yes...to mission, to

The Five Marks of Mission that really matter

Lent 2008

“Speak onLy if you can improve on silence...

Blessed are the single-

hearted, for they shall enjoy

much peace. if you refuse

to be hurried and pressed, if

you stay your soul on God,

nothing can keep you from

that clearness of spirit which

is life and peace. in that

stillness you will know what

his will is.

Amy Carmichael

The best remedy for a

sick church is to put it on

a missionary diet.

Unknown

The church has given

bread to the poor and has

kept the Bread of life for the

middle class.

Viv Grigg

Those who believe they

believe in God but without

passion in the heart, without

anguish of mind, without

uncertainty, without doubt,

and even at times without

despair, believe only in the

idea of God, and not in God

himself.

Madeleine L’Engle

if the church is in christ, she

is involved in mission. Her

whole existence then has

a missionary character. Her

conduct as well as

her words will convince the

unbelievers and put their

ignorance and stupidity

to silence.

David Bosch

We must be global

christians with a global

vision because our God is a

global God.

John Stott

The gospel is only good

news if it gets there in time.

Carl FH Henry

Don’t insult a crocodile until

you cross the water.

African proverb

The Bible is not the basis of

mission; mission is the basis

of the Bible.

Ralph Winter

Coming soon..21M is a new eight-part cms introduction to mission. Based on the five marks of mission, the DvD features films from cms partners in asia, the usa, africa and Britain and leaders’ notes for sessions with both young people and adults. a must for your church or home group. order your free copy from Zoe Kuisis at cms t: 01865 787512 e: zoe.kuisis@cms-uk.org

21Mmission in the 21st century

co

nTe

nTs

yes magazine lent edition. published by cms. General secretary: canon Tim Dakin editor: John martin Designer: seth crewe printers: cpo

printed on a sustainable paper that is elementary chlorine free and can be traced to bona fide sources.

cms is a community of mission service: living a mission lifestyle; equipping people in mission; sharing resources for mission work.

views expressed in yes are not necessarily those of cms.

cms supports over 700 people in mission and works in over 50 countries with offices in cape coast, nairobi, oxford, seoul and singapore. church mission society, Watlington road, oxford, oX4 6BZ. registered charity number 220297

4 from our correspondents

6 interview with Debbie James

9 five marks of mission Introduction by Roger Bowen

12 mark the evangelist

13 mark Berry

14 marc nikkel

15 missionary marks

16 mark oxbrow

17 cms and five marks by Tim Dakin

18 crowther centre

yes Lent 2008

...to mission, to hope

The Five Marks of Mission that really matter

John Martineditorjohn.martin@cms-uk.org

3 yes lent 2008

Recalled to the roots of missionIn this issue we focus on the Five Marks of Mission, a formulation that’s been widely adopted and is effectively the official mission agenda of the Anglican Communion for our times.

To proclaim the good news of the kingdom To teach, baptise and nurture new believers To respond to human need by loving service To seek to transform unjust structures of society To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Our reason for looking at this is that in a Lambeth Conference year it is important that the Church should be recalled to its mission roots. This is a time when many discordant notes threaten the unity and integrity of Anglicanism. Our Communion urgently needs to be reconstituted with mission as its fundamental principle.

With Lambeth in mind, as well as devoting this issue of yes to the Five Marks of Mission, CMS has commissioned a book, Mission in the 21st Century: Exploring the Global Five Marks of Mission (DLT/Orbis). With international contributors under the editorial eyes of professor Andrew Walls and Dr Cathy Ross, it’s a veritable feast.

The Five Marks were considered radical when they first appeared in 1984. While much of what we call the Anglican Communion is the result of the missionary enterprise, by that time there were signs everywhere of a loss of missionary momentum.

As the group that drafted the Five Marks noted, although Anglicanism seemed reasonably good at nurturing the faithful it lacked methods and means for making new Christians.

A generation later it’s worthwhile revisiting the Five Marks, reflecting on which should be kept and which might need to be changed. Both Roger Bowen and Tim Dakin do that on pages 9 and 17. But we also present a variety of other Marks to help inspire fresh thinking about mission: you’ll find Mark the Evangelist, marks of the wounds of Christ, a Marc from CMS’s past and a Mark very much in its present, and a Mark from the senior leadership of the Society looking to the future. Each has a different story to tell and will hopefully encourage you not only to say yes to the idea behind the Five Marks, but yes to mission and yes to hope.

...from our correspondents...

