Call for Papers: The Past and Future of Evangelical Missions
“The Past and Future of Evangelical Missions”
2020 Evangelical Missiological Society Call for Papers
Every few years, missiologists innovate or adopt models to address the missionary task amidst changing global realities. Some models have enjoyed a long “tail life” and endure for decades. Others are quickly abandoned. Unfortunately, we often move on to the next approach without adequately evaluating the usefulness of earlier theories, or the ramifications for those theories on future missionary work. How did those models actually advance the Great Commission in specific fields? How should those models be adjusted or abandoned as we make disciples across cultures into the future?
Missionary models to consider from the past may include:
- Historical models such as Bosch’s paradigms and Winter’s eras
- Evangelistic models including Church Planting Movements (CPMs), Disciple Making Movements (DMMs).
- Demographic models like Unreached People Groups (UPGs) and the 10-40 window.
- Indigenization models like the 3 selves and the pilgrim and indigenous principle.
- Contextualization models like the C1-C6 spectrum and critical contextualization.
Current models that address 21st century realities take into account the changing face of the missionary force and mission fields. There are more Christians in Africa than on any other continent, Latin America has a thriving Pentecostalism as well as a resurgent Catholicism, and there a strong pockets of Christianity in Asia as well. The advent of World Christianity requires a rethinking of missions. Further, globalization, migration, and new technologies force is to reexamine how missions should be conducted.
As missiologists anticipate the future of missions, we must examine past models as well as the new context. This year’s EMS theme encourages presenters to research and critique the permutations and implications of seminal models in missiology. It also encourages presenters to anticipate future directions in the missions enterprise, especially in light of the need to minister to the next generations and the impact of missions in the workplace, neighborhood, and other sectors of society.
Accepted papers should be 4500-7000 words in length and use Chicago Turabian author-date citation format. Selected papers presented at the regional meetings will be invited to be presented at the annual EMS meeting in Dallas, October 9-11, 2020, leading to the possibility of being published as a chapter in the EMS Annual Compendium for 2021.
2020 EMS conference chairs:
Aminta Arrington aarrington@jbu.edu John Brown University
Ken Nehrbass ken.nehrbass@biola.edu Biola University
Narry Santos narrysantos@gmail.com Tyndale Seminary