Foundations for Christian Mission, Mentor's Guide, MG04

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F O U N D A T I O N S F O R C H R I S T I A N M I S S I O N

7. How does the framework of Mission as the Drama of All Time explain God’s sovereign purpose and role in the unfolding phases of the divine drama? How does this framework enable us to see mission as the recovery of that which was lost at the beginning of time , and disciple making as fulfilling our specific role in God’s divine drama?

Missiology is the formal study of the mission of the Church. Missiology is the ordered study of the Christian church’s mission. As such it is a discipline within theology, incorporating a number of strands. Biblical study investigates the basis of the church’s mission in the missio Dei, the calling of Israel to be a light to all nations (Isa. 49.6) and Jesus’ commission to his disciples to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth and the end of time (Matt. 28.18–20; Acts 1.8). Historical study surveys the growth and expansion of the church at various periods and assesses its impact on different societies and cultures. Systematic theology studies the interaction of Christian faith both with secular philosophies and ideologies and with other systems of belief. Ethical studies, are incorporated into missiology where the church has a responsibility to declare God’s will for the whole of life. . . . Pastoral theology seeks ways to instruct new converts and integrate them into the church. Because of the wide scope of missiology it has an important role to play in the integration of other areas of theology. Put another way, every aspect of theology has an inescapably missiological dimension, for each one exists for the sake of the church’s mission. ~ J. A. Kirk. “Missiology.” The New Dictionary of Theology . S. B. Ferguson, ed. (electronic ed.). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000. p. 434.

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