Title: Mission Specialists Examine Missionary Task
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

July 8, 1998

MISSION SPECIALISTS EXAMINE MISSIONARY TASK
98-25-149-LPB*

     ST. PAUL, Minn. (ELCA) -- About 140 mission specialists from around
the world gathered here at Luther Seminary for an ecumenical Congress on
the World Mission of the Church, June 23-27, to re-examine the Christian
missionary obligation and particularly the mission responsibility of the
North American Christian community.
     The Rev. Roland Miller, congress organizer, said, "It is God's desire
that everyone be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth." Miller is
visiting professor of missions at Luther Seminary.  Preaching at the
opening worship service Miller called upon participants to pray for all
people.  "To pray for everyone is to not deny the gospel for anyone.  God
loves everyone and so should we."  Miller called this an absolutely radical
and daring notion.
     "Rekindle your spirits, revive your hearts.  Set aside your doldrums.
Lift up your eyes.  Jesus Christ wants you to share again in his mission,"
Miller said, claiming that the problems Christians face today are no worse
than at any time in history.  "When we view problems as challenges then the
life of the church is a thrilling life," he concluded.
     The Rev. H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America, described the congress as "a most remarkable
gathering, a matchless opportunity."   It brought together mission
specialists, theologians and scholars from many traditions, including
Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist, Mennonite and American Baptist.
     "New constellations developed all across the denominational
spectrum," said Miller.  "An effort to come up with new thinking requires
that you put people together who have not been together before.  You rarely
get new thinking with people who customarily meet together."
     The Rev. David L. Tiede, president of Luther Seminary, called the
congress "a prayer for the restoration of the church."  Luther sponsored
the ecumenical gathering.     The Rev. Bonnie L. Jensen, executive director
of the ELCA's Division for Global Mission, noted, "This congress is just
one example of close cooperation between mission agencies of the church and
theological institutions."
     The participants were selected as mission-minded, courageous
specialists willing to explore new ideas and bring creativity to the task,
according to Miller.  While they were drawn from various denominational
backgrounds, there was no attempt to provide full world coverage.  "This
wasn't a representative meeting.  We were not looking for a representative
from every church," he said.  "We were trying to get a think tank of good
minds together."
     "I think there was a senior aspect to the congress," Miller admitted.
"We have to recognize that the nature of the thinking we were doing
required experience.  Naturally we wound up with more gray hair than we'd
like in a forward thinking congress."
     A message from the congress, "The Desire of God:  The Message of the
Congress on the World Mission of the Church:  St. Paul '98," was issued at
the event's conclusion.
     Prior to the congress, participants reviewed a status paper and a
vision paper addressing the topic of their particular colloquium.  At the
congress participants met privately in eleven specialized colloquia,
addressing either geographical concerns or particular issues such as "an
evangelical missionary theology for a pluralistic age" and "information
technology and the communication of the gospel."
     The colloquium addressing mission structures and organizations needed
for mission into the next century concluded that "mission structures for
the 21st century need a greater inter-connectedness and agility; they need
to involve a greater number of people in decision making and in carrying
these decisions out; they need to eliminate the false separation between
'overseas' and 'domestic' mission, and ensure fairer access to resources."
     Belletech Deressa, director for development, Division for Global
Mission, ELCA, participated in the colloquium addressing Christian service
and contemporary mission.  "We defined service as the passionate
involvement in the reconciling and healing love of God for all people
everywhere amidst all forms of brokenness and suffering," she said.
     Deressa noted a shift in global mission thinking that includes
mission in our own neighborhoods, saying, "We need to be a global church."
     At the same time, cautioned Carol Birkland, "North American solutions
don't always fit the global problems.  The North American church needs a
radical rethinking of service work in the context of global mission."
Birkland, secretary for evaluation and documentation, Department for World
Service, Lutheran World Federation, Geneva, also took part in the service
colloquium.
     The service colloquium concluded that "witness to the gospel of the
kingdom of God is through our lives, deeds, words and worship.  Our deeds
give credibility to our words, and our words give clarity to our deeds."
     The colloquium addressing information technology and the
communication of the gospel wrestled with sociological and spiritual
dimensions of new technology, "for those who are technologically poor are
spiritually rich," according to Jonathan Frerichs, communication director,
Lutheran World Relief, New York.  Fearing that too much reliance is placed
on new technologies as the answer to evangelism efforts, Frerichs observed,
"God made us to communicate.  God didn't wait until now to send God's son.
God didn't wait for Bill Gates, or for Gutenberg for that matter.  The way
is clear, God's love is sufficient."
     Each colloquium will produce an "idea package" out of their
discussions.  These will be transmitted to mission executives of mainline
denominations and heads of mission societies and para-church groups.
     Miller expressed a hope that "congress participants from different
geographical areas will organize similar events in their contexts; it
seemed obvious that there was quite an interest in doing that."
     Financial support for the event came from more than 100 individual
donors and nearly 50 congregations, primarily in Minnesota and other parts
of the Upper Midwest.  Aid Association for Lutherans, Lutheran Brotherhood,
the ELCA and The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod also provided financial
support.

[*Linda Post Bushkofsky, Bloomington, Minn., is associate synod executive
for communication and interpretation in the Synod of Lakes and Prairies,
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]


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