G pi m project concept 2008 rvsd

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
Project Concept for Global Partnering in Missions
Sowing the Vision
Rev. Dale Talsma
2008

Gl obal
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Members of the Body of Christ throughout
the world working together to bring the
Gospel to the whole world.

Gl obal
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Outline of this presentation
1. The overarching vision
2. Motivations driving the
3. vision
The contexts of the vision
4. Historical background
5. From vision to realization

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In view of modern developments,
we see that God has opened doors for the Church
– now found in all nations and
languages –
to join together in new global partnerships
to advance God’s mission into all the world
where most people are still lost.

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Today presents us with an exciting opportunity!
An opportunity to resourcefully engage the
diverse gifts of global Lutheran Christians,

to coordinate efforts so that called servants
originating from churches around the world

can be sent anywhere in the world
in collaborative mission endeavors
guided and empowered by the Holy Spirit!

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The first phase of the project seeks to clarify
the potential for – and the determinative factors
involved in – international mission cooperation,
and to explore how it could be best facilitated
across national, institutional, and cultural
boundaries among confessional Lutheran
churches worldwide.

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2. Motivations driving the vision

Why?

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• Motivations arising from God's Word

• Current global realities propelling the vision

• New realities in the global Church

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First…
What do we learn from the
Word of God?

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– “Body of Christ” with many “members”
(1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12)


One unified body of diverse composition
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1 Corinthians 12:12-18
“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many
parts; … For we were all baptized by one Spirit into
one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—
and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. … If
the whole body were an eye, where would the sense
of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where
would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has
arranged the parts in the body, every one of them,
just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one
part, where would the body be?”

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(1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12)
– Universal character of the Gospel and the Church
(Gen. 3:15; 12:1-4; Is. 42, 49; Acts 2; Phil. 2; Rev. 7; etc.)


God’s global promise in
his call to Abraham
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Genesis 12:3

“... and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you.”

God’s promise to his chosen Servant
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Isaiah 49:6
(and quoted in Acts 13:47 as fulfilled in Jesus)

“... I will also make you a light for the
Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to
the ends of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit poured out on the Church
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Acts 2:8-12

“Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own
native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites;
residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia,
Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and
the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
(both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and
Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God
in our own tongues!” Amazed and perplexed, they
asked one another, “What does this mean?”

The universal scope of Christ’s dominion
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Philippians 2:10-11

“that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, in heaven and on earth and
under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father.”

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(1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12)

– The witness of oneness; unity in diversity
(John 17; Eph. 4)


Jesus’ prayer for his disciples
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John 17:23

“I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world
know that you sent me and have loved them
even as you have loved me.”

The true unity of the global Church
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ephesians 4:1-8
“I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you
have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be
patient, bearing with one another in love. Make
every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through
the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit
— just as you were called to one hope when you
were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one
God and Father of all, who is over all and through all
and in all. But to each one of us grace has been
given as Christ apportioned it.”

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(1 Cor. 12; Rom. 12)
– The witness of oneness; unity in diversity
(John 17; Eph. 4)
– Ministry from a position of human weakness
(Luke 10:2-3; 22:27; Jn 20:20-21; 1 Cor. 2:2-5; 2 Cor. 4:7; 12:9-10)


Jesus’ example --- the way of the cross
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luke 22:27
John 20:20-21

“But I am among you as one who serves.”

“he showed them his hands and side. … Jesus said
to them again, “Peace be with you! As the Father
sent me, so I send you.”

Jesus’ metaphor for mission workers
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Luke 10:2-4

“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending
you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a
purse or bag or sandals…”

Missionary Paul regarding his ministry
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Corinthians 4:7

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show
that this all-surpassing power is from God and not
from us.”

Missionary Paul regarding his ministry
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for
you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my
weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on
me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in
weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in
persecutions, in difficulties…”

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What
in the world
is happening?

