Missio dei
Encyclopedia
Missio Dei is a Latin
Christian theological term that can be translated as the "mission of God," or the "sending of God." Mission
is understood as being derived from the very nature of God. The missionary
initiative comes from God alone.
In 1934, Karl Hartenstein, a German missiologist, coined the phrase in response to Karl Barth
and his emphasis on actio Dei (Latin for “the action of God”).
According to David J. Bosch, "mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God
. God is a missionary God." Jurgen Moltmann
says, "It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church." There is church because there is mission, not vice versa.
The Church must not think its role is identical to the missio Dei; the Church is participating in the mission of God. The church's mission is a subset of a larger whole mission. That is, it is part of God's mission to the world and not the entirety of God's work in the world.
Speaking on behalf of The Gospel and Our Culture Network, Darrell Guder writes, "We have come to see that mission is not merely an activity of the church. Rather, mission is the result of God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purposes to restore and heal creation. ‘Mission’ means ‘sending,’ and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human history.... We have begun to learn that the biblical message is more radical, more inclusive, more transforming than we have allowed it to be. In particular, we have begun to see that the church of Jesus Christ is not the purpose or goal of the gospel, but rather its instrument and witness.... God’s mission is calling and sending us, the church of Jesus Christ, to be a missionary church in our own societies, in the cultures in which we find ourselves.”
Alan Hirsch
believes the word missional "goes to the heart of the very nature and purpose of the church itself." He continues, “So a working definition of missional church is a community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world. In other words, the church’s true and authentic organizing principle is mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church. The church itself is not only a product of that mission but is obligated and destined to extend it by whatever means possible. The mission of God flows directly through every believer and every community of faith that adheres to Jesus. To obstruct this is to block God’s purposes in and through God’s people.”
Peters states that the Bible claims “the end result of such missio Dei is the glorification of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Missio Dei as a term and concept became increasingly popular in the church from the second half of the 20th century and is a key concept in missiology
being used by theologians such as David Bosch
, Lesslie Newbigin
, Darrell Guder, Alan Roxburgh, David Dunbar, Steve Taylor, Alan Hirsch
, Martin Robinson, William Storrar, Tim Keller, and Ed Stetzer
, as well as missional networks such as the Gospel and Culture Network (Guder), Forge Mission Training Network Australia (Hirsch), Together in Mission UK, and the Allelon Foundation (Roxburgh).
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
Christian theological term that can be translated as the "mission of God," or the "sending of God." Mission
Mission (Christian)
Christian missionary activities often involve sending individuals and groups , to foreign countries and to places in their own homeland. This has frequently involved not only evangelization , but also humanitarian work, especially among the poor and disadvantaged...
is understood as being derived from the very nature of God. The missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
initiative comes from God alone.
In 1934, Karl Hartenstein, a German missiologist, coined the phrase in response to Karl Barth
Karl Barth
Karl Barth was a Swiss Reformed theologian whom critics hold to be among the most important Christian thinkers of the 20th century; Pope Pius XII described him as the most important theologian since Thomas Aquinas...
and his emphasis on actio Dei (Latin for “the action of God”).
When kept in the context of the Scriptures, missio Dei correctly emphasizes that God is the initiator of His mission to redeem through the Church a special people for Himself from all of the peoples (τα εθνη) of the world. He sent His Son for this purpose and He sends the Church into the world with the message of the gospel for the same purpose.
According to David J. Bosch, "mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God
Attributes of God
The Attributes of God in Christian theology are those characteristics of God revealed in the Bible.-Classification:Many Reformed theologians distinguish between the communicable attributes and the incommunicable attributes...
. God is a missionary God." Jurgen Moltmann
Jürgen Moltmann
Jürgen Moltmann is a German Reformed theologian. The 2000 recipient of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion.-Moltmann's Youth:...
says, "It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church." There is church because there is mission, not vice versa.
The Church must not think its role is identical to the missio Dei; the Church is participating in the mission of God. The church's mission is a subset of a larger whole mission. That is, it is part of God's mission to the world and not the entirety of God's work in the world.
