Missiology is the study of the mission of the Christian church, especially the sending of missionaries to foreign lands. The term comes from the Latin word missio meaning “act of sending” and the Greek word logos meaning “word, discourse, study.” As a discipline, missiology looks at the biblical basis for missions, the history of missions, current mission strategies and methodologies, and the cultural and religious contexts missions take place in. Some key aspects of missiology include:
Biblical Basis for Missions
The Bible provides the foundation for Christian missions. Some key biblical themes related to missiology include:
- The Great Commission – Jesus commanded his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). This provides the mandate for missions.
- Heart for the Nations – God’s plan has always been to bless and reach the nations, starting with the promise to Abraham that through him all peoples on earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).
- The Gospel – The saving message of Jesus Christ is meant to be preached to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, language, or culture (Mark 16:15, Romans 1:16).
- Role of the Church – The church is meant to take an active role in spreading the gospel, especially to those who have little access to the message (Acts 13:1-3).
- Holy Spirit Empowerment – Missions are meant to be carried out in the spirit and power of the Holy Spirit, who empowers and guides the work (Acts 1:8).
- Kingdom of God – God’s plan is to bring people from every nation into his Kingdom, which has no geographic borders (Revelation 7:9).
These and other biblical themes directly impact how missions are thought about, organized, and practiced. Missiology develops theology of missions based on comprehensive biblical study.
History of Missions
Looking at the history of missions provides insight into strategies, challenges and opportunities that can guide mission practice today. Some key aspects of mission history include:
- Early Church – The gospel spread rapidly in the early church through traded routes and population centers, establishing churches across the known world.
- Middle Ages – Missionary activity declined but continued in areas like northern Europe and Asia through monks and friars.
- Age of Discovery – With European exploration, Catholic missionaries spread to colonies in India, Asia and the Americas.
- Protestant Reformation – Protestant mission societies emerged that sent missionaries abroad throughout British and Dutch colonies.
- Modern Missions Movement – In the 18th-19th centuries, Protestants established mission societies that targeted “unreached” groups and sent thousands of career missionaries.
- Recent Trends – Modern missions has seen national churches emerge around the world, focus on unreached people groups, and greater partnership between churches globally.
Studying this history helps inform mission practice and avoid repeating past mistakes while building on successes.
Mission Strategies and Methodologies
A major focus of missiology is identifying and evaluating different mission strategies and methodologies to spread the gospel effectively in various contexts. Some key elements studied include:
- Church Planting – Planting new churches is a primary method of establishing the church in an area that does not have an existing church presence.
- Bible Translation – Translating the Bible into indigenous languages allows people to encounter scripture in their heart language.
- Literature Distribution – Producing and distributing Christian literature like tracts and books helps disseminate the gospel message.
- Media Evangelism – Technology and media like radio, television and internet allow the gospel to reach people remotely and on a large scale.
- Education and Training – Bible schools, seminaries and leadership training help educate and equip indigenous mission workers and church leaders.
- Medical Missions – Providing medical and social services gives opportunity to minister holistically and build relationships.
- Business as Mission – Legitimate business activities can facilitate missions in restricted access regions.
- Short-term Missions – Sending teams on short missions trips can accomplish needed tasks and expose more people to missions.
Evaluating these methodologies in varying cultural situations is a significant part of missiology.
Cultural and Religious Contexts
A major focus of missiology is studying the different cultural and religious contexts that missionaries encounter so gospel communication can be adapted appropriately. This includes understanding:
- Culture – Social organization, customs, arts, values and behaviors that distinguish a society and impact how the gospel is communicated and embodied.
- Language – Medium to communicate the gospel in ways people understand, requiring both learning and translation skills.
- Worldview – The cognitive framework of beliefs, values and existential interpretations shared by a culture or people group.
- Folk Religion – Indigenous religious beliefs and practices that enchant the culture.
- Major Religions – Dominant religious systems like Islam or Buddhism that shape the spiritual climate.
- Spiritual Beliefs – Understanding of God, man, salvation and the spiritual realm that influence reception of the gospel.
- Receptivity Factors – Elements that make a people group more or less open to change and embracing the gospel message.