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– post-colonial, nationalistic realities
– globalization: the ‘global village’
– pluralism: multi-cultural, multi-ethnic interfacing
– the growing global gap between rich & poor



The great mission advance of the last couple
centuries to a large degree was stamped by its
connections to European (and American) colonialism,
sometimes called ‘imperialism’.

Christian mission in modern history has typically been
from churches in more-developed (often
colonizing)
countries
to less-developed (often colonized) countries.


As the age of colonialism has passed
and independent nations affirm ever
more vigorously their nationalism,
the global church has had to adapt
in order to continue her mission to
the world.

Samuel Escobar (from Peru), speaking of
‘post-imperial mission’, says it includes…

“…the visualization of the future of mission as a global task in
which the churches of the North Atlantic world enter into
creative patterns of partnership with churches in the Third
World. …What is distinctive of the partnership proposed by this
missiology is that the Third World churches are seen as
agents and originators of a missionary effort and a
missiological reflection that is valid in its own right. They are
not simply being asked to join the missionary enterprise devised
in a mission center of North America or Europe.”
(Samuel Escobar, “Evangelical Missiology: Peering into the Future”, in Taylor,
Global Missiology for the 21st Century, 2000, p. 108)

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2. Motivations driving the
vision M issions



“Globalization” is much more than just an
economic phenomenon.

The world has become “smaller” and more
interconnected.
“Smaller” in that the physical distances are less limiting,
the cost of travel is relatively more accessible, and
mutual awareness and understanding of other parts
of the world is greater than ever before.
Interconnected in the sense that—with the global spread
of the internet—far greater opportunities exist now than
ever before for more equal access to information and a
more level opportunity for using it and collaborating
globally. true…
Yes, it’s
…most individuals in the world remain unconnected,
but at an incredible pace, people from every part of the
world have begun to tap into the new electronic
opportunities of interconnectivity.


Growing global interconnectivity appears to be
one of those era-altering dynamics (“paradigm
shifts”) in world history that irrevocably reshapes
societies,
cultures,
governments,
business,
education
and even individuals in profound ways.


How will we
in Christ’s timeless, multi-national Church,
entrusted with the changeless Gospel,
carry forward the mission into today’s world as
it changes in these profound ways?


The world today presents us with
much greater inter-ethnic interaction
than ever before.
People everywhere are confronted
with the necessity —
and more importantly, the opportunity —
of relating to people of different cultures,
languages, worldviews,
and religions.


A regrettable characteristic of recent history,
with the advance of the forces of globalization,
is the ever-growing inequalities in terms of
wealth and opportunity around the world
between the “connected” and the “unconnected”.

The rich get richer while the poor,
in relative terms, fall further behind.


In 1960: the richest 20% of the world’s
people had incomes 30 times greater
than the incomes of the poorest 20%;
by 1997: it was 74 times as much!
(1999 Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme)


An analysis of long-term trends shows the
distance between the richest and poorest
countries was about:
• 3 to 1 in 1820
• 11 to 1 in 1913
• 35 to 1 in 1950
• 44 to 1 in 1973
• 72 to 1 in 1992

(1999 Human Development Report, United Nations Development Programme)


In 2005,
the wealthiest 20%
of the world accounted
for 76.6% of total
private consumption.
The poorest 20%
just 1.5%:

(Slide from www.globalissues.org)


How can we
in Christ’s global, multi-national Church,
as ambassadors of the God of mercy and
witnesses to the compassionate Savior,
proclaim the Gospel amidst today’s realities,
• attentive to the poor and marginalized, and
• countering the perceived link between
Christian missions and the wealthy West?

Stan Nussbaum on the challenge of globalization
for Christians and the mission of the Gospel:

“God did not put us into this time in order to curse the
wind, but to sail the ship. We will not stop the gathering
storm of globalization. We will,
with God’s help, harness the
forces of globalization
so that those very forces take
us in the direction God wants,
not the direction they are trying
to blow us.”
(Stan Nussbaum, 2003, “Goads on Globalization”, Connections (June): p. 31.)

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– globalization; the ‘global village’


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What
in the world
is happening in the Church?

