2nd WCC-CWME Consultation on Missional Formation
Together towards Life: Implications for Mission Studies Curriculum
10-15 September 2016, Matanzas, Cuba
Following the adoption of the WCC mission affirmation Together Towards Life in 2012 and looking ahead to the next World Mission Conference in 2018, the WCC’s Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) is working towards a process of missional formation, a pedagogical process of TTL. An initial consultation, held in Pietermarizburg, South Africa, in October 2014, formed plans to develop a missiological curriculum for the training of future mission leaders, modules for equipping local congregation and continuing education courses for missionaries and mission workers. During 2015-16 these plans have been advanced with TTL being used in education and formation in different contexts around the world and the textbook Ecumenical Missiology being published in June 2016. A second consultation was convened in Matanzas, Cuba, in September 2016, bringing together some 25 representatives from the commission, mission leaders, missiologists and practitioners from the member churches to achieve the following objectives.
Aims and Objectives
- Sharing of experience of using TTL in teaching and missional formation.
- Sharing of examples of using TTL in curriculum development.
- Building the network by engaging participants with relevant experience.
- Generating resources such as case studies, Bible studies, liturgical material, art works etc. that can support educational engagement with TTL.
- Working on the preparation of an intentionally pedagogical guidebook to assist educators seeking to use TTL in their contexts.
- Engaging the question of discipleship that will be at the heart of the next World Mission Conference. What do we want to say as educators to the World Mission Conference in 2018?
Context of the Consultation
Given the contextual nature of the education and formation envisaged with TTL it was important for the Consultation to meet in an appropriate situation. The Evangelical Theological Seminary in Matanzas, Cuba, proved to be an inspired choice. Being in Cuba at a time of rapid political, social and religious change provided a dynamic context in which to revisit TTL. The work of the Seminary, with its ecumenical character, its inclusivity, its constant involvement with the community, its diaconal work, its popular bible studies and its ecological awareness, has anticipated many of the themes that arise when considering the implications of TTL for missional formation.
Presentations at the Consultation
Introduction of programme - Jooseop Keum
Skeleton of the Guidebook - Ken Ross
Keynote address - “Missional Formation for Transforming Discipleship” - Néstor Míguez
Response - Jo Ella Holman
Response - Peter Cruchley
TTL and Ministerial Formation - Cliff Kirkpatrick
TTL for Leadership development in Asia - Rienzie Perera
TTL from an Indigenous Peoples perspective - Margarita de la Torre
Equipping national church in mission - Prince Devanandan
Congregational formation - David Xolile Simon
Orthodox spirituality and mission - Olga Oleinik
TTL and mission studies in Anglican Communion - Graham Kings
TTL in Matanzas - Daniel Montoya
TTL as a research tool - Chammah Kaunda
A Syllabus for TTL teaching 1 - Petros Vassiliadis
A Syllabus for TTL teaching 2 - Baard Maeland
TTL and evangelism education – L. Wesley de Souza
TTL in the light of “Church for All” - Noel Fernandez
TTL and missionary training in the Korean context – Chang Uk Byun
TTL in the interfaith context - Lesmore Ezekiel
Group Reports
Group 1 – Churches: Reception and Resistance
TTL honours the vital part the Church has to play in the mission of God, in all the ways the churches can and do participate in mission. A central place is given to the missionary role of the church in the local community. This means it is vital that the Church at all levels engages with TTL and its vision and challenge. At this early stage it is clear that there are obstacles to churches engaging with TTL in fresh and meaningful ways. However, the testimony of EDAN and other advocacy movements within the church counsel us to persist in showing relevant ways to our churches to engage in vital struggles. Suitably equipped churches can be agents of transformation.
There are theological-ideological obstacles. While many want to extol the benefits and blessing of the neo-liberal economic system, TTL clearly names the evils of globalisation. It also goes on to critique church’s use of power and confronts vested interest in terms of leadership, finance and values. TTL’s fresh perspectives on mission and evangelism challenge churches to let go of many things that are precious or convenient to them but in practice hamper mission. Some models of mission and practices of church are not open to TTL, and even the WCC authorship of the document is problematic for some. Historical churches may be more open but they are losing capacity as decline tends to make such churches introspective. There are practical and institutional obstacles as TTL must make its claim in the midst of many pressures and projects, in contexts and languages that vary radically. Churches can be dominated by parochial attitudes that prevent it making the kind of connections that underpin the analysis of TTL. It is necessary to build alliances with other movements and networks, inside churches and alongside churches because the issues named in TTL are threats to everyone and all life, not just the church. Attention needs to be given to disarming the tactics of white privilege or patriarchal power to silence such texts as TTL. Conservative churches need to be treated respectfully and invited to see how TTL invites them into further and deeper manifestations of their faith vision. Declining churches need to be enabled to see how TTL may lead to fresh engagement with people which brings them new capacity.