John padwick in nairobi finds a new christian voice amid the carnage of the Kenyan election

The atmosphere was already feverish before the Kenyan

general election. everything now carries political significance.

as the election loomed, the churches took no clear stance.

an anglican bishop in nyanza ‘anointed’ raila as the next

president and the presbyterian church (from central Kenya)

declared its support for Kibaki. But this was just ethnic loyalty

and had nothing to do with the gospel. The new christian

voice comes from the pentecostals. some of their grassroots

bishops stood for parliament (one of them for president) and

all over the country in their meetings, prophecies were given.

at a gathering that i attended on the slopes of the aberdares

two months before polling day, the message was that the

new generation of the ‘righteous’ has been called to take

over power. The agano (‘covenant’) party has as its slogan,

“When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice.” The

pentecostals are open to the ‘voice of the spirit’ speaking

from the people, so they adapt rapidly to shifts in popular

thinking – but this also makes them unstable. on the other

hand, their grassroots bishops communicate easily with the

poor because they pray for their problems on a daily basis.

out of necessity they speak the language of the poor and

carry the necessary street-cred among the 60 per cent of

nairobi residents who live in the shantytowns. in such places,

there is not much sign of the mainline protestant churches.

please pray for peace and stability in Kenya.

4 yes lent 2008

Catherine Lee finally gets to stop ghost-busting in Taipei, Taiwan

fifty of the new first-year students here at st John’s

university have signed up for my english Bible class.

i am writing this on the first day of the eighth lunar

month, which means that Ghost month finally finished

yesterday and life can begin to return to normal. for

four weeks the whole country, with the exception of the

christian community, has lived in fear and trepidation

of these ghosts. They are ‘allowed out’ for a month

to roam around the world, and in order to persuade

the ghosts not to enter a home or place of work, vast

feasts are prepared each day and placed outside the

main door – in the hope that the ghosts will eat and be

satisfied before leaving and going elsewhere. it really

looks quite bizarre to see uniformed office workers,

town hall staff in their suits, banks, companies, shopping

malls, fancy boutiques and, of course, homes all busily

preparing huge offerings of food and drink for the

ghosts. and of course for a whole month, no one dares

get married, travel, move house, open a business…

unthinkable. Thank God that christians are free from

all such fear! now we are looking forward to the moon

festival, when the moon is apparently at its best for the

whole year and we have a day off to celebrate. it’s also

a sign that the heat and humidity of summer are finally

on their way out.

andy Hart reveals the value in Tanzania of a service taken for granted in the uK

every Wednesday i now take a physiotherapy volunteer

as well as our physio assistant to a village where we

are starting an outreach physio service, targeting village

children with disability. This service has been a real

eye-opener for all involved. Ten per cent of people in

Tanzania are severely disabled but in the villages you

hardly ever see a person with disability. This is because

they are hidden away. The parents may think that they

are the only ones with a disabled child, may think that

they have been cursed, may think that if people know

they have a disabled child it will affect the marriage

prospects of their other children. They may be told by

the rest of their family that their child is worthless and a

burden. They are also often hidden because the parents

do not know what they can do or where to turn for help.

When we have a session with a disabled child in the

village, it is amazing to see the parent or grandparent

come alive as they realise that they can actually do

something for their child. from this week we have

employed a Tanzanian physiotherapist, so she will take

over this work in the villages and allow us to locate more

families whom we can potentially help. one boy of 11

called musa has cerebral palsy and has never spoken and

never walked. He is looked after by his grandmother who

after our first visit, made musa a set of crutches.

To find out more and keep in touch with all our mission partners, log on to www.cms-uk.org/missionletters for the latest reports.

Richard Sudworth helps a group of young men to surmount obstacles physical and spiritual

one weekend last summer we brought eight teenagers

together for some mountain biking, canoeing, fencing

and an assault course. But the trip was also about

recognising differences – and similarities – in beliefs

because four of the lads were muslims, and four

christian. all were from around Birmingham. The

theme was What does it mean to be a man of God?

on saturday night, the group made five commitments

to work towards being peaceful men of faith: to tell

people positive things about the other faith; to offer

to do chores daily; to avoid X-rated material on Tv and

internet; not to use foul language; and to pray at least

once a day. it was great to see the forging of friendships

across boundaries of difference. sometimes it’s the

less obvious barriers that keep people apart. one of

the muslim guys said he’d never listened to rock music

before. pointing to his nu-metal christian roommate, he

said, “if i’d seen someone looking like him i’d have just

thought he was weird and avoided him. i realise he’s

actually really cool.” it was also good to hear some of the

christian lads challenged to be more serious about their

faith. Just one very small example of relationships being

forged, misunderstanding being overcome, and faith

playing a vital part in a way that recognises similarity and

difference.

richard sudworth asks

a group of christians and

muslims: “What does

it mean to be a man

of God?”

5 yes lent 2008

Have you ever heard The Interchange Joke? No? It goes, why did the mission chicken cross the road? To break out of its comfort zone and have an encounter across cultural boundaries, of course!OK, so it’s not funny at all, really. But it does go a little way to explain the concept of interchange, which is central to the work of CMS.Thankfully, the CMS crossing cultures team leader Debbie James can explain more clearly still. “There’s a strong biblical motif for interchange. Jesus is the supreme model of someone who crosses the cultural divide: coming to earth in human form, living within a particular culture and challenging us to step out of our comfort zones and engage with others, including those who aren’t like us.“Also, the Book of Ephesians presents a powerful image of interchange: Paul is writing to a church that has become very culturally diverse. The first Christians were Jewish but as the Church crossed cultural and geographical boundaries, it became multicultural – it was engaging with Gentiles who’d become part of the church community. We read about some of the opportunities and challenges in Ephesus that entailed.“Today, we’re experiencing a similar ‘Ephesian Moment’: the worldwide Church is very diverse and we know that Christianity’s centres of gravity have moved from the West to Africa, Asia and Latin America.“British society, too, has become so multicultural, with members migrating from and travelling to different cultures, that it embodies interchange and diversity. So the challenge for us to engage with that is more pertinent than ever.”