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– dynamic growth of the Church in the ‘global south’
(for example, in Africa, Latin America and Asia)
• in the number of believers
• in strength of conviction and commitment
• in spiritual maturity and vitality

Philip Jenkins, having researched the history and
trends of Christianity around the world, observes:

“Over the last five centuries, the story of Christianity
has been inextricably bound up with that of Europe and
European-derived civilizations overseas… Many of us
share the stereotype of Christianity as the religion of the
West or, to use another popular metaphor, the global
North. It is self-evidently the religion of the haves. …”


“Over the last century, however, the center of gravity in
the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward, to
Africa and Latin America. Today, the largest Christian
communities on the planet are to be found in those
regions. … In parts of Asia too, churches are growing
rapidly, in numbers and self-confidence.”


“Christianity should enjoy a worldwide boom in the
new century, but the vast majority of believers will be
neither white nor Europeans, nor Euro-Americans.”

(Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity, revised, 2007,
Oxford Univ. Press, p. 1-2.)

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
– revising traditional conceptions of ‘sending church’,
‘mission field’, ‘missionary’, etc.


It is long overdue to dispel outdated notions
that churches in the West are the ‘sending
churches’ who send western ‘missionaries’
through western ‘mission agencies’ to
‘mission fields’ in Africa, Asia or other non-
western lands.


How can we
guided by the Holy Spirit,
break free of old paradigms and creatively
develop and utilize the distinctive gifts
that God has given Christians in all
parts of the world for carrying out
his mission to all nations?

Gl obal
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– ‘mission from below’


Some have characterized traditional
mission activity in recent centuries as
‘mission from above’, that is,
from centers of power and wealth
to the less powerful of the world.
As the center of gravity of Christianity
shifts southward, the Church finds itself more
and more at the margins of the
power of this world.
Poor-to-poor and poor-to-rich mission has
been designated ‘mission from below’
— from a position of this-worldly weakness.


One quick but illustrative comparison:

Roughly speaking, an average pastor in the U.S.
receives about 30 times as much support as an
average pastor in Africa.
Consider the contrast — and how it changes global
mission dynamics! — when missionary salaries are
set based on salaries of pastors in their home church.


Christ’s mission, as is clearly revealed in the New
Testament, has always been a ministry that does
NOT find its strength in earthly resources or power,
but in the spiritual resources of the Word of God and
the power of the Holy Spirit.
However, sometimes the Church forgets this and is
tempted to rely more on the material resources it
can gather.
Could it be that the challenge of ‘mission from
below’ might prove to be beneficial for the
advance of the Gospel in the world today?

Samuel Escobar on “Biblical patterns for mission”:

“In the cross, Jesus Christ died for our salvation and
also left a pattern for missionary life. … This
Christological model that was also the pattern under
which Paul and the other apostles placed their own
missionary practice could be described as ‘mission from
below.’” …
[It is] “necessary to consider a new paradigm, because
the dynamism for mission is coming now from the
periphery of the world, from the churches of the poor, as
well as from Christians in the West that have to live as
‘resident aliens’ in a post-modern culture.”
(Samuel Escobar, “The Global Scenario at the turn of the century”, in Taylor,
Global Missiology for the 21st Century, 2000, p. 43-44)


This, in part, is what Luther —
and Lutherans till today —

meant by the

theology of the
cross

Philip Jenkins concludes his in-depth study of global
Christianity observing:

“Christianity is flourishing wonderfully among the poor
and persecuted, while it atrophies among the rich and
secure. … And whether we look backward or forward in
history, we can see that time and again, Christianity
demonstrates a breathtaking ability to transform
weakness into strength.”
(Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity, revised, 2007,
Oxford Univ. Press, p. 260-61.)

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3. The contexts of the vision

Where?
What are the contexts demanding
such a vision?
…and that define the parameters in which
this project would be implemented?

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CONTEXT 1: Billions of lost people in our 21st century
world.

More than 4,500,000,000 of the
more than 6,700,000,000 people in
the world today are lost -- without
Christ and without hope.

