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A N I N T EGR A L MISSION PR IMER

AN INTEGRAL MISSION PRIMER

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Acknowledgements This primer is the result of countless participants who have knowingly (or not) contributed to the content of these pages. Foremost among them is John Prociuk, a gifted pastor and writer. Jim and Diane McBeth, former CBM staff also helped out greatly in their work. Gordon King, a colleague and one of CBM’s directors, was instrumental in shaping much of our agenda. René Padilla and Chris Wright have added great knowledge and biblical perspective through their writings. I have tried to footnote them wherever possible, but some omissions may linger. I owe a great debt of gratitude to the partners and staff of CBM who have infused each page with experience and perspective.

Several years ago, a family decided to contribute a portion of their income to CBM’s global mission. We invited them to travel and visit various projects. They were deeply moved by the needs they saw and challenged by the complexities of mission among the poor. They were both comforted and disheartened by good and bad development. And they shared these words with me: “Terry, CBM needs to help people like us, normal church-goers, understand just what makes integral mission so valuable. You should write a primer and help us to help others understand what integral mission really is!” We have attempted to do just that.

Thanks, one and all.

Terry Smith Director, International Partnerships Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) GO TO > PG. 92

To read CBM’s commitment to integral mission

CONTENTS 1. GENESIS

A Common Conversation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Sharing The Way Of Jesus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 2. THE GREAT...

Is It Word Or Deed?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 The Great Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The Great Commandment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Living Witness: Urban Outreach, Kenya. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 A Really Old, New Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Historical Witness: Jane Buchan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 3. FRAGMENTS

Fragmentation Or Integration?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 An Historical Vignette Of A Fragmented Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 The Great Reversal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Starting To Bridge The Great Divide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Historical Witness: William Carey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Living Witness: Saphano Chol, South Sudan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Shaping A New Engagement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 4. BROKEN

Integral Mission In A Broken World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Living Witness: Women and Children Victims of Violence, DRC . . . . . . . . . . 39 Go Deeper Online. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Historical Witness: Saint Francis of Assisi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Living Witness: Grandview Calvary Baptist Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Creation Care Case Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

CONTENTS 5. BIRTH

The Birth Of Integral Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Living Witness: Economic Initiatives, Bolivia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Understanding The Principle Of Integral Mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 When The Threads of The Tapestry Start To Fray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Living Witness: Pastor Gato Munyamasoko, Rwanda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Living Witness: Main Street Baptist Church. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 6. BEING. DOING. SAYING.

God’s Plan For Integral Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Jesus As The Fulfillment Of Integral Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Living Witness: Nabil Costa, Lebanon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 The Way . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 Historical Witness: Bishop Nathan K. Ngala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Living Witness: Jasmine Jonathan, India. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 7. SIGNS

Key Indicators Of Integral Mission In Your Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Living Witness: Lorne Park Baptist Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 8. IN WORDEED, INDEED

CBM’s Commitment To Integral Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

INTEGRAL MISSION MAKES THE T WO INDIVISIBLE

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GE NE SIS

SHARING A COMMON CONVERSATION ON A MILD SPRING EVENING, TWO GROUPS OF CHRISTIANS MET  THOUSANDS OF MILES APART. THEY WERE SEPARATED

BY HISTORY, CULTURE, LANGUAGE, ETHNICITY, ECONOMICS, WORLDVIEW, AND GEOGRAPHY. One group met in a park in their city square. The other group conversed on a patio at a trendy café in their gentrified neighbourhood. But they were united in their faith in God. And in their struggle and confusion over what their church should be doing.

Their conversation began the same, and followed a similar path:

A: I don’t know what we should do.

All around us, people are hurting.

So much hopelessness. There’s just too much pain, emptiness and longing..

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I N HALIFAX . . .

G: Just yesterday, Tom and Beth received a foreclosure notice on their house. They’ve been out of work for months now and run out of savings. Neither can find a job. They’re the second family this month in our neighbourhood to lose their home.

M: But we have to remember that it’s not just the poor who are hurting. There are lots of rich people around us who have a deep pain and are looking for hope.

They have lots of means but no meaning. I’m not convinced we know how to reach out to them.

G: I was always taught that people need to find God. But seriously, somehow I can’t bring myself to think that inviting them to church or our small group – another sermon or gospel presentation would bring them much hope and comfort.

L: That makes it sound like sharing the hope of the gospel is more about acts of mercy than sharing the good news. Maybe we need to just get serious about our evangelism.

M: You’re right on. The answer is always in sharing Christ’s love. What credibility is there when our words don’t align with our deeds? Faith without works is dead.

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I N HYDER ABAD

G: I hear what you say, sister. Yesterday, Thomas and Elizabeth lost their son to diptheria. That’s the second death in the community this week. They have little money and can’t afford a proper burial.

What should we do?

M: But let’s not forget that not only the poor suffer.

We have many wealthy people in this district who have serious problems. Their children are causing them deep hurt. Their marriages are in shambles.

Their money has become an idol for them.

G: We have been raised to believe that God will bring us hope and comfort whatever might befall us.

But I‘m not sure that our church activities, or even a good sermon, will offer to our hurting neighbours the comfort they need.

L: I’m not sure. People must be put before their sinfulness and brokenness. We must put the preaching of the gospel first in order to bring comfort to the hurting.

M: You are so true. Our belief in God brings us eternal life and we are to share it with our neighbours. But what good is the gospel if we can’t provide a cup of cold water to the thirsty?

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GEN ESIS

Both conversations often end at the same place...

R: We tend to separate believing the gospel from living it out. And then we make one more important than the other. Don’t you think that the two do not compete or conflict with each other?

Rather, they strengthen, shape and support each other. Maybe we are trying to reconcile two things that should never have been separated in the first place.

From Hyderabad to Halifax, Christians across the globe are trying to make sense of the very difficult task we have been given by God to be a blessing to the nations. For some, the job is just about sharing the good news of salvation - that saving lost souls from perdition is the ultimate task of the Church. For others, there is a conviction that we are beacons of light, called to live out our faith through good deeds.

No room for empty words.

This primer seeks to help forge a renewed vision for the mission of God’s people.

AN INTEGRAL MISSION PRIMER

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GE NE SIS

SHARING THE WAY OF JESUS IN THE BEGINNING, WAS THE WORD. BUT WHEN THE WORD BECAME FLESH… It started with a small buzz – a few people seemed to be a bit different. Their words and actions were oddly consistent. Soon, more and more people started to take notice. Something incredible was happening. It began with small, almost imperceptible deeds: ‘little acts of kindness’, as one person described.

There was a feeling of warmth and generosity that emanated from this likeminded group of people. They called themselves followers of the Way. As their movement grew, people were astonished to see what the community had become. Instead of feeling isolated and broken, people had found new hope. Healing, both physical and emotional, was taking place. Small, divergent religious factions had moved on from their encampments of rivalry and theological bickering to a passion for working together to meet the needs of their neighbours. Civic leaders, educators, business people and community health workers were amazed to see that a small group of like-minded women and men were willing to engage in simple acts of kindness with no calculation of cost and benefit. Some people resisted the overt mention of faith and salvation, but few questioned the integrity and passion of the practitioners.

There was a delightful consistency between what the followers of the Way said and what they did.

At a time when moral compromise was rampant, integrity was a compelling alternative.

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GEN ESIS

The first indicators were easily spotted. Hungry people were being fed.

Homes were made available for the needy. Nutrition rates rose. Crime rates declined. Interest rates dropped; some people lent money without asking for any interest at all. Individuals who had been living on the fringe began feeling empowered. The unemployed received training so they could learn new skills, and were offered jobs. Families that were estranged experienced reconciliation. Wrongdoings were forgiven. Hope was kindled and rekindled.

Someone said that transformation was happening. But it was a ‘chicken-oregg’ situation. No one could quite figure out which came first: was it the words that preceded the acts of generosity or the opposite? Maybe the deeds were the forerunner, enabling the words to have more impact. In fact, the two came hand in hand.

As a result of their engagement with the community, this small group of women and men enacted positive and sustainable change. Everyone took notice. The movement grew. New people were drawn to the cause. Although the issues of homelessness, sickness, poverty and brokenness remained, there was a profound sense that this movement was making a difference in their world. And oddly enough, the practitioners, the followers of the Way, said it was just the beginning. The best was yet to come...

AN INTEGRAL MISSION PRIMER

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T HE GR E AT. . .

IS IT WORD OR IS IT DEED? TAKE A LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING LISTS OF WORDS‌ Are you drawn more to one list, or the other?

Maybe you like some combination of words from the columns.

Preaching Word Proclamation Justice Mouth Evangelism

Demonstrating Deed Presence Mercy Hands Social Action

Converting Faith Salvation Believing Say Soul care

Healing Works Development Living Do Social care

Perhaps, as a student in high school or university, you were influenced by a group that helped shape your Christian service. Or maybe you took a seminar on evangelism and learned that it was the chief end of the Church. You discovered the exciting blessing of seeing someone make a profession of faith as they invited Christ into their life. You helped them grow in their newfound faith, got them involved in your local church and stood alongside them when they were baptized. What a wonderful experience!

For people with experiences such as these, a common rallying verse is the Great Commission.

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There used to be two different carpet colours in our CBM office. On one side of the building were the offices of people involved in relief and development ministries: they had red carpet. They did amazing work providing programs in food aid, maternal health, soil improvements, microcredit and vocational training.

On the other side of the building were the offices of staff who were passionate about evangelism, church planting, discipleship programs, theological education and Christian literature. They had green carpet. Along the halls of each side of the building were maps and pictures, showing places and people whose lives were being impacted by noble and valuable Christian mission.

The different carpet colours are a metaphor of the state of the Church in the second half of the 20th century.

For some, mission was the work of building healthy local churches and equipping leaders for gospel ministries. For others, mission was about alleviating the suffering of the world’s poor. But why does this division exist? Are the two that different? Is it right that we have separated the two dimensions of Christian witness?

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THE GREAT COMMISSION 18

And Jesus came and said

to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.�

Matt. 28: 18-20

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F IELD N OTES:

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT 36

“Teacher, which commandment

in the law is the greatest?”

37

He said to him, “ ‘You shall love

the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

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This is the greatest and first

commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Matt. 22: 36-40

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T HE GR E AT. . .

Others are more drawn to the idea that Christians cannot and should not stand silent in the face of the world’s pain. They are typically those who have encountered the pain of poverty, malnutrition, injustice, violence, and have come to grips with the hopelessness and hurt of a seriously broken world.

They have decided that something has to be done – and can be done.

They believe that faith without works is dead, and that as Christians, we have a God-given responsibility to improve the conditions of the poor and needy.

For these people, few verses speak louder than the Great Commandment.

The Great Commission or the Great Commandment? Confronted by such a choice, perhaps you have prioritized one or the other. You refuse to allow indifference, apathy or idleness to keep you from getting involved – you know that the Great Omission1 isn’t an option. Like the child who throws stranded starfish back into the ocean, you know you can’t save them all, but you deeply believe that you’ll be able to make a difference for a few. So what will it be? Sharing the good news of Jesus or sharing a cup of cold water?

