by Doug Tindal
Section Communicator

Mission and evangelism are like two sides of a coin for Christians, as "all are called and all are sent" to live and proclaim the Good News, according to the draft report of the Lambeth Conference's Section Two.

The report quotes Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey's comment at the mid-point review of the Decade of Evangelism: "Mission which does not have evangelism as a focus is not Christian Mission, and evangelism which keeps itself aloof from matters of justice and human welfare does not reflect adequately the biblical revelation. We must insist on the seamless character of mission and evangelism."

The section report targets four major challenges facing the church:

• the challenge that "God is calling us at this moment" and "is working in the world today quite beyond the limits of our budgets, structures, and expectations";
• the impacts of the global economy, particularly on young people and on the increasing flight from rural areas to cities;
• the "globalisation of the market economy" and its threat to "the identity and life of nations and communities," which often respond to this threat with "aggressive assertion of national and religious identity," which may bring persecution to religious minorities; and
• the need to remain "faithful to the distinctiveness of the Gospel" in a world of increased mobility where people of different faiths must learn to live in harmony.

Stories illustrate report

The 43-page report is enhanced by more than two dozen "stories," collected from members of the section to illustrate their personal experiences of mission and evangelism. The stories represent vividly the human realities from which the report emerges.

Individual sections of the report itself address several themes:

• The section on the church as God's partner in mission envisions a church bringing transformation, rooted in its community and living in the spirit of Jubilee.
• The world God loves speaks to:
• "out of control" globalisation and urbanisation which brings loss of identity and community;
• the global "youth culture," which sometimes renders Christianity "alien";
• ministry with children, which too often receives low priority; and
• religious pluralism, including a list of "30 theses on Christian responses to people of other faiths." Christians must respect the faith of others and have a real desire to listen, the theses say, working for genuinely open and loving human relationships.

Missionary congregation emphasized

With mission as the imperative, the report gives extensive attention to the missionary congregation, the missionary diocese, and the missionary bishop in a missionary church. The congregation is the "fundamental unit for the proclamation of the gospel . . . . The touchstone by which all other activity in the wider church is measured is whether it is received as supporting and encouraging the local congregation in mission."

A clear mission strategy should be "integral" for every diocese as well, with proclamation and social concern going hand in hand. Diocesan structure must enable mission. All dioceses should be encouraged to develop companion link relationships, the report urged.

In addition, "the bishop is, distinctively, someone to whom apostolic authority is given," the report states. The missionary bishop's "primary ministry is as servant-leader among the people of God, sharing his or her vision, and working and living out with the baptised what it means to be a holy people in the place and time where they are set."

Restructuring the church for mission and servanthood ministry requires dioceses to realise that "Episcopal leadership needs to be transformed so that we are seen to be servants of God's mission in Christ to his world," the report states. "Leaders at every level should be appointed who are committed to mission and evangelism, proclamation, and social action."
Specifically, the report asserts that dioceses should recognize that:

"Christ's ministry in the world is most effective when carried out by people equipped in local Christian communities;
the administrative structures of the Diocese exist to serve the local communities of faith; and
the role of leadership in congregations is to educate, equip, and empower the ministries of the members."

Resolutions support section's interests

Section 2 has drafted three proposed resolutions for debate during its plenary business section, scheduled for Wednesday morning (August 5). Draft resolutions are subject to revision.

Resolution II.6 on Future Priorities in Mission, "urges that priority should be given at every level ... to reaching out to those who have never heard, or never responded to the gospel of Christ, and to reawakening those whose love has grown cold"; and calls the people of the Anglican Communion "to be a transforming church by practising Jubilee, and by sharing resources between different regions" of the Communion.

Resolution II.7 on Urbanisation calls on member churches to "give urgent attention to "Living and Proclaiming the Good News" in cities so that "all that destroys our full humanity is being challenged, the socially excluded are being welcomed and the poor are hearing the Good News." The resolution also would "give support to Anglican Urban Network to share information and experience on urbanisation and urban mission" and "support the establishment of a 'Faith in an Urban World' Commission,' after due consultation with ecumenical bodies."

Resolution II.8 on young people "celebrates the dynamic work of God among young people, and their infinite value in the human family," and proposes several initiatives "for the health and welfare of the whole Church," including urging bishops to "give more attention to the furtherance of ministry to children." The resolution would also call on bishops to give "significant time over the next 12 months to meet with young people in their dioceses," to pay particular attention to "the worship forms of the church, including the music, which will be meaningful and challenging to the spirituality of young people," and to give "urgent consideration" to "how best Anglican networks of young people may be strengthened and serviced by the structures of the Anglican Communion."

Susie Erdey contributed to this report.