Foreign Missionary Activity Prior to and During the Armenian Genocide

This article discusses how pre-Genocide foreign missionary activity prepared the way for relief and existential support during and after the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1921. Examples are drawn from American, British, and German Protestant missionary organisations, especially the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the Turkish Missions Aid Society or Bible Lands Missions Aid Society, and the Christlicher Hilfsbund im Orient. These agencies developed missionary and relief methods and transnational networks which were utilised by the Action Chrétienne en Orient (ACO) and other twentieth-century mission agencies in their work among Armenian communities.

KUALIFIKASI SEORANG PENGINJIL MENURUT RASUL PAULUS DAN IMPELEMENTASINYA BAGI PENGINJIL MASA KINI BERDASARKAN KITAB FILIPI 3:7-14

This study was conducted to obtain an overview of the criteria of an evangelist according to the perspective of Philippians 3:7-14 to add references to the views of the Bible about an evangelist in carrying out his duties and responsibilities in preaching the Gospel to fulfill the great commission and support one of the Church's triduties. This needs to be done to equip evangelists, mission agencies and even theological schools to equip people who will go specifically to the field of evangelism and in general Christians who also have the same responsibility in preaching the gospel. Facts in the field cannot be denied, many things happen in the field in terms of obstacles or problems, even concepts that are not the same in preaching the gospel. The understanding of evangelists and ways of looking at this evangelistic task can have different perspectives, therefore it is necessary to learn from Paul's point of view as an evangelist and apostle who has dedication and determination in the task of preaching the gospel. This study uses a qualitative approach with the method of literature/literature and facts in the field. The results of this study indicate that; first, evangelists must have a visionary perspective, second serve with the concept of grace, third have high accuracy in understanding the concept of Christology, fourth researchers are consistent with the orientation of the heavenly calling. Keywords : Grace, the power of resurrection, the power of death, captured by Christ, I consider loss, consider trash, heavenly calling AbstrakPenelitian ini dilakukan untuk memperoleh gambaran kriteria seorang Penginjil menurut perspektif kitab Filipi 3:7-14 dan tak kalah penting menambah referensi pandangan-pandangan Alkitab tentang seorang penginjil dalam melaksanakan tugas dan tanggungjawab dalam pemberitaan Injil untuk menggenapi amanat agung dan mendukung salah satu tritugas Gereja. Hal ini perlu dilakukan untuk memperlengkapi para penginjil, badan misi bahkan sekolah teologi memperlengkapi orang-orang yang akan terjun secara khusus ke ladang penginjilan dan secara umum orang kristen yang juga memiliki tanggungjawab yang sama dalam memberitakan Injil. Fakta dilapangan tidak dapat dipungkiri, banyak hal yang terjadi dilapangan dalam hal kendala atau masalah, bahkan konsep yang tidak sama dalam memberitakan Injil. Pemahaman para penginjil dan cara memandang tugas penginjilan ini dapat memiliki perspektif yang berbeda-beda, oleh karena itu perlu belajar dari sudut pandang Paulus sebagai seorang Penginjil dan rasul yang memiliki dedikasi dan keteguhan hati dalam tugas pemberitaan Injil. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif dengan metode literatur/pustaka. Hasil dari penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa; pertama, Penginjil harus memiliki perspektif visioner, kedua Penginjil melayani dengan konsep anugerah, ketiga Penginjil memiliki akurasi yang tinggi memahami konsep Kristologi, keempat Penginjil konsisten kepada orientasi panggilan sorgawi. Kata kunci: Anugerah, kuasa kebangkitan, kuasa kematian, di tangkap oleh Kristus, kuanggap rugi, menganggap sampah, panggilan sorgawi

The Action Chrétienne en Orient: From Missionary Society to Fellowship of Churches

The Action Chrétienne en Orient was founded in 1922 in order to bring relief among displaced Christians, especially Armenians, in Syria. It also supported the displaced Protestant communities in their ecclesiastical, educational and medical work. In structure the ACO resembled other Protestant missionary societies, but it had some unique features such as its trans-European character. At the time of the decolonization, the work of the ACO changed as the local Protestant churches took charge and the ACO devolved its responsibilities. In the postcolonial period the ACO gradually embraced a missiology that was focused on partnership. This led to the formation of the ACO Fellowship, a communion of churches and mission agencies.

