Shifts in Christian Missions

Change of Direction

• Mission was thought of as something done by those from the West hoping to reach the rest – Unidirectional Approach.
  • “From here to there.”
• As the church grew in other parts of the world, it was clear that mission must be to, in, and from all corners of the world. – Multidirectional Approach.
  • “From everywhere to everywhere.” – Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali
• The work of the Great Commission is not limited to a few skilled elites, rather it is the task of every person who claims to be a follower of Jesus.

Change of Approach

• As the spread of Christianity continued to expand to new places, missionaries faced challenges such as languages, cultures, and access.
• Culture is “the total way of life of a people, composed of their learned and shared behavior patterns, values, norms, and material objects.” [Steinfatt and Rogers p. 266]
  • In basic terms, culture is the rules of life for a people group.
• Contextualization – Process and practice of expressing the gospel and living out the life of the church in a new cultural context.
• Being able to communicate the gospel in the heart language of a person is critical to effective evangelism and discipleship.
• Identifying and empowering local partners who will advance the work is critical to ensuring that the missionary task moves forward.

Change of Focus

• Emphasis was given to reaching those who have never heard the gospel before.
  • Total People Groups – 12,010
  • UUPG – Unreached Unengaged People Groups – 7,221
  • UPG – Unreached People Groups – 3,148
• The 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude.
  • 5.27 Billion people live within the 10/40 window.
  • 62% of the population live among UPG’s with limited to no access to the gospel.
• As people began to move from rural villages to cities, urbanization began to affect historical missiological approaches.
  • At the start of the 20th Century, 86% of the population lived in rural areas.
  • By 2050, 65% of the population will live in urban centers.