Missional Formation for Transforming Discipleship

Mission – in the larger sense, beyond the mission of the institutional church – in the 21st century is an urgent and decisive issue. We need to prepare for a transforming mission with transforming discipleship. Together towards Life, along with Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato Si', offer paradigm shifts to consider as we envision mission formation with other parameters – with a different theological and ministerial education. Participation in the world is necessary for any true transformative mission: it is there that we learn and practise the true challenges to abundant life for everyone and for all. Practice alone is not enough: we must always question our own praxis, reviewing it in the light of the gospel.     

Working Together in a Community Garden: Justice in CTC,EG, TTL

From the context of ministry in Guatemala, the author explores themes of injustice and loving service, need and promise in the Lausanne Movement document known as The Cape Town Commitment, the apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, and the ecumenical text on mission and evangelism Together towards Life, with a particular focus on justice and Christian mission. Common elements are depicted through the image of a community garden exhibiting biodiversity and requiring a diversity of talents to flourish.     

Evangelism in Evangelii Gaudium,The Cape Town Commitment,and Together towards Life

The term “evangelization” has a very broad meaning in Evangelii Gaudium, encompassing everything that is subsumed under “mission” in The Cape Town Commitment and Together towards Life. For those two documents, “evangelism” is just one aspect of mission, namely the verbal communication of the gospel message. In their underlying theological propositions, the three documents are very similar. There is one fundamental difference, though: Evangelii Gaudium focuses on affective transformation, while the other two stress ethical renewal.     

Migrants and Refugees: Christian Faith and the Globalization of Solidarity

This article examines how Pope Francis's Evangelii Gaudium, the WCC's Together towards Life, and the Third Lausanne Congress’ Cape Town Commitment bring out three interrelated and overlapping dimensions of mission. When viewed in the age of migration, these include a three‐fold process of denunciation, annunciation, and promotion. Evangelii Gaudium speaks of the denunciation of a globalization of indifference that has made us unresponsive to the plight of the migrant poor. Together towards Life speaks about the annunciation of the God of life through a renewed commitment to justice and peace. The Cape Town Commitment speaks about the promotion of the reign of Jesus’ kingdom through love and service, especially for those like migrants who are poor and marginalized. Underneath the collective vision of these three voices, a more fundamental migration urges the churches to move from established institutional comfort zones into new territories of risk, vulnerability, and possibility. While divisions remain, new strategies are emerging to engage in a common faith, a common humanity, and a common care for those considered least and last in the human community.     

Life,Joy, and Love: Together towards Life in Dialogue with Evangelii Gaudium and The Cape Town Commitment

This article offers reflections on key themes and missiological significances of the WCC's Together towards Life in dialogue with the other evangelical and Roman Catholic documents, specifically, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and the Lausanne Movement's Cape Town Commitment. Organizing his reflections around the significant words in each document – life, joy, and love – as well as other meaningful and powerful words that arise in analysis, the author finds that these three new mission statements cover much of the same ground and are quite complementary, with concern for the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, and the forgotten and disregarded playing a central role in all of them. The article concludes that it is important to study these three documents together, as each has the potential to be a friendly yet challenging ecumenical dialogue partner to the others.     

Chapter Five of Evangelii Gaudium: Spirit‐Filled Evangelizers

This contribution examines the opening section of Chapter Five of Evangelii Gaudium, arguing that in it Francis sheds light on the mystagogy of discipleship in contemporary times. After providing a brief synopsis of these reasons for a renewed missionary impulse using the idea of the “why, who, and how” of mission as a framework, the author argues that the contribution of the section to the church's mission is its eloquent articulation of a deep spirituality of mission arising from the human condition, both at the personal and communal level. Positing that three features of this spirituality of mission – holistic, anthropological, and Christological – constitute some of the most important points of this section, the article concludes that Evangelii Gaudium is a passionate exhortation toward imbibing a keen sensibility of the humanum to deepen and open Christian faith in proclaiming a gospel of joy and hope and, in the process, bring wholeness to people and the world. It is about missio homini that is rooted in missio Christi and, therefore, leads to missio Dei.     

Yes to Mission Spirituality

This contribution explores mission spirituality in Evangelii Gaudium, Together towards Life, and the Cape Town Commitment. The joining together of mission and spirituality is found to be an energizing and hopeful move especially in its refusal to be reduced to the private sphere and fueling of a life that participates in creation's healing. Passion is suggested as a way of reflecting theologically on a spirituality of self‐giving love that stops spirituality turning inward. The unifying vision of the new creation and the contemplative posture toward culture are both welcomed wholeheartedly but have implications and call for a radical imagination about the practice of mission spirituality.     

The Joy of the Gospel of Life

Together towards Life (TTL) and Evangelii Gaudium (EG) convey a renewed and fresh understanding of mission and evangelism that speaks meaningfully to the contemporary context, reminds churches of their primary task of mission and evangelism, and challenges them to reflect on and practice mission and evangelism with joy and life. This essay strives to discuss three important aspects of mission and evangelism that TTL and EG share, albeit with their own distinct perspective. The inseparability of ecclesiology and missiology is one affirmation that is commonly shared by TTL and EG.     