“...the worldwide Church is very diverse and we know that Christianity’s centres of gravity have moved...”

6 yes lent 2008

Debbie James – cms crossing cultures team leader

“Interchange can produce mutual benefit, enrichment, learning and sharing, which links back to Ephesians 2:19–22. Paul uses the metaphor of us all being built into ‘one holy temple in the Lord’, so none of us can reach Christ’s completeness on our own – each culture is a building stone that needs the others to grow in the fullness of Christ.”Interchange has become part of CMS’s DNA. In 1945, CMS general secretary Max Warren foresaw that, “The picture of the future that unfolds is of a continual interchange of men and women between different churches ‘making increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love’.”It’s not just a programme. It permeates CMS thinking. We’re seeing it expressed in more ways because of the changing world context in which we live and work. Mission has become a multi-lane highway.

“For good cross-cultural interchange to work effectively,” says Debbie, “I think that orientation, preparation and training are essential. Helping people to be reflective learners and participants is vital. Our team equips people for their cross-cultural experiences.“Another key element is to clarify expectations, hopes, how we participate, what we want to share, as CMS does with all parties involved in a visit, including its partners.“We receive far more than we ever give on a cross-cultural visit. That’s a challenging lesson, particularly for many Christians in the West.”A good recent example of cross-cultural exchange, Debbie believes, is that of Stephan, 24, who came to Britain from Romania in autumn 2007.Debbie met him over a year ago when she was leading a CMS short term mission team. He’s a member of CMS partner the Lord’s Army, a

“We’re participating in new local and

global networks such as those

exploring emerging church, church

planting and mission cells.”

By all meansMISSIon ToDay IS CRoSSInG CULTURaL BoUnDaRIeS In aLL DIReCTIonS FoR THe Sake oF THe GoSpeLDebbie James interviewed by patrick Gavigan

7 yes lent 2008continued on page 8

Debbie’s not alone in coordinating interchange opportunities within the wider CMS family.She enthuses about a recent meeting with Duncan Olumbe of Mission Together Africa (MTA), a CMS strategic partner. MTA organises its own cross-cultural encounters on the African continent for African Christians. Meanwhile, Action Love in Singapore is engaged in providing cross-cultural experience opportunities in the Asian context and CMS’s Korean-office staff have organised cross-cultural visits to the Philippines.Turning to exciting developments, Debbie is bubbling about how CMS is connecting with Fusion, the student-cell network, the ReSource church-planting course, Youth for Christ and the Centre for Youth Ministry (CYM).“CYM runs a youth ministry degree course and we’re offering an optional module, beginning next spring, to third-year students that will enable them to have a 10-day cross-cultural encounter in India plus teaching and training on cross-cultural mission.“It’s a privilege to provide input into a course that, we hope, will have a significant impact on shaping youth workers and mission engagement in the British context.”But what’s significant for Debbie about interchange is that it’s part of a strategy for a changing world as well as the changing face of mission.She emphasises, “The crossing cultures team works particularly with people, but interchange goes beyond the physical movement of people from A to B and their placements because we share ideas, resources, best practice, teaching, theology, worship not only through human contact but through blogs, email, the Worldwide Web – via the networking world in which we now find ourselves.“We’re participating in new local and global networks such as those exploring emerging church, church planting and mission cells.“We’re committed to equipping and nurturing mission-minded disciples and leaders with mission instincts – a thread that runs through all our programmes.”To apply for a place on a CMS cross-cultural Encounter, telephone 01865 787494

renewal movement in the Romanian Orthodox Church.The opportunity arose for Stephan to take up a three-month ‘Vista’ placement, during which he immersed himself in British youth culture and learnt how churches here are responding to the challenges of engaging with young non-Christians.“Stephan has spoken of his outsider status coming into British culture,” Debbie says, “and how he adapted: he came alongside, and learnt from, the young people he met.“They found an affinity and camaraderie with him because they too identified themselves as outsiders, having been on the fringes of school academically or because of their behaviour or for social reasons. They even advised him about cultural dos-and-don’ts.“He and they were able to encourage one another, so Stephan had many opportunities to share God’s love with them.“Stephan has taken that experiential learning back to Romania, is reflecting on it in the light of his own context and the challenges that the Lord’s Army is currently facing there.“He’s working out what lessons – insights, principles, tools – he can share in his church community and with the Lord’s Army, and use to enrich his university studies and social work and community work involvement.”The changes in people’s lifestyles and their commitment, after short term mission visits, express themselves in highly individual ways.“One girl, a team member this summer,” Debbie remembers, “felt challenged to initiate fair trade practices at work. Her canteen and staff room adopted them, so she spearheaded something that affected her entire workplace community.“Another, Hannah, returned from Russia very keen to do her dissertation on Exodus, a drug rehabilitation project she’d encountered – her mission experience has affected her ongoing study and she’d love to return there.“Yet another, Emily, returned and started working at a homeless shelter in her local community.“Interchange challenges us to consider, ‘What am I giving to God and to other people, locally and elsewhere, in my life?’”

