Training Workers for God’s Mission: Equipping the Whole People of God for the Whole Mission of God 1 Matthew Ebenezer, Ph. D Mission is God’s work. He initiates, empowers, and consummates mission. This understanding of mission makes church-based ministries only a part of the many responses to the mission of God. Understanding mission as God’s prerogative, in which the church plays an important role, places upon Christians two great responsibilities: to recognise the essential character of Missio Dei, and to consider its implications. A biblical understanding of mission, therefore, as this paper shows, needs to define who the ‘workers’ of the Kingdom are, and what the missio n of God is. Since Word and deed go together, the former attested by the latter, theological institutions should educate clergy (prospective and serving) to the challenges of the parish, and equip the laity to recognize their role in Missio Dei. It is heartening to note that theological institutions and affiliating bodies are already in the process of re-thinking and re-structuring their programs to suit the present needs of the church, its people, and its mission. 2 The topic “Training Workers for God’s Mission” is understood as follows. 1) God’s mission, or Missio Dei, the focus of our paper, includes all activities that build the Kingdom of God. Thus the need arises to address the training of ‘priests,’ pastors, and seminary teachers, and also all of God’s people in their God-appointed callings to be part of God’s mission of redemption and renewal. 2) Since the focus of training is workers for Missio Dei or ‘God’s Mission,’ the challenge is to make God’s people to recognize their diverse holistic and missional callings as uniquely suited for mission and evangelism in their particular contexts. 3) This paper recognizes the importance of ministries such as Theological Education by Extension (TEE) that help equip God’s people to minister in pastoral and evangelistic contexts, especially in places where churches lack trained leadership. However, this paper is not intended to encourage equipping laity theologically, whether to acquire knowledge or to give leadership in churches without pastors, rather the paper aims to help the laity recognize the importance of their callings in the service of God’s Kingdom. 4) Although the writer recognizes the importance and place of pastoral and evangelistic ministries, and the high calling of ministers of the Gospel, the major thrust of this paper will be the deed-oriented, holistic aspect of the mission of God carried out by the whole people of God. This paper attempts to show that mission is not only the responsibility of trained clergy and missionaries. Mission is the responsibility of all God’s people, the clergy as well as the laity, using their varied callings, gifts, and abilities to extend the Kingdom of God through obedience to His will by their life and witness. Therefore, training workers for God’s mission includes making the clergy 1 This paper was originally presented at the Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney, Australia on April 20, 2012 for a seminar on “Christ for All of Life in All the World”. It was subsequently published in Doon Theological Journal , 10.1 (2013). 2 The Senate of Serampore College (University) Registrar’s report 2012 highlights the growing need to recognize two parallel developments in ministry: pastoral ministries, and non-pastoral callings. Tiwari writes, “It is often heard that Serampore degrees that were meant for pastoral training and priestly vocation are now losing their relevance for most of its graduates. It is becoming clear to us that about 60-70 % of our BD/BTh students are not joining pastoral ministries.” After giving the reasons for this trend he adds that about 50% of the staff of theological colleges “are not directly under the discipline of the church as ordained ministers.” He concludes by saying that a time has come to separate these two areas in theological training and to identify “colleges imparting theological knowledge from seminaries engaged in preparing pastors . . . .” Ravi Tiwari, “Seminary versus Theological Colleges,” Annual Senate Meeting: New Theological College, Dehradun. Report of the Registrar: Senate 2012. S.v. Issues and Concerns, IV:e. (Serampore College was established by William Carey in the early nineteenth century.) See also, Robert Banks, Reenvisioning Theological Education: Exploring a Missional Alternative to Current Models (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 260-261. Banks writes about his association with the founding of ‘a learning company’ to introduce courses and programs that will be accredited by a leading university in Australia. The uniqueness about this venture is that it will offer courses in Christian studies at undergraduate and graduate level for those in professional studies, and for developing advanced degrees that would integrate faith and work.
