Ecclesial Futures

Regenerative

Rosemary Dewerse — 2023-12-21

This article details and discusses Regenerative Development, a concept developed by the Regenesis Group, as a means for enabling church health and renewal. Across 2020-2023 Cityside Baptist in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, worked with Regenerative Development Practitioners through three phases of application. The process and what emerged challenges usual perspectives on church growth and revitalisation priorities around vision, outcomes and the community and context in view. In the first version the captions of figures 2 and 3 had been swapped, which has been corrected in version 2.

“They made space for me”

Catherine Rivera — 2023-12-21

Drawing on 16 months of ethnographic fieldwork with young, Anglican social justice activists in Aotearoa New Zealand, this article engages with Romand Coles’s theory of receptive generosity, and the theme of the western church as marginal, to explore why a particular Anglican Diocese was attracting new, millennial aged members, most of whom did not grow up Anglican. I consider how spaces of generous reciprocity were formed and enabled through living in intentional communities (ICs) and being able to engage with pluralistic ‘broad table’ spaces of discussion and dissent. These factors were part of what drew the research participants to this Diocese and to Anglicanism in general, as well as enhancing their social justice activism. My research shows the importance of intentionally making spaces of belonging for millennials and Gen Z aged people in a faith community, rather that hoping the status quo of the past will suffice.

Bending the Light

Dustin Benac — 2023-12-21

The shifting structure of religious life requires new research methodologies that can attend to the dynamic nature of faith and resource ongoing scholarship and religious practice. Rather than approaching research and resourcing as separate and iterative movements, a contextually-centered approach can engage and support religious scholarship and practice in dynamic religious climates. While existing methodologies have advanced research and practice in considerable ways, these developments now make possible an integrative approach that combines research, resourcing, and collaborative inquiry into a dynamic movement. This paper advances an argument through a theological fieldnote based on a year of collaborative research and resourcing completed by the Program for the Future Church (PFFC). Established in 2021, the PFFC is a research, resource, and relational hub that pilots solutions for emerging and pressing challenges before the Church. The methodology, “Bending the Light,” pursues collaborative action research by constituting three sites of inquiry: a Celebration, a Collaboratory, and a Contextual Research Hub. Nine practices guide individual and collective investigation(s): 1) identifying present gifts; 2) creating connections; 3) identifying commonalities; 4) clarifying presenting crises; 5) developing shared language; 6) elevating individual and collective imagination; 7) complexifying anchoring concepts; 8) exploring shared practice; and 9) piloting research and resources. Combining reflections from conveners and participants, this methodological structure enhances attention to the lived theologies that ground the life of faith and the forms of practice that can resource future research and Christian practice.

Nigerian Pentecostal Mission in Europe: Ecumenical and Secular Relations in Britain

Bisi Adenekan-Koevoets — 2023-07-06

African churches face diverse obstacles while attempting cross-cultural mission in the West. These include the influence of external forces such as racism, lack of understanding of European cultures, lack of worship spaces and various perceptions that many wider indigenous Europeans have about Africans and their churches, particularly their theological beliefs. These external factors impose real challenges, which are beyond the control of the leaders of diaspora African churches and interfere with the effort to build relations with the wider white indigenous European host population, whether spiritual or secular. This qualitative study explores the different ways through which Nigerian-initiated churches in London are engaging with British society, both ecumenically and as a social force within the communities. There are indications that a few of the larger churches are building ecumenical relations with mainline British
churches, although this is prevalent at leadership level. Similarly, they are well-enough resourced to embark on social community projects which are beneficial to nationals of all races and political activities to court the British royal and political elite and are
therefore establishing their presence within and creating pathways to British society.

The LIMM Model

Pieter Labuschagne — 2023-12-21

This article offers a missiological research model based on three key missiological concepts: missio Dei, christocentricity, and contextuality (MDCC, for short). The model is derived from a practical theology model that was developed by the Layola Institute of Ministry (LIM). The author refers to the new missiological model as the LIMM model, where the added ‘M’ represents missional action.

Since the introduction of the term missio Dei, the focus has shifted from missions initiated and conducted by the church, to the one true mission – God’s mission. In the missio Dei, God sends his Son and the Spirit to the world, and through them sends people to the ends of the earth. At the same time, God is the sender and the content of the sending. The incarnation of culture is God’s message in every if great importance.

The LIMM model is characterised by the three key missiological terms mentioned above. From defining the research topic, right through to the practical suggestions for an improved experience, the researcher is guided by these missiological principles. If a research topic does not correlate to MDCC principles, it is not suitable for missiological research and another field of theology should be considered.

A Congregational Study on Mission Readiness: Toward a practical ecclesiology of practical action

Mark Harden — 2023-12-21

The case study investigates mission readiness as a form of church mobilization involving participants and the investigator constructing a framework of ministry practices for analysis. The participants were from a local church interested in improving ministry practices for social engagement. I collaborated with a local church using a self-assessment tool I developed for church mobilization readiness assessments. The input following the assessment results was based on critical realism epistemology and ontology. Best practices of mission readiness served as a basis for facilitating participants using critical realism methodology in workshops. The workshops included participants using triangulation and thought operations. The question for the study was: how do congregations assign practical theological meaning in assessing their performance in mission readiness for church mobilization? The results demonstrate how a critical realism methodology helps transform and improve ministry practices. Critical realism thought operation methods were appropriate for practical theological analysis in church mobilization. Participants contributed additional action items for the framework. This article includes mapping tables with summary descriptions of elements of the framework. The mapping tables highlight transformation points to illustrate the results of participants’ self-assessments and planning activities to improve elements of
mission readiness. Further study may help investigators demonstrate how the framework is helpful beyond the limited use of the framework.

Learning to love

Sue Holdsworth — 2023-12-21

This article speaks to the relationship between social action and mission. It argues that mission at church-based, intercultural initiatives is better understood and enabled when principles and practices of pastoral care are applied. A study of four, church-based intercultural initiatives in Melbourne demonstrated that the development of intercultural pastoral care practices offers a way to understand mission that is relevant for local-church-based community initiatives.

Pastoral care and mission have a confused relationship in the literature and are brought into conversation with these four case studies, demonstrating that pastoral theology has insights to offer mission. In particular, this article explores themes of compassion and empathy, formation for hospitality, and the need for deeper spiritual formation in local, church-based, intercultural community initiatives. This is an important understanding at a time when many Western Christians seem at a loss to know how to effectively engage with others in a rapidly changing and often indifferent society. It is suggested that mission is framed as pastoral care at similar, church-based initiatives. Pastoral formational practices of reflective practice, spiritual engagement and supervision are recommended for all engaged in church-based, intercultural mission and this has broader relevance to all engaged in mission.

Freeing Congregational Mission: A Practical Vision for Companionship, Cultural Humility, and Co-Development

Say Young Lee — 2023-12-21

Questions of Context

Rein den Hertog — 2023-12-21

Political Formation

Bernhard Schröder — 2023-12-21

A Public Missiology

James Butler — 2023-12-21

The Invitation

David Reissmann — 2023-12-21

Towards a Politics of Communion

Ben Aldous — 2023-12-21

CONTENTS and Editorial

Steve Taylor — 2023-12-21