Helping someone become a follower of Christ or helping someone gain a better quality of life?

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GO TO > PG. 82

To read how Indian women’s lives are improved

E LD OTES FFI IEL D NNOTES:

THE GREAT OMISSION ISN’T AN OPTION Take a few minutes and write down what really captures your passion in your Christian service.

As you re-read your answer, ask yourself if one column or the other, by itself, is really the right way.

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L iv ing Witne s s Examples of people and churches engaged in promising approaches to integral mission

URBAN O UTRE ACH Nairobi, Kenya Erica Kenny has served with her husband, Aaron, in Kenya with CBM since 2006.

They minister to the displaced refugee population living in the urban ghettos of Nairobi. Her approach combines a clear commitment to sharing the love of Jesus and addressing systemic injustice and economic disparity, mostly among women.

It includes English literacy projects, self help groups, vocational skills training, micro enterprise development, community health initiatives and peace building projects.

Erica describes integral mission this way: I would say that our ministry in urban Muslim outreach is integral mission as we marry social and spiritual concern in outreach to Muslim refugee women with the local church.

I recently hosted six Muslim women from one of the self help groups in our home. They have benefitted from a jewelry project that is bringing a steady income into their households (as well as the psycho-social support, nutritional training, sack gardening, and literacy benefits of the project), but at the same time they are building relationships with Christian neighbours. The women have worked side by side with a Christian women’s self help group, taking part in times of prayer with families.

Over Christmas they got dressed up and attended a concert with us, which has given them a Christian understanding of Christmas. We’ve been able to share our personal faith experience with them. This is what integral mission is about, authentically living out the gospel with our neighbours in loving and tangible ways.

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GO TO > PG. 29

To read about another Living Witness

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H IS TO R IC AL W IT N ES S

A Really Old, New Approach Integral Mission The word might be relatively new in English circles, but the idea isn’t new at all. There are many examples – both modern and historical – that illustrate integral mission.

Ultimately, in every situation, ancient and new, the local church is the primary means by which God works out his mission purposes. Your church – in partnership with all other local churches – has been created to carry forward the ministry of Christ. Like Jesus and his first followers in the early church and throughout the last 2,000 years, we are called to be the heart, hands and voice of God in the world.

The history of the global Christian movement is replete with examples of women and men who committed themselves to an integral model of mission, working with and through local churches wherever possible, weaving together word and deed, soul care and social care.

Let’s consider some examples of men and women who have incarnated a commitment to integral mission. Long before the term came into vogue, Christians were deeply engaged in sharing the way of Jesus. Here are a few of ‘the great cloud of witnesses.’ (Heb. 12)

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H I S TOR I C A L W ITN ESS

JANE BUCHAN

1837–1904

Jane Buchan rallied countless women in Canada to assume a critical place in the mission of the Church, including education and human rights.

In 1876, Jane and her sisters helped create the Women’s Baptist Foreign Missionary Society of Ontario West. Two years later Jane and Margaret launched a private periodical, the Canadian Missionary Link.

A keen activist in missionary activity, Jane focused on India where the work had a strong social engagement. She advocated against the practice of Sati, where widows were burned alive on the funeral pyres of their deceased husbands. She wrote against the caste system which, she believed, undermined the status of women. She promoted outreach and development among the Dalits, the lowest caste, or, as they were known at the time, the untouchables.

Over the years, she helped raise thousands of dollars for development projects such as dispensaries, schools, and shelters for women.

By the time of Jane Buchan’s death, Baptist women in Ontario were supporting 14 female missionaries in India and a new field in Bolivia was being opened. Jane was an invaluable asset to the mission of the Church, helping raise funds, promoting gender equality, advocating for the poor and showing hospitality for those who returned to Canada while recruiting new workers.

GO TO > PG. 28

To read about another Historical Witness

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Fragments

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F R AGMEN TS

FRAGMENTATION OR INTEGRATION? ISN’T IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE POWERFULLY UNIFYING MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL COULD BECOME A SOURCE FOR DEBATE, DIVISION AND CONFLICT? There are many different kinds of fragmentation in mission. One division is between its actors: is mission the responsibility of the professional clergy or the laity? Perhaps a more common division is between ‘over-there,’ i.e. crosscultural mission in foreign land and mission work within our own country or neighbourhood. For others, the division is between the local church and parachurch organizations.

This primer deals with the unfortunate, unbiblical, and artificial fragmentation that frequently appears within our churches between social action and evangelism.

In its most basic form, the challenge we face in Christian witness is fragmentation or integration. Very few followers of Christ would argue against acts of compassion. Nor would many people argue that the gospel doesn’t need words. But we agonize over the issue of trying to live both. Pressed for time, priorities, and values, we gravitate to one side or the other of the divide.

In the face of a broken and fragmented world, we become fragmented people in fragmented churches.

We shift for one side of the gospel or the other.

AN INTEGRAL MISSION PRIMER

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AN HISTORICAL VIGNETTE OF A FRAGMENTED GOSPEL AT THE END OF THE 19TH AND THE EARLY YEARS OF THE 20TH CENTURY, AN INTENSE DEBATE WAS WAGED CONCERNING THE PRIORITIES OF CHRISTIAN MISSION. THIS WAS DEMONSTRATED IN THE USA BETWEEN TWO PASSIONATE CHURCH LEADERS. On the one hand was Walter Rauschenbusch, a Baptist pastor who served in the very poor neighbourhood of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City. His sermons, writings and public action called the Church to engage actively in the social gospel movement. His view of Christianity was not about preaching eternal damnation but of leading a Christlike life. He said that the Kingdom of God was not about getting individuals into heaven but of transforming the life of women and men here on Earth to bring them into conformity with Heaven.

His ministry grew as he challenged the complicity of the mainline churches with the political and economic order of the day. Rauschenbusch felt that God had led him to improve the social condition of the poor of his day. He was a valiant champion in the struggle against economic greed and for the social gospel movement.

The opposing voice was that of the ‘hellfire and brimstone’ evangelist, Dwight L. Moody. Few men captured the hearts and attention of his generation as did Moody. One of the ardent voices of the revivalist movement of his time, his preaching and gospel meetings drew thousands of followers in the USA, Canada and Europe. Moody’s message was simple and clear.

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F R AGMEN TS

“Oh, the loss of the soul – how terrible it is! If you are still lost, I beseech you do not rest until you have found peace in Christ. Fathers and mothers, if you have children out of the Ark, do not rest until they are brought in. Do not discourage your children from coming to God. The Son of Man came to save children as much as old grey haired men. He came for all, rich and poor, young and old. You man, if you are lost, may God show it to you, and may you press into the Kingdom. The Son of Man is come to seek and save you”. Moody, with other evangelists such as Ira Sankey and Billy Sunday, espoused a form of gospel preaching that focused on saving souls from perdition. He thought that focusing on social action distracted people from receiving the saving power of the gospel. It wasn’t uncommon at the time to hear evangelists describe the efforts of the social gospel movement as ‘straightening the paintings on a sinking ship.’ Since the end of the world was nigh, and Christ’s return imminent, there was little or no time to engage in acts of mercy outside of the preaching of the gospel.

Others, like Rauschenbusch, insisted on robust deeds of social engagement against structures that promoted inequality and oppression, and preached the need for social reform. Their movement sought to restore the dignity of humankind, freeing people from all forms of oppression, suffering, injustice and wrong. It was at this time that compassionate structures emerged, such as the Salvation Army, centres for unwed mothers, city missions, and agencies to help immigrants, the poor, the sick, prisoners, etc. With passion and conviction, Christian activists fought for legislation to bring about social justice and human rights.

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THE GREAT REVERSAL Historian Timothy L. Smith coined the term “The Great Reversal” to describe the about-face many evangelicals made from a sense of deep social concern for others to an individualistic focus on personal and private salvation. They feared that with the rise of the social gospel movement, the Church would be over-run with liberal theology. Evangelicals, anxious to distance themselves from this group, also separated themselves from social engagement in order to get “back to the fundamentals.” They were part of the revivalist movement of the 19th century that focused on personal salvation and individual spirituality. The conversion of lost souls was paramount for many. Members of this group feared modernism’s grip on theology.

They proclaimed that real change was found in the saving of souls, in the realm of individual faith and repentance.

The more they pushed for the gospel proclamation, the more they turned the evangelical movement away from social engagement. Meanwhile, Christians concerned with social action began to distance themselves from the hellfire and brimstone evangelists, and neglected the clear articulation of the need for repentance and personal salvation.

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F R AGMEN TS

STARTING TO BRIDGE THE GREAT DIVIDE IT WAS DURING THE LATTER PART OF THE 19TH AND THE BETTER PART OF THE 20TH CENTURY THAT THE RANKS OF THE EVANGELISTS AND BIBLE TEACHERS GREW, AS WELL AS THE NUMBER OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. Some missionaries held an unwavering zeal for preaching the gospel while others were passionate about the humanitarian dimension of their faith.

Around the world, nurses and doctors opened mission hospitals and teachers set up schools and literacy programs. Leprosy was treated. Millions of people learned to read and write. Christian agronomists developed new techniques and improved agriculture. Sati, the burning of widows along with their dead husbands on the funeral pyre, was abolished. Christians fought for human rights and religious freedom, not only for themselves but for other religious groups as well. Land reform acts were implemented, such as in Bolivia where Canadian Baptist missionaries championed the rights of local farmhands to own the land they worked. But this sort of work took place not just on the mission field “overseas”: the Salvation Army and the YMCA addressed the social needs of the poor in countries like Canada, the USA and England. The good news of a God who cares deeply about all areas of life changed the moral, spiritual and social landscape of many nations.

Both word and deed were evident in Christian witness at home and abroad.

Churches grew numerically. In some places, like Korea and the Philippines and many African countries, communities experienced astonishing growth of the church. Entire people groups were converted.

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But as is often the case, dissenting voices were still raised against either side of the great divide. For some, the zeal for humanitarian service began to outweigh the passion and enthusiasm of reaching the world for Christ. Some voices decried the Church’s right to proselytize – critics raged against the mass, crusade-type evangelistic outreach of men like Billy Graham. They felt that evangelicalism had neglected a thoughtful engagement with culture.

The Church was challenged at various points with the compelling voice of the social gospel movement. Great social reforms in Canada, the USA, and Western Europe were kindled by the Christian zeal of such people as Tommy Douglas and Martin Luther King, Jr. Universal healthcare, women’s suffrage, civil rights, race relations, public housing, and many other great reforms were led by Christian activists of the 20th century.

Starting in the post-war period and through to the early 1970s, a compassionate wing of the Church began to realize their responsibility to the world in which they lived. This time saw the birth of many amazing parachurch and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that were deeply humanitarian in nature.

