On Monday, August 30 from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM we will be having a discussion on missions with some exceptional people. Some area pastors are planning on joining us to participate in a conversation around the broader themes of missions as discussed in the must-read book edited by Ed Stetzer and David Hesselgrave on missions: MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium. We are opening the door to any pastors or chu...rch leaders that may be interested.
Dr. David Hesselgrave is a dear friend of our church and we are quite familiar with him. His contributions to missions has not decreased with his increasing age, but rather at 84 he has just completed editing another major work on global missions, the work we will be discussing this month. He continues to write articles and debate leading missiologists, taking a strong stand for the fundamentals of biblical missions. I have been privileged to read some private correspondence between him and the late Dr. Ralph Winter.
David Hosaflook is a widely respected missionary to Albania who has been featured in the excellent DVD series Dispatches from the Front. His blog, MissioMishmash, is also a must-read blog, always contributing helpful, Christ-exalting thought to the discussion of missions.
The discussion will focus on the tension between prioritism and holism in contemporary missions. The late Dr. Ralph Winter began to propose missiological ideas that had shifted from the prioritism of early missionaries and his ideas have been widely received by many, particularly those who are embracing the ideology of the emerging church. His friend, Dr. David Hesselgrave, has valiantly championed a “historic fundamentalist” perspective in the dialogue.
Originally, we were planning on having a small and private time of discussion and fellowship, but we decided to let people know about it. The topic is so important that we feel it should be shared. Some area pastors are planning on joining us and we are encouraging any who come to read several essays in MissionShift prior to coming. I recommend reading Essay #3, The Future of Evangelicals in Mission by Ralph Winter and chapter 16, In Response to “The Future of Evangelicals in Mission” by Christopher R. Little. I agree with editor Ed Stetzer that this chapter by Little is worth the price of the entire book.
If you have time to read a little more, read Stetzer’s opening chapter and Hesselgrave’s closing chapter. Of course, all the essays are enlightening and there is lively discussion and disagreement among the authors. There is nothing fancy about the fellowship, but it will be a moderated discussion and organized for maximum profitability. A luncheon will be provided and the cost is a free-will offering. In order to plan well, we would be most appreciative of prior notification! Please respond to me directly at pastor [at] wordcentered.org
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