Integral mission
Integral mission or holistic mission describes an understanding of Christian mission that embraces both evangelism and social responsibility. With origins in Latin American, integral mission has influenced a significant number of Protestants around the world through the Lausanne Movement.[1][2]
Terminology
It is generally known in Spanish as misión integral, coined in the 1970s by members of the Protestant group
The proponents of integral mission argue that the concept is nothing new. Rather, it is rooted in Scripture and wonderfully exemplified in Jesus’ own ministry. "Integral mission" is only a distinct vocabulary for a holistic understanding of mission that has become important in the past forty years in order to distinguish it from widely held but dualistic approaches that emphasize either evangelism or social responsibility.[2]
History
1960s–1980s
The process of defining integral mission and the journey of its acceptance by significant numbers of Protestants has taken place over a period of just over 40 years. Its progress can be observed through a number of significant international Evangelical congresses. In 1966, the Congress on the World Mission of the Church, held in Wheaton,
By contrast, that same year the World Congress on Evangelization in
The International Congress on World Evangelization in Lausanne in 1974 is regarded by some as "the most important world-wide evangelical gathering of the twentieth century."[11] The Lausanne Covenant affirmed: "God is both the Creator and the Judge of all men. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men from every kind of oppression ... we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive."[12]
Following the
In the UK, the International Consultation on Simple Lifestyle in 1980 resulted in a document entitled "An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle," again affirming a commitment to justice within an
In 1982, the International Consultation on the Relationship of Evangelism and Social Responsibility concluded that the latter is a consequence of, a bridge to and partner of the former.[14] The document published maintained the primacy of evangelism, despite its affirmation that the two are in practice inseparable.[15]
In 1983, the Consultation on the Church in Response to Human Need in Wheaton, Illinois, led to the publication of "Transformation: The Church in Response to Human Need," perhaps the strongest evangelical affirmation of integral Mission.[11] It is explicit in its denunciation of injustice, and churches and Christina organisations who "by silence give their tacit support" to "the socio-economic status-quo."[16]
Since the 1990s
A commitment to integral mission is often reflected in particular concern for those living in poverty and a commitment to pursuing justice. The concept of integral mission is advocated largely by Evangelical Christians, many of whom are related to the Micah Network.[17]
In 1999 a global network of
References
- ISBN 9780830825851. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
- ^ ISBN 9781506405926. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
- ISBN 9781907713019. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2016-10-20.
- ISBN 9781907713026. Archivedfrom the original on 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
- ISBN 0842302751.
- ISBN 978-1-139-47206-7. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- ISBN 9780830834112. Archivedfrom the original on 2021-10-23. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
- ^ "The Wheaton Declaration". Evangelical Mission Quarterly. 2: 231–44. Summer 1966.
- ^ Graham, Billy (11 November 1966). "Why the Berlin Congress". Christianity Today. Vol. 11. p. 133.
- S2CID 147790374.
- ^ a b Padilla, C. René (2002). "Integral Mission and its Historical Development". In Chester, Tim (ed.). Justice, Mercy & Humility: Integral Mission and the Poor. pp. 42–58.
- ^ Stott, John (1996). Making Christ Known: Historic Mission Documents from the Lausanne Movement, 1974–1989. Carlisle: Paternoster. p. 24.
- ^ Sider, Ron, ed. (1982). Lifestyle in the Eighties: An Evangelical Commitment to Simple Lifestyle. Philadelphia: Westminster.
- ^ Stott. Making Christ Known. p. 182.
- ^ Nichols, Bruce (1986). In Word and Deed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. p. 81.
- ^ Samuel, Vinay; Sugden, Chris (1987). The Church in Response to Human Need. Oxford.
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Topics | Micah Network". Archived from the original on 2016-06-30. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
- ^ "Members". Micah Network. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.