World Vision, Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion, and countless other groups of concerned Christians decided to respond to the social needs of people and to pursue humanitarian ministries and fight for justice. In our Canadian Baptist context, programs were established to assist in the reconstruction of post-war Europe – this became known as The Sharing Way. In that era, like the two colours of carpet (see page 11) at our office, there was, and in some cases, still is, a very practical delineation and need to separate evangelism from any kind of practical assistance. While the level of professionalism increased significantly and incrementally over the decades, most were still not able to connect the demonstration of the love and compassion of God with a clear proclamation of the good news of this loving God. 26

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F R AGMEN TS

These organizations responded to human need because of the compassion of Christ that flowed from the faith and values of the individuals and congregations involved. But the challenge was this: if there was no connection with the local church, and if the work was not coupled with the verbal proclamation of the gospel by a worshiping community, then what made these organizations any different than, say, Save the Children, Oxfam or Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders)? In effect, what makes an organization Christian?

Were the Christian development and relief organizations different than non-Christian NGOs? Within the Catholic Church in Latin America, a passionate voice for the oppressed could be heard in various movements of liberation theology, calling Christians to a different kind of engagement with the poor. Names like Gustavo Gutierrez, Juan Segundo, Jon Sobrino, and many other great Catholic thinkers led the way. Their message captured the hearts of Latin American Protestant thinkers as well. Jose Miguez-Bonino, a Methodist scholar, was influential in shaping a new type of engagement with society. Seeking to unite theology and sociopolitical concerns, these authors boldly decried the oppressive nature of colonialism and unjust economic power. Salvation was equated with the process of liberation from all forms of human oppression. For many of its proponents, joining in solidarity with the oppressed against the oppressors was a powerful act of conversion. Evangelization was the announcement of God’s participation in the human struggle against all forms of injustice.

While each of these successive movements brought a necessary corrective and encountered some opposition, they highlighted the need for the Church to look at Christ again and try and understand whether he had anything to say about society, poverty and justice.

But for almost a century, the question remained, “What is the way of Jesus in the world?”

GO TO > PG. 49

To see how Latin Americans are shaping integral mission

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WILLIAM CAREY 1761–1834

William Carey is known as the “father of modern missions.” He was an English Baptist missionary, and one of the founders of the Baptist Missionary Society. As a missionary in Serampore, India, he translated the Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, and numerous other languages and dialects.

When he first moved to India, Carey managed an indigo ink plant in order to make a living. He chose communal living and financial self-reliance.

In 1800 his mission moved to the Danish colony at Serampore, where they started a school. By the end of that year, the mission had their first Hindu convert, Krishna Pal. They had also earned the goodwill of the local Danish government and Richard Wellesley, then Governor-General of India.

In the years that followed, Carey wrote grammars of Bengali and Sanskrit, and began a translation of the Bible into Sanskrit. In 1818, the mission founded Serampore College to train indigenous ministers for the growing church and to provide education in the arts and sciences to anyone regardless of caste or country. In 1820 Carey also founded the Agri-Horticultural Society of India at Alipore, Kolkata.

In his life William Carey was a pastor, linguist, translator, missiologist, writer, teacher, development worker in local communities, political advocate, agriculturalist, and evangelist. He truly embodied the life of Christ in his time and place. He remains an eminent example of integral mission.

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To read about another Historical Witness

L ILVi IvNi nGgWWit ITNnESS e ss

SAPHANO CHOL General Secretary of Faith Evangelical Baptist Churches of South Sudan Saphano shares his personal experience and vision for refugee ministries.

My stay in the refugee camp [in Kenya] coincided with the time the UNHCR (United Nations Refugee Agency) was busy airlifting in emaciated refugees from Darfur. Due to the limitation of housing in the camp, all the new arriving refugees were assembled in an open football stadium.

They were rained on and spent chilly nights on wet ground beside lack of adequate food… It was as shocking a situation as I have ever witnessed… one evening I witnessed five little children die. I attended the funeral of one of the children. I just sat there fighting tears all through…

The subject of refugees and the displaced should be high on the list of global concerns today, not only because of its humanitarian significance but also because of its impact on peace, security, justice and stability… We cannot have a stable society without addressing the refugee problem and human displacement.

In Africa, refugees are forced to flee their homeland because of conflicts, violence, intimidation and human rights abuses. The refugee and displaced life is very stressful, humiliating and insecure. They have no source of income and so they rely on others for their provision. As Christians, and as the Church in Africa, we should go beyond praying and identify ourselves with refugees and the displaced people, the way Christ did with the poor, foreigners and the needy...

By so doing we will be applying the gospel and making it practical to the world’s real situations.

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One of the surest ways to solve the refugee problem in Africa is by dealing with root causes. The African Church ought to be in the forefront of encouraging and educating the masses to adopt non-violent means in solving problems as opposed to war and other violence.

Moreover Christians and churches need to act by sensitizing their governments to promote human rights. The Church is the conscience of every nation and has a prophetic duty to stand up for the rights of all. Nevertheless, the Church in Africa has been complacent in this area for too long.

The Church needs to add to their praying the practical work for peace and social justice in society... Christians in Africa, individually and collectively, can give a hand toward both the short term and long term solutions... assistance in forms of reading materials, food, clothing and shelter... and also witness to refugees, sharing faith and testimonies... this would be a great sign of solidarity and friendship that could go a long way for refugees to feel loved, accepted and respected... Such a response on the part of Christians would show that they care and understand that refugees and the displaced are created in God’s image and that we have a biblical mandate to assist them in their destitution... We have embarked on this in South Sudan.

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GO TO > PG. 39

To read about another Living Witness

F R AGMEN TS

SHAPING A NEW ENGAGEMENT SINCE THE START OF THE 20TH CENTURY, CHRISTIAN LEADERS HAVE MET TOGETHER IN GLOBAL GATHERINGS, BEGINNING IN EDINBURGH 1910 AND LEADING RIGHT UP TO THE VERY RECENT CAPE TOWN GATHERING 2010 OF THE LAUSANNE COMMITTEE FOR WORLD EVANGELIZATION. The aim of each one of these gatherings has been to try to define and articulate the priorities of the Church in God’s mission in the world.

A major milestone was The Lausanne Covenant, drafted by John Stott in 1974 at a gathering of Christian leaders that Billy Graham and John Stott convened.

They wanted to establish a new direction in world evangelization. This declaration has served as an ‘evangelical banner,’ and forged a new articulation of the interconnectedness of evangelism and social action.

We affirm that God is both the Creator and the Judge of all. We therefore should share his concern for justice and reconciliation throughout human society and for the liberation of men and women from every kind of oppression … we express penitence both for our neglect and for having sometimes regarded evangelism and social concern as mutually exclusive. Although reconciliation with other people is not reconciliation with God, nor is social action evangelism, nor is political liberation salvation, nevertheless we affirm that evangelism and sociopolitical involvement are both part of our Christian duty. For both are necessary expressions of our doctrines of God and man, our love for our neighbor and our obedience to Jesus Christ.

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The message of salvation implies also a message of judgment upon every form of alienation, oppression and discrimination, and we should not be afraid to denounce evil and injustice wherever they exist. When people receive Christ they are born again, into his kingdom and must seek not only to exhibit but also to spread its righteousness in the midst of an unrighteous world. The salvation we claim should be transforming us in the totality of our personal and social responsibilities. Faith without works is dead. Several years later, when the Lausanne Movement was reconvened in Manila, Philippines, similar two-track language was used. This time, the authors of the Manila Manifesto said, in Affirmations 8 and 9:

We affirm that we must demonstrate God’s love visibly by caring for those who are deprived of justice, dignity, food and shelter.

We affirm that the proclamation of God’s kingdom of justice and peace demands the denunciation of all injustice and oppression, both personal and structural; we will not shrink from this prophetic witness. The evangelical arm of the Christian Church was moving from fragmentation towards integration. Reversing the Great Reversal was well underway.

Christians across many denominational divides understood and committed themselves to work more intentionally together. But the impact of globalization, environmental degradation, war, secularization and rapid urbanization brought to the forefront the daunting challenges we face in integral mission. The journey to integral mission has encountered some very rough terrain. In this demanding setting, it was one thing to recognize the reality of the often alienated dimensions of Christian witness. It was another matter whether the two could become truly integrated.

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“It may be that when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work and when we no longer know which way to go, we have begun our real journey.

The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.�

Wendell Berry The Real Work, Collected Poems, 1992

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Q: Write out and rehearse how you would answer the question, “What is integral mission and how are you living it out?”

Go to www.wordeed.ca for a video of Saphano Chol where he shares his definition of integral mission.

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INTEGRAL MISSION TODAY IN A BROKEN WORLD AS WE REFLECT ON INTEGRAL MISSION, WE WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER SOME OF THE INCREDIBLE CHALLENGES FACING THE WORLD IN WHICH WE LIVE, BREATHE AND SERVE. If we are truly the heart, hands and voice of God in the world, we need to reflect and act responsibly and integrally. Let’s consider a few of the global challenges to integral mission.

HUNGER: Count to six (not too slow). One, two, three, four, five, six. A child just died of malnutrition somewhere in the world. Count again – same result.

You begin to get the picture of the horrible plight of the poor. Every six seconds, a child dies of hunger and malnutrition. Civil war, drought and global warming have all contributed to the devastatingly slow progress to reach the first of the Millennium Development Goals, to end poverty and hunger by 2015.6 One in four children in the world is seriously underweight. Recent and rapid increases in food prices globally have forced countless millions into chronic food insecurity.

The average cost of maize, one of the world’s most staple commodities, has nearly doubled between 2007 and 2011. While most of the developing world uses maize as the common element in their diet, today 40 percent of maize production is currently destined for corn ethanol, often to keep the ferocious North American appetite for driving cars and trucks satisfied. Nearly half of the children in India are malnourished, more than in all of Africa. We live in a hungry world. This is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

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VIOLENCE: Images of global violence surround us and invade our lives daily.

From child soldiers in West Africa to child victims in Syria, from gun-runners in East Timor to drug-runners along the Mexican-American border, we all know that we live in a violent world.

But most of us remain blissfully ignorant of the cost of human life, wounded bodies and broken spirits experienced by millions in the world. In Paul Collier’s landmark book, The Bottom Billion, he writes that a whopping 73 percent of the people in the ‘bottom billion’ (the poorest 15 percent of the world’s population) are currently caught in civil war or have recently gone through one. The key characteristics of the perpetrators of violence are that they are young, male, uneducated, unemployed and without dependants. Usually, the civil conflicts that they have experienced leave a painful legacy of brutal killings which long outlast the organized conflict itself. This is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

DISPARITY: Few topics create more intensity of debate in our world than that of economic disparity, or the unequal distribution of wealth. This great divide triggered the protests of Occupy Wall Street and its countless offspring in 2011. This isn’t just about the disparity between the rich and the poor within any given society but also the incredible gap between rich nations and poor nations, regions and continents. The United Nations reported that in 2007, the top one percent of adults owned 40 percent of the world’s assets. And – get this – the three richest people in the world owned more assets than the 48 poorest countries combined! Regardless of whatever ideological or political movements we align with, the unjust exploitation of the poor and the excessive accumulation of wealth in God’s world is not right.

