Theology / Church

My poor spellchecker. Evidently Bill Gates does not know the word missiology. Type in missiology and up comes a helpful set of alternatives headed by musicology! But then again, what is the relationship between missiology and musicology or for that matter, mission and business, the creative arts, journalism and a hundred other things that ‘normal’ people do for a living?

In Interserve we bring these things together under the term ‘wholistic mission’.

There was a time when Interserve was unusual amongst mission communities in promoting an wholistic vision of mission. Not so today. In fact, all strands of mission are using the buzz words of transformation, integral ministry and wholistic ministry. But what do we mean?

Well, as the song says, ‘Let’s start at the very beginning, it’s a very good place to start.’

Mission is God’s BIG IDEA! The Bible is all about God’s mission. Mission is God’s initiative from start to finish: the promise to Abraham that through one nation God intends to bless all nations; the Old Testament preparation of a people and culture that would be receptive to God’s work; the fulfillment of that work in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus; the ministry of the Holy Spirit, orchestrating all mission that flows from the Christ event and empowering his disciples as God’s mission carriers. God is the real missionary from start to finish. If we want to understand God’s mission we need to understand the whole story of mission presented in the Bible. Instead of a reductionist view of mission that draws on a number of key texts we need to develop a view of mission that draws on the whole message of Scripture.

Our understanding of wholistic mission must begin in the garden and end in the city. “Too often our theology and missiology begins with Genesis 3 and ends with Revelation 20”2 In other words, a missiology that is framed by mankind’s fall and God’s final judgment, with personal salvation filling the sandwich, is a defective missiology. Wholistic missiology must include at least the following:

The beginning: Genesis 1&2 The biblical story begins with a God who is distinct from his creation (transcendent) yet intimately involved (immanent). Creation is not a temporary staging post or a ‘platform’ for the real world to come but the sphere of God’s activity. There is no dichotomy between ‘sacred’ and ‘secular’. Creation is good! Mankind is mandated to care for this world, a mission command that is never rescinded. Indeed, the creation account makes it clear that the ‘image of God’ in which mankind is made relates closely to his vice-regent role as creation’s warden. The revelation of God as creator profoundly shapes our own understanding of work, rest, creativity and ecology. The doctrine of creation shapes a biblical understanding of wholistic mission.

The goal of history: Revelation 21&22 Christians know that there is a goal to history. The end (telos) is not the end of the story but the completion of His story. God is still the creator God, creating a new heaven and new earth. A new Jerusalem descends from heaven. The redeemed do not go up ‘to heaven’ to live but inhabit the new earth where God once more dwells with man. As John’s vision draws to a close the One seated on the throne speaks for the first time in the revelation, saying, “I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5). Here is the fulfillment of the prayer Jesus taught his disciples, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in the heavens.” Yes, the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ! (Rev 11:15) Eschatology shapes a biblical understanding of wholistic mission.

The all-pervasive impact of sin: Genesis 3 At the heart of the gospel message is a call to recognise personal sin and its effect in rupturing our relationship with God. Yet, sin distorts and damages all relationships: interpersonal, with God and with the created order. Because of sin the man and woman are excluded from the garden, that place of harmony and wholeness in all relationships. A whole view of the fall and the multi-level impact of sin shapes a biblical understanding of wholistic mission.

The all-inclusive scope of the cross and resurrection: God’s solution for sin is as far reaching as the tentacles of sin itself. Not only is God out to restore his relationship with humankind, he is out to restore all things.

The cross and resurrection provide the solution for all of creation: “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross” Col 1:19-20

God is in the business of reconciling to himself individuals, society and indeed the whole of creation3. God loved ‘the world’ (cosmos) so much that he gave his one and only son’. Wholistic mission refuses to reduce God’s cosmic act of reconciliation to a single dimension, individual human beings, however central that dimension may be in his mission plan. A cosmic view of salvation shapes a biblical understanding of wholistic mission.

Wholistic mission derives from God’s mission, Missio Dei. God is the good creator who is in the business of making new his good but broken creation. God has purposed to bring reconciliation and transformation to the whole created order. In wholistic mission we are called to join God in his purpose. This is where mission and music, business, journalism, art and drama and everything else fits in. These are not simply platforms for proclamation. They are places to be reclaimed for Christ, filled with his presence and presented to him for his glory. As we do that we call others to join us in our acts of worship. Mission becomes proclamation to the world in the call to repentance and reconciliation, the heavenlies in the declaration of the victory of Christ and to God himself in our song of praise.