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Training Workers for God’s Mission:
Equipping the Whole People of God for the Whole Mission of God1
Matthew Ebenezer, Ph. D
Mission is God’s work. He initiates, empowers, and consummates mission. This
understanding of mission makes church-based ministries only a part of the many responses to the
mission of God. Understanding mission as God’s prerogative, in which the church plays an important
role, places upon Christians two great responsibilities: to recognise the essential character of Missio
Dei, and to consider its implications. A biblical understanding of mission, therefore, as this paper
shows, needs to define who the ‘workers’ of the Kingdom are, and what the mission of God is. Since
Word and deed go together, the former attested by the latter, theological institutions should educate
clergy (prospective and serving) to the challenges of the parish, and equip the laity to recognize their
role in Missio Dei. It is heartening to note that theological institutions and affiliating bodies are
already in the process of re-thinking and re-structuring their programs to suit the present needs of the
church, its people, and its mission.2
The topic “Training Workers for God’s Mission” is understood as follows. 1) God’s mission,
or Missio Dei, the focus of our paper, includes all activities that build the Kingdom of God. Thus the
need arises to address the training of ‘priests,’ pastors, and seminary teachers, and also all of God’s
people in their God-appointed callings to be part of God’s mission of redemption and renewal. 2)
Since the focus of training is workers for Missio Dei or ‘God’s Mission,’ the challenge is to make
God’s people to recognize their diverse holistic and missional callings as uniquely suited for mission
and evangelism in their particular contexts. 3) This paper recognizes the importance of ministries
such as Theological Education by Extension (TEE) that help equip God’s people to minister in
pastoral and evangelistic contexts, especially in places where churches lack trained leadership.
However, this paper is not intended to encourage equipping laity theologically, whether to acquire
knowledge or to give leadership in churches without pastors, rather the paper aims to help the laity
recognize the importance of their callings in the service of God’s Kingdom. 4) Although the writer
recognizes the importance and place of pastoral and evangelistic ministries, and the high calling of
ministers of the Gospel, the major thrust of this paper will be the deed-oriented, holistic aspect of the
mission of God carried out by the whole people of God.
This paper attempts to show that mission is not only the responsibility of trained clergy and
missionaries. Mission is the responsibility of all God’s people, the clergy as well as the laity, using
their varied callings, gifts, and abilities to extend the Kingdom of God through obedience to His will
by their life and witness. Therefore, training workers for God’s mission includes making the clergy
1 This paper was originally presented at the Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney, Australia on April 20,
2012 for a seminar on “Christ for All of Life in All the World”. It was subsequently published in Doon
Theological Journal , 10.1 (2013). 2 The Senate of Serampore College (University) Registrar’s report 2012 highlights the growing need to
recognize two parallel developments in ministry: pastoral ministries, and non-pastoral callings. Tiwari writes,
“It is often heard that Serampore degrees that were meant for pastoral training and priestly vocation are now
losing their relevance for most of its graduates. It is becoming clear to us that about 60-70 % of our BD/BTh
students are not joining pastoral ministries.” After giving the reasons for this trend he adds that about 50% of
the staff of theological colleges “are not directly under the discipline of the church as ordained ministers.” He
concludes by saying that a time has come to separate these two areas in theological training and to identify
“colleges imparting theological knowledge from seminaries engaged in preparing pastors . . . .” Ravi Tiwari,
“Seminary versus Theological Colleges,” Annual Senate Meeting: New Theological College, Dehradun. Report
of the Registrar: Senate 2012. S.v. Issues and Concerns, IV:e. (Serampore College was established by William
Carey in the early nineteenth century.) See also, Robert Banks, Reenvisioning Theological Education: Exploring
a Missional Alternative to Current Models (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999),
260-261. Banks writes about his association with the founding of ‘a learning company’ to introduce courses and
programs that will be accredited by a leading university in Australia. The uniqueness about this venture is that it
will offer courses in Christian studies at undergraduate and graduate level for those in professional studies, and
for developing advanced degrees that would integrate faith and work.
2
aware of the vastness of Kingdom concerns, and educating the laity to seize opportunities of witness
in their respective callings to be witnesses of the salvific work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of this paper is threefold: 1) To trace the
holistic character of God’s mission, theologically, biblically and historically; 2) to survey
contemporary holistic missional opportunities available to fulfil Missio Dei; and 3) to consider the
implications of Missio Dei for theological education. This paper will be divided into three sections
that correspond with the three purposes given above. An attempt is made to show that the clergy as
well as the laity together make the people of God; and that the gospel is not communicated by Word
alone, but by Word and deed. This paper seeks to encourage the church to motivate men and women
to recognize and utilize their callings in the service of the Kingdom.