We need to use every possible resource – education, technology, political will, advocacy and compassion – to rectify the tragic disparity we see in God’s world.

This is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

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Baptist Church in Central Africa (CBCA), Democratic Republic of Congo Sexual violence is a difficult and ugly issue that must be tackled by the Church, adamantly believes Mme Kavira, President of the CBCA Women and Family Department, and one of the initiators of a crucial ministry among rape victims.

“The Church must come to help all those who have been traumatized.”

A brutal civil war has engulfed Democratic Republic of Congo since the mid-1990s. Estimates vary but certainly more than five million people have perished. Many more have fled their homes, hiding in the jungle to avoid the brutality of soldiers. Thousands of children are now orphans.

Countless numbers of women and children have been raped.

I was taken at night by the military, shares Ciza. “I did three years in the forest as a military wife [forced to have sex, cook food and do whatever else her captor commands]. I was unlucky to conceive and had a baby.”

Back in her village she and her baby continue to suffer. “He has been rejected by everyone... I would like this baby who has no father to be accepted in society...

I have lived with poverty, sickness, rejection, and I remain alone with this baby.”

But the power of God’s love is seeping into hearts, souls and minds through the ministry of the CBCA. “We read the Bible and sing together to help lessen the burdens they carry in their hearts,” says Rachel Cikindamuko, a CBCA counselor.

Compounding the stigma is poverty. Many of the women are abandoned, often by family who feel shame and helplessness. “We provide mediation and counseling to help girls and women reintegrate into their families and communities,” says Rachel. “We also help the women financially to combat against poverty. In partnership with CBM, we have provided microcredit loans to start small income-generating activities.”

GO TO > PG. 44

To read about another Living Witness

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ILLNESS & DISEASE: In 2010, the Burrill Report to the World Health Organization stated that each year, almost 100 million people are pushed into poverty by the rapidly increasing cost of healthcare. The escalating cost of drug treatment, poor infrastructure, dangerous roads, and a lack of trained medical practitioners in many parts of the world limit access to basic healthcare. A disproportionate burden of disease falls on the world’s poor, primarily endemic diseases like cholera, malaria, or tuberculosis, as well as the ongoing pandemic of HIV and AIDS, which have become manageable diseases in wealthy countries while continuing to ravage many of the world’s poorest. For much of recent history, the Church has been at the forefront of medical care. The earliest hospitals were run by churches and bore the name ‘Hotel-Dieu’ or God’s Hostel, for that is where God could be found, among the weak, ill and dying. Today, the private sector, global pharmaceutical companies, government, insurance companies and free enterprise have pushed the Church to the margins of caring for the sick and wounded. But the spread of many diseases can and should be stopped by concerted efforts and partnerships, where God’s people are prime actors. In the affluent West, in emerging economies and in the poorest parts of the Global South, this is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

CORRUPTION & BAD GOVERNANCE: This leads to failing states and unsafe environments for the citizens of that state. The root cause of corruption is profit and power. North Americans and Europeans tend to be judgmental about corruption in Southern countries. We picture the opulent and indulgent lifestyle of their corrupt leaders, flush Swiss bank accounts, excessive behaviour and oppressive deeds and judge them severely. At the same time, we easily blot from our memories abuses of power within our own context.

Corruption is endemic to human organizations anywhere in the world.

The values of honesty and integrity should never be taken for granted.

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The attributes of leadership include humility, service, honesty and a commitment to justice, mercy, and faith (Mt. 23:23). This is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

THE ENVIRONMENT: Caring for God’s creation compels us to repent of our part in the destruction and pollution of the earth’s resources and our own toxic addiction to consumerism. Integral mission includes ecological responsibility.

Environmental advocacy, responsible dominion and stewardship are all part of the whole gospel we are called to share. The Cape Town Commitment, signed by more than 3,000 Christian leaders, states: Integral mission means discerning, proclaiming, and living out, the biblical truth that the gospel is God’s good news, through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, for individual persons, and for society, and for creation.

All three are broken and suffering because of sin; all three are included in the redeeming love and mission of God; all three must be part of the comprehensive mission of God’s people.

As we look at the environmental devastation in our world, it is clear that we have not always lived up to our duty as stewards of God’s creation. Whether it is in the form of poisoned waters, decimated forests, overflowing urban dumps, endangered species or toxic air pollution, our failure is evident all around us.

We needn’t wait for global warning and climate change to compel us to be responsible stewards of the earth we have been given. This is a challenge for the integral mission of the Church.

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G O DE E P E R O N L I N E

A great example of Christian commitment to creation care is the work of A Rocha, an international Christian conservation organization which, inspired

by God’s love, engages in scientific research, environmental education and community based conservation projects. Through reforestation, conservation farming, biodiversity initiatives, education and advocacy, they are leading the way in Christian mission to all of God’s creation. Check out their website at www.arocha.org.

Also helpful are the writings of Christian environmental scientists, like Katherine Hayhoe, co-author with her husband, Pastor Andrew Farley, of a highly acclaimed book on the Church’s mandate towards the environment entitled Climate for Change.

Confronted by the daunting challenges of our broken world, of which we have only looked at the tiniest tip of the iceberg, we do well to remember that through integral mission, we are co-labourers in God’s redemptive plan. Sharing the way of Jesus begins with the embrace of his redemptive work in our own lives and then a careful and systematic analysis of our local situation. This can be done through a myriad of means, ranging from simply walking around and listening, to focus groups, participatory workshops, appreciative enquiry and needs-assessments. There are some excellent resources available to help you understand and engage in such a reflection.

We recommend you start with www.tearfund.org/en/resources

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H I S TOR I C A L W ITN ESS

SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI

1181–1226

Saint Francis was born into a wealthy family in Assisi, Italy and lived a life of wealth and privilege. In AD 1204, Francis had a profound experience of Christ through a sermon on Matthew 10:9, in which Christ commissions the 12 followers to proclaim the kingdom of heaven without concern for material possessions. Francis made a decision to live under a vow of poverty. He joined with beggars, began preaching repentance on the streets, and soon amassed a following. Over time his ministry led to the founding of the Order of Poor Clares. This group was committed to life and ministry within the world. Determined to bring the gospel to all God’s creatures, Francis sought to take his message out of Italy, even traveling to Egypt in an attempt to convert the Sultan.

His concern for animals and the environment has become legendary.

It is reported that his final words were, “I have done my part, may Christ teach you to do yours.” He was one of the first Christian environmental activists.

GO TO > PG. 80

To read about another Historical Witness

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G R A N D V I E W C A LVA R Y B A P T I S T C H U R C H Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Commercial Drive, Grandview’s neighbourhood, is considered the “spiritual mecca of Vancouver”. Here one can find almost any spirituality: Yoga, Tarot cards-reading, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity. In a contextualized attempt to be present in the neighbourhood, the church had a booth, Free Blessings Readings, during a street fair. A long line up of people sought prayer and counselling and the church now hopes to follow up with a program like Alpha to respond to the deep spiritual hunger they saw in their neighbours.

Shared life and shared place is an important part of Grandview’s vision.

About 60 percent of their members live within the area, and one of their major ministries includes community housing such as Salisbury Community Society - that offers a place to stay for those in vulnerable situations, such as mental health issues, addictions, and single parents; and Kinbrace House that provides temporary housing and help to refugee claimants who seek to become established in the country.

“One of the ways integral mission is expressed is through renewed imagination of ways we can live differently where we get at the whole of life, seeking transformation in all layers of our life – both personal life and gathered life as a community, but really equipping people to live differently in the world.”

– Pastor Tim Dickau

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JustWork is another initiative of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church that helps those with employment barriers through three social enterprises: a pottery studio, a catering business and a renovation business. Last year alone generated over $150,000 in wages for the participants of the program.

GO TO > PG. 52

To read about another Living Witness

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FIE LD NOT E S :

CREATION CARE: A Case Study in Integral Mission Let’s imagine that your church recently acquired a tract of land adjacent to your current facilities, with the intention of building a multipurpose auditorium/ gymnasium/arts centre. According to local municipal law, an environmental survey has to be done on the land to ensure safety and sustainability. But the report was quite negative. Toxic waste had been buried on the land years earlier. The property could not be used for any public purpose prior to a massive ‘clean-up.’ While the building committee struggled with this unexpected ‘bad news,’ the mission committee decided that this was a ‘good news’ opportunity.

They wanted to help the congregation engage with renewed passion in an ‘integral mission’ approach around creation care. Yes, they knew a clean-up would need to happen. But they wanted more than a quick fix. This, they felt, should be a tipping-point issue whereby God’s people would become ‘something other’ than usual consumers. They wanted to combine word and deed and make a real difference in the world around them.

Now put yourself in the place of being one member of the mission committee.

You are asked to reflect on the challenge of integrating the congregation’s witness with a serious environmental risk next door.

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Q: What do you think people need to KNOW, DO and SAY to help become engaged intelligently, effectively and proactively in caring for the piece of God’s creation next door?

KNOW:

DO:

SAY:

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Birth RenĂŠ Padilla

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THE BIRTH OF INTEGRAL MISSION I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH RENÉ PADILLA WHEN CANADIAN BAPTIST MINISTRIES WAS EXPLORING A COLLABORATION WITH HIS ORGANIZATION, FONDATION KAIROS, OF BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA. Over lunch one day, he described the astonishing growth of the Protestant movement in South America in the second half of the 20th century, and I asked him how he felt being the ‘father of integral mission’? He smiled shyly and said, “Oh, but I am not the father of integral mission, I am only one of its uncles.”

He shared how the term came into use within the Latin American Theological Fraternity in the mid-1980s. The social situation provided a fertile spiritual soil for the growth of “integral mission.” They were challenged by the teachings of Latin American Catholic theologians who emphasized that Jesus’ salvation included liberation for the poor and oppressed. They knew the right questions were being asked, but felt the answer, often strongly Marxist and dialectic, was insufficient. They saw the local church as an agent for positively transforming the wider world, in response to the good news.

In this context the Spanish term “misión integral” was coined in the 1970s by members of their group. It described an understanding of Christian mission that embraced both the proclamation and the demonstration of the good news of Jesus Christ. Among its chief proponents were Padilla and Samuel Escobar, who wanted to emphasize the breadth of the good news and of Christian mission.

They chose to use the word “integral” to signal their discomfort with conceptions of Christian mission that had separated evangelism from social involvement or responsibility. Padilla pointed out that the concept of integral mission is nothing new – rather, it is rooted in Scripture and exemplified in Jesus’ own ministry.

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In the last few years the Spanish term has been used so widely that the literal translation into English, “integral mission,” is gradually becoming a part of the vocabulary of those who are pressing for a more holistic approach to Christian mission.