8 yes lent 2008

Missing the mark?

Roger Bowen casts a critical eye over the original Five Marks of Mission

1. We are sent into the world in the

same way as Jesus (John 20:21) – truly

incarnational and identifying with the culture

and people with whom we want to share the

gospel. This involves vulnerability, weakness

and becoming friends as Jesus described in

John 15:15.

2. The Church is to be a sign and

foretaste of the kingdom, therefore the

holiness and quality of our corporate life

matters – as explained in 1 peter 2:12.

3. our worship should be so engaging

that if an unbeliever enters it “he will fall

down and worship God, exclaiming ‘God is

really among you.’” (1 corinthians 14:25).

4. To the Jews, paul became like a Jew;

to those not having the law he became like

them; he became weak to win the weak

(1 corinthians 9:20–22). are we willing

to learn from the adaptability to different

contexts and cultures of paul in athens as

he sought to listen to and understand ‘the

other’? (acts 17:16–34).

5. In ephesians 3:18 we are reminded

that it is only “together with all the saints”

from every nation or culture or ethnic group

that we will be able to grasp the scale of

the love of christ. it is as we are involved

with others in God’s mission that our own

understanding and experience of the love of

christ deepens.

not we engage in Christian mission. There is also little emphasis on the role of the Church in the mission of God. However, the New Testament emphasises the need for a community of believers who model in their life together a foretaste of the kingdom. So Jesus, at the outset of his ministry, forms a community of 12 disciples. Their life together is a vital aspect of mission – see John 13:35. One of these early disciples underlined the importance of the new community and its express purpose in 1 Peter 2:9.

five biblical emphases which should determine the practical application of our mission

Roger Bowen. until recently a cms mission

partner in Burundi. engaged in theological education and former

general secretary of mam.

At Lambeth in 1988, with the launch of the Decade of Evangelism, the Anglican bishops adopted five ‘Marks of Mission’ to help the Communion move from maintenance to mission. Twenty years later it is worth reflecting on possible gaps in these Marks (listed on page 3) and then to consider five biblical emphases in our mission activity.The Marks make no mention of the encounter with other great faiths, especially Islam. In 1910 at the Edinburgh missionary conference a similar mistake was made. There was a naive optimism that other faiths were in decline and that Christianity would continue its triumphant advance. The history of the 20th century reveals how wrong this was. A resurgence of other faiths has occurred, often linked with nationalism and decolonisation.True to the gospel accounts of Jesus’ ministry, the first of the Marks speaks of the responsibility to proclaim the good news of the kingdom. That kingdom is to be marked by justice and righteousness and submission to the authority of the King. Can a concern for better agricultural methods or an effective engagement with victims of HIV / AIDS, without an attempt to bring people to confess Christ as Lord, be authentic Christian mission? Can one have the kingdom without knowing and submitting to the King?A lack of concern to bring people to confess Christ as Lord is often rooted in an ambivalence about the uniqueness of Christ. Is Jesus the way or a way to God? Our answer to that question will largely determine whether or

YES focu s - 5 mar Ks of m i ss ion

9 yes lent 2008

MaRkoF

MISSIon

Many Christian journalists and writers hail Mark the Evangelist as patron of their vocation. The 661 verses of his gospel – the earliest – are a concise eyewitness account and comprise a marvellous evangelistic tract for today. It is a weapon of mass instruction which can be read in its entirety within 45 minutes.The early Church believed the author of the Gospel of Mark was a kinsman of Barnabas and accompanied him on Paul’s first journey (see Acts 13). A further tradition said he was the interpreter of Peter and his gospel is the senior apostle’s testimony of the significance of Jesus.Mark is the founder of Christianity in Africa and was the first leader of the Christian community in Alexandria, Egypt, where he is held in high honour by the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Greek Church of Alexandria. The symbol for Mark the Evangelist is a lion.Mark’s account of the disciples’ experience of being with Jesus can be used as a manual for mission training even today. Here is a whistle-stop tour.

keynote to the gospel (Mark 1:2–3)

The quotation is from Malachi, in whose day priests failed in their duty. The prophet looked forward in hope to the coming of someone who would cleanse and purify worship in preparation for God’s decisive act in history.