I
Missio Dei: A Theological, Biblical, and Historical Overview
With the exaltation of the clergy appeared the tendency to separate them from secular
business. . . . After the third century they were forbidden to engage in any secular business,
or even to accept any trusteeship. - Schaff3
The issue of the nature of mission has been debated widely. Questions in connection with this
are: “Is it right to refer to ‘missions’ or ‘mission’?” “Is there a connection between the two?” “Does
mission refer only to the kerygmatic aspects of preaching and evangelizing?” Up to the nineteenth
century the idea of missions was seen as man’s response to God’s command, and this was understood
primarily as evangelism. Karl Barth is generally considered the first to articulate the idea that mission
is God’s work at the Brandenburg Missionary Conference (1932). This thought reached fruition at the
International Missionary Council (IMC)’s Willingen Conference (1952), following which the term
Missio Dei or ‘Mission of God’ was coined by Karl Hartenstein and popularized by George
Vicedom.4 In recent years there has been a growing awareness among Christian theologians that
mission is primarily God’s work.5 A simple distinction between mission and missions is: mission is
what God does; missions are what the church is engaged in – the different expressions of the one
Missio Dei.
What is the difference in the idea of mission as narrowly referring to evangelism and church-
planting, and mission as Missio Dei – Mission of God? Various differences can be noted here: in the
former mission is understood primarily as telling the good news of salvation; the focus is moreover on
gathering souls into a saved community who then become witnesses to what they have experienced.
In the latter, mission is viewed as a greater phenomenon that includes a holistic dimension, which is
both spiritual and physical. In some ways, the debate centres around the ‘Nazareth Manifesto’ (Luke
4:18,19), and similar texts, and ‘The Great Commission’ (Matt 28:18,19), and related texts. In the
former the emphasis falls on being salt and light in the world; mission is primarily viewed as ushering
in the Kingdom of God and establishing God’s rule of justice, peace, and liberation; in the latter the
call is for Christians to preach the Gospel and fulfil the command of Christ. Christians who primarily
focus on social action take the life and ministry of Christ seriously and tend to spiritualize His death,
resurrection, and Second coming. Jesus Christ for them becomes a model to emulate and the events
during His life are interpreted socially, economically, politically, and ecologically. Some evangelical
Christians often tend to downplay the holistic element in mission, focussing instead on the life and
atoning work of Christ. The ideal is a balance between these two extremes.
3 Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: Ante-Nicene Christianity, vol. 2 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1910, 1994), 128. 4Mark T. B. Laing, “Missio Dei: Some Implications for the Church,” in Missiology, No. 37:1 (January 2009),
90, 98. 5 A recent example is Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative
(Secunderabad: Authentic Books, 2009).
3
Theological: The idea of mission is woven into the character of God, especially His revelatory
and redemptive actions in history. Biblical redemptive history unveils a God who reveals Himself
graciously. This redemptive revelation is mediated to God’s people through His chosen servants who
were not only priests and prophets, but also people called of God for His work. They were examples
of grace that showed God’s sovereign choice despite human sin and shortcomings. Among these in
the Old Testament were Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Samuel,
David, Elijah, Hezekiah, Elisha, Isaiah, Amos, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther; they
completed their role in the work of redemption in their particular contexts, accomplishing the mission
of God while being conscious of their ‘secular and sacred callings’ – they came from all walks of life:
they were princes and prime ministers, prophets and priests, kings, queens, and governors, etc. They
were people of faith some of whose exemplary – not sinless - lives are given as examples for us in
Hebrews 11. Our Great Example, the Lord Jesus Christ is the pinnacle of all these models, being in
every way like as we are yet without sin (Heb 4:15). He becomes our Perfect Model for emulation.
The people of God are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, (I Pet 2:9), yet like the High Priest of the Old
Testament they need to be reminded of their sinfulness and need for holiness (Heb 10:1,3). It is a
people of God who are conscious of their sinfulness; they trust in Christ’s atoning work for their
redemption and daily commit themselves to live holy lives consecrated for use in God’s kingdom to
accomplish His purposes. There ought to be a realization that whatever calling we have is God-given
and to be used for His glory.