Padilla described how the evangelical missionary movement that arrived in Latin America in force in the previous century was primarily concerned about evangelism and church planting. The mission of the Church was to “gain souls” and the establishment of churches was clear and tangible evidence that the Church was engaged in successful mission. Salvation was understood as an experience that was personal and subjective, with little attention given to the historical context in which new converts lived out their faith, and without addressing systemic evil and injustice, oppression and poverty, in its many forms. Church members who suggested that mission might include other essential elements were often viewed with suspicion and eventually marginalized.

At this time, the word ‘mission’ was used in a geographical sense. It consisted of crossing the borders from the “Christian West” to the “heathen mission field,” usually with the goal of the numerical growth of local churches. But this created a dichotomy between those who heeded the call to ‘go’ into cross-cultural mission, and the myriad of Christians who stay at home, supporting those who go through prayer and financial giving. How could they recapture the biblical idea of us all being both a ‘sent’ and a ‘sending’ Church?

The Latin American Theological Fellowship was equally concerned with the dichotomy between the life of the church and its mission. If mission was just about sending people to overseas ministry, and the local churches back home “should just give, pray and stay out of the way,” then mission inevitably ceased being at the centre of the Church’s purpose – it lost its place as being God’s

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purpose for redeeming and transforming all of creation. Churches in the West had diluted their missionary obligation on an altar of privatized spirituality.

As a result, too little effort was being put into developing and nurturing an integrated model, which intertwined heart, hands and voice. “Mission may or may not include crossing geographical boundaries,” said Padilla, “but it will always mean crossing the boundaries of faith and non-faith, private and public, word and deed. When the Church is committed to integral mission and to communicating the gospel in everything it is, does and says, it understands that its goal is not to become large numerically, nor to be rich materially, nor powerful politically. Its purpose is to incarnate the values of the Kingdom of God and to witness to the love and justice revealed in Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, for the transformation of human life in all its dimensions, both on the individual and the community level.”  The purpose of mission is transformation, so that God is glorified in all dimensions of life including relationships with God, others and Creation itself.

The goal of evangelism is not simply conversion but the creation of a new community that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord of all aspects of life and that lives out this confession in word and deed. Or as Abraham Kuyper, the Dutch politician and activist at the turn of last century, rightly stated, ‘ … there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: ‘Mine!’  God is constantly re-creating the world through the mission of his Church.

Padilla pointed out that central to integral mission is a concern with all the basic needs of people including God’s grace, loving relationships, shelter, clothing, mental and physical health and the sense of human dignity. Human life in its very essence (according to the Scriptures) is body, soul and spirit.

Accordingly, the mission of God cannot be reduced to so-called “spiritual” needs such as forgiveness or to physical needs such as adequate nutrition.

Mission needs to be about all of human life.

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E C O N O M I C I N I T I AT I V E S El Alto, Bolivia Olivia is a young married mother with two children. She was orphaned when she was two years old and has experienced many diďŹƒculties over the years, requiring her to abandon dreams of a law career. Yet along the way she became a follower of Jesus and connected with the Economic Initiatives program in El Alto.

In partnership with Bolivian Baptists, CBM initiated the development of this program to help build the capacity of local churches to respond to local need. Located in El Alto, the fastest growing city in Bolivia, the program assists poor parents like Olivia who struggle to find adequate jobs.

Workshops cover personal ministry and faith formation, medical, dental, legal and psychological support, and business planning and development including training on ethical business practices and access to small loans.

As a result of the training and support she received, Olivia was able to purchase the necessary machinery and materials to launch a small sewing business.

She now produces shawls, skirts and blankets and is able to help earn family income along with her husband. Olivia also received training in Christian faith and teachings on family life, parenting, and marriage, for a happier, wholesome life.

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“Sometimes we are called to share the gospel through words, other times people’s lives are so caught up in their own personal need, especially in areas of poverty, that we need to use action because our words just can’t be heard.”

– Duane Guthrie CBM Global Field Staff in Bolivia

GO TO > PG. 60

To read about another Living Witness

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UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLE OF INTEGRAL MISSION THE WORDS INTEGRAL, INTEGRATE, AND INTEGRITY SHARE A COMMON ROOT WHICH MEANS WHOLENESS. NOTHING IS MISSING, NOTHING IS LEFT OUT. IT MEANS SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE DIVIDED OR BROKEN. ALL THE VITAL COMPONENTS ARE WORKING TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY. We all can probably think of common ways that these three words are used.

Give it a try. When I think of the words “integral,” “integration” or “integrity,” what or who comes to mind? Why? One of my answers to this question comes from my high school days. We were living in the USA in the 1970s. My high school was one of the first experimental institutions in our state to require integration. African Americans were bussed to our school, breaking down old patterns of segregation. The school board thought they would be able to promote equal opportunity for all – white, black, Hispanic and Asian – by ‘integrating us.’ They dreamed of an undivided community.

Maybe you thought of someone’s valuable contribution to a task, e.g. “Darlene was integral to the success of our project.” Their individual contribution was vital or indispensable to the completion of a specific project.

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For others, the usage might be shaped by mathematics: when used as an adjective, integral basically means a number that has no fractional parts. It cannot be divided.

Our Latin American friends might have thought about their breakfast.

Integral bread (pan integral) is whole-wheat bread. All the right grains are there. It’s whole and complete.

Most people aspire to being known as a person of integrity or honour. They stand on moral principles and act accordingly. The book of Proverbs talks of people of integrity by describing them as people who walk a straight path (Prov. 10:9).

So, in referring to integral mission, we are talking about a wholeness or a unified approach to mission. No one part is superior over another. Integral mission represents the very deep sense that God’s mission in the world requires the Church to be complete and indivisible. Its practitioners do not have the luxury of distilling word from deed. Integral mission goes beyond our actions or our words and integrates our entire being. Integral mission is the Church living out its faith in Jesus in every aspect of life and witness.

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8 Inspired by the vision of the Prophet Micah, who, almost 3,000 years ago, challenged the abusive exercise of power, both religious and secular, and called God’s people to ethical engagement and witness, the Micah Network (a global Christian network of organizations and individuals) defines integral mission as follows.

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The Micah Network Definition of Integral Mission: Integral mission or holistic transformation is the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel.

It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other.

Rather, in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. If we ignore the world we betray the word of God, which sends us out to serve the world. If we ignore the word of God we have nothing to bring to the world. Justice and justification by faith, worship and political action, the spiritual and the material, personal change and structural change belong together. As in the life of Jesus, being, doing and saying are at the heart of our integral task. Chris Wright, Director of the Langham Partnership, has written extensively on the mission of God. He sees the cross of Christ as being integral to mission.

In The Mission of God’s People, he describes how God’s redeemed people, the Church, are called to live redemptive lives in the world. “As we grow in our understanding of God’s work in redemption, we begin to get a more complete picture of the redemptive work for and in the Church. This leads to a fuller, richer and better understanding of the consequences of the cross for our engagement within a broken world. We discover that our mission has social, political, economic, moral, ecological, educational, and material implications.

We move from fragmented to integrated, from broken to restored, from separate to together.” 

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F I E LD N OTES

Look at the definition of integral mission from the Micah Network once again.

Write down three facets of this definition that are important for you.

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WHEN THE THREADS OF THE TAPESTRY START TO FRAY THINK OF A TAPESTRY THAT BLENDS TOGETHER DIFFERENT KINDS OF THREAD IN ORDER TO CREATE A PICTURE. IMAGINE THE CHURCH BLENDING TOGETHER TWO UNIQUE AND YET INSEPARABLE ACTIONS: THE PROCLAMATION AND DEMONSTRATION OF THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. Both sets of thread are vital to the tapestry. But when certain strands or thread begin to fray, the tapestry suffers. When the Church loses sight of its integrated mission, then holes appear in the fabric of the tapestry, and we need a good repair.

One important repair to the frayed mission has been to focus on “holistic” mission. This term came into vogue in the ’60s and ’70s when Christians felt that they needed a clearer articulation of the two sides of Christian witness, proclamation and social action. In holistic mission, both sides, word and deed, needed to be present for effective mission to take place. It was a justifiable corrective. Regrettably, though, many practitioners who engaged in holistic mission actually concentrated on community development, leaving the preaching of the gospel to the pastors and evangelists.

We as Christians owe a great debt of gratitude to those women and men who have made a deliberate and often sacrificial decision to seek to alleviate poverty.

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BIRTH

There are many Christian organizations that exemplify a high degree of professionalism and care in demonstrating the gospel. But if they neglect the mandate of sharing the full way of Jesus, which includes communicating the love and forgiveness of God in a broken world, there is, as one author describes, a hole in the gospel.11 Another hole is seen in the zeal of preachers and evangelists who have singularly focused on the need for repentance. They leave the work of meeting physical suffering usually to others so that they can concentrate on spreading the good news, through the printed press, evangelistic campaigns and crusades, one-to-one and often door-to-door ‘witnessing’ and street preaching. Across the globe, the number of agencies and organizations serving the cause of the proclamation of the gospel has grown from 1,500 to more than 34,000 in the past century, and the number of people evangelized grows each year by more than 60 million people.12 However, when our focus is so singularly on the verbal proclamation of the gospel instead of the transformation that the gospel brings, we are not sharing the full way of Jesus with people. And when this happens with disregard – or worse yet, distrust – for the struggle against injustice a world of human suffering, the tapestry loses its integrity.

Admittedly, the focus on truly holistic mission has been a valuable corrective to any one-sided witness. But it isn’t enough for the right hand and the left hand to be both at work. Somehow, they need to work together to create the beauty of the tapestry of mission that God blesses.

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P A S T O R G AT O M U N YA M A S O K O CBM Global Field Staff in Rwanda Gato shares his personal experience in building peace and reconciliation.

My parents fled Rwanda during the 1959 revolution and went to live in the north east Congo, where I was born. Thirty-five years later, after the genocide in 1994, we came back to Rwanda. When I arrived, I was hired by the Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda as headmaster of a secondary school and then was elected director of education, in charge of all the primary and secondary schools.

At that time, suspicion and hate among students was very high. In early 1996, you could find grenades in the schoolbags of some students. Some survivors of genocide refused to talk or even laugh. Signs of trauma started appearing in school. Convinced by that situation and having a passion for seeing improved relations among students and also teachers, I started a peace and reconciliation program. I started in my own school where I was headmaster. Later as director of education, I organized in each school of our denomination three days of evangelization. I worked with two theologians and also invited three Christian brothers from the Democratic Republic of Congo to help me in this program. It took us two years to visit all the schools.

In our teachings, we discussed topics including reconciliation with God, with ourselves, with others. With that program many students started coming together, praying together, singing together and schools started becoming the healing places after the genocide. The survivors, including students whose parents were in prison, have had good opportunities to talk and understand each other.

