A Learning Missional Church

Cross-cultural mission has always been a primary learning experience for the church. It pulls us out of a mono-cultural understanding and helps us discover a legitimate theological pluralism which opens up for new perspectives in the Gospel. Translating the Gospel into new languages and cultures is a human and divine means of making us learn new ‘incarnations’ of the Good News. This book is compiled by contributions from young missiologists from different parts of the world. It is written from the perspective of youth to be a fresh breath of air into more traditional mission thinking and mission paradigms. The flavour of this fresh breath of air, coming from the younger generation, is “learning from others and from one another”: How may traditional sending churches and organizations see themselves as receivers? How may we bring experiences from outside into our own context? What may we learn across geographical borders – North learning from South, South learning from North, South learning from South? What can we learn from one another in a process of reciprocity? ‘Mission as learning”‘is not just a welcome addendum to mission, but a necessity if we want God’s Spirit to reveal to us some new dimensions of Jesus as he comes to be known and loved in “every nation, tribe, people and language.” A church that aims at being A Learning Missional Church sorely needs Reflections from Young Missiologists, as this book is entitled. The reflections are valuable because of the content and substance, because they deal with relevant issues; they are valuable because they depict the church as a ‘learning organisation’ cross-culturally; and they are valuable because they raise signs of youthful willingness to challenge and change. In this way these reflections may show the way towards Edinburgh 2110.