Biblical: God deals with mankind holistically in the Old Testament. Creation is followed by
the command to care for creation (Gen 1:28). Sin does not warrant a complete destruction of God’s
entire creation; God provides for continuity (Gen 6:13-22). Redemption from bondage in Egypt is
accompanied by provision for His peoples’ physical needs (Ex 16:13; Deut 8:15,16). God deals
gently with His people providing and protecting them until they are safe in Canaan (Ex 19:4). The
Mosaic law reveals His care for both His people (Deut 23:19), for aliens living among them (Ex
12:49), for the poor (Ex 23:10f; Lev 19:9,10; 23:22; 25:5,6) , and for the land itself (Lev 25:4,5, 11).
God stands with the oppressed and the poor taking their side through prophetic intervention, seen in
several of the prophetic books, and calls His people back to Himself.
Jesus’ ministry was in every sense holistic. His message was not only the salvation of
mankind from sin; it was also meeting their immediate physical needs. The preaching of the gospel
was accompanied by care and concern for His followers as is evidenced by the various feedings of
multitudes (Matt14:14ff.; 15:32ff.). In the synoptic gospels there are several references to Jesus’
healing of sick and concern for the poor (Matt 11:5; Luke 4:18; 7:22; 14:13), and His compassion for
needy people (Matt 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13). Jesus concern for the poor was
matched by His incarnational action (2 Cor 8:9). This holistic emphasis of Jesus should not eclipse
His ultimate purpose for mankind. Only a truncated gospel finds support for holistic acts in the life
and ministry of Jesus, and stops short of His death and resurrection, His command to preach the good
news and make disciples, His ascension, and the hope of His coming.
A truly holistic gospel is based on a holistic biblical pattern. The best example of such a
relationship is seen on the day of Pentecost and in the early church. The gospel that converted three
thousand through Peter’s preaching translated into belief and action. The early church not only
preached the gospel but also took care of the material needs of believers (Acts 2:44,45). Acts 6
suggests consistent holistic care for believers in the church. The apostle Paul refers to help given
among the early churches to meet the need of the poorer churches (Rom 15:26). When Paul met with
the leaders of the church to discuss evangelizing the Gentiles, one concern of James, Peter, and John
was that Paul and Barnabas should “remember the poor” (Gal 2:9,10).
Historical: Early centuries Commenting on the practice of Christians about the second
century, Professor Chadwick writes, “The practical application of charity was probably the most
potent single cause of Christian success.” Apart from meeting the needs of fellow believers,
Christians reached out “. . . in social action in time of calamity like famine, earthquake, pestilence, or
war.”6 In the mid-third century the wealthy church of Rome reached out to refugees fleeing during
6 Henry Chadwick, The Early Church, A Penguin History of the Church, vol. 1 (London: Penguin Books, 1967),
56.
4
barbarian invasions and the Decian persecution. Chadwick notes here, “. . . the distribution of alms
was not confined only to believers.”7 The impact of Christianity on society, especially in the status of
women and the treatment of slaves is particularly impressive, when compared to the contemporary
norms. Another important contribution was its teaching on the sanctity of marriage.8 This shows that
early Christians took the holistic implications of the gospel seriously. Chadwick notes, “In the
Church masters and slaves were brethren. Several emancipated slaves rose to be bishops, notably
Callistus of Rome in the third century. . . . Protests against the institution of slavery as such came in
the fourth century when the Christians were beginning to be in a position to affect social policy.”9 Of
particular importance was the outlawing of gladiatorial shows in AD 404 following a spectacular
protest by an eastern monk named, Telemachus.10
In the wake of post-Constantinian Christianity
several changes were to appear that would impact Christendom.