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world.
CONTEXT 2: Our pluralistic ‘global village’: in which the
frontiers of mission are not primarily
geographical.

The true frontiers of mission have always been
defined by invisible boundaries separating Christians
from those who do not believe in Christ ---
boundaries which correspond less and less to
national boundaries.
Christians are found in every continent, nation, and
culture – just as the lost are also in every location.

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world.
geographical.
CONTEXT 3: Confessional and Lutheran

CONFESSIONAL and LUTHERAN
This vision for global partnering in missions is conceived
as an opportunity to be pursued within the confessional
Lutheran global community.
It is not motivated by separatism, nor does it seek to be
exclusive.
It rather rejoices in the clear, Biblical confession of faith
proclaimed in the Lutheran Confessions, understanding
such unashamed confession of divine truth as:
 fundamental to every mission endeavor, and
 that which rallies us to full engagement in mission!

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world.
geographical.
CONTEXT 3: Confessional and Lutheran
CONTEXT 4: Specifically, partner churches in the
International Lutheran Council (ILC)

PARTNER CHURCHES OF THE
INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL
What is the ILC?
“The ILC is a worldwide association of established
confessional Lutheran church bodies which proclaim the
Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional
commitment to the Holy Scriptures as the inspired and
infallible Word of God and to the Lutheran Confessions
contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful
exposition of the Word of God. ”
[from ILC website: www.ilc-online.org]

PARTNER CHURCHES OF THE
INTERNATIONAL LUTHERAN COUNCIL
What is the ILC?
The vision presented here for global partnering in
missions chooses to focus on partnerships among those
“The ILC is a worldwide association of established
church bodiesLutheran church bodies the ILC.
confessional united in confession in which proclaim the
Gospel ofnot of necessity exclude possible collaboration
It would Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional
with other churches Holyexample, confessional Lutheran
commitment to the (for Scriptures as the inspired and
churches who are Godin the ILC), Lutheran Confessions
infallible Word of not and to the but it would seek to
contained in the Book of Concord as the true and faithful
build on the cooperation that is already established among
the 34 ILC member churches. ”
exposition of the Word of God.
[from ILC website: www.ilc-online.org]

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4. Historical issions
M background

What
can we learn from
history?

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• Historical dynamics of ‘church/mission’ relationships

• Historical dynamics of relationships in the ILC

• The growth of the ILC

• Types of international partnerships

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M background
– traditional models of doing ‘missions’
– paternalism
– dependency
– redefining church/mission relationships (4 responses)


Gl obal
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MODEL A: ‘missions’ starting ‘churches’

MODEL B: ‘churches' doing 'missions’


M ISSION
M ODEL Independent mission agencies starting
A: ‘churches’

Mission agency

Individuals ...to
...support
and evangelize
independent
congregations and start new
mission
of various congregations
agency in
denominations... & ‘churches’.
sending
missionaries...

MODEL A: ‘missions’ starting ‘churches’

MODEL B: ‘churches' doing 'missions’

M ISSION
M ODEL National church forms internal mission
B: agency to conduct mission work

Mission “board”

Churches of ...which ...to
same confession undertakes evangelize
join to form a mission work to and start new
national church other countries on congregations
(synod)... behalf of its & churches of
congregations... the same
denomination.

M ISSION

join to form a mission work to and start new
confession.

M ISSION
E XAMPLE (LCMS): Lutheran congregations form
a synod,
which in turn establishes synodical
“Board for
Missions” to call and send
missionaries,
Churches of ...which from which have arisen new
...to
national
join to form a Lutheran churches in othernew
mission work to and start
national church other countries on
countries. congregations
confession.

M ISSION

Lutheran understanding of biblical teaching
about the Church and the office of the ministry of
the Gospel argues for a mission model that
regards mission outreach as an essential aspect
of the Church and its ministry to the world.
Lutheran churches, therefore have typically
join to form a mission worksuch as “MODEL B” in and start new
preferred models, to this
presentation, of its the mission is undertaken byof
(synod)... behalf where & churches
and through the Church in a direct way. the same
congregations...
confession.