Since the beginning of time God has been going about his mission and one day he will complete it. Wholistic mission requires that we never lose sight of the end, not settle for a reduced view of what God has in store for his creation. We live in communities filled with sadness, injustice, corruption, violence and greed. God is not simply bent on rescuing a few, destroying the rest and starting again. By faith we affirm that the One who sits on the throne is making all things new.

Jesus models the reality of a new world order, God’s kingdom come. He demonstrates the kingdom of God by offering the love and goodness of the Father unconditionally. This offer of life can only be made through incarnation and vulnerability. It cost Jesus his life.

We, his disciples, are called to bear witness to the suffering and victory of God in Christ. We now bring the Kingdom in the same way that Jesus did: unconditionally, incarnationally and vulnerably. Through our speaking, doing and being, we invite people to become part of that new world order. As they are discipled and put into practice all that Jesus commanded, so they and their communities are transformed. One day that process will be complete, for we shall see him and be like him. God invites us to join him in mission, wholistic mission.

Theology / Church

Theology / Church

The Kingdom of Thailand is well known for its sunny beaches, jungle hideouts, elephants and smiling faces. At the heart and crossroads of Southeast Asia, it is a relatively prosperous nation with a population of about 63 million.

Considered to be one of the most beautiful and diverse countries in Asia, it is a kingdom of vibrant culture and commercial activity, of potential and challenge, of variety, contrast, colour and light. Yet under that veneer many needs draw followers of Christ to serve here, seeking out opportunities to bring His hope and compassion to the diverse peoples of this land.

At the beginning of 2008 my husband, Peter, and I moved from Hamilton, New Zealand, to take on the role of Associate Pastors at Chiang Mai Community Church in northern Thailand. Chiang Mai is located more than 700km northwest of Bangkok, and is surprisingly small and pleasant by Asian standards, not at all an urban megalopolis. Dynamic and multicultural – many tourists and expats from Asia and the West base themselves here – Chiang Mai has successfully managed to combine its rich cultural history and traditions with its progressively more modern character. However, as a result of this rapid development, a huge increase in traffic and pollution makes going outside from February to April very unpleasant and unhealthy.

Chiang Mai Community Church has been serving the international community here for more than 40 years. Although Thailand is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world (more than 95% of all Thais are practising Buddhists), the law provides for freedom of religion. There has historically been an openness to the good news of Jesus among the hill tribe people, though not so much among mainstream Thais. The evangelical churches here are committed to working together in reaching out to the unreached.

While Peter was serving as a pastor in New Zealand before we left, I was working as a family doctor. I have discovered, however, that the skills required in a general medical practice, such as listening and problem solving, are central to my new life here, and that life as a pastor is varied, interesting, challenging and unpredictable!

Our church community is ethnically and culturally very mixed, and because many attend Thai or tribal group churches in the morning, we meet in the late afternoon – a great time for church, in our opinion! Although some have been with the church from its inception, on the whole the church ‘boundaries’ are fairly fluid, with many comings and goings. Chiang Mai is a resource centre for physical, emotional and spiritual renewal, and mission workers from near and far come here for medical and dental care, to have their babies, for rest and respite, and for member care. Others visit from physically isolated workplaces in order to enjoy some Christian community and church life. Many of those who live here also have responsibilities in neighbouring countries, which require them to travel frequently.

In our church we have a good number of young adults: some are with us for only a short time, while others are based in Thailand long-term. They come and go from many countries. We host a young adults’ group on Sunday evenings, and very much enjoy listening to their stories and challenges, and seeing them connecting with each other and building friendships. They are involved in a wide variety of ministries, such as teaching, media and journalism, mission through sport, and working in orphanages. Some work in relief agencies and with immigrants and refugees — approximately 130,000 Burmese refugees live in Thailand, having entered through the long, mountainous border Thailand shares with Myanmar. Others minister to women and children who have HIV. Although prostitution is illegal in Thailand, since the Vietnam War the country has gained international notoriety as a sex tourism destination, and this has led to the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, especially among sex workers.

Short-term mission teams also frequently come through Chiang Mai, and we recently had the privilege of hosting a medical team which included our youngest son, Tim. He and seven third-year medical student friends, from Auckland University Medical School, were inspired by their involvement with the Christian Medical Fellowship to gain some experience of medical needs outside of NZ. They were a great group of high quality young Kiwis, and we had such fun interacting with them, experiencing their energy, seeing their potential for the future and their heart for God and mission.

