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Mission in the Twenty-First Century - Exploring the Five Marks of Global Mission

Reviewed by Steven Henwood.

The latest edition of Religious Trends published by Christian Research makes depressive reading. Church attendance is down in every denomination and if the decline continues, by 2035 there will be more Muslims than Christians in the UK.

This book is a collection of essays about Mission is produced by reflective practitioners rather than academics. The writers are based in diverse situations and places. There is an Assistant Bishop in Kampala, a World Vision Vice President from Brazil and an Associate Professor of Christian studies in Kobe, Japan, among the 19 contributors. They all tell their own stories.

Prior to their stories, we have a section on the Five Marks of Mission namely:

            To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom

            To Teach, Baptise, and Nurture New Believers

            To respond to Human Need by Loving Service

            To seek to Transform Unjust Structures of Society

            To Strive to Safeguard the Integrity of Creation and Sustain and Renew the Life of the Earth.

This is a stimulating book and a reminder that mission is no longer a Great European Migration into the rest of the world. There are many instances of the world beyond Europe sending mission workers to this largely secular continent.

Reading this book will not stop the decline of British Christianity, but it may stimulate readers to think of mission and not maintenance, and of credible witness rather than chasing the next reported manifestation of Holy Spirit which seems to bring strange things rather than bold witnesses for the Gospel of Christ.