The dominant churches tended to supply not only the theology
Paternalism in missions refers to ways in of material
for these churches, and not only the great majority which the
resources.churches of often brought, with the Gospel, their own
“sending” They also the “West” have tended to supervise,
direct, and supply the needs of younger “receiving” churches
cultures, forms, structures and church governments.
in developing (“two-thirds world”) countries.

The flow has been typically in one direction: from the
wealthy and developed West to the “mission” churches.

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– paternalism
fosters – dependency
– redefining church/mission relationships (4 responses)


Patterns of dependency have, at times, been the
unintended consequence of paternalistic
approaches in church/mission – and subsequent
church/partner church – relationships.

“To keep the mission
functioning the way the
missionaries did, we
need money, and cars,
and we need hymn
books, and we need...”

This has begun to change, but remains a challenge
in global relationships and collaboration.

“Partnership is a wonderful idea ;
pity the practice!
Truly equal sharing will remain
problematic across the world Church
as long as material resources are so
unevenly owned.”
(Kirk, J. Andrew. 1999. What is Mission? Theological Explorations.
London: Longman & Todd.)

What is necessary is to recognize and appreciate
the gifts and resources God has given to each
member of his body – whether in poorer or richer
countries – for carrying out his ministry to the world.

“Partnership is a wonderful idea ;
pity the practice!
Truly equal sharing will remain
problematic across the world Church
as long as material resources are so
unevenly owned.”
(Kirk, J. Andrew. 1999. What is Mission? Theological Explorations.
London: Longman & Todd.)

Redefining church/mission
relationships
We can recognize 4 responses to the need to redefine
relationships between the emerging and maturing national
churches and the mission organizations that birthed
them.
1. Departure Some historically have advocated
that the mission organization,
2. Subordination after planting a new church,
should withdraw completely and
3. Working in parallel permit the church to carry
forward the ministry and mission
4. Partnership of Christ in the country
independently.

relationships
them.
1. Departure
A second option was to continue
2. Subordination to send missionaries to the
particular mission field, only now
3. Working in parallel they should function under the
new national church rather than
under the direction of their
4. Partnership mission organization.

relationships
them.
1. Departure
Others argued that the mission
2. Subordination should neither withdraw nor
place its work under the new
national church, but that it should
3. Working in parallel
continue its mission commitment
in parallel with the new church,
4. Partnership each working separately and
independently of the other.

relationships
them.
1. Departure But a fourth option, partnership, is
central to the vision here proposed.
2. Subordination In partnerships, churches and
missions — irrespective of national
3. Working in parallel origin — find ways of working
together to continue the mission and
ministry of the Church.
4. Partnership
It is interdependence instead of
independence.

relationships
them.
1. Departure This option seeks to fully
appreciate the diversity of the
2. Subordination one global body of Christ, with
all members joining together in
3. Working in parallel answering the call to make
disciples of all nations.
4. Partnership Each partner
brings its unique gifts
to the partnership.

relationships
them.
1. Departure Critics of this approach rightly
point out the complexities of
bridging the economic disparities,
2. Subordination
ethno-cultural differences, and
organizational diversity brought
3. Working in parallel together in such partnerships.
Indeed, how to address such
4. Partnership complexities is one of the central
motivations behind the research
proposed here.

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M background
– many of the ILC member churches were former
‘missions’ of the LCMS
– often LCMS related in paternalistic ways
– often patterns of dependency were unintentionally
fostered


Gl obal
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– LCMS is largest partner and has dominated the ILC
– but many younger ILC churches are growing


Countries in which ILC member churches are located.
The countries in blue show where ILC member
churches are found.

In the following slides we will be portraying each ILC member
church (in descending order according to membership).
But remember while viewing… Size isn’t everything. Some of
the churches, for example, are growing rapidly while others
are static. And membership numbers are not precise.
Also… Membership figures do not show the varieties of gifts
that each member church — small or large — brings to the
global body (e.g., material resources, personnel with various
gifts, linguistic and cultural competencies, etc.).

