2016 Global Consultation: Panama | WEA Mission Commission

Reflecting on Panama: The cost of unity

Mission Commission — Mon, 10 Jul 2017 17:28:33 +0000

As we continue to reflect on themes of polycentric mission, as highlighted during the 2016 Panama Global Consultation, we share again heart-felt thoughts by Duncun Olumbe on “The cost of unity”.

You can access his article on The Cost of Unity here. (Please note that this article may not be reproduced without the permission of the author. Please email cilnette@weamc.global to connect with Duncan.)

As you reflect on this paper, please send us your thoughts by responding to the following questions: The cost of unity questionaire.

Partnerships in polycentric mission – reflecting on Panama 2016

Mission Commission — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 14:51:50 +0000

Dear friends,

It has been six months since many of us spent time together in Panama. We want to hear how some of our discussions have impacted your life and ministry since that time. For those who were not able to join us, we would like to draw you into the discussions to also gain your valuable input.

Through a process of listening to the voice of the Lord, and trying to understand the current realities of the world, we set the themes and major focus of our Global Mission Consultation in Panama 2016. We wanted to gain a clearer understanding of how the Holy Spirit is actively moving in unexpected ways in unexpected places.

During this process, one of the questions that stood out for us is a question asked by Todd Johnson: “What does it mean for the future of Christianity that its center of gravity continues to move south and east?[1]”.

Another fact that lead us to our Panama theme was that Bruce Koch found that between 1990 and 2000 the non-Western missionaries grew eight times faster that its Western counterparts [2]

We understood very clearly that the new reality of the Global Mission is multi-centric.

As people involved in mission today, we felt the need to meet and learn about those changing realities, and especially to reflect on how to catalyze conversations around partnership and cooperation among the variety of mission centers, the old and the new, some in the Global North and other in the Global South. Patrick Fung presented in his paper a clear picture of the Biblical partnership, and provided valuable insights to consider as we continue advancing in the cooperation between the different mission centers of the world.

Please enjoy reading and reflecting on his paper (you can download the PDF from this link – WEA Consultation Panama 2016- Paper- Cooperation in a Polycentric World by Patrick Fung) and, join us as we re-engage in communal reflection.

Here is a link to a few questions – we are eager to receive your ideas and reflections on some of the questions raised by Patrick in his paper.

[1] Johnson, Todd M and Ross, Kenneth R., Atlas of Global Christianity, (Edinburg: Edinburg University Press, 2009) 8

[2] Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 4th Ed. (Pasadena, William Carey Library) 2009

Sam George reflects on Panama Consultation

Mission Commission — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:43:53 +0000

Please read the reflection by Sam George, who attended the Global Consultation in Panama. His thoughts are published in an article on the Christianity Today website – ‘Sam serves as Catalyst for Diasporas for Lausanne. He studied at Fuller and Princeton Seminaries in the U.S. and completed his Ph.D. in Missional Theology from Liverpool Hope University, UK’.

‘Polycentric Missiology’ – new book by Allen Yeh

Mission Commission — Mon, 07 Nov 2016 18:14:11 +0000

Polycentric Missiology, a new book from Allen Yeh was released to the public last month. Participants in the Mission Commission’s Global Consultation on October in Panama will have more than a few reasons to be interested in it. Not least of the reasons for paying attention is the similarity of its full title Polycentric Missiology: 21st-Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere with the theme of the MC Consultation POLYCENTRIC MISSION – from all nations to all nations (and perhaps the differences are significant as well!).

Panama in 2016 was the venue for the MC Consultation in order recognize the importance of the Panama 1916 Conference on Christian Work in Latin America. This makes it doubly significant that Polycentric Missiology also tells its story, about multiple centers from which to think missiologically today, in light of the 1910 World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh.

Allen Yeh writes from his position as professor of Missiology at Biola University and offers a book that is particularly useful for opening the minds of University students in the West to the amazing changes in the world that parallel the advance of the gospel over the last 100 years. It is valuable beyond the classroom for documenting what has become of the vision that motivated the World Missionary Conference in 1910.

The Mission Commission embraces his effort to draw attention to the diversity of the Church today, and his advocacy of the idea that World Christianity opens up new locations from which to receive good missiology. Rather than seeing World Christianity as a triumph of the Western globalization project, he describes World Christianity as a location in diversity from which to think theologically about the mission of the people of God: “world Christianity is the scope and theme of this book: it is the new way that Christianity should be viewed.”