Bosch, with regard to this period, traces the rise in importance of the clergy, especially due to
the advent of heresy and the view that the clergy were the guardians of the apostolic tradition. He
comments, “. . . the doctrines of apostolic succession, the ‘indelible character’ conferred on priests in
the rite of ordination, and the ‘infallibility of the pope.’” He then observes, “The clericalizing of the
church went hand in hand with the sacerdotalizing of the clergy.” He traces briefly the use of the term
‘priest’ that was introduced into the Christian church and the elaborate rituals that developed around
the Eucharist by commenting, “At the same time it [the rituals] cut off the priest from the
community, putting him over against it as a mediation figure and as a kind of alter Christus (‘another
Christ’). The priest had active power to consecrate, forgive sins, and bless; ‘ordinary’ Christians,
enabled thereto by their baptism, had only a passive role to play, namely to receive grace.”11
An
interesting observation by Schaff seems to imply that the clergy had their own occupations that were
gradually discouraged when the distinction between them and the laity became pronounced.12
Priests
and monks moreover came to be identified with learning and erudition. The laity, nevertheless,
recognized their calling to communicate the gospel in the early centuries. Missiologist Timothy
Tennent, referring to the probable spread of the gospel to Britain by Christian soldiers, observes, “The
gospel spreads not just through the officially commissioned missionaries, but also through countless
ordinary believers who, wherever they go, bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ.”13
Similarly, well-known sociologist Rodney Stark says, “. . . the primary means of its [Christianity’s]
growth was through the united and motivated efforts of the growing numbers of Christian believers,
who invited their friends, relatives, and neighbours to share the ‘good news.’”14
This early
involvement of the laity in Word (and also in deed), would soon disappear as the church grew more
structured and the ecclesiastical hierarchy were gradually tasked with spiritual matters. Middle Ages Schaff refers to the contribution of the church in education and learning in the
middle ages. He writes, “The preservation and study of ancient literature during the entire medieval
period are due chiefly to the clergy and monks, and a few secular rulers. The convents were the
nurseries of manuscripts.”15
These references indicate that holism was built into the Christian
community’s life and message. Unfortunately, it seems that three events affected the natural holistic
practice of the church. The first was the Church-State nexus following the ‘conversion’ of Constantine
(AD 313) in which social concerns gradually came to be handled by the State. Secondly, theological
7 Chadwick, The Early Church, 58.
8 Chadwick, The Early Church, 59.
9 Chadwick, The Early Church, 60. Slavery continued under protest from the Christian community
10 Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: Nice and Post Nicene Christianity, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, ), 124. 11
David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, American Society for
Missiology Series, No. 16 (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991), 468-469. Although the “infallibility of the
pope” became an established doctrine in the Roman Catholic church many centuries later, Bosch seems to hint
at early traces of this idea. 12
See Schaff, f/n 2. 13
Timothy C. Tennent, Invitation to World Mission: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century,
Invitation to Theological Studies Series (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2010), 240. 14
Rodney Stark, The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal Jesus Movement Became the Dominant
Religious Force in the Western World in a Few Centuries (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997), 208. 15
Schaff, History, vol. 3, 605.
5
disputes, such as the Arian controversy, and the calling of various regional and ecumenical councils
kept the church preoccupied. Thirdly, the growing power of the hierarchy and ecclesiastical monopoly
over holistic concerns was especially evident in Rome. Moreover, the rise of convents and
monasteries meant that these became centres of holistic outreach meeting social needs and providing
relief for the poor and the suffering.16
It appears that the last reason given led to a
compartmentalization and separation of a clergy, that practised good works (and by the time of the
Reformation established their monopoly over such works with the blessings of the church); and the
laity, who contented themselves by being overawed by the commitment and concern of the church
(clergy and monks) for the poor. The laity, moreover, depended on the clergy to perform vicarious
good works on their behalf without realizing their own identity as being a people of God.
Pre-Reformation. Latourette observes, “An expression of the Christian faith of the laity
which was seen in hundreds of parishes was care for the unfortunate. With the deepening of religious
life of Western Europe through the revivals, especially, those of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,
and with the growth of cities and the increase in wealth, works of Christian charity multiplied.”17
In a
chapter entitled “The Shaping of Western Europe” Latourette refers to several changes in Europe that
were a direct influence of the permeation of Christian ideals. Some of these were, stressing the
equality of all mankind, the forbidding of exposing infants, forbidding of sacrifice of slaves,
promoting manumission of slaves, and elevating the status of women. He notes, “The Christian faith
also stimulated care for the sick, the poor, and the stranger. . . . monasteries regularly entertained
travellers, parishes cared for the indigent, and in the name of Christ hospitals were founded and
maintained for the ill and the aged.”18
These pre-Reformation attempts to show the practical
outworking of the faith were a perfect preparation for what would follow in the sixteenth century.