From short-term teams to those who have formed the core of this church for 40 years now, from visitors coming through to those working in remote locations or neighbouring nations sharing their faith in word and deed, the people we are privileged to serve in our role as pastors here have many, many interesting stories of life and challenge, heartache and joy, reflecting the grace and mercy of our God. Our call as we listen and teach, counsel and support is to encourage each one on their way, pointing them to the never-changing truth that will undergird each of their journeys. Our investment is into those who make a difference, often amongst the most vulnerable, and in the hard places, bringing the Kingdom of God into the midst of the Kingdom of Thailand – to Him be the glory!

Annette, and her husband Peter, are Kiwi partners. They have three adult children, located in Japan, Australia and NZ, and are very grateful for Skype and webcams.

Theology / Church

When people hear that I worked in South Asia for many years they often ask “Were you involved in Church Planting?” Oddly enough, the answer to that is “No, not really.” It was more like Church Finding. Church Finding is a lot easier and probably more fun, though just as stressful.

There are seasons of sowing and of reaping. My great uncle served in South Asia in the 1950s and 60s, and saw no church growth among the Muslim community whatsoever. In 1995, on our first Home Assignment, we went to visit him. He had been diagnosed with cancer and we spent a lovely day with him. At one point just he and I were sitting together. “Tell me” he said. “Are there any believers from the Muslim community at all?.” I was able to tell him of meeting forty men in the city in which he had worked. Then he started to cry. Quietly wiping a tear from his cheek, he said in a soft voice “I gave up hope you know. Oh, I worked with the church and we saw tribal people and others come to faith. But we didn’t see anyone from the Muslim community. I didn’t think it was possible” Six weeks later he went to meet Jesus face to face knowing that God was able to do more than he could have thought or imagined.

Since the mid 90s, numbers have grown. Conservative estimates of this new form of Muslimbackground church in our region are 50,000! Some estimates are a lot higher. Much of my role was finding new groups of believers, listening to their stories and documenting them, and helping link them to other groups around the region. It also involved walking beside a couple of key leaders as they looked at what it meant to follow Jesus coming from their heritage and in their setting.

Leaders are subject to huge pressures. I would like to report that the guys I walked beside did really well and had no problems. That would, however, be to embellish the truth. As it was, some of them grew in maturity and leadership, but others struggled with issues like finance, use and abuse of power, personal integrity, and didn’t really give clear guidance on some major theological issues.

Nor were the problems confined to leadership. The growing groups saw almost all the problems of the New Testament churches and even some problems that hadn’t been invented then. When the church grows so quickly there are bound to be problems, but there is also bound to be real growth, maturity and solid foundations. I saw an illiterate young man explain to the police the basis to his faith, that it wasn’t illogical or immoral, and that he refused to turn back. I saw families have their crops destroyed and their irrigation systems wrecked, and yet they acted with love and compassion towards the very families who were attacking them.

So the question arises: what real advice can a foreigner give to groups going through genuine, gut-wrenching, painful persecution? Can any advice be more than just fine sounding words from a rich person with a passport? Fortunately, I was able to draw on the experience of others who had been through such times themselves. They were able to give the call – “Be faithful.” In the midst of this there are three things that stand out as helpful for people and groups under attack for their faith.

1. Memorise scripture. The more the word dwells in our hearts, the more it guides our heart responses in times of trouble. And if it’s memorised it is with us in the times when our Bibles are taken from us.

2. Have a heart song. Have a song that embraces all that’s dear to you about Jesus. Sing it daily. Have it embedded in your heart. In those times of hardship, that song will help shine his light into your heart.

3. The believing community commits to look after your family. If someone is taken away from their family, maybe put in jail, what happens to their family is a major concern. One thing that helps hold people firm is to know that the rest of the community has committed beforehand to look after the family. No matter what the situation, no matter the amount of mud flung or violence used, others will work to look after the family. If I know that, then I can face what is thrown at me.

Being involved with the rapidly reproducing church is fantastic. To see lives transformed by Christ, and to see this happen time and again touches our hearts in deep ways. There are problems, of course. There are real hurts, mistakes and wounds. However, many testify that “it’s worth it.” The change in people’s lives, the joy that is radiated and the peace that fills them is thrillingly infectious. Having come back from South Asia where this change is now expected and planned for, it’s been an adjustment to come to churches in the UK who fear that they are dying or have little hope that a ‘mission’ will transform many people. The body of Christ is growing dramatically around the world. For those in areas where it doesn’t seem to be, take heart. He is able to do more than we could think or imagine.

Theology / Church