The effect of social capital on organizational repertoires of American Protestant missions

A religious organization’s choice of activities is shaped not only by theological goals but also the capital available to it. Prior research has shown how economic and religious capital influence Protestant missionary organizations’ repertoires of activism but has largely ignored the role of social capital. Using the most recent data on transnational American Protestant mission agencies, this study aims to fill this gap. Using a Bourdieuian field approach and multiple correspondence analysis, the study finds that linking and bonding social capital both shape whether an agency generalizes rather than specializes in specific ministry activities. Both bonding and bridging social capital, in turn, prompt a more other-worldly than this-worldly ministry orientation, but this is a pattern most characteristic of Evangelical agencies, suggesting an intersection between religious identity and organizational network size. The study concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for interorganizational collaboration and resource use.

Between global and local: Roma Pentecostal Church identity in Serbia

Joel Robbins (2003) described Pentecostalism as both continuous, taking into account local ontologies, and discontinuous, rupturing against certain social structures or epistemologies. He refers to this as Pentecostalism’s double paradox. In this framework, Pentecostalism is local in that it often addresses the questions and issues emerging from a particular context. However, there is also a global Pentecostal identity which is reinforced through conferences, mission partnerships, shared music, and sermons. Roma Pentecostals in Southeastern Europe are also in the process of negotiating their Pentecostal identity. On the one hand, Pentecostalism is the dominant form of Christianity spreading among the Roma in Serbia because of its flexible ecclesiology, its openness to miraculous signs and wonders, its non-hierarchical structure, and its emotive personality. On the other hand, there is a rising number of mission agencies and Western missionaries working with Roma churches. Roma leaders are often negotiating what to accept and what to reject in terms of Christian theology and praxis, teaching, and programs and activities. Thus, the Pentecostal identity of their churches is being shaped in response to their own local questions and needs but also in response to the partnership from others, both through good experiences and negative ones. This paper will explore this church identity negotiation, looking at two case studies of Roma churches in Serbia. First, this paper will establish the wider conversation in Pentecostal studies regarding the relationship between inculturation and globalization. Next, this paper will analyse some of the factors of the decisionmaking process regarding how Roma leaders decide what to accept and what to reject in terms of outside influences. This analysis will bring to the foreground the operating cultural and religious values and how that contributes to the dialectical process of Pentecostal identity.

