fosters our ability to accept others with their differing

perspectives and experiences. Through this, we discover a practice of graceful evangelism.

The fuller manuscript of Dr. Adeney’s work may be found by following this link:

Frances Adeney Mission Presentation on Radical Habits March 17, 2011

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In October 2011, Dr. Bo Myung Seo presented “Global Awareness in Contemporary

Ministry.” In his presentation, Dr. Seo raised the need for greater global awareness in

our approaches to mission. Seo urged taking into consideration the need for interfaith or

inter-religious dialogue toward creating interfaith bridges in a religiously diverse world for

the purpose of greater faithfulness to the gospel of peace and justice. Dr. Seo pointed

to the pluralistic richness of the US that provides a rich context for bridge building in

understanding the world beyond U.S. borders. In as much as such a rich diversity exists

in the U.S., often within the radius of a few blocks, American soil provides an excellent

context for deepened global awareness. Dr. Seo is Associate Professor of Theology &

Cultural Criticism at Chicago Theological Seminary, Chicago, Illinois.

global awareness in contemporary ministry

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By Dr. Bo-Myung Seo

Though I am a stranger to this organization, I am not a stranger to the whole idea of … Church World … I

have a sense of gratitude and camaraderie for your work.

Like so many non-Western countries in the world, Christianity was introduced to Korea by Western

missionaries ... since 1885 until recent years is a text book example of a success story in mission, unique to the

20th century… a great deal of international mission and aid work has gone into the making of Korean Christianity…

…From the perspective of a Korean-American teaching at a Protestant seminary, there is a need for

contemporary ministry to be more globally informed… Ministry … enacts God’s Word in the world is always

undergoing change…How ministry is practiced in the United States has always reflected changing circumstances in

society. I teach a required course for all M. Div. students, entitled “Global Sensitivity in Ministry.” The main intent

behind the course was the recognition that ministers in training today ought to have a perspective that is broader

than the common Eurocentric .. or one based on the idea of American Exceptionalism...

There are three reasons why global awareness is important for ministry today. First, through economic

globalization, patterns of our ordinary, daily lives have taken on a global dimension… Second, the United States is

the most globalized religiously pluralistic society in the world... Third, the United States and Europe are no longer

the vibrant centers of Christianity. Alongside these reasons, denominations no longer exert influence upon their

members… Increasing numbers of people in the United States say that they are spiritual but do not attend church…

denominational affiliations no longer provide members’ religious and faith identity...The post-denominational age

does not automatically mean a secular age, rather, it as an age where people seek religion and piety on their own.

… the practice of embodying … ministry has always been global in its aspiration …We always have to be

careful that this does not becoming co-opted into being a function or subsidiary of the larger agenda of the dominant

force of the age. … it has to maintain a certain, critical distance…

Then, how can ministry be globally informed without succumbing to either the expansionist model or the

capitalist model of self-interest and competition? I think we can do it by claiming the Christian sense of what it

means to be global. It is to humbly serve others as justified sinners…It is to help the poor and work for peace in the

name of God. It is to be guided by the Spirit and to go where the poor are and where peace is most needed.

As some of you know, Korea is known for its phenomenal church growth. Korean mega-churches in the 70s

and 80s became a wonder in world Christianity. However in recent years, Protestant churches in Korea are facing

a deep crisis. … church growth is no longer something to be taken for granted. People are dissatisfied with the

excesses of big churches that do not pay attention to the needs of Christians living in the 21st century… Protestant

Christians in Korea are suffering from a serious identity crisis… -

The Korean Church’s one response has been to focus its attention away from what is happening inside and to look

to the outside for overseas missionary evangelism. Next to the United States, Korea is the country that sends the

largest number of missionaries to overseas… Missionary fervor is driving many of Korean and Korean-American

churches … Their model of mission is one that is steeped in the 19th century... Needless to say, a new model of

mission is needed – one that counts not the converts who come to churches but one that counts how much suffering

has been alleviated …

If contemporary ministry requires ‘more global awareness,’ then we need to talk about the content of that

awareness? I would emphasize three aspects of such global awareness. First, a critical reflection on the history of

Christian missions…Second, ways in which economic globalization has become the greatest determinant of how our

lives are lived around the world… Third, an awareness of the presence of other religions and an understanding of

the importance of interfaith dialogue...