We recommend the active advocacy of TTL. Consideration needs to be given to identifying advocates in the National Church Councils and beyond who can develop and lead TTL training for the different levels of the church, from leaders, to students, to congregations etc. It matters who teaches TTL and to whom.
We recommend the development of advocacy materials that identify key contests and content. Key concepts like mission from the margins or the agency of creation in mission need clearer analysis and unpacking in practice. They should build on strong biblical materials and rich contextual case studies. Language issues need to be addressed seriously as well as how the text can be made available to different communities and in different media and format.
We recommend the materials weave the Evangelical, Catholic and Orthodox documents together, and connections made with the other relevant ‘texts’ of eco-justice movements, peoples movements and so on, while all the time ensuring TTL remains clear and strong within it.
Group 2 – Together for Social Change
Through the presentations of case studies and group discussions, the consultation throws more light on our kairos moment and the persistent need of justice and transformation of systems that are exploitative and alienating for many in the world. The group affirmed that the TTL has the vision and the potential to intentionally engage/partner with peoples/social movements/civil societies for social change and inclusive justice if we take up postures of solidarity not leadership. Examples of the church accompanying and participating with peoples’ movements resisting Capitalism in the name of life, working for eco-justice, particularly from Latin American contexts serve as powerful images to mirror to the church its call to seek the welfare of the city and plant gardens. Examples of the church’s complicity and complacency amidst growing poverty and vulnerability expose the limitations of the church in areas of socio-economic justices.
Hence, the group recommends:
- the WCC/CWME initiate a study on the theology of sin, critiquing the individualistic emphasis that prevails; and make church members aware that all injustice caused by exploitations of creation and marginalisation of the poor are not just because of individual sins but systemic and structural sin.
- Identify and partner with local prophetic individuals and movements working for social change and justice, if necessary allotting resources/funds
- Collaborate with programmes and initiatives of the UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
- Continue to draw inspiration from non-violent individuals and movements
- Persist in process of discernment to emphasize the undergirding principle of participating in movements of justice by a spirituality of self-emptying love
Group 3 - Discipleship
Forms and kinds of discipleship
- transformative discipleship
- Formation and discipleship need to be addressed seriously in the conference.
- From this group (theological education) is expected contributions/input about theological education.
- “authentic discipleship”. Busan →
- “Discipleship starts where evangelism ends”.
- Discipleship is a beginning, a lifestyle. “How do you live out…?” Who will guide the disciples?
- Contextual discipleships: Explore refreshing ways of dealing with the theme
- Costly discipleship. Unfold what it means
- Discipleship needs to be a lifestyle, the lives of Christians needs to express their belief in a visible way in the world.
- Ecumenical movement as a discipleship.
- Learn to live with differences, being open.
- To respect the spirituality of fellow Christians.
- Discipleship of monasteries.
- How to teach and exercise it within our own traditions
- How to implement it to enrich our denominational traditions
Themes for discipleship to be considered
- Organizing the Bible Study around the Beatitudes
- How discipleship could be articulated from the lessons learnt from the Sermon of the Mount: Jesus stretching the requirements. Radical ethics and discipleship
- Think over and bring in fresh ideas of the relation between baptism and discipleship. Do we have to compensate for the lack of catechism if we baptize children?
Examples set for discipleship
- Bonhoeffer, Pope Francis, Contextual story, local and unknown people’s discipleship
Methods of fostering discipleship
- Introduce courses and develop that are similar in nature to Alpha courses. How to come to faith? Immediately lead a group after they have come to faith.
- Story-telling. A powerful form. Use testimonies, or/and make interviews.
Rejoicing in discipleship
- The JOY of the Gospel. How to combine the high expectations, self-denial of discipleship found the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount, the ‘loss’, renunciation and a particular understanding of joy by Christians.
Recommendations to be considered for educators
We need to think more about what we, as theological educators, can contribute to and for the conference. Guidebook? Discipleship and formation?
Group 4 - Pedagogy
A pedagogy for TTL will aim to match the values of TTL itself and will be:
Relational - building friendship and confidence is the first step – especially with people from the margins.
Interactive – engaging participants in the see-judge-act-celebrate methodology.
Communal – fostering mutuality in the teaching-learning process
Marginal – those on the margins have a privileged place in the process.
