EMQ Volume 60 Issue 3

By Heather Pubols | Jesus calls everyone who follows him to practice a love that transcends boundaries. Missionaries have demonstrated this for generations as they have crossed ethnic and geographic lines. In contrast, the mission force from North American mission agencies still remains remarkably monochromatic. Why is this, and how can we change it?

By Mimsie Robinson and Bob Fetherlin | In the last century, monocultural mission became fertile soil in which seeds of colonial domination too often sprouted. Let’s ask God to crucify our pride, our fears, and all other concerns so that we can step out of our comfort zones and become true ambassadors of Christ who initiate and cultivate interracial and intercultural healing.

By Ted Esler | Mutuality can be a powerful concept in missiology. It captures a sense of how Christ came to us in his earthly ministry, emptying himself to serve others. Using the word mutuality in missiology requires a different definition than what we find in other areas of interest. Mutuality can inform and speak into our approach to missions and is already being used in various ways by those taking the gospel into new cultures and places.

By Heather Denson | Diversity and mutuality are foundational principles that drive the transformative impact of cross-cultural engagement and service. Diversity intertwines a tapestry of cultural perspectives, experiences, and practices. And mutuality nurtures relationships based on respect, reciprocity, and shared learning.

By Abegail Lyn “Abby” A. Galzote | The mission field is changing as more foreign and national partners work together towards shared goals. The development of Every Community for Christ Philippines offers an example of what this looks like.

By Linda P. Saunders | As image bearers, it is time to take our rightful place as an inclusive body of believers that reflects the foot of the cross as well as the worshippers around the throne – all nations, all people groups, and all tongues.

By Carlos Negrón | Many North Americans are terrified to talk about diversity and mutuality. But we must be willing to talk about this, sit in our discomfort, and put hindering beliefs to death in order to become more of the one body of Christ that we are.

By Jessica Udall | When an extended family gathers together from far and wide to share a feast, who sits at the head of the table? Traditionally, it is the father. However, what happens in this metaphorical scenario when instead of the Heavenly Father sitting at the head, that place is usurped by a culturally dominant sibling who views themselves as superior to their Majority World brothers and sisters?

By Rocky Tyler | As mission organizations, how do we move “from me to we to the world?” The knowledge, skills, and attitudes of conflict competence are the foundation of an authentically inclusive culture in which diversity is welcomed and “all peoples” (panta ta ethne) experience both full belonging and high value on their uniqueness.

By Phyllis Johnson | The Black church has been underrepresented in global mission for more than 100 years. An appropriate educational model for missiological theology contextualized for the African American church is one way to help African Americans become more engaged in global missions once again.

By Valerie Althouse | I am a White American woman who grew up in a white majority church that emphasized global missions. Eighteen years ago, I moved to New York City to serve as both a missionary and a mobilizer for world missions. I desire for Jesus to be known and worshiped among all peoples. So why did I often find myself cringing when I shared missions mobilization materials within a diverse, urban, multiethnic, and international environment?

By Sheryl Takagi Silzer | Global mission teams are becoming more and more multicultural. This presents challenges particularly to the work and relationships between people from the Global North and Global South. Facilitated discussions about cultural frameworks can help global workers gain a better understanding of different cultural perspectives.

By Don Allsman | God is sending hundreds of unreached people groups (UPGs) from their homelands to other parts of the globe. These UPG communities are no longer only accessible to long-term missionaries. Urban collaborative ecosystems provide a low-cost method to mobilize large-scale service from non-apostolically gifted people to reach the unreached urban diaspora.

By Harley Talman | The C-Spectrum introduced more than 20 years ago provided a tool to categorize different types of Christ-centered communities among Muslims. The Foreignness-Spectrum, or F-Spectrum, focuses on foreignness as the point of reference in appropriate contextualization. It gives needed correction to the C-Spectrum while also building on the C-Spectrum’s foundation.

By Ximena Cardona Bastidas | God created a world full of variations, and we move within this diversity. God designed these differences to foster complementarity, interdependence, and innovation. But all of us, through the union in Christ, work together to fulfill the same objective: that no one is left without hearing, understanding, and responding to the word of God. 

By Jessica Janvier | Despite our shortcomings, the missio Dei requires a quest for the gospel. That quest is not only to reach all nations but for Christians to become cross-cultural members of God’s kingdom and to faithfully reveal his heart to the watching world through cross-cultural mission outreach.

By Steve Richardson | The global missions movement has developed from the “West to the rest,” to wondering if any foreign missionaries were needed, to an “all hands on deck” approach. What we know, today, is that God’s global Commission requires a truly global mission force. We have different contributions to make, but we’re on the same team. Our best contributions come when we enjoy the journey together as equal partners.