Missio Dei: Understanding The Concept And Significance For The Church

What is the Missio Dei?

What is the Missio dei? and discuss the significance for the church.

Missio Dei in the Christian theological Latin term is also known as the “mission of the God” or the "sending of God." The definition of the Missio dei implies the concept of the mission, according to which the mission or the church work is the subset of God’s work, rather than anything with the presence of the independence (Hedley, 2010). This missio dei has evolved from the last 50 years, hence in the start of the essay will give a brief introduction of the term and then to discuss its significance, implications and also the benefits of its contemporary usage.

Missio Dei as a concept or term which has increasingly become popular among the churches around the 20th century mid and also is considered as the main concept for the mission, which is being used by the theologians. It mainly defines the real identity, task, and place of the church of the Christ in the God’s mission towards the world. A church is the God’s instrument for reaching to all of the nations and also all of the tribes with the God’s Word. All of the Deeds arise and are originals from this plus also lead the humanity to live in a total integrated manner with their heart, voices, and head glorify the all powerful God after it is being reconciled with the almighty Jesus Christ (Engelsviken, 2003).

This explains that the integral ministry reaches and also covers each and every aspect of the human life like the growth in faith, repentance, economics, and the kingdom of heaven, all kinds of social issues, politics, science and technology. These aspects are required to be properly addressed in a manner that it further leads the humanity to the Christ where all of the new life grows as well as develops and also provides an outlook to the earth and the new heaven.

Teaching and preaching of the Gospel are required to focus completely on the complete life of a human being. Churches are totally and fully involved as per the God’s plan and purpose for the creation and the redemption. The almighty God employs these churches as his servant an instrument, with a transparent goal, vision and focus in a sinful world (Flett, 2009).

The term Mission is, primarily, the task which is performed by the Triune God, Redeemer, Creator and the Sanctifier, for betterment of this world; it is such a kind of ministry in which all of the churches are privileged to completely participate. The Mission has its own originality in the mind and the God’s heart. The God showers and spread his love to all (Heller, 2009). This is considered as the deepest cause and source of the mission. The Mission also embraces all of those activities which serve to be liberating the mankind from the slavery conditions in the presence of the Almighty God, slavery that extends to the God-forsakenness from the economic necessity

History of Missio Dei

The Mission is the primary as well as the ultimate; the task of the Triune God, for the care and betterment of human beings, all across the globe, such ministry in which the church gives the opportunity to participate (Wyngaard, 2015).

Karl Barth – This is the mission as the acts and the tasks of God.

The God’s nature also derives the mission

The spirit, Father and son sending the church into this world

Missio die is a clear attribute of the Almighty God – and all of the churches are invited to take part in the mission of the almighty which is larger than that of any other missions.

There is a long his­tory with the mission die which can even be traced as far as such old like the Augustine. Aquinas was the first one who has used this term in order for describing all the ac­tiv­ities of the true almighty God; which involved the send­ing of the Son by the father and further the  Spirit send by the son. Refer modern times, Karl Barth, in the year 1932 paper, set out an important idea which explained mission as God’s work. In the paper he also discussed that the mission of the au­then­tic church should be as per the act or the re­sponse towards the mis­sion of the God. The idea was grasped by the Hartenstein, who referred the concept of the mis­sio Dei to differentiate it from the mis­sio ecclesiae; which explains about the churches mission. But later in the year 1952, willingness meet­ing for the worldwide Mis­sion­ary Coun­cil explained and quoted the con­cept of the mis­sio Dei in de­tail (Wagner, 2009). The term mis­sio Dei was in the actual sense not at all taken into use by the Will­in­gen meet­ing.  However it, later on, was taken into use by the Hartenstein in his conclusion of the conference.