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Two years into the program, 313 students and teachers were baptized and many of them are now involved in building peace and also preaching the gospel. Today, some are now governors, agronomists, theologians and in other positions where they continue the ministry of mobilizing Rwandese for peace and development.

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DRAW A PICTURE! Try to imagine the witness of your church as a tapestry.

What are the various threads–components, activities, themes?

What images would your tapestry include? Where are the holes?

Q: What can you do to repair any holes in the tapestry?

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M A I N ST R E E T B A P T I S T C H U R C H Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada Main Street Baptist is located in the “old north end” of the city, surrounded by crumbling buildings, slum landlords, poverty, and crime. Since 2004, John Knight has been the church’s full-time ministry staff dedicated to serving the neighbourhood. The church has intentionally begun to partner with others in the community – police, health professionals, teachers and social workers – to shape a new vision for the old north end, and deal with both the symptoms and root causes of problems in the community.

Main Street Baptist has embraced a vision for a “beautiful community of faith” that is rooted in the salvation experience and is integrated in its outreach to people.

“Ours is a model of transformational discipleship that is all about partnerships,” says Knight. The church presently offers free meals and Bible studies, teaches health and life skills, and runs a clothing closet and food bank. Their dream is to bring to reality a Hope Ministries Centre which would inspire social enterprise, create a playground for families and children, and secure housing for vulnerable adults and at-risk youth. During the free meal offered every week, a leader in the church communicates a message from Scripture.

At a recent Sunday worship service, people from the community were baptized, having made a profession of faith in Christ.

“Community outreach is actually not budgeted in our church, but ours is a generous congregation who loves to welcome the stranger in our midst.”

– John Knight

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Being. Doing. Saying.

B EI N G . DO IN G. SAYIN G .

GOD’S PLAN OF INTEGRAL MISSION LET’S STEP BACK AND LOOK AT GOD’S PLAN FOR TRANSFORMING ALL OF HUMAN LIFE, AS WE SEE IT IN SCRIPTURE. God’s transforming love for our world began in creation. He created a beautiful world where every dimension of life and reality were meant to fit together and complement each other. Like an orchestra where every player hits the right notes and cooperates with the conductor, God’s desire was for fullness, unity, and beauty.

But human sin introduced corruption and fracture into creation. God’s response was and remains to reclaim, reconcile and re-integrate all of creation. The biblical word for wholeness and peace is “SHALOM.” It means completeness.

Nothing broken, nothing missing. This peace is not limited to an experience of inner tranquility, but a condition of life – private and public – where all creation flourishes as God intended. It is the substance of a biblical vision of one community embracing all of God’s creation. It is God’s dream that resists all our tendencies to division, hostility, fear, inequality, misery and suffering.

Throughout the Bible, God has sought to bring salvation and wholeness to his world through the transformation of all of life. This is the “big picture” story in Scripture, and if we fail to see that, we might be tempted to think of integral mission as the latest fad or technique for ministry.

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25

I will make a covenant of peace with

them and rid the land of savage beasts so that they may live in the wilderness and sleep in the forests in safety.

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I will make them and the places

surrounding my hill a blessing. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing...

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Then they will know that I, the Lord

their God, am with them and that they, the Israelites, are my people, declares the Sovereign Lord.�

Ezek. 34: 25, 26, 30

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JESUS AS THE FULFILLMENT OF INTEGRAL MISSION INTEGRAL MISSION IS CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED AS THE WAY OF JESUS. Even in the Incarnation – God becoming human in Jesus Christ – God entered the human struggle in a certain time and specific place, to speak and act in ways that modeled how God’s will is done “on earth as it is in heaven.” And in that time and place, in Palestine, Jesus of Nazareth embodied the Kingdom of God, translating and communicating God’s mission in ways that suited the needs of private and public life in the first century.

His self-introduction is described this way in the Gospel of Luke 4:16-20.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down.

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This was the year of the Lord’s favour. He taught that “God so loved the world that he sent his Son.” These teachings declare the full spiritual and physical dimension of God’s mission and speak of a redeeming and repairing quality for all of life in the world. This was in keeping with the Psalmist’s vision of creation: “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Ps. 24:1) There is no clearer way of summarizing Jesus’ own approach to mission than when his disciples asked him how to pray.

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In offering what has come to be known as the Lord’s Prayer, we see the very vision of Jesus as integral, beginning with the words that unite all Christians: “Our Father, in heaven, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

In his struggle against principalities and powers, in his quest for transformation of all creation, and in his walking with the disciples, the poor and the outcast, we can group the mission of Jesus around several key, overlapping activities.

ANNOUNCING THE GOOD NEWS: Jesus entered Galilee by announcing the good news that the Kingdom of God had drawn near (Matt. 4:17, Mk. 1:14-15).

In his inaugural address in his hometown of Nazareth, he proclaimed that he was the fulfillment of the prophetic promise given hundreds of years earlier.

His words and actions that day showed that he had come to proclaim good news that was nothing short of “God’s year to act!” - generously and abundantly bringing transformation for the poor, release for the oppressed, and sight for the blind – spiritually, materially and physically.

TEACHING: The followers of Jesus were called disciples, which was the firstcentury term for “student” or “understudy.” Jesus taught them how to live the life of faith under God’s rule and direction. He shared about the mysteries and ways of the Kingdom of God, primarily in parables that integrated spiritual truth with the everyday life of the farmer, housewife, landowner and ruler.

His approach was unique and challenging. It remains the model for training Christian leaders today.

IN HIS HEALING AND CARING FOR THE SICK AND WOUNDED: The actions of Jesus are as important as his words in bearing witness to the Kingdom.

This is clearly seen in Jesus when he responded to the question of John the Baptist: “Are you the one who was to come?” He answered, “The 68

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blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” (Luke 7:22) Jesus’ ministry in the towns and villages of Galilee gave evidence of God’s concern for every dimension of human well-being.

BY EATING AND DRINKING WITH SINNERS: Jesus practiced inclusive table fellowship, a countercultural and controversial act in a Mediterranean world where hospitality was strictly determined by social class and religious credentials. He transcended religious, ethnic and gender prejudices in his memorable conversation with the Samaritan woman in John 4. He challenged the distorted and cruel ‘purity culture’ of his day in how he healed the man born blind in John 9.

IN CONFRONTING PEOPLE WHO ABUSED POWER AND AUTHORITY: The ministry of Jesus also impacted the unseen and seen structures and institutions of power in his world. One meaning of injustice is “misuse of power.” Abuses of this kind took place daily in first-century Palestine, much as they do in our world today. As Jesus lived out God’s intentions – reaching out to the marginalized, exploited and dispossessed – it was inevitable that he would come into conflict with those who were the power brokers and gatekeepers of institutions that benefited the most from injustice. Time and again, Jesus’ acts of love and compassion required him to also shelter and defend people from prejudice and danger. Examples include his defence of the woman caught in adultery (John 8) and his scathing indictment of the religious leaders (Matthew 23). In doing this, his actions and words unmasked the powers and principalities of his day.

SENDING HIS DISCIPLES OUT: Jesus instructed them to conduct this mission, bringing and proclaiming God’s Kingdom of peace (shalom) to households, and receiving whatever hospitality was offered. As part of the visit they were to call people to repentance, offer healing and anointing with oil, and conduct exorcisms. To do this they were required to travel lightly, and not impose their AN INTEGRAL MISSION PRIMER

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presence or message, but offer it and accommodate the response. Jesus was asking and authorizing his disciples to embody and fulfill the mission that he himself had been modeling for them. It illustrated an integration of purposes, giving witness to the dramatic arrival of the Kingdom of God. If received, people would experience deep personal restoration.

THE CRUCIFIXION: Jesus’ death was a result of the backlash from the structural forces of evil in his day. Under Roman law, crucifixion was a penalty for treason.

The gospel accounts depict in grim clarity the cooperation between the high priest (who had been appointed by the Roman Emperor!) and the local political powers to have Jesus executed. This does not diminish the theological meaning or divine purpose of Jesus’ death as the final sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins and the decisive means through which the world is redeemed.

THE BRILLIANCE OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION: By raising Jesus from the dead, God decisively accomplished an array of purposes. Through Christ the penalty for sin has been paid, the world redeemed, and the Kingdom of God irreversibly established, inaugurating the final chapter of history. It is also an endorsement of God’s integrated purposes, linking word and action, mercy and justice, spirit and earth. God has put his stamp of approval on the way of Jesus; his followers are assured of a victory already won.

All these spheres of Jesus’ ministry, and many more, were overlapping and mutually reinforcing. Together they represent how integral mission touches virtually every dimension of human and community life. Jesus showed us what God’s Kingdom priorities look like at ground level, and provides a necessary model of a broad and comprehensive understanding of what it means to be “saved.” Following Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the movement of integral mission was poised to enter a final crucial chapter, one which continues right now, today, in you and me, your church and mine, with the formation of the early church.

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F I E LD N OTES

Q: Where have you see evidence of the biblical characteristics of shalom in our broken world?

Q: What makes this situation special?

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N A B I L C O S TA Executive Director of Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, CBM’s partner in Lebanon In 2009, Nabil Costa took a stand – again! This businessman-turned-Christian advocate decided that his commitment to integral mission required an intelligent engagement with children who had special needs. In the Middle East, children struggling with particular learning deficiencies are often left in the margins of the society. Nabil decided that it was time for the church to act. With the help of his caring wife who shared a sensitivity to children with needs, Nabil leveraged his profile as a Protestant leader in Lebanon to launch SKILD, (Smart Kids with Individual Learning Differences), providing individualized support in special needs, counseling and community awareness. The staff of SKILD engage in a transformational approach to families, children/teenagers, and professionals who struggle with learning differences. Currently, his advocacy has led him to advising the political leaders of Lebanon in a new law on the Rights of the Children with Special Needs.

A year earlier, Nabil participated in advocating for Christians’ rights in Jordan, defending the legitimacy of their mission right into the private office of the King of Jordan. In his role as President of the Lebanese Society for Educational and Social Development, Nabil helped champion the cause of the minority Christians in the Middle East. More recently, through his passion for integral mission in a largely Muslim context, Nabil Costa invited non-Christian faith-based schools to the accreditation process of private schools in Lebanon. Not willing to draw the focus of his mission uniquely to himself and his organization, Nabil understood the biblical mandate of redemptive ministry for all of humanity.

In a complex context where Christians often resort to a cloistered and protective disengagement in their local context, Nabil is a powerful witness of transformation through integral mission.

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THE WAY THE BIRTH OF THE FIRST CHURCH The first chapters of the book of Acts provide a dynamic and instructive outline of the birth and activity of the early community of Jesus. The term “church” only appeared later – the first description of this new community highlights the relationships and activities of this community: they were followers of “the Way” (Acts 9:2). Their activities and priorities provide for us an exciting snapshot of integral mission being lived out contextually – that is, in a specific time and place.

