Impressions from Bossey Consultation on Evangelism in Theological Education

Global SHIFT consultation - Welcome

Dear GlobalSHIFT Participants:

Warm greetings!!

We are at the threshold of the GlobalSHIFT consultation.  For many months we have been praying, thinking, talking, working and planning this event. Finally, the last leg is upon us: we are arriving in Budapest, moving toward the dream, and eager to see what God will do this week.

TJ Addington (Senior Vice President of the EFCA and Executive Director of ReachGlobal) described this consultation as a “game-changing” event, and I believe this is true.  I think that GlobalSHIFT is already changing the way we see ministry in Europe.  It is changing our expectations and raising our eyes to expect even bigger things from the Lord, and it is raising our excitement as we become part of what the Lord is currently doing in Europe.

GlobalSHIFT is a consultation. It is something different than what we usually experience in our meetings.  During a consultation the plenary speakers are the facilitators of the conversation. They are responsible to ignite the dialogue, but the most important part of the consultation will happen in the table groups, during the networking time, and in the conversations with other participants.  We will be receiving very valuable insights from the platform (during the plenary and panel discussion), but we, at the ground level, will have the responsibility to process the information and look for applications to our life, team and ministry.

During this consultation we will be experiencing the changing world as much as we will be reflecting about the changes.  The world is changing, and we have been observing the changes in two different areas.  The first area is “the changing map of the church and mission.” This means that the growing church and missionary forces from Africa, Asia, and Latin America are taking more responsibility and participation in re-shaping the image of the church and the way we do missions.  During this consultation we will hear what the Lord is doing in those churches directly from leaders who are playing key roles in this process in their parts of the world.  We will have invitees from Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East that will help us understand more about this major shift in the Church.

The second area is the “changing topography of the church and mission.” This means that in these changing times, the Lord is raising new voices from “non-traditional” places where the church is growing and new mission forces are emerging.  René Padilla is one of the voices that the Lord has been using, not only in Latin America, but also from Latin America to the rest of the world.  His reflections, writings, and talks are affecting and influencing the way the Global Church understands the new realities.  An example is the deep impact of his talk in the context of the Lausanne Covenant during Lausanne 1974, and how he continued from there as a reference for the fresh reflection of Latin American church.

K. Rajendran, from India, is another strong voice.  The Lord had been using him to lead the reflection process about what it means for the Church in India to become engaged in mission, especially during the process when the Church in India is becoming independent from overseas organizations (a very unique opportunity and experience).  He has been playing a key role in growing the number of mission agencies in India from 73 to almost 350 today.  He has been a missionary and actively involved in missions mobilization.

To use an airplane metaphor that TJ Addington likes, we can say that every day we will start flying at 30,000 feet.  From that altitude, René will be giving us an overview about how he sees the shift in the world.  He will be raising specific issues. Some might be totally unexpected and different, but they are important because the issues represent his experience in flying at that altitude in different territories.  For some of us without this experience, these thoughts might not sound eminently important, yet according to the signs of the times, they will be in the near future.

In the mornings, René will be sharing biblical and missiological insights on three issues we defined for our consultation: Globalization, Kingdom Connections, and Integral Mission (or How We Do Missions).  You will notice that he will be leading us from the Global to Local as the week progresses.  In globalization he will be presenting a broad view about major shifts in the world.  The perspective will be a long horizon, like an airplane flying over the ocean.  The focus will be the whole world and how globalization is affecting those who are living today.

In the second day, René will be speaking about kingdom connections, more specifically about the major challenges for the Church. He will be presenting a more defined landscape by raising the ecclesiological, missiological and spiritual challenges for the church and individuals and extending the call for us to see ourselves as one church with a call to unity, solidarity and partnership.

On the third day, René will speak about integral mission. At this point, we will begin to see the runway.  Our perspective is still from a high altitude, but we will see the lights and outline of where are we going to land.  In this third day, René will be speaking more to us as pastors and missionaries, to reflect our understanding about mission and the way to do mission today in a world that is changing and in a church that is in a process of transformation.

After René Padilla’s time, we will have the opportunity to hear other voices.  During the daily panel discussions, we intend to fly at a lower altitude and in more specific territory.  The voices will be from Western Europe, the United States, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America.  Our panel will be sharing other views of the landscape. They will help us move from the big picture to a clearer image of the changes, challenges and situations that confirm the shifts presented by René.

The most exciting part of the process is when we move to our table groups. During that time, we will be moving to the cockpit, and as a group, we will work hard to choose the runway and to land the airplane.  We will be looking for practical ways to apply all that we have heard and experienced to our own realities. We expect that the implications might change our way of thinking about the church and doing mission.

Each day will end with a plenary talk by K Rajendran. He will help us see additional options and recommendations from his lengthy experience navigating the terrain at high and low altitudes.  K will present some practical examples of applications from different parts of the world.

René Padilla and K Rajendran both represent new voices emerging from new territories of the church. As such, they will provide the opportunity to experience the way in which they are reading the Bible in the Global South. They will provide us the opportunity to experience different contexts, identities, and reflections about the Gospel. I hope that you will be enlightened, and will enjoy these fresh perspectives.

We are beginning a very exciting journey. The good news is that God is in the control tower.  He has the plan and He is watching every one of our airplanes. God is doing everything needed for a safe trip and effective landing.  His Holy Spirit is empowering us to be fearless, and He is sharing his Spirit of power, love and self-discipline to firmly hold the controls in our hands, and to believe that, at the end of the day, we are just following His plan and honoring His commands.

As we arrive for this experience, my prayer is that you can “sit back, relax and enjoy” this exciting journey that the Spirit has prepared for us.

Welcome to the GlobalSHIFT Consultation.

David Ruiz

For Consultation Media resources: http://globalshiftconsultation.org/consultationmaterials/