Weapon of mass instructionJohn Martin looks at the very first Mark of mission – the earliest gospel

The manifesto announced (Mark 1:14–15)

Jesus’ first recorded words summarise his whole message. First of all it’s good news (euaggelion) – a word study throughout the New Testament shows this to be good news of truth, hope, peace, and salvation. Second, it’s a call to repentance (metanoia – change of mind). Thirdly, it’s an invitation to believe, to take Jesus at his word.

Jesus’ call to mission (Mark 1:16)

For Mark, Jesus’ call to the Twelve is a call to mission. It’s not simply to ‘be’, or even be disciples but to become “fishers of men”. As the narrative unfolds, however, we see how important being with Jesus is for their mission formation.

Jesus’ ultimate purpose revealed (Mark 8:27–30)

Jesus’ choice of Caesarea Philippi as the place to reveal his identity to his disciples is full of symbolism. It was once called Panius, a town dedicated to the worship of Pan the Canaanite fertility god. The Romans changed the name to Caesarea, as a place dedicated to the worship of the emperor. The Jews regarded its springs and pools as places of healing, like Jerusalem’s Pool of Siloam. So Caesarea Philippi is a deliberately chosen stage from which Jesus announces the end of the old and the inauguration of a new order. Writing many years later Mark was more than aware that Christians would pay a terrible price for insisting that Jesus – not Caesar – was the true Lord, but this would be the seed of the Church.

Commissioning the Twelve (Mark 16:1–8)

There isn’t an account of the resurrection in Mark. An angelic messenger at the burial site simply directs the three women to tell Peter and the rest to follow the risen Lord into Galilee.

Commissioning the Church (Mark 16:9–20)

Mark picks up the narrative in Galilee where Jesus sets out some great mission principles that are just as true for us today as they were when this gospel was written. The Church is called to a preaching task and a healing task. It has been given the power it needs for the task and it has the assurance that it will never be alone – the Lord will always be standing alongside.

John martin is head of communications at cms

12 yes lent 2008

MaRkoFMISSIon

YES focu s - 5 mar Ks of m i ss ion

According to the media, I live in “Godless Telford”. While it is true that we have one of the lowest average Sunday attendances in the country, God is as much here at the heart of the new town as he is in any leafy suburban Bible-belt. There is a growing section of the community for whom church is either a distant memory or something that never played a part in their lives; yet they have some sense of their own spirituality and openness to the possibility of God. As one 20-something lady said recently, “I think I believe in who God was before the Church called him ‘God’”.Telford is a town born in the mid-’60s and forecast to have a population above 200,000 in the next few years. Some would have you believe it is a soulless place with no history, but the evidence to refute that is everywhere. Most people will be aware of the industrial heritage of the area: Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, Coalport etc. You may be aware of its ancient history, sitting astride Watling Street and close to Wroxeter. What few realise is that sites of spirituality, worship and community ring the town; we live in a place that has deep wells of Christian faith.Safe Space, the project with which I am involved, has begun to explore ways to link together our own spiritual walk with God, the spiritual history of our town, the beauty of the creation we live in and those we meet who

For Mark Berry, ancient practices can be used for radical new mission

mark Berry is pioneer leader of Telford missional community, known as safe space

have a desire to explore their own spirituality, who seek for God but cannot connect with the Church. We have started to host local pilgrimages: walks around the town that connect each of these things.We currently run two parallel pilgrimages; one aimed at adults and young people called In Sacred Steps, and the other, A Poem of Creation, for pre-school children and families. We are just beginning to find that these journeys can be times of mutual revelation and discovery, for those with a Christian faith, those with none, and those just beginning to explore. As the author Mike Ridell wrote, “To observe the complexities and subtleties of the natural order is to be aware of the abundantly creative nature of God … and all of this calls beyond itself, speaking in a language, which our souls comprehend, of the one whose fiery imagination has sung all this into being.”

13 yes lent 2008

MaRkoF

MISSIon

14 yes lent 2008

An encounter with a Roman Catholic papal nuncio early in his time in Sudan presented a huge challenge to the late Dr Marc Nikkel. An American with Mennonite roots, he went to Sudan with CMS in 1982 to work in theological education with Dinka students in the Diocese of Rumbek. When he told the local nuncio of his interest in learning more about Dinka culture and language, the Vatican official’s response was brusque. “We have tried for over 100 years among the Dinka with very little success. The Dinka are very difficult people. I wish you good luck.”CMS had fared little better. Among the exceptions was the redoubtable Archdeacon Archibald Shaw who faithfully worked in

Hostage to missionIt was being abducted at gunpoint that taught Marc Nikkel about walking in another’s shoes By John martin