The largest churches (over 100,000 baptized ( = 100,000 members)
members):

The LCMS
2,490,000 Luth Church
of Nigeria
135,000
Gutnius Luth Ch
Papua New Guinea
140,000

IELB (Brazil)
230,000

ILC Churches with membership of 10,000 – ( = 100,000 members)
100,000:

Ingria Luth Ch (Russia)
Luth Ch - Canada SELK (Germany) 18,000
78,000 36,000

AALC (USA)
20,000

India Ev. L. Ch. LC in the
80,000
Philippines
L. Ch Ghana 27,000
27,500
Luth Ch of Kenya
85,000

L Ch in S. Africa
20,000
Luth Ch of Australia
75,000
Ev L Ch Argentina
30,000

ILC Churches with membership of 1,000 – ( = 10,000 members)
10,000:

LC of England
1,500

Japan LC
2,700

LC in Korea
5,200
Lu Synod
China LC
of Mexico L Ch Haiti Hong Kong (Taiwan)
1,200 8,300
9,000 2,600

LC Guatemala LC Venezuela
3,000 1,000
Sri Lanka LC
5,300

FELSISA (S.Afr.)
LC Paraguay 2,650
4,000

Smallest ILC Churches (under 1,000 baptized
members):

Lu Free C in Denmark
100

LC in
Belgium 120

Synod of
France & Belgium
800

LC of Peru
220

LC of Bolivia
700

LC Rep of Chile
170

Gl obal
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M background
– LCMS is largest partner and has dominated the ILC
– but many younger ILC churches are growing
– young ILC churches have matured
– a few younger ILC churches have made initial efforts
in foreign missions
– and some older ILC churches (eg., Brazil, Germany,
Argentina) have been sending out missionaries

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– but yet, world missions among ILC
churches
still remains an undertaking centered
largely in the LCMS


Why does the LCMS remain dominant in the
area of world missions within the ILC?

Various reasons, including:

• Much bigger
• Much wealthier (in material resources)
• Longer history in world mission
• Organization already established for mission
• More trained people to draw upon
(pastors, teachers, etc.)

But could it be that we underestimate the
gifts that smaller, poorer members of the
ILC can offer?

Do we too easily overlook that
the “eye” needs the “ear” and
the “hand” needs the “foot”,
since God placed every part
in the Body for a purpose?

Members of smaller, poorer partner churches
bring unique gifts that are valuable ini world
P ro fi c e n c
mission. o example:
N For y i n li vi n g
as s o c i ati o n s i m p ly
w i th a an d w i th
pU n iti c al
o li q u e li ttle
p e rse rp o w es
s u p p e c ti ve
C o m ateay al f n t
(i n w
eo
m p ri te
orn ire s oo rc e se r
n u th )
li fe , th e o lo g y,
lan g u ag e s
an d
an d
th e o lo g i c al
And… c u ltu re s
…theycshare an equal zeal for Christ’s mission!
ap p li ati o n

How can we
guided by the Holy Spirit,
break free of old paradigms and creatively
develop and utilize the distinctive gifts that
God has given brothers and sisters in all
the churches of the ILC for carrying out
his mission to all nations?

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M background
– Types of international partnerships in recent history
– Some types of international collaboration found
in ILC member churches

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M background


In recent history, efforts at international
collaboration in missions have been gaining
prominence.
Entering the 21st century — with globalization
and the growth and maturity of churches in
non-western and developing countries —
churches and missions of various denominations
have increasingly been looking for ways to
partner internationally in global mission
outreach.

