Contemporary Missiology – Concepts and Contextualization: Mission in Context and The Cape Town Commitment

Book excerpt: This short introduction book will aim on giving a clear overview of Concepts, Contextualization and Theology in Missiology - Mission. We will look into the church meeting documents Mission in Context and the Cape Town Commitment (the Lausanne Movement). It will describe different elements of what role contextualization plays, what it means to do mission and to be a church in the world, with the task of evangelizing the world. Whenever you see the word Cape Town Commitment I will use the acronym CT, and for Mission in Context I will use the acronym MIC. It's clear that all subjects that are covered in both documents, CT and MIC, are too much to go in-depth. Areas of focus and concentration will be: – Theology of Mission – Practical Context – Church and the Missionary – The Task of Evangelizing – Communication and Contextualization, sender/receiver – Today's Culture, Mission and Strategy in Context I’ve chosen not to focus on the history of mission, but to focus instead on the present situation for the church, God's people, and people that have not yet received Jesus. I see the significance to look back on the history of mission and use this knowledge from the past for guidance into the future. The focus of this task is to review the context of mission in a practical approach. The book is divided into two main parts: 1. The first one emphasizes the missionary theology and contextualization, and 2. The other part practical contextualization. We will also look into and shed light on the core elements of Christian Mission on those terms. I have chosen to include certain points based on the limitation of this task. The reason that I have chosen to not speak about certain points is so that I can go further in depth on the topics I have chosen. List over topics that are kept out or not discussed in depth: – Economical Perspective – Ecological Perspectives – Communicate with other Specific Faiths – Mention how to Approach Indigenous People and Cultures – Historical Events and History – War and Conflicts – Critique of Foreign Cultures and Custom By Henrik H. Koch, Author & Editor B.A in Church Education and Practical Theology NLA University College, Norway