Sudan from 1904 for over 40 years while seeing few tangible results. He was a dedicated linguist and his expertise in cattle breeding won respect as “the only white man with the spirit of the Dinka.” With this came some understanding of the Dinka’s deep attachment to their cattle as the lynchpin for their spiritual worldview. Nikkel’s career reached a defining moment in 1987 when with three other Western colleagues he was abducted by troops of the SPLA rebels and force-marched for several weeks before being released. This was a unique opportunity to observe forces of change at work among the Dinka. War between the Arabic north and the African south was breaking the connection between the Dinka and their cattle. In the process the traditional gods were rendered irrelevant in a new world emerging in the south. He wrote, “I have worshipped and prayed, sung and celebrated Communion with Dinka Christians amid the vulnerability of civil war. I have been adopted as a gol of the Dinka clan. Most formatively, I have been ‘a hostage of the situation in Sudan,’ and for a brief period endured some of the hunger, illness, desperation which is the daily fare of Sudanese civilians amidst civil war. These experiences helped cement my bond with the peoples of Sudan.” (Dinka Christianity, Nairobi, Paulines Publications 2001)Nikkel lived to see a mass movement of Dinka into the Christian faith and he became one of the foremost interpreters and advocates of the Dinka and their story. It took more than five decades from the time of the first missionaries to when this came about. It’s a powerful reminder that seeding the Church takes time, in this case more than five decades. Archibald Shaw and his generation did not live to see the fruits of their work. For years the work was fragile, full of discouragements. Only a few missionaries were able to get on the same wavelength as a people who unlike many other Africans would not submit to doing what white men demanded they do.Even so the missionaries left a lasting legacy and it was a generation of Sudanese preachers who in their time brought in a harvest of souls.

MaRkoFMISSIon

15 yes lent 2008

YES focu s - 5 mar Ks of m i ss ion

Five marks of missionariesIda Glaser presents a literal and powerful understanding of marks of mission

During my time as missiologist-in-residence at CMS, I have been reflecting on Francis of Assisi. He joined the Fifth Crusade but, instead of fighting, he went into the enemy camp armed with nothing but a single companion and spoke to the sultan, al-Kamil, about Jesus. What enabled him to do this?Francis would have immediately recognised that there are ‘five marks of mission’ – the marks in the hands, feet and side of Christ, the stigmata or five wounds that he is purported to have received towards the end of his mission service. While the crusaders saw the cross as a banner under which to fight, Francis saw it as an imitation of Christ’s self-emptying love for his enemies, among whom Francis counted himself.Francis’ missiology was effective because it was Christ’s own, lived out in incarnation and crucifixion, and explained to his disciples in Matthew 10. Go with nothing. Go into communities. Greet people with peace. Accept their hospitality. Eat their food. Francis’ monastic First Rule lays out this model in chapter 14, and chapter 15 underlines going-with-nothing by explaining that the friars should not even ride horses except in cases of necessity. Chapter 16 addresses the Islamic context, instructing: go when the Holy Spirit leads; do not argue; live under their rules, but be clear about your Christian identity; speak about the gospel only when God shows you that the time is right; and be ready for martyrdom. The motivation is love for Christ and the Muslims’

need of him for salvation.Francis believed that God had given him the greeting of peace years before he went to the sultan. He perhaps did not realise that the Arabic translation of his first words to al-Kamil – as-salaamu ‘alaykum (‘peace be with you’) – was the Islamic greeting. His earliest biographer says that he went seeking martyrdom but found his talk of Jesus was welcomed and listened to. His friars were then welcomed and listened to in al-Kamil’s territory, provided that they did not speak against Muhammad or the Qur’an.Jesus came to us with nothing but himself and the greeting of peace – he was so helpless it was the angels who brought the greeting. His missiology took him to the cross, and to the five wounds that mark him in glory. I do not think that we can improve on Matthew 10: any missiology without this foundation will distort the image of the Master.Roland Muller wrote a book called Tools for Muslim Evangelism (Ontario: Essence Publishing, 2000). He wanted to find out what makes an effective missionary to Muslims. He was struck by one thing that effective

missionaries had in common: all had experienced deep suffering, whether in their personal lives or as a result of their missionary calling. He had been looking for tools: God’s tools are people who bear the marks of Christ.

Want to read more?Francis and Islam Hoerberichts, J, Illinois: Franciscan Press, 1997.Waging Peace on Islam Mallouhi, C, Monarch, 2000.Francis’ First Rule, the Regula non-bullata, can be found at www.franciscan-archive.org/index2.html

YES focu s - 5 mar Ks of m i ss ion

Network mission is about releasing fresh energy for global mission and strengthening international partnerships. From 1 February CMS’s international relationships and governance will begin to function differently. Within three years, the former CMS regions – Africa, Asia and Europe – will each have been replaced by local mission movements running their own mission programmes based on locally-agreed policies and priorities. Each will have their own boards of governance, general secretaries and staff.

We will work as “members one of another”, sharing resources for mission and equipping people for mission service, based on the principles of interchange.

network mission exploredThe future of CMS is network mission. Assistant general secretary Mark Oxbrow explains why

16 yes lent 2008

Why the change?

We live in a world full of networks – rather similar to the mission networks Paul worked with in Acts. Former CMS ‘mission fields’ have given birth to churches, communities and movements with a mission impulse of their own. Strategic decisions need to be agreed and implemented locally, not in faraway Britain. Canon Max Warren, (general secretary 1942–63) first outlined these interchange principles in 1944!