Types of international partnerships in recent
history
One finds a great variety of recent attempts at international
collaboration in missions. Such efforts have included:
♦ National church partnering with other national church(es)
♦ Mission agency with mission agency(ies) in another country
♦ Mission agency with a national church in another country
♦ Independent international mission agency that draws
missionaries and support from international churches
♦ Multi-cultural teams that draw support from, and are
accountable to, persons, churches, and/or mission
agencies all over the globe
♦ Local congregations who send their own missionaries,
cooperating with older or newer churches or mission
agencies in other countries
♦ Global, multi-lateral cooperative mission endeavors
(cf. Charles Van Engen. 2001. “Toward a Theology of Mission Partnerships”. Missiology: An International Review. 29:1 (Jan 2001), p. 13)

Types of international partnerships in recent
history

Some partnerships have functioned better
than others.

What can be learned from such efforts?
How does a Lutheran understanding of
mission inform our approach to partnerships?


♦ One ILC partner church sends financial support to
another to help that church undertake a mission to a third
country.

♦ One ILC partner calls and supports a missionary from
another partner church to serve in a third place. (The
missionary serves under the calling mission but
continues to be a missionary of his home church.)

♦ Two ILC partner churches join together to undertake a
mission in a third location, both contributing missionaries
and resources.

♦ Congregation(s) and/or mission society(ies) from one
partner church form partnership with another national
church or congregations in another church to support
mission work with material resources and/or volunteers.


A good start!
Exciting previews of greater
possibilities!
However, such examples are still few and, in
However, such examples are still few and, in
most cases, the LCMS remains the dominant partner
of such endeavors in the ILC.
How can the global Lutheran community more
effectively engage all its members in fulfilling
Christ’s mission to the ends of the earth,
integrating the unique gifts and personnel
from every partner?

So then…

Now
what?

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions

How?

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
How? How can the vision for Global
Partnering in Missions among sister
Lutheran churches around the world
come to realization?
This presentation has raised a lot of
questions for which there are few clear
or certain answers.

If we want to do it…How can we do it?

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
A three stage process is proposed:
Get Ready…

Get Set…

Go!

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
The first two steps are to Get Ready
Get Ready…
1. Research
2. Development of global participation
(awareness  interest  linking  involvement)
Get Set…

Go!

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
Then, two steps to Get Set for action
Get Ready…
1. Research
Get Set…
3. Consensus around a model of
partnering
4. Development of global networking
Go!
system

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
Go!
And then we can
Get Ready…
1. Research
Get Set…
partnering
Go! Global Partnering in
system
Missions!

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions

Get Ready…
1. Research
Get Set…
partnering
Go! Global Partnering in
system
Missions!

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research
The realization of this vision must begin with
better understanding. We need to…

 Survey & study the topic in greater detail

 Explore & imagine the possibilities

 Investigate & clarify likely complications

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research

I am proposing a research plan that
would seek to learn as much as
possible from others . . .


L e arn i n g
fro m
In addition to a more careful study of God’s Word
and Christian doctrine, we will seek to learn…
o th e rs .with.global
- from those already working
.
collaboration in various fields

- from other missionaries and missions involved in
global partnerships in other denominations

- but especially from church and mission leaders
in Lutheran partner churches of the ILC

L e arn i n g
fro m
A central and crucial focus of the research will be
to listeno th e rs from . .
to and learn . God’s
servants in Lutheran churches around the world
(including the LCMS, but especially other churches
whose voices have not yet been heard as well)

- to hear their perspectives on how mission has
been and, more importantly, could be done, and
- to explore with them their ideas and insights
on
possibilities for global partnering in mission.

L e arn i n g
fro m
The last thing we want is a program
pro posed, e rs . . .
o th
com posed
and appearing to be
im posed from the U.S. or the LCMS,
…with other “partner” churches feeling they are
only on the receiving end of something already
worked out for them!

L e arn i n g
fro m
Simply put, “global partnering in missions”
o th willrs . . .
e require
genuine and sincere

partnering that is truly global
from planning to implementation.

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research


Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research
A second part of the preparatory research
requires a reassesment of how mission has
been done and bold exploration of how it
might be done through global partnering.


Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research
It needs to discover and imagine new
possibilities of international cooperation . . .
new paradigms for partnering. . . .
that can unite the diverse gifts of the global
Lutheran community for Christ’s mission.


Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research
What would a missionary look like?
How might he/she be supported?
Under what structure would they serve?