Reformation and Post-Reformation. Critics point out that none of the Reformers had any
interest in mission work. This is an unwarranted criticism. A careful student of history can trace the
impact of the Reformation in places rooted in a solid biblical theology that stressed the glory and
sovereignty of God.19
Of the Reformers, Calvin saw all of life as belonging to God, to be lived for
His glory. Calvin balanced his call to the ministry of the Word and Sacraments and his call to
translate biblical truth into practice in everyday life with efficient precision. The best known example
of this outworking was his vision for the city of Geneva. Despite the criticism of Calvin’s enemies,
Geneva was undoubtedly an outstanding example of holistic Christian influence. Schaff writes,
The material prosperity of the city [Geneva] was not neglected. Greater cleanliness
was introduced . . . . Calvin insisted on the removal of all filth from the houses and
the narrow and crooked streets. He induced the magistracy to superintend the
markets, and to prevent the sale of unhealthy food . . . . Low taverns and drinking
shops were abolished, and intemperance diminished. Mendicancy on the streets was
prohibited. A hospital and poor-house was provided and well conducted. Efforts were
made to give useful employment to every man that could work. Calvin urged the
Council in a long speech, Dec. 29, 1544, to introduce the cloth and silk industry . . . .
The factories were forthwith established and soon reached the highest degree of
prosperity. The cloth and silk of Geneva were highly prized in Switzerland and
France, and laid the foundation for the temporal wealth of the city. When Lyons . . .
16
After Constantinople became the capital of the Roman Empire, the Roman bishop became the point of
reference in all social and political affairs. 17
Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of Christianity: Beginning to 1500, vol 1, revised edition (San Francisco:
Harper Collings, 1975), 538. Latourette’s reference to ‘revivals’ were periods when the authority of the church
was questioned by segments within it. 18
Latourette, A History, vol.1, 558, 557-560. 19
Such critics often forget the context of the Reformation which was undoubtedly a life and death situation.
Falling into the wrong hand meant the possibility of death. Further, Calvin’s consistent effort in sending
missionaries to France and a one-time mission to Brazil often gets eclipsed by the doctrinal issues of the
sixteenth century Reformation.
6
surpassed the little Republic in the manufacture of silk, Geneva had already begun to
make up for the loss by the manufacture of watches . . . 20
McNeill refers to many social, economic, political, and moral (severely criticised) reforms
that took place in Geneva, and the founding of the influential Genevan Academy (1559).21
Among
the Reformers, Calvin’s theology was not only soundly biblical and practical, it was also holistic.
This aspect makes his approach relevant to contemporary situations. Bierma writes, “For him
[Calvin], the gospel addresses not just souls or individual persons or so-called ‘spiritual matters.’ It
addresses the whole person and all aspects of life and society – political office, civil disobedience,
wealth and poverty, work, wages, usury, education, marriage and family life.”22
Commenting on the post-Reformation period, Latourette says, “On wide ranges of social life
Christianity was having effects. Some of those were a continuation of what we have noted in earlier
centuries. Others were new. . . . in the West, the power inherent in the Christian faith gave rise to
many efforts on behalf of the underprivileged and for social reform.”23
Latourette also refers to a
movement in Germany that led to founding homes for “underprivileged and delinquent children” and
various other activities that sought a spiritual rebirth for the nation.”24
Stephen Neill refers to holistic
Roman Catholic missionary activity in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries in the
Philippines. He writes, “The missionary method followed by all the [Roman Catholic] Orders was the
same – the creation of strong Christian villages, in which church, school, hospital, and orphanage all
played their part.” 25
In England, the eighteenth century Evangelical Revival led to a widespread impact on society.