Reflection on the History of Christian Missions

Christianity has always understood itself to be a missionary religion, because Christianity was introduced to

the non-Western world through the Western missionary activities. Such mission work was never free of political 62

connotations. Throughout the modern period, missionary work was conceived of as a civilizing mission… a part of

colonizing work. … Understanding this history - is an effort at Western self-understanding...

It is impossible to understand what is happening around the world without keeping in mind what colonialism

does to the minds of those who are colonized… Try name a place in the world today where there is significant

violence and struggle and to explain the situation without recalling the legacy of colonialism has played in the

conflict. Chances are you can’t. …What we often do in this country is to blame individual dictators and tyrants for the

conflicts. Surely they should bear much of the immediate blame, but …why is it that for one dictator there is always

a significant part of the population that is willing to support him to the end?

Western Christianity is not immune from responsibility in many ongoing conflicts in the world. Understanding

missionary work as a civilizing mission means also to understand it as a political mission… Trying to understand that

history is an exercise in self-understanding, as well as an understanding Christians in the non-Western world.

Global Economy and Christian Faith

In the last 20 years or so, we’ve been witnessing something interesting in theology. It is the phenomenon of

theologians writing about global economy and economic matters… There is a rather simple explanation. Global

capitalism is no longer a way to organize economic systems. We are asked to adopt a new view … centered on …

‘competition.’

The capitalist assumption … is that competition is good and brings out the best in us. Freedom means the

freedom to compete, and the inability to exercise this freedom results in laziness and dependence. What theological

questions can we ask of this anthropology? … What pastoral questions should we ask? …At times, there is piety in

the act of asking questions...

Interreligious Dialogue

I believe …interreligious dialogue has to be a part of any ministry-training and any practice of ministry...

no serious work of systematic theology can happen without a section on how to think about other religions in a

dialogical and constructive manner. …one always starts with thinking about God. What kind of God is the God

whom we worship in church as well as the God of our lives? What about God do we feel compelled to proclaim in

words and deeds? Think about the places in the world where physical violence is still being perpetuated against

people of other religions, in the name of one’s own religion? …We have to realize that we live today in a global

village, where your next door neighbor could be a member of any number of different religions. These people are

the same people whose taxes support our local and federal governments, who want the same protection from the

fire department and police department. I think it is imperative that our churches are at the forefront of reaching out

and building bridges across religious boundaries toward a healthy co-existence and promotion of justice and mercy

… This, I think is a unique task of contemporary ministry. In this way, we can model what it means to be religious

for religious people around the world. ...The United States has been endowed with exceptional potential to be a

force for good in the world. History proves this. It is a matter of how we act upon this history that gives us continuing

possibilities.

The fuller manuscript of Dr. Seo’s presentation may be found by following this link:

Bo Myung Seo Church World Service Mission Presentation October 20, 2011

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afterword

After having intentionally engaged in a four-year process of missiological reflection, Church World Service has

learned much about itself. Motivated by a world fraught with crises, CWS’s founders did not have the opportunity to

pause and reflect on the nature and purpose of their mission. They simply did it – responding to the needs that were

before them. However, those who perpetuate the mission more than six decades later have taken this opportunity to

reflect and realize that the fulfillment of the CWS mission stretches beyond the visible horizon.

In these reflections, CWS has discerned that understanding and appreciating the historical mission context

and theology of an organization that responds to global needs is an act of faith; it is relevant to shaping our focus

and effectiveness. Our faith is the deep root that taps into why we give food to the hungry and offer rest to the

weary. Therefore, our faith must always be evident. Likewise, it is necessary to recognize how needs change, and

how we must adapt, accordingly.