Yes ,
Yes, we need to think . . . . . . . . . .
o u ts i d e
. .
th e

I m ag i n i n g
th e
For example…
p o s s i b i li ti e s !

Yes , we need to think o u ts i d e
th e

I m ag i n i n g
I m ag i n e … A team of th e Each sent our by their
missionaries: national home church to
One family from Nigeria, a country in the Middle
one couplep othe s i b i li ti e s !
from s Philippines East, under a cooperative
arrangement where all
and another from the U.S., share equally from a
a man from Guatemala, and common pool of support
a woman from Germany. from all the home
Perhaps they enter the country as churches.
teachers or engineers and live
together in a type of multi-cultural
community.

th e

I m ag i n i n g
I m ag i n e … A team of th e How is their mission
missionaries: work supervised?
One family from Nigeria, Perhaps there is a multi-
one couplep othe s i b i li ti e s !
from s Philippines national supervising
and another from the U.S., team dividing up the
a man from Guatemala, and various responsibilities.
Perhaps this team
a woman from Germany.
Legal/immigration issues? normally meets and
collaborates ‘virtually’
Perhaps international resource person
via the internet.
advises on such issues with persons
designated in each national church.
th e

I m ag i n i n g
th e
. . . and a host of questions begin to arise . . .
In an example such as this of an “imagined
p o their will be li ti e s !
possibility”,
s s i b i plenty of questions
regarding potentially complicating factors.
Which brings us to the third aspect of the
research…

th e

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
1. Research


1. Research

The level of partnering envisioned here,
it must be said clearly,
is EXTREMELY COMPLICATED!
We need to know the obstacles that can get in the way:
- The challenge of cultural differences
- The challenge of economic disparities
- The challenge of organizational differences
among partners
…to name but a few!

1. Research
How can we work well together
when team members come into the partnership with
different cultural ways of relating and working?
(for example, in one culture, interpersonal conflict is addressed
indirectly while another member’s culture is to confront it directly.)
or when they come from unequal economic backgrounds?
(for example, for one member, $400 a month is too little to survive on
while for another it is more than he would ever dream of earning.)
or when they operate in differing organizational
structures?
(for example, policy in one national church requires changing their
mission officer every year while for another it is needlessly disruptive.)

1. Research

Recognizing likely complications
is the first step in designing ways
to avoid them,
overcome them,
or even exploit them.

1. Research

The global partnering in missions envisioned
here is very rare in actual practice,
but NOT for lack of desire.
It is mostly because it is so incredibly difficult.
Confronted with so many obstacles,
churches and mission organizations tend to
settle instead for smaller, “do-able” types of
cooperation.

1. Research

Is it worth the effort?

In the end,
is it even truly “do-able” at all?

1. Research

This proposal is grounded in a conviction that,
of all places,
it is PRECISELY in THE CHURCH
— in CHRIST —
where such obstacles CAN be overcome .

And our testimony to the Gospel will be
all the more clear and powerful for it!

1. Research

Indeed, cooperative multicultural, multiethnic,
multinational approaches to missions,
where many of the divisions so prominent to
human experience are bridged for all to see,
would demonstrate and
substantiate the message “There is neither Jew nor
of the Gospel in this Greek, slave nor free,
fractured world. For… male nor female, for you
are all one in Christ
Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28)

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions

Get Ready…
1. Research
Get Set…
partnering
Go!
system

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
As the research is being carried out, necessary
connections with churches and leaders from all parts
of the ILC will be developed…
 Creating awareness about global partnering
 Raising interest in the vision for global partnering
 Linking individuals and churches in global network
 Involving churches and individuals in a project
for Global Partnering in Mission

Gl obal
Par t ner ing in
M issions
Get Ready…
1. Research
Get Set…
partnering
Go!
system
Global Partnering in

This presentation has been
prepared in order to begin to
create awareness
and
raise interest
among Lutherans
regarding the possibility for
Global Partnering in Mission.

G pi m project concept 2008 rvsd

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