Introduction
To understand “Mission Theology” we first have separate the two words. Mission is the vocation or calling of a religion organization, especially a Christian one, to go out into the world and spread its faith (Oxford Dictionaries). Theology is the study of God or the study of the nature of God and the relationship between the human and divine. In the textbook we use for class which is called “Introducing World Missions” we are told that the word “missions” (which ending with the letter “s”) is the word that is used to explain “the particular assignment of making disciples of all nations.” We have to understand that the word “mission” refers to everything the church does that indicates concerning the Kingdom of God. Mission Theology is known as God’s relationship in mission and how he develops his creation.
Biblical Text Related to Mission
The bible states a lot about mission and missions. We begin with Genesis missions have not changed throughout the history of the bible. God were the first one to speak in the bible. He had a mission when he spoke. God had a mission when he acted on something. Later, God had a mission when he sends something or somebody. Both Old and New Testament includes text that relates to God mission to extend salvation to the whole world.
Old Testament
Walter C. Kaiser the author of chapter two in the book named “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement” this section includes the Christian period of the call and promise (Winter,
What was his mission? Jesus mission was basically to show and make everyone believe in him. He wanted everyone to live in peace without sins. Him and
A social problem is a condition in which people in the community view as being undesirable. For example, Fort Worth has a high crime, violence, and drug abuse rate, which leads to a high homelessness rate. Social Service Agencies, such as Union Gospel Mission, help decrease the issue of homelessness. Union Gospel Mission, helps Fort Worth eliminate the number of individuals committing crimes, violence, and helps individuals dealing with substance abuse. They provide services that assist individuals in need, such as housing, meals, and employment. The coordinators and the directors of Union Gospel Mission aspire to help various individuals and build a strong organization for the community.
Therefore, as Christian leaders the mission consists of serving one another as Christ came to give His life (Mark 12:31,
God has a plan to reconcile His relationship with man after sin entered the world. This plan revolves around making His name known throughout all tribes and nations. From the Old Testament to the New Testament, the Bible presents God’s missionary purpose for humanity. For this reason, Christians involved in missions will travel to dangerous places to proclaim God’s name and saving power.
My personal view of mission revolves around Servant Leadership or what can be better called “Incarnational leadership”. This is rooted in the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, as “He took a towel” (John 13:2-5) and washed Peter’s feet. He was efficient with people, had goals in sight, but was also relational over being task-driven. This kind of leadership produces new churches filled with real purpose and motivation as people are called, appreciated, loved, encouraged, discipled, involved by mentoring and discipleship before they are deployed in ministry (Prov. 27:23; Mark 10:35-45; Luke 22:26; John 13:2-17; 1 Cor. 3- 4; Eph. 4:1-16; Col. 3:13; 1 Thess. 5:13-14; 1 Peter 3:8;
It has been said that worship is the core or center of mission. The ultimate goal of any missionary is to bring people (entire people groups) into a passionate, relationship with God. John Piper states,
Hagner, D., Hengel, M. & Barrett, C. (1999). Conflicts and challenges in early Christianity. Harrisburg, Pa: Trinity Press International.
The book The Rise of Christianity by Don Nardo was used thoroughly, and was quite helpful, during the research step of this project. The Rise of Christianity was written in 1999 and originated in San Diego, California by the publishing company Greenhaven Press. The purpose of this book is to inform readers about early Christianity’s creation, spread, and the struggle the first Christians experienced while trying to tell others about their faith. The book also tells the story of Jesus’ life, a few of his disciples, and talks about key figures who made a big impact on Christianity itself and the people who, sceptic at
Christianity, a religion many adhere to and follow faithfully, but what’s its’ history, how did it develop, and how did it impact the world? There are a million and one ways this religion has shaped the world and how its changed over the years. This paper is not to look at everything Christianity has done nor how its changed every time but rather talk about the four major points where Christianity really shapes itself throughout all of history. These four points are its birth in roam, the crusades, the protestant reformation along with John Calvin, and its effect on the transition to the new world. These are events in history where Christianity is undergoing major changer or is influencing most if not all the world.
Mission was very important in the development of the early church. The goal during this time was to spread the Christian Faith and to help those in need, just as Jesus did. The people that undertook this mission were sent out by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Jesus and God.
The purpose of the paper is to differentiate between Christ of faith and Jesus of history. New Testament biblical scholars from the 19th Century have been preoccupied by the notion of Christ of faith versus Jesus of History. Jesus of history can be described as the quest for historical Jesus, while the Christ of Faith is the Christ of Christian belief either through the Church or historically. Some traditions even went ahead to argue that the Jesus of History could never be found and therefore the Christ of faith is the only way forward for Christians. On the other hand, those who have been promoting the Jesus of History have often assumed that the historical Jesus is much superior as compared to the Christ of Faith. Despite the key differences between Christ of faith and the historical Jesus, both these aspect have an implication for Western Christianity.
(Romans 15:6; 1 Corinthians 6:20; 10:31) He continues by sharing how “the purpose of the church is for the born-again believers within, as well as for the church’s community outside of the local body, whereas the mission, is reserved for the believers and it is what they are supposed to be doing, (110) Malphur also provides the five elements of mission; “first, it is broad, comprehensive, overarching, it is the primary goal which takes precedent over any and all other church mandates and goals. Secondly, it is brief, consisting of a sentence in length. Thirdly, it is Biblical, Fourth, it is a statement, and the fifth element-it is what the ministry should be doing.” (112-113) “Once the mission is developed, it must be communicated.” (126) Vision must be clear, compelling, a picture of what the mission will look like, (128) and it is the ministry’s future. It is personal and once developed it too must be communicated. (143) According to Malphurs, “it can and must be” (128- The author shares how “the mission under no circumstances changes, however, the visions detail and the words used to express them will
Gonzales, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day. Peabody,
My personal mission theology is disciplining and proclaiming the pure word of God in the correct context to those that claim to be abiding in Jesus Christ. This includes pointing out and warning them against false doctrine and belief systems. Contrasting what the modern institutions preach about what it means to be a child of God against what scripture actually says it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
No matter what path God calls a missionary to, the initial goals are the same. These goals are: 1) Build and edify the church, 2) Meeting needs, and 3) Spread the Gospel. The task of utmost importance is that of building the church, a community of believers. It is through evangelizing that men come to hear, know, and accept the redemptive plan of God through Jesus Christ. This is done by preaching and teaching this message when opportunity arises. It is also done by living out your faith in the day to day of mission life. We are to make the book of Acts our living example in growing and edifying a body of believers (Warren 26-31) (Hodges 61-62)