Translatability of the Gospel

Subtitle

Hendrick Kraemer (1888-1965)

• “The church is always in a

state of crisis, its greatest

shortcoming is that it is only

occasionally aware of it.”

The translatability of the Gospel

refers to the ability of the gospel

to be communicated in a

potentially infinite number of

cultural settings and challenges.

Mega Trend #1: U.S.A. as an

Emerging Mission Field• Tertullian’s famous question : What has

Athens to do with Jerusalem?

• Athens – “Mars Hill” – skepticism, dialogue,

dispute, “mission field”, scattered unfaithful,

not the gathered faithful.

• Jerusalem “Temple Mount” – faith,

revelation, cultural stability, faithful gathered

to hear God’s word.

U.S.A. as emerging

mission field (continued) Traditional Seminaries:

pastors and teachers

21st century seminaries:

pastors / teachers / church planters /

evangelists

Changing Face of the U.S.A.

Ethnic changes in America“Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore!”

Asbury in 2025

Wesley: “The world is my parish!”

Today: “The world is in my parish!”

Religion of legal immigrants, 1989-2004

Christians

68%

Muslims

10%

Nonreligious

7%

Buddhists

5%

Jews

0%

Neoreligionists

1%

Ethnoreligionists

2%Chinese universists

2%Hindus

4%

Atheists

1%

Homogenization? Or...

...Time for a jumbo crayon pack?

*New church planting movements and

networks

* Response to New Atheism / unbelief

* Robust gospel to address the decline in

spiritual vibrancy of mainline churches

and the Gospel “lite” of mega-church

Mega-Trend #2: Emergence of

Majority World Church

1. Shift in the “center of

gravity”

We are in the midst of the

most dramatic re-alignment

in Christian demography in

the history of the world!

Southern Shift of Christianity

Shift in Christianity by Mega-Sphere “Windows”

Graph 1. Christians, North and South, by Percentage, AD 33-AD 2100

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

33 100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

1100

1200

1300

1400

1500

1600

1700

1800

1900

2000

2100

Year

50%

South

North

100 year change in religious

identity as a percent of the world

Center of Population of USA,

1790-2000

Center of Population of USA,

1790-2000

Emergence of Majority World

Church

• 2. Evangelism vs. church planting gap

(leadership development)

• “The global evangelistic movement is

far outpacing the global church planting

movement.”

Evangelism…. Church Planting /

Leadership?

Emergence of Majority World

Church

• 3. Emergence of Fourth Branch of

Christianity 1900

• Roman Catholic 266 mil.

• Eastern Orthodox 115 mil.

• Protestants /Anglican 103 mil.

• Independent 8 mil.

Emergence of Majority World

Church

• 3. Emergence of Fourth Branch of

Christianity 2000

• Roman Catholic 1.1 billion

• Independent 423 million

• Protestants /Anglican 386 million

• Eastern Orthodox 252 million

MainlineProtestant

(North Americaand Europe)

Fourth Frontier:Preaching to the World-Oriented

Graph by Global Mapping International, (719) 531-3599

OMEGA_5 07/99

Data from Patrick Johnstone, Operation World data files, 1993

OmegaTransparency 5

Frontier 4 Frontier 2 Frontier 3Frontier 4

1960-2000

1900 Xns 2010 Xns 2050 Xns

USA 73 USA 251 USA 329

Russia 62 Brazil 167 China 218

Germany 42 China 111 Brazil 202

France 41 Mexico 102 DR Congo 145

Britain 37 Russia 84 India 137

Italy 33 Philippines 74 Mexico 131

Ukraine 29 India 68 Nigeria 130

Poland 22 Germany 62 Philippines 112

Spain 19 Nigeria 61 Ethiopia 104

Brazil 17 DR Congo 53 Uganda 95

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 2020

White

NonWhite

Global Ethnic Background of Christians

1900-2025

3. Mega-Trend #3: Renewal in

our understanding of the power of

God’s Word!

“Famine for the Word of God” –

Amos 8:11

Neill McGregor, Nat. Gal. of Art

Biblical literacy

“Theologically educate”

Applications to our context in N.

America

(1) Re-emergence of Catechesis (church and

home)

• (2) Missional churches

• (3) Pastors assigned to “communities” not

merely to a “church”

• (4) Building distinctive Christian communities

Missional Church

• The missional church is one where people are

exploring and rediscovering what it means to

be Jesus' sent people as their core identity.

Invitation to a Missional

adjustment…..• The word mission was originally about God

and His redemptive initiative, not about us and

what we were doing. However, in its popular

usage within the church, it seems that the word

mission has now come to refer almost

exclusively to various tasks which the church

is doing.

• Invitation to World Missions

Mission vs. Missions

• Mission – God’s redemptive, historical

initiative on behalf of His creation.

• Missions – All the specific and varied ways in

which the church crosses boundaries to reflect

the life of the Triune God in the world, and

through that identity, participates in His

mission, celebrating through word and deed

the in-breaking of the New Creation.

Missional model

• From attractional to incarnational…

• From uniformity to diversity…

• From “seating” to sending…

• From decision to disciple…

• From services to service…

• From programs to process…

• From marketing to missional

Rebirth of Catechesis

• Catechumen – Mystagogy Model

• Lent to Easter / Easter to Pentecost

• Celtic Model

• community, monastic, relational not doctrinal

• Catechisms – shorter (home) and longer (church)

– Q and A

Catechesis

• Ten Commandments

• Lord’s Prayer

• Apostles’ Creed

• Great Commandments

• Sermon on the Mount

Catechesis Models (cont.)

• Wesleyan Catechesis

• “My great desire to have Christ

formed in my heart by faith.”

(John Wesley, 9, 24)

Pre Baptism catechesis

• Do you renounce the spiritual forces of

wickedness?

• Do you repent of your sin?

• Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior?

• Do you put your whole trust in his grace?

• Do you promise to serve him as your Lord?

• Questions for Baptismal Covenant

Society – Holy Club

• For John Wesley, a society was

• "united in order to pray together,

• to receive the word of exhortation,

• and to watch over one another in love,

• that they may help each other to work out their

salvation."

• [The Works of John Wesley, Vol. 9, 69)

Canonical Sermons & Wesley’s

Notes to the NT

• 52 canonical sermons

• Wesley’s notes

• Doctrinal consistency

By 1735 the following in place:

• The willingness to submit to discipline;

• the importance of an experiential knowledge;

• Pursuit of holiness / second blessing

• Catechesis ….Baptismal covenant ….

accountabilty groups ….canonical sermons…

service to the poor, growth in holiness (going

on to perfection)

Catechesis Models (cont.)

• Means of grace –

prevenient/justifying/sanctifying

• Community (small accountability groups) –

formational accountability

• Canonical sermons , notes – doctrinal clarity

• External practice of piety – serving poor

, gr

Spiritual

Formation:

Holiness

Grace

Small group

Accountability

Service

Doctrine