Participants at the Global Mission Consultation in Taiwan. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano
A Consultation in Taiwan brings together theologians, church leaders and mission agencies from around LWF communion
(LWI) - Shared values, different voices. Church leaders and theologians came together recently with representatives of major mission agencies for a Global Mission Consultation at the Chinese Lutheran Seminary in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The 17 to 21 May meeting gathered participants from all seven regions of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) with the goal of renewing the theology and practice of mission for the 21st century.
From an Asian perspective, Rev. Dr Joseph Prabhakar Dayam, a pastor of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and a professor at Gurukul Lutheran Theological College in Chennai said the emphasis on diversity of contexts was one of the most significant outcomes of the Consultation. “It was important to hear that every theology is contextual, to hear it from the LWF General Secretary, to understand that when we put the emphasis on context, this results in a shift from a Eurocentric focus to the recognition of a multiplicity of Lutheran identities. I found this new and very promising for the future of the LWF,” he said.
"Mission today is polycentric, from everywhere to everywhere, so it was important to have diverse voices from around the communion,” said Rev. Dr Christine Keim of Germany’s Evangelical Lutheran church in Württemburg, who chaired the steering group for the consultation. “One young delegate got us to hum different notes and then put them together, showing us how the combination of different notes can make a beautiful song. This illustrated an important outcome of the meeting, namely the realization that, while churches share common values, “the voices and needs in my country may be very different from other parts of the world,” she noted.
This polycentric model of mission has transformed the traditional relationships between “sending and receiving churches,” Keim reflected, leading to the inclusion of “voices on the margins that are reshaping our understanding of mission.” She said the wide-ranging discussions focused on ways of confronting key challenges, including the prosperity gospel in Africa, migration, gender injustice and the abuse of power, secularization, militarization and the climate crisis. The inclusion of young people and the importance of theological education for interreligious and intercultural dialogue were also identified as vital topics.
Mission grounded in theology of the cross
Another important outcome for Dayam was “the understanding that mission must be grounded in our commitment to the theology of the cross.” As the convener of a Collective of Dalit Ecumenical Christian Scholars, he noted that in India, “theology of the cross means mission from the margins, a Dalit missiology, understanding that God is present and active in the wounded places of our world.” He noted the consultation marked “a renewed interest in mission, not only among the agencies, but also in the member churches there was a deep, passionate concern to be engaged and to embody hope in our communities.”
Rev. Dr Joseph P. Dayam from the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church speaks at the Taiwan Consultation. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano
Participants at the Global Mission Consultation share perspectives from their diverse contexts. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano
Rev. Rodny Said from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land speaks at the Taiwan Consultation. Photo: LWF/Johanan Celine Valeriano
Dayam said he would also like to see further conversations addressing the plurality of religions, as well as “the new phenomenon of multiple religious belongings” which is prevalent among young people, many of them living in interreligious families. “How do we understand mission in these new contexts,” he asked. Keim agreed that “mission no longer means going far away, but rather spreading the good news in your family, your church, society, your context, understanding that we need others to transform ourselves.”
Reflecting on the situation in Asia where Christians are a small minority of the population in most countries, Dayam said churches are “called to be missional, which means less talking among ourselves and having a more public, prophetic voice. For Dayam, evangelism means “announcing the coming of God in Jesus Christ, that includes articulating a vision of justice, love and peace [....] that belongs to the broken people and involves calling those in power to accountability and repentance,” he said.
As one of the organizers of the consultation, Rev. Dr Sivin Kit, LWF Director for Theology, Mission and Justice, said the meeting offered opportunities for “very rich conversations and mutual learning among people across diverse generations, nationalities and backgrounds.” He noted that the global gathering was designed to encourage further regional conversations, with the aim of deepening theological and strategic reflection with churches and mission agencies about Christian witness, both locally and globally. “Our goal is to draw on insights and inspiration from these diverse contexts to bring healing to our wounded world and to renew our understanding as a global communion of what it means to engage in holistic mission, shaped by a Christ-centered theology and Spirit empowered witness, that embodies hope today,” Kit said.