Transnational – enabling collaboration between individuals and institutions in different parts of the world for mutual encouragement and correction.
Aware - of issues of power that are always at work in the teaching-learning process.
Ecumenical – encouraging consideration of TTL alongside other contemporary statements such as Laudate Si, Evangelium Gaudium, the Orthodox Declaration, Cape Town Commitment.
Towards a Guidebook
It is acknowledged that to prepare a set guidebook for a contextualizing process is something of a contradiction in terms. However, there are a number of possible ways forward for the “guidebook”:
A short pedagogical introduction to TTL or guidesheet could be prepared, with suggestions as to what to do, what not to do, guidelines on methodology etc.
Case studies could be gathered and published to show how TTL can be used in education and formation.
There could be an interactive web site or a “TTL Wikipedia”, with alternative means of access for those lacking internet provision.
Summary of Recommendations
- Identify advocates in the Churches, National Church Councils and beyond who can develop and lead TTL training for different levels of the church - leaders, students, congregations etc.
- Develop IEC materials that identify key contests, unpack key concepts and offer strong biblical materials and rich contextual case studies.
- Form an inter-confessional group to look at the common ground between TTL and recent Evangelical, Orthodox and Roman Catholic documents and articulate our common analyses and shared mission understandings and objectives in the midst of our changed landscapes.
- Accompany local individuals and movements working for life affirming social change in regard to e.g. justice for indigenous peoples, human rights, eco-justice, gender justice etc.
- Collaborate with programmes and initiatives on mission and development to strengthen missional formation .
- Ask CWME to consider promoting a need for a declaration of legally established human responsibilities that corresponds to the UN Declaration of Human Rights.
- Prepare courses/methodologies and intercultural materials that will enable transforming discipleship to become a reality in the life struggles of the people and the earth.
- Establish an interactive web site (a “TTL Wikipedia”), with alternative means of access for those lacking internet provision.
Through this mission formation network
- Prepare a short pedagogical introduction to TTL, with methodological suggestions and guidelines on its contextual study and application
- Gather, and publish in various media, life changing testimonies, case studies, curricula and research areas to show how TTL can be used in education and formation.
It was agreed that the officers would add recommendations that arose from the final plenary discussion on the World Mission Conference.
Participants
- Rev. Dr David Xolile Simon (Stellenbosch University) dsimon@sun.ac.za
- Rev. Prof Kenneth Ross (Church of Scotland/ University of Edinburgh) kennethr.ross@btinternet.com
- Rev. Prof Néstor Míguez (ISEDET) nestormiguez@gmail.com
- Rev. Jo Ella Holman (PCUSA/CANACOM) joella.holman@gmail.com
- Rev. Dr Peter Cruchley (CWM) peter.cruchleyjones@gmail.com
- Rev. Dr Cliff Kirkpatrick (Louisville Seminary) ckirkpatrick@lpts.edu
- Rev. Dr Rienzie Perera (Church of Sri Lanka) archdg@sltnet.lk
- Rev. Prince Devanandan (Methodist Church of New Zealand) princed@methodist.org.nz
- Dr Atola Longkumer (Baptist Church, Nagaland, India) atolalongkumer2@hotmail.com
- Rev. Dr Baard Maeland (Stavangar University) baard.maeland@mhs.no
- Rev. Margarita de la Torre (FEINE) urpigu3@yahoo.es
- Bishop Graham Kings (Anglican Communion) graham.kings@durham.ac.uk
- Ms Olga Oleinik (Orthodox Mission Network) volgaleinik@yahoo.co.uk
- Prof Petros Vassiliadis (University of Thessaloniki) pv@theo.auth.gr
- Dr Chammah Kaunda (University of South Africa) pastorchammah@gmail.com
- Rev. Dr Lesmore Ezekiel (All Africa Council of Churches) lesmore.gibson@gmail.com
- Rev. Dr Wesley de Souza (Emory University) ldesouz@emory.edu
- Rev. Prof Chang Uk Byun (PUTS) changukbyun@yahoo.com
- Rev. Dr Abraham Kovacs (Debrecen Theological University) Abraham.kovacs@ptsem.edu
- Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum (Director)
- Ms Kyriaki Avtzi (Programme Executive on Evangelism)
- Ms Beth Godfrey (Administration)
- Rev. Dr Carlos Emilio Ham (Matanzas) cehams@gmail.com
- Rev. Dr Daniel Montoya (Matanzas)
- Rev. Noel Fernandez (Cuban Council of Churches/EDAN) fernolla@enet.cu