The Economy and Money in Three Recent Mission Documents

While economic issues are not usually much debated in theology, three recent mission documents (The Cape Town Commitment, Together towards Life and Evangelii Gaudium) have directly addressed them, criticizing globalized capitalism more or less sharply and explicitly. However, all three lack transparency in that possible analysis which might provide foundation for the statements made is not visible. Additionally, the critique offered is vague and general except for some relatively concrete propositions in Evangelii Gaudium with seemingly social‐democrat overtones. Thus these documents do not readily connect with economic, political, and social scientific discourses, which reduces their applicability predominantly to the religious sphere and further supports an Enlightenment sacred/secular dichotomy that conflicts with the approach advocated in Together towards Life. In order to increase the relevance of theological arguments concerning economic issues to spheres beyond the churches, theologians need to cooperate with economists and familiarize themselves with economic theories and practices before prescribing policies based on theological argumentation.     

Evangelii Gaudium and the Prospects for Ecumenical Mission

Evangelii Gaudium (EG) is addressed to the “bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and the lay faithful” of the Catholic Church. It comes out of an internal discussion of “the new evangelization” and devotes considerable space to particular concerns of the Catholic Church, such as its pastoral activity, preaching ministry, and devotion to Mary. Out of 288 sections, it devotes only three near the end to “ecumenical dialogue.” So it would not seem at first sight to offer much prospect for ecumenical mission. However, this impression is deceptive. This article compares EG with the main concerns of the World Council of Churches’ statement on mission and evangelism in changing landscapes, Together towards Life (TTL), which was published earlier the same year, and finds a remarkable extent of common ground. It also finds that both documents share an inclusive and holistic understanding of mission/evangelization.     

The Holy Spirit in EG,TTL, and CTC: The Pneumatological Impulse for Christian Mission

This article examines the correspondence in the pneumatological impulse for mission among three documents: Evangelii Gaudium (EG), Together towards Life (TTL), and The Cape Town Commitment (CTC). This consonance in EG, TTL, and CTC is significant given the dissonance on theological and missiological perspectives across the representing ecclesial bodies since the mid‐20th century. Following a review of pneumatology in these three documents, the paper proposes a forward‐looking trajectory to a more expansive view of the Spirit's ever‐mysterious operations in the church, in missions, and in the world.     

The Church in the Contemporary Ecumenical‐Missional Moment: Together towards Life in Dialogue with The Cape Town Commitment and Evangelii Gaudium

The doctrine of the church has always been important to developments in mission and ecumenism – a fact that has been true since the birth of the modern ecumenical movement and is no less so today. This article compares three recent documents – the WCC's Together towards Life (2013), the Lausanne Movement's Cape Town Commitment (2011), and Pope Francis' exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2014) – in light of the rise of a prominent new way of expressing the role of the church in the mission of Christ (missio Dei). This theological development has significantly impacted mission and ecumenical thinking and practice in recent decades, requiring us to consider the church's relationship to mission in a new and important way. The article reveals various aspects of missio Dei theology at work in all three of these documents, and finally looks at the visionary leadership of Pope Francis in calling the Catholic Church to a joyful expression of the gospel of Christ through both words and deeds. EG does not so much address the doctrine of the church as it assumes it. Its concern is far more pastoral: “How do we more effectively and powerfully communicate the gospel in our time?”     

The Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium on the Proclamation of the Gospel in Today's World

Pope Francis's Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium has much to teach both Catholics and other Christians about the way the gospel needs to be proclaimed in today's world. This article first outlines five implications of the document for gospel preaching: the embodiment of the gospel in the church, a message of joy, a message of mercy and tenderness, a contextualized message, and a message in solidarity with the poor. It then sketches four prospects of these implications in terms of the church. The message calls for a church of “missionary disciples,” a church that is “poor and for the poor,” a de‐clericalized church, and a church of dialogue.     

Together towards Life,Missional Formation,and Transforming Discipleship

Adoption of Together towards Life as a new mission statement of the World Council of Churches was a moment pregnant with possibility. Will this ground‐breaking document have a transformative impact on individual lives, on community life, on national life, on international life? The answer, to a great extent, will depend on how far it comes to be used as a resource in education and formation. For it to be used in a relevant and effective way, it will need to be considered contextually. A project has been under way to create a pedagogical guidebook to support the deployment of Together towards Life in missional education and formation. This will promote academic rigour, but will also go further to engage the spiritual level and the challenge of discipleship.     

Making Disciples: Pope Francis’ Paradigm for Mission

This article examines Chapter Three of Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, specifically his explanation of the meaning of the mission of God to proclaim the gospel throughout the world of which the church is custodian. Chapter Three addresses the issue of evangelizing in the context of the contemporary world. In a subtle but clear way, it paints a contrast between previous approaches to evangelization with their shortcomings and the call for fresh ones, or a “new evangelization.” In the physical centre of the document, Chapter Three of Evangelii Gaudium ties together the discussion on the contemporary challenges facing mission in the first two chapters, and the practical needs of the undertaking in the last two. It emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive “inculturation” with reference to everything pertaining to evangelization. Finally, it offers guidelines about preaching an effective homily, an important dimension of ongoing catechesis and church transformation.     