The mission was prominently all across the European continent, and the churches of these countries further led to the flourishment of the culture and also hen tried hard to spread it among all of the countries all across the countries of the world. The call for the con­ver­sion is a reminder or proposal for becoming the com­mu­nity part, and also the Church, is from that particular com­mu­nity. While there are oth­ers who ex­press such same thoughts: “The mis­sion of these churches and the Churches are in a true and actual sense the God tools, such in­stru­ments which helps the God to car­ries out his planned mission” (Velloso Ewell, 2012). “These Mis­sion is thus seen as moving from the Almighty God to the universe, here the churches are viewed as the significant tools for the spread of the teachings of that mission”. Thus, the main aim so as to establish these kinds of churches is to spread and sup­port the mis­sio De and the Church struc­tures are present so as to serve the mankind and the complete com­mu­nity in that mission.

Missio Dei and the Church

As per the perspective of missio-Dei, these established churches are viewed as the main bearer and also the worker of peace. The Corinthians 3:9 depicts that church is a land where the almighty God cares through all of his servants, but also over which he bestows all of his blessings. The almighty employs the missioners ministry to proclaim peace in the universe by the Word and also by actions or deeds. Refer this process; the mankind will develop peace to the utmost level and also experience all the contexts of life, namely in all the sectors of nature, health, economics, politics, etc. Churches must continuously pray for peace and also, act as the peacemakers (Sunquist, 2009). Several of the biblical passages acknowledge and confirm this as a commission. Refer these passages; the actual concept of the peace is brought into use in so many of the ways. It means that the overall peace is applicable in the unity, harmony, unanimity and also is closely associated with all of the relationships. The believers’ anticipation of the state of peace has a significant focus in the Old as well as the New Testaments as well. The almighty employs justice and righteousness so as to restore overall peace. Only the righteousness leads to true all complete peace. Restoration of shalom tissue implies that the disciples combine the power, time, possessions and the resources as an important sacrifice for the benefit of the life and the needs as are required by others. Summary of Plantinga’s peace discusses the nature and the effect of overall peace. The Bible, shalom defines the universal flourishing delight, wholeness as the rich affairs state, where the natural requirements are satisfied plus the natural gifts which are to be employed fruitfully, a condition of the affairs which inspires the joyful wonders at the savior and the Creator, widely opens the doors, welcomes all creatures of the world in whom the God delights. Churches are thus the instrument, bearer and the worker of the divine peace, which performs this by the integrating deeds and the Words in its ministry (Sundermeier, 2003).

A famous well known and the classical doctrine on the missio dei as the almighty, the Father sends his Son, and further sending of the Spirit by the son, was expanded in order for including the “movement”: Here the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are to send the church into the universe (Laing, 2009).  Our activity or the mission has not got its own life: it is in the hands of the almighty and can also be  called as the mission, and for all the initiatives of the missionaries which comes from the God alone.

Significance for the Church

The missio die in its actual sense id the mission of the God and is also a planned mission, which is to go beyond the churches as well.  It openly and clearly embraces each and every task which the God is to do in the universe through all the people and the nations so as to establish his complete Kingdom of the world which is all over the churches and also beyond the boundaries of the churches.  Mission, which calls upon all the Christians to participate and also feels immensely privileged for doing that.  So, God’s activities are not at all limited to the endeavors of churches, but these churches also have a significant role, which has been sent by God in the mission of the God (Smith, 2009).

 The historical understanding of the mission of the churches is tended to incorporate significant concepts: that this was sent into the universe; and it also took an evange with it. The important illustration of the modern times shall be of William Carey, who in his obligations and inquiry of the Christians used to mean it Conversion in the year of 1972 of the Heathens (Meiring, 2008). The First part of the work was related to the mission justification, which was based on the continuing applicability and the power of Commission: The Christians are people who are sent by the command of the Christ’, which speaks “therefore go”. William Carey, in the discussed section also makes much clearer that the task which the missionary are supposed to perform is “to carefully and seriously introduce the gospel amongst them (Sauer, 2013).

 This Important illustration demonstrates that the historical Christian understanding as far as the mission was clearly in some ways based upon the complete divine initiative, which bears God’s message of peace and complete salvation for the human mankind (Richebächer, 2003).