Allen Yeh writes to the MC community this invitation to use his book.

Mission today has changed tremendously from a century ago. One of the main differences is that mission “from the West to the rest” has become mission “from everyone to everywhere.” Some of the major world missionary conferences have been indicative of this, most notably the Edinburgh 1910 World Missionary Conference (“the birthplace of the modern ecumenical movement”) being celebrated by four conferences on four continents a century later: Tokyo 2010, Edinburgh 2010, Cape Town 2010, and 2010Boston. However, one of the pitfalls of 1910’s ecumenism was that, in an effort to appease the Anglo-Catholics, Latin America was omitted from the mission field because it was already considered part of Christendom. In an attempt to redress this, the Panama 1916 conference was convened. In an irony of history repeating itself, the tragic parallel in 2010 was that Latin America was once again omitted. CLADE V (Costa Rica 2012) was originally slated for 2010 but was moved to 2012 due to the overly-full calendar, inadvertently becoming a follow-up to the 2010 conferences much as Panama 1916 was a follow-up to Edinburgh 1910. My book, Polycentric Missiology, asks the question: which of the five centenary conferences was the best follow-up to Edinburgh 1910 (or even Panama 1916)? The answer: all of them. Just as one (or two) conferences was sufficient to represent mission “from the West to the rest” a century ago, five conferences–one per continent–represents the reality that mission today is “from everyone to everywhere,” and polycentricity is the new reality of world mission. The missiological questions raised at the five conferences set the table for mission in the new millennium.

The WEA MC’s Tim Halls, who was also a speaker at the recent Panama consultation reflects on the book in the following post: Halls Highlights blog.

The book can be ordered from Amazon.

WEA Mission Commission highlights Polycentric Mission during Panama Global Consultation

Mission Commission — Thu, 27 Oct 2016 04:46:42 +0000

The 14th Global Consultation of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission recently took place in Panama, from 3 – 7 October 2016.

Approximately three hundred mission leaders from more than 80 countries participated in the Global Consultation this year, centered around the theme Polycentric Mission: From all nations to all nations.

Speakers included Bertil Ekström, Timothy Halls, Samuel Escobar, Valdir Steuernagel, Samuel Pagan, Mary Lederleitner, Helder Favarin, Patrick Fung, Jehu Hanciles, Duncan Olumbe and Bishop Efraim Tendero. David Ruiz, Samuel Escobar, Ann Marie Kool and John Amalraj facilitated Bible expositions. The inter-cultural worship was led by Josh Davis and Santiago Benavides. Volunteers from PAAM served the Consultation with excellence.

Polycentrism in mission was discussed and experienced in the kaleidoscope of gatherings and the symphony of voices, acknowledging both global and local realities. Roundtables focused on specific missiological issues and regional conversations looked at the milestones of mission history and possible ways forward in unity and cooperation.

The presentations of the speakers can be accessed via the following link: http://weamc.knack.com/crm#information/.

Two new Mission Commission books were also formally launched during the Consultation. The Church in Mission (editor Bertil Ekström) and Mission in Motion (by Jay Matenga and Malcom Gold) are now available to order on the William Carey Library website: https://missionbooks.org/.

The Mission Commission also celebrated the appointment of Rev. David Ruíz as the new Executive Director of the MC, taking office from January 2017 from Dr. Bertil Ekström, who led the MC from 2006-2016. MC senior mentor, Dr. Bill Taylor, stated, “This event celebrates the MC’s commitment to polycentric mission. David Ruíz is a tested global leader whose mission arena began in Guatemala, then covered all of Latin America and now moves worldwide.”

The consultation recognized the significance of the centennial commemorations of the Panama Mission Conference, held in Panama in 1916. It also acknowledged the gift to the evangelical community of connecting with parallel, polyphonic conversations underway in other global gatherings of fellow disciples, including the Lausanne Movement, the WCC Commission for World Mission and Evangelism, and other relevant, mission-focused bodies.

The following is an extract from the redaction committee of the Consultation, which included Felipe Byun, Samuel Escobar, Darrell Jackson and Ruth Wall:

“In light of the theme of this Mission Commission consultation, we celebrate the potential revealed by attention to the concept of ‘polycentric mission’. In welcoming the insights of those who have suggested that this could be extended to incorporate closely related concepts, we encourage deeper and ongoing reflection upon the theme. This would include a polyphonic mission conversation, poly-directional mission, poly-generational, cruci-centric or Christo-centric mission, and unity in mission.