What are the next steps?

Implementation started in Africa in February; Asia will get underway about a year later. Much of our day-to-day mission work will proceed unchanged but increasingly you will see African and Asian Christians taking the lead. Behind the scenes much will change in terms of our processes and protocols.

What benefits will this bring?

It’s our prayer that these changes will release a new generation of Christians for mission in each of the three regions, widen the people- and financial-bases

MaRkoF

MISSIon

of mission, and strengthen indigenous mission movements.

What about CMS people in Mission (including mission partners)?

There will be no substantial change here. People in Mission recruited, selected, trained and sent out by CMS from Europe will remain part of the new CMS-Europe.

What about our other CMS programmes?

Network mission will create all kinds of opportunities for interchange. God’s people in Africa, Europe and Asia are richly gifted. Networks are the way to see these gifts exchanged most effectively for gospel ministry.

How will the different parts of CMS connect?

We are not talking about CMS-Africa, CMS-Asia or CMS-Europe going off on their own. Protocols and systems agreed between them will encourage common mission. They will also be linked by the Faith2Share Network (www.faith2share.net) which connects the wider CMS family (Australia, Ireland, New Zealand and USA) with several other African, Asian, American and European mission movements.

What does it mean in practical terms for CMS in Britain?

CMS began as a mission movement from Europe to almost every point of the compass. Today, 209 years on, Europe is perhaps the most challenging global mission context. We approach this challenge as the CMS founders did, beginning in small ways and looking to the Holy Spirit for power and guidance. Through CMS-Europe (CMS-E) you, as a European Christian, will be able to access a dynamic network of opportunities for direct mission participation, local and global: to engage, to pray, to give, to go, to offer hospitality.

17 yes lent 2008

In this edition of yes the Five Marks of Mission have provided a framework for exploring the nature of holistic mission. This framework is notorious for not mentioning Jesus or the Church! Of course the Five Marks can imply both, but it is interesting that two of the most crucial aspects of Christian mission are not included. Perhaps it is because they are also two of the most contentious.CMS is committed to both the uniqueness, the ultimate significance, of Christ and the place of the Church in mission. We have held to these views and to the importance of human culture, also not mentioned in the Five Marks, throughout our history. Christ, Church and culture are the three dimensions of mission which CMS bears in mind when interpreting the Marks. As Law 1 of the Society reminds us: “CMS is a community of people in mission obeying the call of God to proclaim the gospel in all places and to draw all peoples into relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.” Over the last few years CMS has been renewing its vision and commitment to holistic evangelism. This has involved a number of changes, coordinated through five reviews set up as a result of a future search process with which CMS engaged as we approached our 200th anniversary. We are now seven years into this process of strategic change.The five reviews comprised three to do with the nature of mission and two about how we support mission. The first three were the Evangelism Audit, the Spirituality Review and a Review of Decentralisation, Internationalisation, and Regionalisation. The outcomes of these reviews have been the re-emphasis on evangelistic mission, the request to be recognised by the Church of England as a mission community that has a worldwide ministry, and the decision to move towards network mission with new centres in Africa and Asia developing their own governance, resources and management.The other two were Reviews of our Accommodation and Mission Education.

These have led to the relocation to Oxford, the establishing of the Crowther Centre and the setting up of a mission house in the Oxford suburb of Cowley.So where now does CMS emphasis come in the Five Marks? Some might say it should be on the first: proclamation. I’d agree this is a key emphasis, but many would interpret the first Mark as referring not just to a particular ministry of proclamation but to mission as a whole. Proclaim the gospel and use words if you must. This is my interpretation of our Law 1: it does not refer to a particular ministry of proclamation but to the commitment to make the gospel known, to be intentionally evangelistic in our mission so that people become followers of Jesus. CMS’s emphasis comes in the third Mark: loving service. Loving mission service is the way that CMS aims to express the proclamation of the gospel and to fulfil the other three Marks, ie to teach, baptise and nurture new believers, to transform society, and care for the earth. This is why we’ve asked to be recognised as a mission community whose letters might stand for the community of mission service.

on your marks…

Where does the CMS emphasis come in the Five Marks, asks general secretary Tim Dakin

Last December, the Crowther Centre for Mission Education was formally opened. Named after Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the pioneering linguist, CMS missionary and first black Anglican primate, the Centre has occupied its own dedicated premises within the new CMS-Europe headquarters in Oxford since June 2007.Dr Jehu Hanciles from Sierra Leone, one of three missiologists-in-residence hosted by the Centre and currently lecturing at Fuller Seminary in USA, gave the inaugural lecture at the opening. It was entitled In the Shadow of the Elephant: Bishop Crowther

and the African Missionary Movement (see www.cms-uk.org) and gave

us some fascinating insights on what we have still to learn from

Crowther today.Since the move in the summer we have established a reference group for the Centre and appointed some