We cannot understand the genius and impact of the early community apart from the enabling of the Holy Spirit. Before he ascended, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit. His arrival on the day of Pentecost brought to life the first church in Jerusalem (Acts 2:1-13). In the birth of the church, a new humanity was born.

One of the first signs of the Spirit was that people of different languages could communicate simultaneously and understandably, declaring the works of God. In modern terms, this would have sounded like a symphony of international voices joining to praise God! In this first burst of church activity, we see both diversity of expression and unity of focus. Fragmentation, confusion and brokenness, even of language and speech (Genesis 11), was a result of sin entering the world. But when God’s Spirit came upon his followers, and people were empowered, language was redeemed for the purpose of spreading the good news of God throughout the world.

This re-integrating of cultures and ethnicities was crucial: God was restoring the beauty and gift of human culture and language for future mission that was both contextual and global.

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Peter the Apostle then preached the first sermon, explaining what just happened through Jesus Christ (Acts 2:14-36). In this very public discourse, he provided a panoramic view of what God was doing throughout the Hebrew people and prophets in history, and how this event was a fulfillment of God’s purposes. Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, the world was entering a new chapter in which God’s ancient promises for Israel were being fused with the good of all creation. At the end of his sermon, Peter called on people to repent and align their lives with Christ’s purposes. Three thousand people made that commitment (Acts 2:37-41), and the early church, the community of Jesus, began to impact the city of Jerusalem and wider world.

I recently heard Costa Rican theologian Ruth Padilla DeBorst provide a marvelous description of the vision of the new community. Contrasting the fragile nature of Pax Romana at the time of the early church, she pointed out the centrality of Jesus in the Apostle Paul’s teaching. Jesus’ rule was based upon giving himself away, empowering and liberating the oppressed. In his life, both works and words were foundational to his integral mission. In a broken world, she pointed out how Jesus effected our reconciliation and restoration to the created order. This is good news. Through his work on the cross, Jesus is our peace (Eph. 2:14). By his life and death and through daily acts of service and compassionate self-giving, Jesus makes our peace (vs. 15). And through the Spirit, Jesus the Liberator came and proclaimed peace (vs. 17). His words were rooted and grounded in his peace-being and his peace-making.

The early chapters of Acts capture the flavour of those heady first days in the new community of Christ, and in particular we draw attention to two beautiful scenes – Acts 2:42-47 and 4:32-35.

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IELD G O D EEP E R OF N LIN EN OTES:

Jesus is our peace = BEING Jesus makes our peace = DOING Jesus preached peace = SAYING Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Christ in Integral Mission: Being, Doing and Saying. www.conversation.lausanne.org/en/conversations/detail/10969

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Of crucial importance is that the early Christians were united: “one in heart and mind” (4:32). This was directly a result of the power of the Holy Spirit. Their relationship with one another was linked to their relationship with God, whom they praised and worshiped (Acts 4:47). They prayed together, and “broke bread,” meaning sharing of communion as well as everyday meals. Their unity of purpose was not forced, it was with gladness and sincerity (2:46). They were partners in mission.

“Koinonia,” the word we associate with fellowship, meant more than just camaraderie or team spirit. A better translation is “partnership,” as in sharing material resources (2 Corinthians 9:12-13).

“This service that you are performing is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of your partnership, people will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the Gospel.”

The Apostle Paul used the same word to urge the Christians in Corinth to share their abundance with the believers and sufferers in Israel in a time of famine.

This distribution was “as the need arose” (2:45, 4:35) because the attitude was that everything was “held in common” (4:32, 2:44). Paul lays out a beautiful image of partnership in mission. The material wealth of the church in Corinth can meet the material poverty of the church in Jerusalem. And the spiritual wealth of the Jerusalem church can help rectify the spiritual poverty of the Corinthian church. This partnership creates a cross-over.

This does not mean that people abandoned private property. But they were willing to make possessions available and to share resources. As a result, there was “no needy person among them” (4:34). In this way the early followers of Jesus continued to live out the ministry priority of Jesus who brought “good news for the poor” (Luke 4:18), both materially and spiritually.

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It also fulfilled God’s Kingdom intention that dated back to the early formation of Israel, when God instructed the people that “there should be no poor among you” (Deuteronomy 15:4).

The early community actively proclaimed and confessed the risen Christ. This was no feeble or apologetic proclamation, but “with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all…” (Acts 4:33). It’s no surprise that “day by day the Lord was adding to the number those who were being saved” (2:47).

What Christians have later termed ‘evangelism’ was not a special program or sporadic activity. It emerged naturally from eating together, sharing material resources, and opening to God’s power in declaring the risen Jesus. Bolivian theologian Mortimer Arias describes this as “evangelism by hospitality.” Just as when Jesus offered to eat at Zacchaeus’ home the same day the tax collector found salvation, a pledge was made to share his material resources with the poor and victims of injustice.

These two vignettes from the early church must be understood within a context of persecution (Acts 4:1-31). When the followers of the Way confessed that “Jesus is Lord” they knew they faced fierce opposition from those who believed the Roman Emperor provided the basis for hope in the world. The religious establishment was strongly opposed to the message and Lordship of Christ.

In studying the Book of Acts in general and Acts 2:42-47 in particular, we then see the core activities that were integrated in their mission: COMMUNITY  finding ways to gather to support one another physically and spiritually, grow in their faith, and show the world how Jesus Christ had united them and was achieving his Kingdom intentions through them.

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JUSTICE AND COMPASSION  addressing the needs of the poor, marginalized and vulnerable: single women and widows, diseased and disabled, orphans.

HOSPITALITY  eating together and sorting out ethnic and religious tensions inside the church. In particular, addressing differences in culture and spirituality between Jews and Gentiles who were turning to Christ.

PROCLAMATION AND CONFESSION  declaring that “Jesus is Lord” to the world and facing the reality of persecution from those who worshiped and believed otherwise.

Integral ministry remained evident as the apostles moved out of Jerusalem and followed Christ into the wider world. Leaders like James, Paul and Peter worked creatively and courageously to help both Jewish and Gentile Christians adjust their thinking to promote innovative ministry. The need of the “stranger” was affirmed and met. The early church leaders met the challenges of cultural, religious and ethnic differences by listening carefully and adjusting wisely. The Lord’s Supper broke down barriers between Jew and Gentile as well as rich and poor. All were equally welcome to Christ’s table. A new humanity where all were equal was being formed: male and female, slave and free person, Jew and Gentile. All were followers of the Way. They challenged popular philosophies and cultural ideas with the truth of Jesus Christ. The truth and life of Christ was transforming the world through ministries that both proclaimed and demonstrated the good news.

For this to happen the early church and its leaders listened to one another, learned together, and relied on the Lord who was transforming their world.

As a result, the kingdom influence spread throughout Galilee, Judea, Samaria and beyond. It continues to spread today wherever and whenever the Way is shared.

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Q: Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip to another culture or country? What did you witness there that has made a dierence in how you are living out your faith?

Describe your most significant moment.

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BISHOP NATHAN K. NGALA 1890[est.]–2007

Ngala was born in Kenya, during the period of British colonial rule.

Converted to Christianity as a young man, he served God and his Kamba people (one of the main Bantu tribes in Kenya) with tireless energy, wisdom and passion.

At a time when the colonial rulers and foreign missionaries dictated the nature and authority structures of local churches, Ngala helped establish a powerful social movement, known as the Association of Kamba Christian Men. This group offered African leaders the opportunity to learn through their engagement in the practical implementation of mission activities and evangelism through various methods that would attract and empower their fellow Africans. Ngala introduced oxen-ploughing in his local village - as well as taught and demonstrated new techniques of farming - and he preached the gospel.

In 1945, Ngala and other Kamba Christians established the Africa Brotherhood Church (ABC). Through its integral approach to evangelism they eventually created 486 primary schools, 64 secondary schools, 60 polytechnics, five Bible schools, dispensaries, and health centres.

Members of the ABC were also required to subscribe to a monthly humanitarian offering, in order to assist orphans and widows gain access to education for social change.

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When the AIDS pandemic became a crucial issue in their villages, the ABC responded. Together with CBM and other African church partners Guardians of Hope was launched to provide support to widows and children orphaned by AIDS. It’s a ministry that continues to grow in its effectiveness in reducing stigma and empowering the most vulnerable through prevention and awareness campaigns, microenterprise, spiritual nurture and counsel.

In its charter, the Africa Brotherhood Church established guiding principles that reflect a commitment to the principles of integral mission, even though the term wouldn’t come into use by the ABC until more than 50 years later.

Among its founding tenets it affirms: • All peoples on earth deserve respect as exemplified by the Holy Scriptures.

• The Church’s responsibility is to serve all of mankind, meeting physical, social and spiritual needs equally and without favouritism.

• That a person is saved by confessing their sins and believing in the Lord Jesus as Lord and Saviour and shall be rewarded in heaven according to their deeds.

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J A S M I N E J O N AT H A N Community Health and Development Worker in India For over 40 years, Jasmine Jonathan served among the marginalized in her home country of India – first as a nurse and program coordinator with the Council of Christian Hospitals, one of our CBM partner agencies, and then as CBM’s Development Coordinator in India. She’s had an indelible impact on an amazing story of integral mission in the heart of Hindu and Muslim and tribal communities.

“Jasmine believes that worship and work must be one,” says Suraj Komaravalli, CBM’s team leader in India. “Her special call was concern for the downtrodden... and the uplifting of villages so that they would be self reliant and a subsequent blessing to others.”

Of particular concern to Jasmine is the plight of poor, rural women. They are often denied access to education, lack opportunities and forced to marry young, lack access to medical care and have many children (often too closely spaced in years).

India has one of the world’s highest maternal and infant mortality rates as well as one of the highest child malnutrition rates and numbers of child labourers.

Extreme poverty is at the root of the suffering. Jasmine relates how she and her team work in partnership with sanghams (community self help groups) to improve health and livelihood for all.

We adopt a village and work with them to identify the needs. We concentrate on women, who we see as the influencers for change in the community and home.

We talk to them and encourage them to start a sangham, and to have frequent meetings to discuss family problems and needs in the village. We also help them to improve their family’s financial stability through microcredit. They start saving, each woman contributes a small amount per month, which they deposit in a group bank account.

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After six months, they can apply for government matching grants to improve their homes and villages. With their savings, women start small businesses like selling cloth (saris), tailoring, or buying rice or other products wholesale to sell. Most of the women are also farm labourers, so they start to lease one or two acres of land to start their own farming. They grow rice, sugar cane, or vegetables, and share in the labour and the profit.

Thousands of women have been empowered and hundreds of sanghams created which have led development in over 400 villages – schools and roads built, alleys paved (reducing malaria by eliminating stagnant pools of water which breed mosquitoes), water systems improved, local businesses started, health awareness programs such as AIDS prevention, and medical care through trained health volunteers and medical camps.