Taken together with the notions of polycentric mission and ‘mission from all everywhere to everywhere’, these closely-related ideas point to the relativising of all centres of influence and power in light of the claims of the cross and of Christ. This extends over all competing loyalties, whether ethnic, cultural, national, political, generational, denominational, or organisational, and offers a re-centring of a united polyphonic missional conversation.”

Photos of the consultation can be accessed here.

Ends

About the WEA Mission Commission

The Mission Commission aims to inspire, advocate and strengthen God’s mission agenda among the global Christian community. The Mission Commission Associates (MCA’s) serve, catalyze and facilitate global missional affinity clusters for greater effectiveness, developing strategic relationships and resources. More information is available at mc.worldea.org.

Facebook: @WEAMissionCommission

Twitter: @MissionWea

THE PANAMA STATEMENT

WEA Mission Commission — Sat, 08 Oct 2016 10:00:35 +0000

THE PANAMA STATEMENT

MC GLOBAL CONSULTATION | OCTOBER 8, 2016

MISSION IN MANY VOICES: POLYCENTRIC & POLYPHONIC

Members of the Mission Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance gathered in Panama City, Panama, 3rd-7th October 2016, to hear from God’s Word and from one another, to pray and worship, and to meet together in order to understand and respond to current obstacles and opportunities for global missions.

With thankful hearts for all that God is doing to further His mission, we celebrate:

The warm welcome we in Panama from sisters and brothers in the Latin American Evangelical Community.
With evangelicals in Latin America, the significance of centennial commemorations of the Panama Mission Conference, held here in 1916.
The contribution to our programme of indigenous Christian leaders and our co-hosts, COMIBAM, in this centennial year.
In particular, the unprecedented movement of God’s Spirit and of God’s people, often unpredictable and apparently ‘messy’, across Central and South American over the past one hundred years.
The ongoing contribution of Latin American missiology to the global conversation, particularly noting the gift of the term ‘misión integral’ to global evangelical missiology and we welcome the potential for further self-theologising from within this context as a way of enriching our understanding of what God is doing in mission in our time.

The embodiment within the Mission Commission of polycentric connection, movement in missions, and a polyphonic missional conversation.
The continuity of themes emerging in this consultation with those that were explored at the meetings of the WEA Mission Commission at Iguassu, Brazil, in 1999.
An emerging self-critical understanding within the evangelical missions movement that demonstrates a renewed hopefulness and which avoids paralysis.

DURING THE CONSULTATION, THE LISTENING TEAM NOTED:

An ongoing engagement with God’s mission understood as ‘from everywhere to everywhere’ and a welcome momentum imparted by our discussions of ‘polycentric mission’.
A widely spread sense of insecurity, even fear, among members of our evangelical communities in the face of religious opposition, violence and insecurity.
The deep concern about many young people leaving churches in unprecedented numbers.
That emerging missions movements in some parts of the world appear to have reached a plateau.
That, in many instances, the default mode for missionary activity is still one in which the powerful direct and control mission to the powerless.
A renewed emphasis on missionary self-emptying as a more biblical approach, over and against a ‘win- win’ mentality.
The global movement of God and the global movement of people at this time in history, which some have described as the ‘age of migration’.
The limited vision of the evangelical missions movement in adequately understanding and addressing the issues of power and control involved in engaging the indigenous peoples of the world (including those of North America, Latin America, the Sami of northern Europe, the Roma of Central Europe, aboriginal people in Australia and Māori in New Zealand), and in recognising the movement of God’s Spirit among them in many places.
The need for further reflection on what it means to suffer with others who are persecuted for their faith as they engage in mission in challenging contexts.

The Word of God, through the book of Jonah, was a mirror for us, reminding us that when the world is crying for help the church is frequently found sleeping, insensitive to the despair and the need of the people. God may use the storms of life to wake up the people of God and re-sensitize them as they realize that disobedience severs relationship with God, the depth of which can only be expressed with the poetry of the Psalms. This mirror, which makes us aware of our condition as a disobedient people, also proclaims powerfully to us the love, concern, and compassion of our God who can revive and send us again as Christ’s messengers to a world in need. It also calls our attention to the love, patience and forgiving disposition of our God, a love so deep that we can only contemplate it, without always understanding it.