There is really something which is both humbling as well as per the liberating to recognise that the God is the only one who acts as the architect as well as the controller of the mission. In case, the Church is considered as a vital product of the God’s mission, a much truer, original and clear perspective is its outcome. All of the Christian Church is made and exists because of the Almighty sending His Son, Jesus Christ and then His actions which have come to us in throughout the history. The Churches are also guided, sustained and sanctified by the almighty. Refer wording of Bosch, “The missio Dei in actual sense purifies the all around atmospheres at the churches”. It is vital that we do not forget any time that the main aim of the Church’s is not to self-replication or just grow numerically these are built to spread the message of the almighty among all the mankind which is to be peace lovers and quit all bad habits (Ziemer, 2015).

Conclusion:

There is no doubt regarding the fact that peace is something which begins with the Almighty God––in whatsoever who He is and also in whatever task He does or performs. When He brings complete peace in and by Christ, he in an actual manner integrally reconciles human by the Words and also the deeds of himself, thus restores all of the broken relation with the mankind. The words gave so as to ensure the eternal peace ultimately results in the church to accept the assignment to all around spread this condition, which further impacts the diverse relationships which are found by the people in themselves (Sarisky, 2013). By preaching the act of peace, churches help to understand peace as the eschatological beacons.

References

1. Engelsviken, T. (2003). MISSIO DEI : THE UNDERSTANDING AND MISUNDERSTANDING OF A THEOLOGICAL CONCEPT IN EUROPEAN CHURCHES AND MISSIOLOGY.International Review of Mission, 92(367), pp.481-497.
2. Flett, J. (2009). Missio Dei : A Trinitarian Envisioning of a Non-Trinitarian Theme. Missiology: An International Review, 37(1), pp.5-18.
3. Hedley, S. (2010). Book Review: Frontiers in Mission: Discovering and Surmounting Barriers to the Missio Dei. Missiology: An International Review, 38(2), pp.230-231.
4. Heller, K. (2009). Missio Dei : Envisioning an Apostolic Practical Theology. Missiology: An International Review, 37(1), pp.47-61.
5. Laing, M. (2009). Missio Dei : Some Implications for the Church. Missiology: An International Review, 37(1), pp.89-99.
6. Meiring, A. (2008). Rethinking Missio Dei: a conversation with postmodern and African Theologies.VE, 29(3).
7. Richebächer, W. (2003). MISSIO DEI: THE BASIS OF MISSION THEOLOGY OR A WRONG PATH?. International Review of Mission, 92(367), pp.588-605.
8. Sarisky, D. (2013). The Meaning of the missio Dei: Reflections on Lesslie Newbigin's Proposal That Mission Is of the Essence of the Church. Missiology: An International Review, 42(3), pp.257-270.
9. Sauer, C. (2013). MISSIO DEI AND COMPASSIO DEI: MINORITY CHRISTIANS EXPERIENCING GOD’S ACTS IN THE FACE OF HOSTILITY. Scriptura, 106(0), p.20.
10. Smith, C. (2009). The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible's Grand Narrative. Mission Studies, 26(1), pp.131-132.
11. Sundermeier, T. (2003). MISSIO DEI TODAY: ON THE IDENTITY OF CHRISTIAN MISSION.International Review of Mission, 92(367), pp.560-578.
12. Sunquist, S. (2009). Missio Dei : Christian History Envisioned as Cruciform Apostolicity. Missiology: An International Review, 37(1), pp.33-46.
13. Velloso Ewell, C. (2012). Missio Dei. International Review of Mission, 101(2), pp.385-387.
14. Wagner, J. (2009). Missio Dei : Envisioning an Apostolic Reading of Scripture. Missiology: An International Review, 37(1), pp.19-32.
15. Wyngaard, J. (2015). Missio Dei and Youth Ministry: mobilizing young people’s assets and developing realationships. Missionalia, 43(3).
16. Ziemer, J. (2015). Seelsorge im Horizont der missio dei. Praktische Theologie, 50(2).