Seeds of faith are planted as villagers encounter the love, personal witness and action of the Christian development team. Today at least 60 percent of sangham members have become followers of Jesus, and the good news continues to spread, as neighbouring villages see the change and ask for help. Each year, 36 new villages are added to the program.

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To read about another Living Witness

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KEY INDICATORS OF INTEGRAL MISSION IN YOUR CONTEXT Here then is Christian mission at its best: when it reaches into the places of pain and marginalization in order to form relationships, offering healing, hope and restoration. It is when it loosens the yoke of the oppressed through public engagement and promotion of living at peace with everyone that integration of faith and social action truly address the person as a child of God whose Kingdom comes.

As your church journeys in sharing the way of Jesus, consider some of the following points.

They are ‘indicators’ that can and likely will be present when integral mission is happening.

Indicators don’t tell the whole story. But they help lead us on the way to transformation.

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INTEGRAL MISSION CHECK LIST

Evangelism Discipleship Worship & Adoration Advocacy, Public Engagement & Community-Building Health & Wellness Peacebuilding & Reconciliation Intergenerational & Gender Inclusive Service Diversity in Leadership & Membership Sustainable Transformation

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1. Evangelism Members of the church or faith community invite and encourage each other to share a living faith. They participate in various opportunities whereby people of all ages can encounter the hope of new life in Christ, through individual encounters, seminars, conferences (all ages over a range of issues) and engage in formal and informal discussion on how to live as followers of Jesus. Useful resources for learning how to share your faith in the context of your church might be the Alpha program (www.alphacanada.org) or Christianity Explored (www.christianityexplored.org). Another innovative and effective tool is I Am Second (www.iamsecond.com).

2. Discipleship All Christians need to be trained in their faith and its relevance to all of life. This is not primarily sharing information, but more about mentoring and training people in a new way of living.

For purposes of spiritual growth, the community of faith must continually offer opportunities for studying God’s word to further their understanding of the Christian faith. Those being discipled are able to use their gifts and skills for the benefit of others. Training, both formal and informal, through seminars, classroom and distance education, hands-on learning including short-term mission trips, wise counsel and peer fellowship allow God’s people to develop the necessary knowledge, skills and lifestyle to be effective agents of transformation in the world.

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3. Worship & Adoration The exercise of worship to our God and the daily practice of the spiritual disciplines of prayer, Bible reading and meditation, help us become newly attuned to our responsibilities as believers endeavouring to live out the call of God in our lives and our world.

As our worship shifts our focus from ourselves to God, we become more aware of the call to compassionate service and we celebrate a God who is continuously re-creating his world around us.

4. Advocacy, Public Engagement & Community-Building As practitioners of integral mission, church members engage in public action, challenging oppression from unjust systems and structures of exploitation and abuse, and actively help those who are oppressed and marginalized. The church takes public positions on issues on behalf of the vulnerable and participates with other denominations and organizations to represent the values of God’s kingdom in all facets of Christian faith and witness. The church is not a social club. It exists for the wellbeing of both its members and those who are outside its walls. Integral mission is happening when women and men are working to build healthy and sustainable communities whose economic and social fabric meets the needs of others.

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5. Health & Wellness Involvement in contextually appropriate health and wellness programs engage the church in meeting the physical and emotional needs of people in the community. Often, the church can have a focus on a specific area where they care for the sick and elderly and counsel the hurting. Through prayer and sensitive dialogue and service, the church becomes an agent of healing of those who are dealing with trauma, fear, depression and other mental health issues. Believers need to be non-judgmental, engaged in active listening, and have faith in God’s ability to heal any deep wound.

6. Peacebuilding & Reconciliation This needs to begin within the worshipping community of the church and then expand outward to neighbours and into the broader community. If we, as a community of faith, cannot deal peacefully with one another, we cannot expect to enable others to live in peace nor have an authentic witness to those who are outside or on the fringe of the family of believers. Peace and reconciliation are at the heart of the Christian faith and at the heart of integral mission.

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7. Intergenerational & Gender Inclusive Service Since Christ has extended to all people an invitation to become a part of his family, so the church must welcome all people and enable them to find a place of active participation. It is not only the extension of an invitation that counts, but also the encouragement to become involved and take an active role within the faith community. Within integral communities, there are no walls or barriers erected to keep people from being agents of reconciliation.

Realising that every child of God has a significant role to play in his kingdom, we enable women and men, old and young, children, teens and adults to assume their rightful place within the church, exercising their giftedness and trained for service.

8. Diversity in Leadership & Membership Our dierences are what make us rich as a community of believers, and so we must strive to encourage and embrace them. Integral communities celebrate what makes each of us unique and oer opportunities for engaging our cultural, linguistic, educational and socio-economic diversity in the accomplishment of transformational growth.

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9. Sustainable Transformation Wherever possible, the church initiates cost-eďŹƒcient programs which address the contextual needs of its community. When such programs are implemented, participants are enabled to engage in transformational living and can train others in new work and life skills, with the support they receive from the community. Although this focus often reaches out to meet the needs of the poor, integral mission churches seek to build healthy communities, regardless of their socio-economic class.

With a vision for being agents of shalom, integral mission practitioners intentionally seek out partnerships, build coalitions and strive to reach common goals. They engage in thoughtful consideration and consultation to develop and implement special local strategies that are rooted in careful analysis and dialogue with all levels of social services, churches, institutions and like-minded people.

Let the journey begin...

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L I V I N G W ITN ESS

L O R N E PA R K B A P T I S T C H U R C H Mississauga, Ontario, Canada For members of Lorne Park Baptist Church, development of relationships has been the primary starting point in their ministries which now have local, national and international impact.

Locally: Lorne Park provides a breakfast program at Riverside Elementary School for kids who otherwise would be without a nutritious meal to start out their day. This particular ministry came about when Pastor Dale Rose discovered a need for mentoring at-risk-kids in the school setting. He volunteered his time and got to know the school principal and teachers. Out of these relationships he inquired about their specific needs, resulting in the breakfast program. A founding member of The Compass, Lorne Park works in partnership with 10 other churches to address the socio-economic needs of people in their community. They started a food bank, and have gone on to provide ESL classes, life skills training, resume writing and employment help.

Nationally and internationally: a partnership with a rural church (Brownfield Baptist in Alberta) has enabled Lorne Park to respond to hunger in Africa. Through this unique effort, farmers in Brownfield donate seeds, labour and equipment and Lorne Park provides funds to rent land. Together, they’ve produced a harvest that supports food security projects in Africa through CBM and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.

Lorne Park has also developed their own short-term mission trips to First Nations reserves to conduct children’s camps and work on build projects, and is a partner in integral mission in Bolivia through CBM’s STEP program (Serving, Training, Energizing Partnerships - a program offered by CBM to churches in Canada who wish to develop a deeper relationship with churches in the developing world and a meaningful engagement in global issues.)

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IN WO R DE E D, INDE E D

CBM’S COMMITMENT TO INTEGRAL MISSION WE, THE BOARD AND STAFF OF CANADIAN BAPTIST MINISTRIES, love God and we love his mission to build shalom - peace with justice - in a broken world. Our love for God and his mission is rooted in the fact that he first loved us and rescued us in our brokenness.

As a sign of our gratitude to him, we willingly and enthusiastically accept his invitation to join him in his mission. We are part of a global family of followers of Jesus Christ, called ‘the Church’ who seek to bring hope in a world of poverty, broken relationships, environmental destruction, lost hope and every type of oppression. Our call is to radical discipleship as followers of Christ. The way we do this is through integral mission.

INTEGRAL MISSION WEAVES TOGETHER OUR WORDS & ACTIONS. Through our words, we share God’s love and redemption offered in Jesus Christ, and invite people to respond by accepting the gift of a new life. Through our actions, we contribute to the healing and positive transformation of people and communities through physical, spiritual, economic, psychological and social programs. We believe that both parts are essential, neither takes priority over the other. Neither one should be done independently of the other. This is why we call our mission ‘integral’ – because we believe that each part is essential and necessary for the completeness of God’s desire for his creation. Just as people are made up of many parts, so too, the good news is really the sum of many different parts. They cannot and should not be done separately from each other.

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I N WORDEED, IN DEED

WE ALSO LOVE THE CHURCH AND WANT TO SEE IT GROW. The Church is God’s visible presence in the world, a place of healing, growth and service. When people respond to the good news, they enter into communities of faith, committed to worship, teaching, witness and service. One of the ways we, as Christ’s followers, demonstrate our commitment to the Church is through baptism.

At CBM, we see our most important contribution as helping strengthen our global partners’ capacity and commitment to provide integral mission initiatives within their local context. This is why education and training, resource development and accountability are essential to our programs.

Love in action, word in deed, hope in healing, individuals in community – we love being part of God’s hope and mission in the world. And we love sharing the journey with you.

In Wordeed, indeed.

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Resources Check out these websites • www.wordeed.ca • www.integralmission.net • www.micahnetwork.org/integral-mission

Take a Course • Carey Theological College is hoping to start a Masters in Integral Mission www.carey-edu.ca

Get a few books & magazines • Mission Between the Times (rev. edition) René Padilla, 2010

• Fondation Kairos has a great program called Centre for Interdisciplinary Theological Studies dnacho@cbmin.org Leave your comfort zone • Look for ways to share your faith • Volunteer in your community • Consider a short term mission trip

And just keep going

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• Going Global, A Congregational Introduction Nelson, King and Smith, 2011 • The Mission of God’s People Chris Wright, 2010 • Justice, Mercy and Humility, ed. T. Chester, 2003 • Plunging into the Kingdom Way, Tim Dickau, 2012 • Transformation: An International Journal of Holistic Mission Studies (Oxford, UK)

Have new ideas you want to share?

Go to www.wordeed.ca

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Endnotes 1

Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship, 2006.

2

Ralph Turnbull, ed. The Best of D.L. Moody, 1971, pg. 127 – 128.

3

Timothy Smith, The Great Reversal: Evangelism Versus Social Concern, 1972.

4

The Lausanne Movement, The Lausanne Covenant, Article 5, 1974. www.lausanne.org/en/documents/all.html

5

The Lausanne Movement, The Manila Manifesto, Articles 8 and 9. www.lausanne.org/en/documents/all.html

6

Learn more about the Millennium Development Goals, along with lots of other helpful material on global development issues at www.un.org/millenniumgoals

7

C. René Padilla, “Making the Crossing,” mosaic, Spring 2006, pg.4.

8

Abraham Kuyper, “Sphere Sovereignty,” in Abraham Kuyper, A Centennial Reader, ed. James D. Bratt, pp. 488.

9

You can find this definition, and many other helpful resources of the Micah Network at www.micahnetwork.org

10

Chris Wright, The Mission of God’s People, 2010, pp. 109 – 113.

11

Check out Richard Stearn’s website at www.theholeinourgospel.com

12

David Barrett, World Christian Trends, 2001.

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“Be like the fox who makes more tracks than necessary, some in the wrong direction.

Practice resurrection.�

Wendell Berry Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front, 1992

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