Change or die! In the business world there are many examples of companies that failed to adapt with the times, embrace new technological innovation, or some other marketplace development. It wasn’t long ago that companies such as Blockbuster, Borders, Kodak, Compaq, Blackberry, and most recently Toys R Us, were household names. Now, they are either absent from our high streets or shopping centres, or still exist but in a much smaller way.
When it comes to God’s Mission and the Church, which was tasked with joining Him to carry it out, there is a significant difference with the world of business. God’s Mission and His Church will neither disappear or go bankrupt. However, history shows us that it is possible for the Church to lose its way, and for God’s Mission to be neglected or carried out in a way misaligned with God’s purposes.
Not Recognizing the Signs of the Times
Therefore, just as companies can fail to grasp fundamental cultural shifts that can be taking place right under their noses, the Church can also ignore changes that are happening in society and fail to adapt. As pastor and evangelical ‘leadership expert’, Carey Nieuwhof states, “Too many church leaders are perfectly equipped to reach a world that no longer exists.” Most churches (even growing churches, new churches and large churches) effectively say, “We’d love for you to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to do it you need to join us at a set hour every Sunday in a particular space we meet in. Beyond that, we’re not sure what to do.”
Likewise, the Church can be stuck in institutional forms that they believe to be biblical but are actually remnants from a former cultural age (e.g. many church practices we think come from the New Testament are actually from the Roman culture after emperor Constantine created ‘Christendom’ in the 4th Century).
Let’s be clear at the outset. God’s Mission is sacred and doesn’t change. However, the methods are not sacred and often need to change with the times. Or, we need to remove our cultural glasses and return to New Testament Christianity which in many ways we just wouldn’t recognize today.
Mission Changes & Trends
So, in the mission context, what changes and trends are taking place?
1. Firstly, demographically the epicentre for the Christian faith has shifted to the Global South, namely Africa, Asia, and Latin America/Caribbean. At the same time, Europe and North America, who historically have been the drivers for mission, have experienced a diminishing Christian population. According to David Barrett and Todd Johnson, if present trends continue, by 2025 69% of the world’s Christians will live in the South, with only 31% in the North. What is interesting is that the West is still assumed as the standard in all aspects of Christian theology, ethics, and worship. And in terms of mission, the Church in the West still sets the agenda.
2. Secondly, whereas in the past, mission work focused on a one-way movement of ‘the West to the Rest’ (i.e. the Christian West to the non-Christian rest), the landscape has changed so that many western sending nations are now viewed as significant mission fields by many non-western sending nations. Such mission in the West is partly to serve migrant communities and partially to witness to the western society which is perceived to be very secular and post-Christian.
Evangelical mission agencies that were originally founded to take the gospel to Asia and Africa now work in a context where there is often a higher proportion of Christians on the “mission fields” than in the traditional sending countries. In fact, the traditional term ‘mission field’ is becoming increasingly redundant in a globalized world. In spite of the decline in the number of practicing Christians, the Church in the West has a wealth of history/ knowledge/capacity that is useful for the counterpart in the South.
3. Thirdly, the global trend in the northern hemisphere points to a steady decline in ‘career’ missionaries, alongside an exponential growth in short-term missions (STMs). While STM provides people with the opportunity to broaden their worldview, experience another culture, and potentially become envisioned for longer-term missionary service, there are also a number of potential downsides. Some critics point out that STM serve little more than ‘religious tourism’, are expensive efforts that can quench guilt and satisfy curiosity but do little lasting good, are overly goal-focused, and can create western dependency. The fact that the number of longer-term missionaries in the West continues to decline is indicative of a stronger pull towards material comforts and financial security, a changed perception towards ‘calling’, and highlights a growing ambivalence towards mission generally.
4. Fourthly, in light of the change in global landscape, the role of the Western missionary is changing. Rather than leading, resourcing, and setting the agenda, in many instances it is shifting to a partnering role and being more of an adviser and consultant to the host nation. This major paradigm shift needed in understanding and doing mission will require humility and the willingness to be a learner, rather than coming in with all the answers and a ready plan of action.
5. Fifthly, in spite of the decline in church attendance in the West, the number of mission agencies has increased. According to Eddie Arthur, former executive director of Wycliffe UK, these trends mean that “there are more and more agencies seeking support from a shrinking constituency. This is not sustainable even in the short to mid-term, much less by 2050”, when he predicts most UK mission agencies will have disappeared.
Prepare for Radical Change
Mission Agencies. Arthur calls for agencies to take a hard look at their futures (purpose and structures), saying: “Many mission agencies should close. Lots of them do very similar things. Agencies do compete for resources – they all produce magazines and prayer guides. If two agencies don’t combine, they might both be lost whereas if they do combine they might survive.”
The long-term future of mission agencies is not widely discussed in mission circles. My guess is that this would apply equally to other Christian institutions, such as Christian charities, seminaries and Bible colleges.
At the same time an increasing number of churches and denominations are engaging in mission without the intermediary of mission agencies. Sometimes this simply involves a partnership with a project, church, or diocese in another part of the world, and/or reaching diaspora communities of ‘unreached peoples’ now living, working or studying in the West. What is noticeable, certainly within the UK, is that most churches who are engaging in overseas mission directly (i.e. without involving a mission agency), are not focusing on the ‘unreached’ but partner with overseas churches where there is already a recognised Christian presence.
Bottom-line: mission agencies need to recognise the changing mission landscape and review and adapt accordingly.
Mission Funding. As Christianity in a postmodern and increasingly secularized world continues to be marginalized, it is quite possible that many privileges that are taken for granted today will not last. The “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose may no longer be accepted and many churches, Christian charities and mission agencies will no longer benefit from gift-aid or other tax-exempt donation schemes. This will have a huge impact on mission funding, both at the church and agency level, along with individual missionaries themselves. There appears to be a growing apathy in some churches in engaging in mission, especially overseas. Most mission funding is provided by the older generations, leaving questions as to funding in the future by the Millenial and younger generations, especially using traditional methods.
Bottom-line: mission agencies and missionaries need to look ahead and prepare to use new models of funding.
Missionary Role. As the traditional role of the cross-cultural western missionary changes to reflect the changing landscape, they will need to adapt to being less directive, and engage in more partnerships with host nation churches and people. At the same time, they may offer a significant contribution from their extensive reservoir of knowledge and cross-cultural experience, while also ensuring non-western missionaries learn from the mistakes their western counterparts made in the past. It is vital that the true nature of Jesus’ commission is maintained, that of discipling within all the building blocks of society (individuals, households, villages, tribes, towns, cities, nations). As mission expert, David Sills, so aptly put it, ‘the tragedy of the world is not that it is unreached but that it is undiscipled.’
Bottom-line: many missionaries need to adapt their role to reflect the changes in the nations where they are ministering.
Clearly, this blog only highlights some of the areas that need to be revisited without providing solutions. The Holy Spirit needs to be consulted on the best way forward, but one thing is clear, doing nothing and continuing with the status quo is not an option.