The Next Christendom and Global Christianity
Faddish Concept or Dynamic Reality?
Realities as we begin the 21st century
 The demise of colonialism
 The rise of nationalism
 The Cold War Thaws
 Emergence of global economy
 Continuing gaps between have and have-nots
 Religious militancy
Variant Views of the World
 Globalization—Thomas Freidman—The Lexus and The Olive Tree
 “The driving force behind globalization is free market capitalization.”
 Civilization—Samuel Huntington—The Clash of Civilizations
 “Culture and cultural identities are shaping patterns of cohesion,
disintegration and conflicts in post Cold-War World.”
 Civilizations, Western, Latin American African-Sub-Sahara, Islamic, Sinic
Hindu, Orthodox, Buddhist, Japanese
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 11 Hour—Lazarus Chakwara, Malawi
 “The World sees Africa through eyes of tragedy, war and hopelessness.
But we have been liberated to participate in the Harvest. The Bible says
that the very fact that the world views us as last is the reason God wants
us for this 11th hour in this end-time Harvest.”
 The Next Christendom
 5% non-western Christians in 1900 to 66%+ non-western in 2000
 Non-western missions efforts-the object of missions is now partners with
historic senders
 Religious changes in the world are most significant
 “European Christian civilization” has met its demise
 To evaluate Christianity through such a lens is myopic
 “As Southern churches grow and mature, they will increasingly define their
own interests in ways that have little to do with the preferences of
Americans and Europeans.
 There can be no doubt the emerging Christian world will be anchored in
the Southern continents.
 Philip Jenkins—The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global
Christianity

Continued Effectiveness in the Emerging Churches of the World?
 Cling to the old framework and impose it on new realities
 Engage in denial and pretend external changes are not profound
 Attempt to understand and change our internal model of reality
Crossroads Indicators: Dilemmas That Indicate Shifts in the Making
 Mixed motivation—single mindedness of purpose characterized in early
devotees is replaced by professionalism
 Administrative Order—Once purposeful structures solidify and refuse to
change
 Power—The struggle of leadership to legitimize itself
 Delimitation—Running the gauntlet between translating the core message in
a new context and rigid defense of the original version as once for all settled
 Symbolism—Making original spontaneity current
 Structures are the servant of the mission of the church inhabited by the Spirit
of God to reflect most fully the reign of God in visible form
 Therefore we need to ask at least three questions
 Do our structures facilitate ministry based on divine gifts &
endowments or arbitrariness and self-defined vision?
 Do our structures disrupt or facilitate the work of the Holy Spirit to
build community?
 Do we facilitate or hinder witness to the yet not reached?
 Continuing validity of structures is connected to our responses to these
three questions.
 Reductionism—reducing the fullest impact of the Gospel’s power as we
inevitably shape the Gospel into cultural settings
“Continuing conversion” for any church organizational-structure begins with an
understanding of the nature of the church:

What the church is
 The nature of the church is based on God's presence through the Holy
Spirit
 The nature of the church is defined by the mission of God in the world
 The nature of the church is the result of the redemptive work of Christ
 The nature of the church is holistic in relating this redemption to all of life
 The church exists as social community that is both spiritual and human
 The church exists as a full demonstration of a new humanity
 The attributes of the church's nature determine the church's ministry

What the church does
 The ministry of the church flows out of the church's nature
 The ministry of the church is a power encounter between God and the evil
one
 The ministry of the church is based on God's disarming other powers
through Christ
 The ministry of the church is about unmasking the powers that have been
disarmed
 The church's ministry is to bring God's redemptive reign to all of life
 The church's ministry is to be governed by the Word as is led and taught
by the Spirit
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
The church's ministry is to be grace-based and gift-shaped
How the church structures its work
 Organization of the church is designed to support the ministry of the
church
 Organization provides the shapes of structures that implement ministry
 Organization develops connectional processes to govern its life
 Organization selects leaders to help guide ministry activities
Continuing Conversion Requires us to ask ourselves:
 What are the assumptions and attitudes that shape our definition of mission?
 Who, for us, is Jesus Christ?
 What does the rule of Christ mean for us?
 What are the assumptions about power which guide our institutions?
 Where do those assumptions about power come from?
 How do our assumptions about power incarnate the gospel of Jesus Christ?
 How do our institutions' decision-making processes witness incarnationally to
the gospel of Christ?
 What are the assumptions about success that guide our institutions?
 How does the understanding of our success incarnate the gospel?
 How does the relationship between what our institutions do and how they do it
embody the gospel of Jesus Christ?
 How do the institutions' policies and practices with all those who work in them
or are members of them incarnate the gospel?
 What are the assumptions about money, property, and investments that guide
our institutions?
 How do these assumptions incarnate the gospel?
 How do we understand and interpret the significance of our inherited wealth
over against our mission vocation today?
 How do our institutions relate to their past, and what role does their past
history play in their present decision-making?
 What are the obstacles and problems that prevent Christian institutions from
converting to a more incarnational way of functioning?
 How do our institutions identify their need to repent, to seek forgiveness, to
receive the transforming gift of newness, and thus to change?
David Bosch. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. Orbis
Books.
Darrel Guder. The Continuing Conversion of the Church. Eerdman’s Publishing.
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