Gaining cultural insight prevents imperialistic attitudes and enables the gospel to speak to people meaningfully within their own context. Missiology aims to equip missionaries for this intercultural sensitivity and contextualization.
Theology of Religions
A significant question missiology wrestles with is how Christianity relates to other religions. Several main perspectives are:
- Exclusivism – Christianity alone is true, salvation requires explicit faith in Christ.
- Inclusivism – Salvation may be implicitly available through Christ to some adherents of other faiths.
- Pluralism – All religions provide valid paths to salvation.
- Fulfillment Theology – Christ fulfills the truths, values and longings found implicitly in other religions.
Missiology examines these perspectives biblically and theologically to address how missionaries should approach proclaiming the uniqueness of Christ in religious contexts that differ from traditional exclusivism. This impacts inter-religious dialogue and evangelistic message.
Indigenous Missions and Leadership
An evolving area of missiology is the development of indigenous mission efforts led by local leaders rather than foreign missionaries. Key principles are:
- Nationals Reaching Nationals – People sharing the gospel within their own culture, which removes cross-cultural barriers.
- Training Local Leaders – Equipping indigenous church leaders enhances sustainability and relevance of the church.
- Contextualization – Expressing theology and praxis in local forms resonates with the culture.
- Self-Propagating – Local mission movements that spread without needing ongoing outside inputs.
- Self-Supporting – Developing local funding models to resource the work and prevent dependence.
- Self-Governing – Leadership and authority structured under local elders rather than foreign control.
Advocating for indigenous mission leadership is a strategic part of twenty-first century missiology.
Unreached and Unengaged People Groups
Modern missiology uses research to identify which people groups are still unreached or unengaged with the gospel. Key concepts are:
- People Group – An ethnolinguistic grouping with shared identity characteristics like language, culture, ethnicity.
- Unreached – Less than 2% Evangelical Christian, lacking adequate gospel witness.
- Unengaged – No existing church planting methodology underway to reach them.
- Hidden Peoples – Groups with little interaction with the outside world or awareness of Christianity.
These distinctions help prioritize reaching those with little or no access to the gospel message within their cultural context.
Trends and Developments
Some current trends shaping modern missiology include:
- Global South – Majority of Christians now reside in Africa, Asia and Latin America shifting missions focus.
- Holism – More integrated view of proclaiming and demonstrating the gospel in word and deed.
- Partnership – Shared mission vision across global and multi-ethnic networks and conferences.
- Short-term Missions – Increasing role but requiring better training and coordination.
- Technology – New media like internet facilitating virtual missions and remote ministry access.
- Opposition – Growing worldview clashes and restrictions requiring contextualization.
- Migration – Diaspora flows generating refugee ministries and multi-ethnic churches.
- Insider Movements – Converting within socio-religious community without changing external identity.
Missiology incorporates these developments, assessing their implications through biblical, historical and strategic lenses.
Application to Mission Practice
A fundamental aim of missiology is to improve the practice of missions through theoretical study, field data and historical reflection. Some of the practical values include:
- Informs Strategy – Study shapes mission priorities and methods to make them contextually appropriate and maximize effectiveness.
- Strengthens Candidates – Teaching ensures missionaries are theologically, motivationally and skill-wise prepared for cross-cultural ministry.
- Lessens Mistakes – Learning from history helps avoid repeating past errors and build on what has worked.
- Promotes Sensitivity – Develops cultural understanding essential for indigenous receptivity and avoiding offense.
- Guards Orthodoxy – Provides sound biblical models for communicating theology across cultures.
- Catalyzes Movement – Research on dynamics of people movements helps catalyze rapid expansion.
- Enhances Reflection – Field data feedback allows thoughtful contextualization and strategy improvement.
Missiology aims for informed, fruitful practice of missions rooted in scripture and applied appropriately to each context.
Conclusion
In summary, missiology is the academic study of the mission of the church to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. It builds a biblical theology and philosophy of missions but also analyzes history, develops strategy, and applies interdisciplinary understanding to improve the global practice of missions within diverse cultural contexts all for the goal of seeing people from every tongue, tribe and nation incorporated into the Kingdom of God. Missiology as a discipline aim to provide practical guidance for obedient, wise mission efforts that bear good fruit and bring glory to God.