Preface to the Second Edition
We live in a rapidly changing world. These changes affect the way the advancing World Christian Movement perceives its mandate and carries out its task. The Second Edition of World Mission has tried to analyze these trends and incorporate their discussion into the text. Two-Third World missions, reaching rapidly expanding cities, mission to the world’s poor and destitute, the 10/40 window, strategic partnerships, church/mission tension—these and other current issues are woven into the discussion of the biblical, historical, strategic, and cross-cultural foundation of missions, improving and strengthening these basic themes.
The editors have worked closely with the Perspectives office at the U.S. Center for World Mission in Pasadena, California, to assure that these manuals are suited for students participating in their extension courses. Questions have been improved, and the research assignment has been redesigned to enhance the application of the end-product.
Organization and Use of This Manual World Mission: An Analysis of the World Christian Movement is a manual that can be used by study groups in a formal or informal educational setting. The manual is in three parts, each being a separate unit.
• Part One, The Biblical/Historical Foundation, examines the roots of world mission, including its origin and its development through the ages.
• Part Two, The Strategic Dimension, defines the remaining mission task and the strategies necessary to reach the unreached.
• Part Three, Cross-Cultural Considerations, explores the challenge of cross-cultural communication of the gospel.
Each of the 15 chapters of this manual is divided into three study units. Each unit develops a distinct concept and relates it to the material studied in the preceding units. Questions interspersed throughout the text direct the reader’s attention to key points and stimulate reflection on the readings.