Anthology Vol.10 No.1 (December 2022)
Dear Great Commission Partner,
In 2022, the Missio Nexus community focused on the topic of Counting the Cost. After a few years of heightened global conversation about safety due to COVID-19, it seemed that we needed a refresher on the risks associated with the Great Commission. Highlights of this time included On Mission, with a raft of short, succinct talks and the annual Mission Leaders Conference in the fall.
This year also was the first year for a new effort focused on church missions leaders. The role of the missions pastor or primary missions leader in a church has grown in its importance. While we continue to emphasize the importance of structures designed solely for the global Great Commission, we also see the need to connect and integrate local churches into the community. This first meeting was like many firsts, a small step but one which we hope will pay dividends for years to come.
As we look forward, our theme in 2023 is Shift, Rapid Social Transformation and the Gospel. The world is undergoing a tidal wave of massive, overwhelming change. Some believe we are standing at the end of the road for globalization. In its place may be regionalized power centers, less access to the global supply chain, an aging demographic, and challenges to our understanding of human identity. Some believe that COVID-19 may have instigated this change, but it might be that global shifts were already underway to change the world as we have known it. How should mission leaders plan and respond to this sort of worldwide upheaval? What shifts need to be made?
I hope you enjoy looking through this edition of Anthology. As you can see, our team has been quite productive over the past year.
Sincerely,
J. Ted Esler, PhD
President
Missio Nexus