Speaking of John Wesley, Latourette notes, “From a substantial income from the sale of his books he
aided what he deemed good causes. He furthered the care of deserving poor and the creation of
lending funds to assist struggling businessmen.”26
Stott comments, “Historians have attributed to
Wesley’s influence rather than to any other the fact that Britain was spared the horrors of a bloody
revolution like France’s.”27
Vidler describes the activities of the Clapham Sect, among who was the
Member of Parliament and social reformer William Wilberforce (1759-1833), saying,
These rich and prosperous men . . . . consecrated themselves to good works and noble causes,
above all to the abolition of the slave trade. . . . They were full of benevolence and
philanthropy towards the poor . . . . they interested themselves a great deal in the social as
well as in the moral and religious needs of the industrial poor, for example in the provision of
hospitals and education. They denounced the barbarity of the criminal law and the state of
prisons and they were ahead of their time in being willing to allow State interference in order
to improve factory conditions.28
20
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church: The Swiss Reformation, vol. 8 (Grand Rapids: Wm. B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company, 19 ), 516-517. 21
John T. McNeill, The History and Character of Calvinism (New York: Oxford University Press, 1967) 189-
200. 22
Lyle D. Bierma, “The Relevance of Calvin’s Theology for the Twenty-First Century,” in Doon Theological
Journal, vol.3, no.1 (January 2006):53. Abraham Kuiper is a modern day example of Reformed witness in
Holland in the nineteen and early twentieth century through his involvement in politics, education, church and
society. Kuiper in his inaugural address at the opening of the Free University, Amsterdam (1880), speaks of
various academic disciplines and their need to be studied from a Christian perspective. He then concludes by
saying, “. . . no single piece of our mental world is to be hermeneutically sealed off from the rest, and there is
not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all,
does not cry: ‘Mine!’” See Abraham Kuiper, “Sphere Sovereignty,” in Abraham Kuiper: A Centennial Reader,
edited by James D. Bratt (Grand Rapids: Wm B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 488. 23
Latourette, A History of Christianity: Beginning to 1500, vol 2, revised edition (San Francisco: Harper
Collins, 1975), 980. 24
Latourette, A History, vol 2, 1136. 25
Stephen Neill, A History of Christian Missions, A Pelican History of the Church, vol. 6 (Middlesex, UK:
Penguin Books, 1964), 167. 26
Latourette, A History, vol. 2. 1027. 27
John R. W. Stott, Issues Facing Christians Today (Bombay: Gospel Literature Service, 1987), 2. 28
Alec R. Vidler, The Church in an Age of Revolution: 1789 to Present, The Pelican History of the Church, vol.
5 (Middlesex, UK: Penguin Books, 1961), 37.
7
The efforts of Wilberforce led to abolishing slavery in most parts of the British Empire from 1834. As
the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries heralded the era of modern missions, early Christian missions
were accompanied by acts of charity.
Modern period. In the eighteenth century the Roman Catholics first founded a school for
boys and later another for girls; a hospital and a leper asylum, and a charitable dispensary in the
French colony of Pondicherry in south India.29
This century also saw the beginning of the first
Protestant missionary movement in India with the founding of the Tranquebar Mission (1706) by
Bartholomew Ziegenbalg and Henry Pleutschau: German Pietistic Lutherans commissioned by King
Frederick of Denmark to spread the gospel in India. They established schools and set up of a printing
press for printing gospel literature. Their attempts to help the poor failed because the Mission Board
in Copenhagen who could not comprehend the connection between preaching the gospel and helping
the poor!30
This attitude appears to have changed later. C. F. Schwartz (1750-1798) of the
Tranquebar Mission engaged in systematic ‘teaching, preaching, catechizing, and supervision,’ apart
from which he established an orphanage and became a mediator between the British and the local
rulers in political affairs.31
Among modern missionaries of the nineteenth century, William Carey (1761-1834) is
prominent. Neill sees Carey’s missionary work as a “five-pronged advance” each having equal
importance. These five are:
(1) The widespread preaching of the Gospel by every possible method; (2) support of the
preaching by the distribution of the Bible in the languages of the country; (3) the
establishment at the earliest possible moment of a Church; (4) a profound study of the
background and thought of the non-Christian peoples; (5) the training at the earliest
possible moment of an indigenous ministry.32
Along with these important aspects that would establish an “indigenous ministry” in India, Carey
engaged in holistic activities that impacted the country significantly. Carey (linguist), Joshua
Marshman (schoolmaster), and William Ward (printer), commonly known as the Serampore Trio,
actively involved themselves in: the abolition of sati (practice of widows immolating themselves on
the funeral pyre of their dead husbands) and child sacrifice; setting up of schools for boys and girls;
engaging in self-supporting activities, such as running of schools; journalism (they started
newspapers in English and Bengali that drew attention to social evils); and their lasting achievement
was the establishment of Serampore College (‘for the instruction of Asiatic, Christian and other youth
in Eastern Literature and European Science’) in 1818, which continues today.33
This spirit of holistic ministry is seen in the activities of other nineteenth century missionaries
and nationals in India whose activities included education (Alexander Duff, John Wilson, Stephen
Hislop, John Anderson, etc.); women’s emancipation and education (Isabella Thoburn, Pandita
Rama Bai, etc.); medical work, founding hospitals and training institutions (John and Henry Scudder,
Ida Scudder, William Wanless, Clara Swain, Sara Seward, Edith Brown, etc.); founding of sanatorium
for tuberculosis patients and leprosy asylums; and printing presses. This trend continued into the early
part of the twentieth century with missionaries being involved in setting up schools and research
centres for teaching agriculture, and animal husbandry.34
The above cursory survey of church history shows that social awareness was intertwined in
the Christian gospel. Normally, the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of churches was
followed by concern for the underprivileged that took different forms: caring for the sick and the poor,
reforming society, developing a concern for the needs of mankind. Perhaps the culmination of
evangelical social reform efforts came from William Booth in the nineteenth century. Coming from a
29
E. R. Hambye, History of Christianity in India: Eighteenth Century, volume 3 (Bangalore: The Church
History Association of India, 1997), 176-178. 30
Hambye, History, 119,120, see also, C. B. Firth, An Introduction to Indian Church History, revised edition
(Madras: Christian Literature Society, 1989), 131-137. 31
Firth, Introduction, 140-144. 32
Neill, A History, 263. 33
Firth, An Introduction, 148-155. Carey was also the founder of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society of
Bengal, see, ibid.155. 34
Firth, An Introduction, 181-214.