During the past half a century or so there has been a subtle but nevertheless decisive shift toward understanding mission as God’s mission. During preceding centuries mission was understood in a variety of ways. Sometimes it was interpreted primarily in soteriological terms: as saving individuals from eternal damnation. Or it was understood in cultural terms: as introducing people from East and the South to the blessings and privileges of the Christian West. Often it was perceived in ecclesiastical categories: as the expansion of the church (or of a specific denomination). Sometimes it was defined salvation-historically: as the process by which the world—evolutionary or by means of a cataclysmic event—would be transformed into the kingdom of God. In all these instances, and in various, frequently conflicting ways, the intrinsic interrelationship between christology, soteriology, and the doctrine of the Trinity, so important for the early church, was gradually displaced by one of several versions of the doctrine of grace …
Mission was understood as being derived from the very nature of God. It was thus put in the context of the doctrine of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. The classical doctrine on the missio Dei as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit was expanded to include yet another “movement”: The Father, Son and the Holy Spirit sending the church into the world. As far as missionary thinking was concerned, this linking with the doctrine of the Trinity constituted an important innovation …
Our mission has not life of its own: only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called mission. Not least since the missionary initiative comes from God alone …
Mission is thereby seen as a movement from God to the world; the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. There is church because there is mission, not vice versa. To participate in mission is to participate in the movement of God’s love toward people, since God is a fountain of sending love.
Speaking on behalf of The Gospel and Our Culture Network, Darrell Guder writes, "We have come to see that mission is not merely an activity of the church. Rather, mission is the result of God’s initiative, rooted in God’s purposes to restore and heal creation. ‘Mission’ means ‘sending,’ and it is the central biblical theme describing the purpose of God’s action in human history.... We have begun to learn that the biblical message is more radical, more inclusive, more transforming than we have allowed it to be. In particular, we have begun to see that the church of Jesus Christ is not the purpose or goal of the gospel, but rather its instrument and witness.... God’s mission is calling and sending us, the church of Jesus Christ, to be a missionary church in our own societies, in the cultures in which we find ourselves.”
Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is a South African-born missiologist and a leading voice in the missional movement of the Christian West. He is an internationally recognized author of five books on missional living. Additionally, Hirsch founded one and co-founded two organizations devoted to equipping people for...
believes the word missional "goes to the heart of the very nature and purpose of the church itself." He continues, “So a working definition of missional church is a community of God’s people that defines itself, and organizes its life around, its real purpose of being an agent of God’s mission to the world. In other words, the church’s true and authentic organizing principle is mission. When the church is in mission, it is the true church. The church itself is not only a product of that mission but is obligated and destined to extend it by whatever means possible. The mission of God flows directly through every believer and every community of faith that adheres to Jesus. To obstruct this is to block God’s purposes in and through God’s people.”
Peters states that the Bible claims “the end result of such missio Dei is the glorification of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.”
Missio Dei as a term and concept became increasingly popular in the church from the second half of the 20th century and is a key concept in missiology
Missiology
Missiology is the area of practical theology that investigates the mandate, message, and mission of the Christian church, especially the nature of missionary work...
being used by theologians such as David Bosch
David Bosch
David Jacobus Bosch was a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, married to Anne-Marie and author of Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission — a major work on post-colonial Christian mission.-Early life:Bosch was born in Kuruman, Cape Province, South Africa, and died in a...
, Lesslie Newbigin
Lesslie Newbigin
Bishop James Edward Lesslie Newbigin was a Church of Scotland missionary serving in the former Madras State , India, who became a Christian theologian and bishop involved in missiology, ecumenism, and the Gospel and Our Culture Movement.-Biography:Born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Newbigin's schooling...
, Darrell Guder, Alan Roxburgh, David Dunbar, Steve Taylor, Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch
Alan Hirsch is a South African-born missiologist and a leading voice in the missional movement of the Christian West. He is an internationally recognized author of five books on missional living. Additionally, Hirsch founded one and co-founded two organizations devoted to equipping people for...
, Martin Robinson, William Storrar, Tim Keller, and Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer
Ed Stetzer is an author, speaker, researcher, pastor, church planter, and Christian missiologist. Stetzer is a contributor to the North American discussion on missional church and church planting.- Background :...
, as well as missional networks such as the Gospel and Culture Network (Guder), Forge Mission Training Network Australia (Hirsch), Together in Mission UK, and the Allelon Foundation (Roxburgh).
External links
- Missional Church Reading Room Extensive on-line materials on the missio Dei and missional theology (Tyndale Seminary)
- Take the Missional Challenge: 31 Days to Align with Jesus' Mission