09.05.2024

Three Agencies, One Mission

In conversation on mission today: the participants of the meeting, among them Rev Dr Andar Parlindungan (UEM, back, 2nd from left), Rev Dr Jooseup Keum (CWM, back, centre) and Rev Claudia Schulz (CEVAA, front, 2nd from right). Photo by: CWM

A meeting of three international mission agencies: United Evangelical Mission (UEM), Council for World Mission (CWM) and Community of Churches in Mission (CEVAA) took place this time in London, UK, with CWM as the host.

The meeting took place from April 23-24, 2024. This meeting was actually an exchange of working experiences from the three general secretaries of the mission agencies, namely Rev. Claudia Schulz (CEVAA), Rev. Dr. Jooseup Keum (CWM) and Rev. Dr. Andar Parlindungan (UEM). On this meeting, the General Secretaries discussed selected cooperation in the field of mission and ecumenism. For this reason, some resource persons from the three mission agencies were invited such as Rev. Volker Dally (former UEM General Secretary), Prof. Leepo Modise and Ridho Simamora (UEM), Rev. Dr. Pascal Bataringaya (CEVAA) and Rev. Dr. Roderick Hewitt (CWM).

Among the intended programs are

• the strengthening of a mission and ecumenical training institution,
• a shared mission conference,
• programs related to the decolonizing of mission in cooperation with the other ecumenical movements and
• strengthening the role of youth and contributing to climate justice.

One of the themes discussed was to reawake and relate the role of mission that successfully gave birth to churches in the southern hemisphere in the 19th/20th centuries in responding to the challenges of the global disasters. The word "Mission" is often criticized in Europe, although in most of the southern hemisphere, the role of European missionaries is appreciated in liberating local communities and introducing health as well as education as a manifestation of the liberating gospel of Jesus Christ.

After the Conference, Rev. Dr. Andar Parlindungan states: "God's mission to the churches in the global south is the real work of God and bears fruit with the birth of the new churches. Without God´s Mission, the ecumenical movement and the global churches will never exist. The task of the church today is to discern the values of Missio Dei, so that the church becomes more relevant in creating justice, peace and the integrity of creation for our world community."