If I were asked, how can individuals and the Church engage in the mission of God in new ways?
At first glance, David Lundy’s book ‘We Are The World: Globalisation and the Changing Face of Missions’ highlights two important characteristics of the impact of mission engagement namely [1] A new mindset – from local to global and [2] A fresh expression – true partnership and synergy between diverse sides of the worldwide church.
However, it is in Chris Wright’s book ‘The Mission of God’, that I learnt the all-encompassing guide that God’s mission has a trinitarian ontology, that is, the mission of God is by definition a collaborative action by Father, Son and Holy Spirit (John 14:26) and also a divine calling which invited human participation. And participants are merely servants. That’s why Jesus uses this metaphor “As the Father sent me so I send you.” (John 20:21) God has no necessity to engage humanity as agents of God’s own mission but chooses the risky course of partnership. This point is further underlined by Jesus’ own calling of disciples as co-workers to whom He eventually entrusts the task of global mission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Langham is working collaboratively and helping many different strands of the Church from the Majority World in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Simultaneously, we want the Church in the UK to be encouraged and strengthened and to continue to play a key role in the work of mission.
We look forward to acquiring a copy of the second edition of ‘The Mission of God’ book which Chris is presently reviewing, providing a new horizon to the field.
During April’s Langham Live, Chris Wright also reminded us about Langham’s Magnify campaign thanking God for what the past brought and trusting Him for the trajectory to the future of Langham’s work under three sub-headings: amplification, multiplication and fructification. Each aspect needs unpacking as I summarise them one by one.
Amplify: Literature Programme
Essential to the work of Langham and of immensurable value is the publishing of books. Through authentic cultural friendships, Langham Partnership has helped to amplify voices from the Majority World.
Literature has been developed especially in cognisance of the prevailing contextual factors in places where there’s an acute lack of books.
Multiply: Preaching Programme
Langham’s Preaching programme has experienced tremendous growth to the extent that preaching clubs and seminars are coordinated by indigenous leaders who engage and nurture their churches.
Through all of this talk of connecting and establishing partnerships through Langham programmes, we see that God is blessing people and these people are transforming their communities holistically.
As a result, the Christians in the Majority World with rising resources being made available for them to use and with their fervent spiritual zeal are embracing the Great Commission.
This multiplication also poses the question of how we engage with the diaspora, especially on how the diaspora can be both recipients and agents of God’s mission.
Fructify: Scholars Programme
We are bound together in mutual confidence, unified purpose and united effort to support Scholars, fostering Christian higher education. Statistics add clarity that a Scholar in his lifetime will train thousands of leaders. Eli Ezung, a Langham scholar studying in Scotland, spoke at a Magnify dinner in Glasgow last week about the importance of the scholarship she receives. She also shared her future aspirations in the training of leaders.
Through these programmes, the maturing Church begins to reproduce itself in a variety of ways that include sending mission workers locally and globally.
I will end with a thought from Graham Hill, Global Church: Reshaping Our Conversations, Renewing Our Mission, Revitalising Our Churches as he challenges the Western Church to move away from a Eurocentric and America-centric view of church and mission, and he calls the Church to construct global missional conversations because the future of the global Church—including the churches of the West—exists in these global exchanges.
By Jose Laussu, Supporter Development Officer and Magnify Coordinator