Together towards Life in the Context of Liquid Modernity

Among the “changed landscapes” identified by the new World Council of Churches mission affirmation Together towards Life is the rapidly advancing secularization evident in the Western world. Growing numbers of people live for goals that are entirely immanent, with apparently no transcendent reference to their lives at all. This presents a new missionary frontier for Christian faith, as Lesslie Newbigin prophetically suggested in the 1980s. Since then, the frontier has strengthened, as disillusionment with Christianity has grown and modernity has taken an ever more liquid form. It has also widened as globalization has taken the free market and its values to almost every part of the world. Together towards Life poses this question: How can we proclaim God's love and justice to a generation living in an individualized, secularized and materialized world? It answers this question first by taking a pneumatological approach to understanding mission and thus talking the language of people immersed in the culture of “liquid modernity” who struggle to connect with heavily institutional religion but yearn for a viable spirituality. It goes on to stress the transformative character of mission, particularly in regard to economic justice and ecological responsibility. It takes a radical direction with its emphasis on the marginalized as agents of mission and the communal nature of Christian witness. In a context of plurality, it fosters an open and adventurous approach, making the “other” a partner in, not an “object” of, mission. At the same time, it calls for bold proclamation of the good news of Christ to meet the personal existential crisis that is a common feature of the late modern world. In these ways, Together towards Life strikes notes that resonate in the context of liquid modernity while also making a call to conversion and transformation. It offers, in short, “challenging relevance.”     

A Missionary Church: Introduction and Chapter One of Evangelii Gaudium

The article provides a summary and synthesis of the Introduction and Chapter One of Evangelii Gaudium (EG 1–18 and 19–49), where Pope Francis outlines his vision of the church and the program of his pontificate. He envisions the church as fundamentally a missionary church and sees the role of his pontificate as bringing about the transformation of the church into a missionary church. The article concludes by showing that Pope Francis’ vision of the church in EG echoes Vatican II's decree Ad Gentes and is shaped by his experience of the church in Latin America. Thus, it ends with two observations: first, that with EG, Ad Gentes’ statement that “the Church is missionary by her very nature” ceases to be merely a theological declaration and now becomes a concrete pastoral program of action; and second, that EG, where the concerns of the third world are allowed to shape the vision of the universal church, is an eloquent manifestation of the church becoming a World Church.     

A Catholic Missiological and Ecumenical Appreciation of Together towards Life

The new mission statement Together towards Life does not so much propose new teachings about mission as point out pertinent reminders and reconfirmations of some of our beliefs and convictions about God's mission (missio Dei) in and for the world. The author suggests that among the many challenges expressed in the statement, three merit special attention: (1) the proposal to shift the mission concept from “mission to the margins” to “mission from the margins”; (2) the necessity to underline the intrinsic link between humanity and creation; and (3) the temptation to consider “mission” as at the service of the interests and aggrandizement of individual churches instead of the contrary. He concludes that this statement is an invitation to walk “together towards life” for the benefit of both humanity and the whole of God's creation, and that the urgent challenge is to forge concrete means to make this dream a reality, even in the face of paying the “cost of discipleship.”     

Inter‐religious Dialogue in EG,TTL, and CTC

This article explores how the theme of inter‐religious dialogue is addressed in Evangelii Gaudium, in comparison with Together towards life and also The Cape Town Commitment. Its thesis is that these mission documents of the three main global Christian denominations, drafted within three years of each other, address almost similar contextual concerns in the contemporary era. In particular, the reality and challenge of religious and cultural pluralism leave the churches with little choice but to attend to them, especially given that Christianity has become a post‐Western religion while at the same time the West is also becoming post‐Christian.     

“Blessed Are You Who Are Poor”: The Poor in Together towards Life,The Cape Town Commitment,and Evangelii Gaudium

The present article explores the issue of the poor in three recent major documents on mission and evangelism/evangelization – Together towards Life (TTL), The Cape Town Commitment (CCT), and Evangelii Gaudium (EG) – arguing that they have several commonalities, as well as differences, with regard to mission and the poor. In convergence, they acknowledge a central place of the poor in Christian mission; address personal and structural aspects of poverty; and perceive the poor in close relation to other disadvantaged groups. But they diverge in emphases: TTL focuses on the role of the Spirit of God in empowering the poor/marginalized, acknowledges the agency of the poor/marginalized, and sees them in close relation to the earth/creation in their cry for justice; CTC introduces the issue of poverty in the framework of the spiritual warfare discourse, addresses the challenging topic of the prosperity gospel, and reasons biblically for the cause of the poor; and EG critiques contemporary socio‐economic realities, emphasizes that the church as a whole must champion the poor, and warns against peace efforts becoming a pretext for neglecting the poor. This article argues that a “synoptic” reading of the three documents on the topic allows us to benefit from the rich ecclesial and theological traditions behind the texts, and can engender more appropriate responses for both missiology and mission on this important issue.