As Church World Service casts its vision toward the horizon, it does so with a sense that the discernment of

mission can’t ever be stagnant, or simply treated as something that is already known by its participants. Our history

travels with us, but it is only through the emergence of each new day, and the embracing of different contexts that

our past can be more fully known. The exercise of inviting intentional examination and thought about our mission

can be both frightening and invigorating. It is frightening in the sense that the critique that results is sometimes

less than complimentary of the intended goodwill of the time. Nevertheless, it is invigorating because it leads to

possibilities beforehand unseen. The context of our work is never devoid of culture; within it resides the opportunity

for new perspectives to enliven our ongoing service.

CWS would do well in making an ongoing commitment to missiological reflection as a deep investment in

its organizational life. No organization has a better reserve of persons and experiences willing and able to enrich

its mission than ours. The spectrum of missiological perspectives posited within our global reality is impressive. In

the future, CWS might better avail itself to hear how others from Africa and Asia, women living in “the developing

world,” and those who bear the pangs of hunger and despair, interpret our shared history, to lend us their theological

perspectives and cultural lenses so our mission might be better lived out. This will enable Church World Service to

remain relevant, be a leading organization in thought and practice, so that we can share our gained knowledge with

others to together transform the world in which we live.

Eradicating hunger and poverty, and promoting peace and justice is more than a mere human vision. It is

reflective of our relationship to the Creator ~ to be creature and creative, accountable to and for one another, and

live as if there is truly enough for all.

The Reverend John L. McCullough

CEO & Executive Director - Church World Service

Our Missiological Reflection Continues…

Questions for Individual Reflection or Group Discussion about Hope and Change in a Fragile World

1. Daryl Balia raises this challenge in his presentation for our reflection: Churches have and can bring their moral

capital, accumulated over the centuries and embracing the entire world, to bear on the global effort to combat and

prevent corruption.

During our current ongoing worldwide economic turmoil, how might the church, both prophetically and practically

deal with the challenge of greed and corruption?

2. Elizabeth Tapia’s comments urge: Doing mission together in genuine partnership and mutuality with others

generates a transformative force needed in this fragmented world. What are your hopes for doing mission differently

the 21st century? What changes do you wish your church would make to make mission more mutual, more

sustainable and more relevant? What kind of action is called for?

3. Charles Amjad-Ali asks us to reflect on the clash between the periphery and center: How does your church or

communion provide healing for those perceived to be on the periphery and the ones believed to be in the center in

human social structures?

4. Earl Trent raises: The fragile nature of our financial markets reveals not only the fragile nature of our

world, but also the connected nature of our world. We need God’s mercy for the unintended and unanticipated

consequences of our actions, even as we endeavor to be “salt of the earth and light of the world.” 68

With this knowledge how do we respond to the call to be salt (a preserving agent), and light (an illuminating hope)

in our work in the world?

5. Alton Pollard spoke in earnest of the search for the beloved community of God: How does your church or your

communion best “speak truth to power” with love and humility, afflict the comfortable, and comfort the afflicted?

6. Laceye Warner spoke about the church’s witness to Christ in confessing communities:How has your

community stood in resistance to oppression? What stories do you have from your community?

7. Jeff Conklin-Miller in his presentation asks us to think about the competing pulls between the values of the

world and the values of Christ: In a world that determines legitimacy in terms of market shares, does the church see

its mission most in terms of performance or patience?

8. Arnold Oh prompts the Church to continue thinking about its colonial legacy: How does your faith community

sort through the issues of lingering colonialism in this current era?

9. Molly Kacal urges us to listen deeply: In what ways does your faith community listen anew to the contexts

where you serve to discern appropriate responses in mission?

10. MT Davila’s biblical examples identify chasms that exist in community:

What are the biggest obstacles you see within your tradition in having authentic and engaged practices of God’s

preferential option for the poor?

11. Frances Adeney compels us to adapt radical habits and to practice graceful evangelism: Who are the

exemplars of graceful evangelism and giftive mission in your tradition? What have they taught you and how you

adopted their lessons?

12. Bo Myung Seo professed the need for greater global awareness and a better recognition of the plurality in our

diverse nation: In what ways has your faith community or church engaged in authentic inter-religious or inter-faith

dialogue? What have you learned from these conversations and experiences?

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Photos submitted by presenters, by Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance and CWS staff.

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