‘The 21st century missional trends have created a context that makes networking the desirable path for world mission,’ Everton Jackson writes in the introduction of his article, ‘Affirming Our Common Calling: Interdependence for polycentric mission’. What is this new context of mission with all the changes? How best can we do mission in the 21st century?
The author seeks to answer these questions and proposes to use missional koinonia as the framework for mission networking. ‘Missional koinonia connotes the idea of God’s people in partnership together with God and with one another for the holistic transformation of God’s creation that is groaning for restoration.’ It ‘strives for complementarity not competition; division of labour not monopoly; shared mission not divided purpose; and equal status not inequality.’ He concludes with a word of advice: ‘The missional flourishing being experienced in the Majority World or Global South should not be seen as missional privilege but the positioning of all God’s people to be servant partners. And so, rather than becoming preoccupied with the notion of reverse mission, let the focus be on partnership, networking, collaboration, and interdependence.’
Michael Prest applies this principle to international mission agencies in ‘Collaboration not Control: Rethinking the international agency model in the pursuit of mutual mission sending partnerships with the Majority World’. ‘For all the talk of polycentrism in mission circles today,’ he observes that ‘international mission organizations may be international in personnel, but remain Western in organization and structures.’ As the context of mission has changed radically, he challenges large multinational mission agencies to consider an alternative structure—’something that retains the benefits of international relationships but keeps decision making and appropriate mission sending models truly in the hands of those on the ground.’ One example from his experience is the model of UFM Worldwide which is ‘a network or fellowship of mission sending organizations and churches that voluntarily associate together.’ We can learn from this model which demonstrates ‘a true polycentrism to the fellowship, with learning shared in each direction between each constituent group.’
Not only organizational structure but also the kind of leadership needs to adapt to the changes in our complex world today. In ‘Adaptive Leadership: Leading in disruptive and stormy times’ Gideon Para-Mallam writes, ‘Adaptive leadership helps the leader sail the high seas of change and unpredictability and maximise the opportunities that lie in change.’ He elaborates on the key components and principles of adaptive leadership. The key components are: organizational justice, developmental culture, quality character, and emotional intelligence. Putting adaptive leadership into practice is the most challenging part. Despite these challenges, the author is convinced that ‘adaptive leadership is a great way to ensure that a church, mission agency, or organization thrives no matter how stormy the times are characterized by local and global realities.’
When leaders feel threatened that their power and authority may be taken away from them due to changes in circumstances, they could become controlling towards those they work with. This could happen in both Western and non-Western organizations. This would amount to abuse or misuse of powers, even if acted unintentionally or unconsciously, as warned in ‘Abusive Leadership: Preventing abuse and misuse of power in Christian ministry’. The author, Merethe Dahl Turner, brings a fresh awareness of what amounts to abuse and misuse of power and how to prevent it in Christian leaders. She highlights four important areas, both in preventing deliberate perpetrators and unintentional abuse or enabling of abuse: education and training, policies and procedures, culture, and character and emotional wellbeing.
How would you choose to act as Christian leaders—working in mutual partnership or unequal relationship, being collaborative or controlling, being adaptive or abusive?
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