Christian Mission and Poverty

Chapter 8: Holistic Mission

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Text Holistic Mission

There is general consensus among evangelical Christians all over the world that the church is by nature missionary. But what does that mean? How is the mission of the church defined? What is included in mission? Can mission be circumscribed to transcultural missionary efforts for the sake of the planting of churches in “the regions beyond?” Should mission be identified with evangelism being understood as “the proclamation of the historical, biblical Christ as Savior and Lord, with a view to persuading people to come to him personally and so be reconciled to God?” 2 Or should mission be equated with social transformation resulting from God’s action in history through human agency, which may or may not include the church, as has often been advocated in ecumenical circles? No attempt can be made to answer these questions adequately within the confines of this paper. Enough can be said, however, to account for the description of mission as holistic and to illustrate in practical ways this important concept: a concept that has become increasingly accepted among evangelicals, especially in the Two-thirds World, since the International Congress on World Evangelization, held in Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974. 1. What Is Holistic Mission? In a way, the adjective holistic only intends to correct a one-sided understanding of mission that majors on either

2 John Stott, Christian Mission in the Modern World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 20.