new staff. We have also held three seminars and a book

launch, and started a lunchtime group studying aspects of contextual

theology. Our very successful lecture series on New Metaphors in Mission was partnered with Regent’s Park College.Our new librarian is Margaret Acton from the Edinburgh-based Centre for the Study of Christianity in the non-western World. She has wide experience as a mission studies librarian and we are thrilled to have someone with her depth of knowledge on board. During the coming year, Margaret will oversee the upgrade of the library’s catalogue system which will

improve online catalogue access.Another new member of staff is Berdine van den Toren, the Centre’s administrator. Berdine is Dutch and she and her family had been mission partners in the Central African Republic for seven years before coming to Oxford two years ago. Ken Osborne, CMS’s longtime archivist, has also joined the team.He Qi, a Chinese artist, was with us for six weeks while he painted a mural for the reception area of CMS House. His art reflects influences from Chinese folk art, Tibet, as well as the Cubists and Impressionists. His message, through his art, is that God is a god of peace Cr

owth

er C

entr

e ne

ws

An update on the major new CMS venture, from its

director Dr Cathy Ross

He Qi below his painting, with the archbishop of canterbury at the opening of cms House

18 Yes lent 2008

and colour.Dr Ida Glaser, our third missiologist-in-residence, is still with us at time of writing. She is very experienced in Muslim-Christian relations and has been helping us reflect in this area – as you can see on page 15.Our two seminars, led by Ida and Jehu, were on trauma and mission, and migration and mission, for theological college lecturers and chaplains. More details about these including some of the material discussed at the seminars is available on the CMS website.

We also partnered with Global Connections to host a seminar on Colonialism and Manipulation: Partnership between the Rest and the West? in which Francis Omondi from Sheepfold Ministries (Kenya) and Rogelio Prieto (UK/Spain; Latinlink) challenged us on everything from issues of dependency, culture, resources, weakness and authenticity. The papers for this event are posted at www.globalconnections.co.uk/getinvolved/listofforums/thinkingmissionMission partner Richard Sudworth’s new book, Distinctly Welcoming, (Bletchley/Scripture Union, 2007) is a great read with lots of practical application, and we were delighted when it became the first book to be launched at the Centre.

Mission-by-post

Have you tried to brain-up about Christianity in different cultures, only to find your local library not up to the job? Are you a student who

our first book launch – mission partner

richard sudworth’s latest, Distinctly Welcoming

19 Yes lent 2008

Forthcoming events in 2008

25 Feb, 1.30–3pmSharing the World,

Christian Life and Mission in Relation to Muslims.

seminar with Dr ida Glaser, cms missiologist-in-residence.

3 March, 6.15–7.30pm The Crusades: Francis of

assisi and Martin Luther, What does it mean

to take up the Cross in the Context of Islam?

public lecture with Dr ida Glaser.

10 March, 12–1.30pmThe Changing Demographics

of World Christianity: Implications for the north

and South.public lecture with Dr Todd

Johnson, research fellow in the study of Global christianity and

Director of the center for the study of Global

christianity at Gordon-conwell Theological seminary.

21 april, 6.15–7.30pmThe Journey of a Migrant.public lecture with Dr Daniel

Groody, assistant professor of Theology; Director, centre for latino spirituality and culture, notre Dame university, usa.

18 June, all dayMission, empire and

Globalisation with Dr Brian Walsh and Dr sylvia Keesmaat.

just can’t find the quality books you need?It may surprise you to learn that CMS has one of the finest and most authoritative mission studies libraries in Europe – and all its resources are available to you right now through the Crowther Centre Library.You can access everything from your own home: browse the catalogue online, get expert advice from our brilliant librarian Margaret Acton, and borrow books by post.Here’s Margaret’s top picks of some of the latest titles now in stock...

God’s Continent: Christianity, Islam and europe’s religious crisis

by Philip Jenkins (340pp)A very readable account of the changing religious landscape in Europe.

The alpha phenomenon: Theology, praxis and Challenges for Mission and Church Today

by Andrew Brookes (ed), (446pp) Published by Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, the first part explores the development of Alpha, the

second analyses the course; contributors include John Drane, Simon Barrow and Nicky Gumbel.

everyday theology: how to read cultural texts and interpret trends

by Kevin Vanhoozer (ed) (287pp)From Eminem’s theology to fantasy funerals, it is an excellent book to help you think theologically about culture.

Murder at Morija: faith, mystery,

and tragedy on an african Mission

by Tim Couzens (474pp) Mission history as whodunit.

For any of these titles and to find out how to join the library, drop Margaret a line at margaret.acton@cms-uk.org

neXT ISSUe oF yes DUe JUne ‘08

Climb Ben Nevis and help others reach new heights

Around the world countries facing huge challenges are crying out for one thing: skilled local leaders to help transform lives and communities. You can help raise up these leaders.

Join CMS for a fantastic bank holiday weekend in Scotland: climb Ben Nevis and raise sponsorship money for leadership training around the world.

When: 23–25 May 2008 Cost: £190 + sponsorship raised Email: challenges@cms-uk.org Tel: 01865 787518www.cms-uk.org

Registered Charity 220297