This four-part series explores the foundations of Christian mission through the lens of missiology, the study of God’s mission and our participation in it. It begins with the character and mission of God, then considers the nature of human culture, the challenge of contextualization, and the story of the church’s missionary witness across history. Together, these reflections offer a biblical and practical vision for joining God’s redemptive work in the world.
Theology and Missons Belong Together
Although missiology involves strategy and other practical concerns, it must be grounded in theology. Theology is not for some while mission is for others. The two are inseparably linked, such that a faithful reading of Scripture requires a missional hermeneutic [1]. In the same way, faithful mission work depends on a theological foundation. This theology cannot be added as an afterthought. As one author puts it, “sound doctrine must take the ‘driver’s seat’ in our missiology” [2]. Using a related metaphor, Van Rheenen describes theology as both the rudder that steers the mission and the engine that empowers it [3].
The Mission Begins with God’s Character
We must go further. God himself is “the foundation and pattern for the mission” [4]. Mission is not merely a doctrinal concern; it is a reflection of the divine nature. We engage in mission because of who God is and what he has said and done, as well as what he continues to say and do. When we trace the origin of missions, every path leads back to the God of mission. For our purposes, we will focus on four of those paths. Missiology is rooted in the attributes of God, the triune nature of God, the Incarnation of God, and the Kingdom of God.
God’s works and words, including both his mission and ours, flow from his attributes. God acts according to who he is. To begin with, God is the Creator of all things and all people. Those whom the church is called to reach with the gospel were made by God, are loved by God, and will one day give an account to God. He is not one among many, each with their own people. He is the God of all people, the universal God. This belief was central to Israel throughout the Old Testament, and “it was the Old Testament universality that drove the New Testament’s concept and practice of mission” [5].
God is also self-revealing. He desires to make himself known, and this forms the foundation for our efforts to proclaim him [6]. He is a gracious Redeemer, the source of the salvation we proclaim and the initiator of every act in the drama of redemption. Finally, he is sovereign. He is God over all nations, and Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Believing this to be true is itself a missional mandate [7]. When we recognize God as Creator, self-revealing, Redeemer, and Lord, our proclamation becomes both necessary and assured: necessary because there is no other name under heaven (Acts 4:12), and assured because it is not our mission, but his.
The Trinity and the Missio Dei
Missiology is rooted in the mission of God, and that mission is Trinitarian. This is often referred to as the missio Dei. The Father sent the Son, and the Father and the Son sent the Spirit [8]. It is God who sends, God who became the sent one, and God who empowers those whom he sends. The Trinity is unified in this mission. Each person of the Godhead participates in the work, and they act together as one.
Because of God’s mission, he both calls and sends [9]. He calls people into the church, and he sends them into the world. His work is both centripetal, drawing people into himself, and centrifugal, sending them out into the world [10]. When we understand our mission as participation in the mission of the triune God, our proclamation becomes both individual and communal. The Great Commission is a call for every Christian to go and make disciples, and it is also a call to live and serve as part of the body of Christ.
The Incarnation as the Pattern for Mission
Missiology is rooted in the Incarnation. When Jesus came as God in the flesh, it was a missionary act—the fullest expression of God’s missionary heart and the climax of his redemptive plan. He entered the world of humanity as a man, spoke in human language, and lived among a particular people. His mission was not merely spoken; it was embodied. He proclaimed the kingdom of God through both word and deed. And before his ascension, he sent his followers just as he had been sent (John 20:21).
The ministry of Jesus serves as a paradigm for the ministry of his disciples. Just as he was the light of the world (John 9:5), he called his followers to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). When we understand our mission in the pattern of the Incarnation, our proclamation will be both spoken and lived. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word proclaimed (Romans 10:14), but we are also called to embody the message we proclaim. As one author puts it, “There can be no biblical mission without biblical ethics” [11].
The Kingdom of God and the Shape of Mission
Finally, our missiology must be rooted in the Kingdom of God. This was central to Jesus’ own proclamation (Matthew 4:17). In Jesus Christ, the reign of God has come on earth as it is in heaven. This kingdom stands in opposition to, and will ultimately replace, both the kingdoms of this world (Revelation 11:15) and the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13). This final reality has already begun to unfold. We refer to this as inaugurated eschatology. “God’s reign, which was initiated in Jesus Christ, continues through the people who believe in him and will be consummated at the end of the age” [12].
In light of this already but not yet Kingdom of God, our proclamation must function as both sign and instrument [13]. The church serves as an ambassador of the coming kingdom, declaring what will surely come. At the same time, the church is called to live in the present as a visible expression of that kingdom, demonstrating its reality by loving its neighbors and bearing witness to the rule of Christ.
Conclusion: A Whole Theology for a Whole Mission
Although we have not exhausted the God-centered foundation for missions, we have seen that a theological foundation is essential for a robust missiology. It leads to a proclamation that is both necessary and assured. A proclamation carried out by individual disciples and by the body of Christ in community. A proclamation expressed through both word and deed. A proclamation that serves as a sign and an instrument of the coming kingdom. Truly holistic mission must be rooted in a whole theology.
Bibliography
Ashford, Bruce Riley, “A Theologically Driven Missiology.” In Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations, edited by Bruce Riley Ashford, 294-318. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2011.
Stetzer, Ed, “The Missional Church.” In Missiology, edited by John Mark Terry, 99-110. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2015.
Van Rheenen, Gailyn, and Anthony Parker. Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014.
Whitfield, Keith, “The Triune God: The God of Mission.” In Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations, edited by Bruce Riley Ashford, 17-34. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2011.
Wright, Christopher H, “Mission in the Old Testament.” In Missiology, edited by John Mark
Terry, 43-52. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2015.
Wright, Christopher H, The Mission of God. Lisle, IL: IVP Academic, 2006.
References
[1] See Wright, 2006
[2] Ashford, 295
[3] Van Rheenen, 63-64
[4] Whitfield, 23
[5] Wright, 2006, 252
[6] Wright, 2006 129
[7] Wright, 2015, 44
[8] Whitfield, 18
[9] Van Rheenen, 65ff
[10] Wright, 2006, 523-524
[11] Wright, 2006, 358
[12] Van Rheenen, page 78
[13] Stetzer, 102