Mission in Central and Eastern Europe: Realities, Perspectives, Trends

SummaryThis book contains a large collection of papers which report on missional activities in Central and Eastern Europe, especially on initiatives based in local churches and oriented towards society. It looks across denominational lines, from Eastern Orthodox to Roman Catholic, Protestant and various neo-Protestant churches. This is a very stimulating volume which discusses a much-neglected area in Europe from the perspective of missionary practice, presenting old and new forms of mission, as well as ways forward. It is one of the few publications that addresses aspects of mission in this part of Europe, and presents valuable reading for mission agencies, seminaries and churches.The book contains contributions by more than thirty authors and has sections on reasons for mission; the Orthodox and mission; the Catholics and mission; ecumenical mission; mission in Romania; immigrants, churches, dialogue; theological education as mission; and dialogue, public sphere and mission.RésuméCet ouvrage contient un ensemble de nombreux essais relatant l’activité missionnelle en Europe centrale et en Europe de l’Est, et faisant état plus particulièrement d’initiatives à partir d’Églises locales et orientées vers la société. Il considère ce qui se fait dans des dénominations très diverses, allant des Églises orientales orthodoxes aux communautés catholiques romaines en passant par les Églises protestantes et néo-protestantes. L’ouvrage est très stimulant et aborde un domaine très négligé en Europe sous l’angle de la pratique missionnaire, en présentant des formes anciennes et nouvelles d’activité missionnaire et en proposant des pistes pour l’avenir. C’est l’une des rares publications traitant des aspects de l’entreprise missionnaire en Europe, et son apport est utile pour les sociétés missionnaires, les facultés de théologie et les Églises.Plus de trente auteurs ont contribué à cet ouvrage qui comporte des sections sur : les raisons de l’oeuvre missionnaire, les chrétiens orthodoxes et la mission, les catholiques et la mission, la mission oecuménique, la mission en Roumanie, les Églises et les immigrés, l’aspect missionnaire de la formation théologique, la mission et l’espace public.ZusammenfassungDieses Buch enthält eine umfangreiche Sammlung von Vorträgen über Missionsaktivitäten in Zentralund Osteuropa, die vor allem auf die Initiativen von Ortsgemeinden zurückgehen und auf die Gesellschaft abzielen. Es weitet den Horizont über die Grenzen von Denominationen hinaus, von den orthodoxen Kirchen Osteuropas bis zur römisch-katholischen Kirche, zu den protestantischen Kirchen und den neoprotestantischen Freikirchen. Dieser ausnehmend inspirierende Band erörtert einen in Europa sehr vernachlässigten Bereich aus der Perspektive missionarischer Praxis; er behandelt traditionelle und neuere Formen von Mission sowie mögliche Wege in die Zukunft. Dabei handelt es sich um eine von wenigen Veröffentlichungen, die sich mit Aspekten von Mission in diesem Teil Europas befassen und wertvollen Lesestoff für Missionsgesellschaften, Ausbildungsstätten und Gemeinden bieten.Das Werk enthält Beiträge von mehr als dreißig Autoren und Abschnitte über Motive und Ziele von Mission, Orthodoxe und Mission, Katholiken und Mission sowie über ökumenische Mission; es befasst sich mit Mission in Rumänien, Immigranten, Gemeinden und Dialog; es reflektiert über theologische Ausbildung als Mission und über Dialog, den öffentlichen Raum und Mission.

Independent Protestant Movements (1930–Present)

This chapter examines independent Protestant movements in China from the 1930 to the present. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Protestant foreign missionaries encountered occasional and sometimes violent resistance in China. At the same time, independent Chinese movements and leaders increasingly displaced foreign-controlled Protestant denominations and mission agencies. Then, with the Communist takeover, the Chinese expelled all foreign missionaries and sought to stamp out the imperialist Western religion. Under these hostile circumstances, previously formed independent churches such as the True Jesus Church, the Jesus Family, and the Little Flock, along with independent evangelical pastors such as Wang Mingdao, provided the necessary resources for survival and even growth during the repressive Cultural Revolution (1966–76). With the easing of religious restrictions in 1979, China witnessed an unprecedented explosion of Christian conversions, particularly of the evangelical/Pentecostal variety. An estimated 1 million evangelical Christians now live in the coastal city of Wenzhou, and an increasing number of Chinese urban elites are turning to Christianity.

Fulani in Ghana: Emerging Mission Possibilities and Approaches

The Fulani in Ghana for decades have largely remained unengaged in mission work. The factors that have hindered any meaningful engagement by the Church among this widely spread people group in West Africa are several and include the perennial farmer-herder conflicts, prejudice, stereotype, and fear of the Fulani among indigenous people. These factors have for a long time made it appear impossible for the Church to become a witness among the Fulani in Ghana. This research first, explores the few mission attempts made by some mission agencies. To evangelise the Fulani, the research work secondly examines the challenges associated with Christian mission among the Fulani and the difficulties faced by the Fulani in their daily lives with their cattle. Thirdly, the paper investigates emerging mission possibilities and approaches among the Fulani as a nomadic group. The framework that allows one to explore these possibilities holistically are the Five Marks of Global Mission as outlined in Mission in 21st Century; Exploring the Five Marks of Global Mission. Lastly, the research highlights the importance of contextualization in mission, especially that the Fulani must essentially hear, understand, and respond to the Gospel in their native language, Fulfulde.

Joy and multiple identities

This article introduces the phenomena of multiple identities and their communication channels that today’s individuals have. Upon reviewing the sociological characteristics of multiple identity holders, they are highly connected people. Though all the people hold multiple identities, the context of the modern city connects people to ever more diverse locations. In the Bible, the multiple identity holders used by God can be categorized into the types of early adopters, bridge, guardian, peacemaker, and mobilizer. The church and mission agencies must recognize that these people can become new channels of joy and should help them fulfill their missions according to biblical principles.