8
Methodist background, Booth’s efforts to reach the poor, and the socially and financially bankrupt
came from a general understanding shared by many that the Methodist church had forgotten much of
Wesley’s ideals and was now catering to the middle-classes. Booth’s approach, generally
caricaturized as ‘soup, soap, salvation,’ reached out to people often neglected by British society. His
organization, the Salvation Army, after facing some initial setbacks has emerged as a well-knit, social
organisation that reaches the neglected segments of society.35
The social response to the faith was
very much a part of the evangelical and Reformed tradition, but gradually came to be neglected by the
twentieth century.
An outstanding example of Christian transformation in the history of modern missions comes
from north east India where tribal head-hunters, converted a little over one hundred years ago,
abandoned pagan cultural practices in favour of the gospel.36
Firth refers to Christian love in action
shown during the ‘bamboo famine’ – a phenomenon that occurs once in several decades in north east
India and results in an increase in the rodent population that devastates crops and food supplies
leading to thousands of deaths. During such famines villages would protect themselves from hungry
marauders searching for food. After their conversion, the people in this region refused to build
stockades around their villages during the famine to keep away starving people in search of food;
instead they welcomed them, gave them food, and cared for them showing Christ’s love: actions that
resulted in tremendous church growth.37
The above examples give us ample evidence that throughout Christian history, mission was
primarily understood as holistic. A transformation of the heart, mind, and will led to effective
Christian witness in Word and deed. There were periods when the emphasis was greater or lesser due
to various reasons. Holistic mission was primarily carried out by the clergy, but there were also
examples of the laity being involved in holistic mission, though such examples are fewer in number.
The abandonment and recovery holistic mission in evangelical circles. Stott, summarizing the
findings of David O Moberg, gives five reasons that led evangelicals to shun social responsibility.
The first is, “The fight against theological liberalism,” the second was the reaction to the ‘social
gospel’ of Walter Rauschenbusch, the third was the pessimism that followed World War I, the fourth
was spread of premillenial teachings that viewed the world as evil and ‘beyond redemption,’ the fifth
he says, “. . . was probably the spread of Christianity among middle-class people, who tended to dilute
it by identifying it with their own culture.’38
Stott writes that the first person to remind evangelicals
of their social responsibility was Carl F. H. Henry as early as 1947. In 1966 the Wheaton Declaration
spoke of the need to address social issues. The International Congress on World Evangelization,
Lausanne (1974) promoted Christian Social Responsibility, with the added clause ‘in the church’s
mission of sacrificial service evangelism is primary.’39 In October 1999 evangelical global
evangelical Christian leaders met in Iguassu, Brazil to formulate the Iguassu Affirmation which says
with regard to the holistic gospel, “The Gospel is good news and addresses all human needs. We
emphasize the holistic nature of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Both the Old Testament and the New
Testament demonstrate Gods concern with the whole person in the whole of society. We acknowledge
that material blessings come from God, but prosperity should not be equated with godliness.”40
The
35
Justo Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Reformation to the Present Day, vol. 2 (New York: Harper &