AN ENCOURAGEMENT TO THE GLOBAL MISSIONS COMMUNITY

In responding to the theme of ‘polycentric mission’ we encourage:

Caution in simply replacing ‘mission from everywhere to everywhere’ with ‘polycentric mission’. It is important to continue struggling with the implications of both, acknowledging our inadequate success with the former and avoiding the rush to move on to the latter in the belief that the new and the novel will rescue the missionary enterprise.
Caution in collapsing ‘polycentric mission’ into merely organisational, territorial, denominational, or ethnic categories without recognising its limitless potential for calling us to ever deeper unity.
Generosity in acknowledging the gift to our evangelical community of connecting with parallel, polyphonic conversations underway in other global gatherings of fellow disciples, including the Lausanne Movement, the World Council of Churches’ Commission for World Mission and Evangelism, and other relevant, missions- focused bodies.
Further reflection on what each of the local and regional voices in the conversation brings uniquely to the global missions conversation.
A recognition that the lived experiences of feeling, or of being treated as, either inferior and superior, are consequences of our human fallen nature which the gospel addresses directly. Andrew Walls describes this as, ‘The riches of a hundred places learning from each other’.
A wide recognition that Christianity is both a local and a global faith. There remains the need for the local church to engage its local context in interdependence with polycentric and polyphonic global missions in the service of the greater unity of the Church and its united endeavours in God’s mission.

Above all, in light of the theme of this Mission Commission consultation, we celebrated the potential revealed by attention to the concept of ‘polycentric mission’. In welcoming the insights of those who have suggested that this could be extended to incorporate closely related concepts, we encourage deeper and ongoing reflection upon the theme. This would include a polyphonic mission conversation, poly-directional mission, poly-generational, cruci-centric or Christo-centric mission postures, and unity in missions.

Taken together with the notions of polycentric mission and ‘mission from everywhere to everywhere’, these closely-related ideas point to the relativising of all centres of influence and power in light of the claims of the cross and of Christ. This extends over all competing loyalties, whether ethnic, cultural, national, political, generational, denominational, or organisational, and offers a re-centring of a united polyphonic missional conversation.

IN CONCLUSION

Thankful for all that the Lord of the nations showed us over our days together, we left members of the consultation with questions rather than a final summary statement, inviting others to add their voices to an ongoing global conversation:

How are we to remain faithfully and self-critically open to the transforming influence of the Bible upon our missions practice, as it is read in context?
How can we encourage patterns of missionary spirituality that equip and enable us to the practice of radical love of others so that we can better hear and understand their alternative and diverse voices in a global polyphonic chorus of worship and witness?
In what ways can we ensure that our exploration of ‘polycentric mission’ in this consultation continues to inform our understanding of contemporary mission practice and theology?
In what ways might a trinitarian understanding of God’s mission ensure the adequacy of our expressions of the polycentric and polyphonic nature of global missions?

Members of the Editorial Committee (Felipe Byun, Samuel Escobar, Darrell Jackson, Ruth W.)
October 8, 2016

Global Consultation (3 – 7 October 2016, Panama ): Introduction

Mission Commission — Wed, 28 Sep 2016 16:46:34 +0000

“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord”. 1 Tim 1:2

Around 300 people from more than 85 countries are registered for the MC Consultation. We come from different ecclesial, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, but we belong to the same family and share a common passion for Jesus Christ and for God’s Mission.

The main theme of the Consultation is POLYCENTRIC MISSION – from all nations to all nations.

The general flow of the program starts with a brief historical review of Panama 1916 and the developments in mission both out of the Latin American continent and in a global perspective. Lessons from history will be applied to current realities and the polycentric mission will be described and analyzed.

The fast changing world scenario will be acknowledged in several of the plenary sessions and roundtable discussions, focusing on collective contributions and partnership solutions. So taking the history as a trampoline into the present with focus on the future of mission, the consultation aims to help us move some steps ahead in an obedient, servant-minded and cooperative discipleship for the sake of God’s Kingdom and the impact of the Gospel.

We are also gathering in Panama for fellowship with one another, sharing our stories, strengthening existing bonds and building new relationships. MC Task Forces and Networks will meet and a great variety of opportunities for dialogue will be provided for in the program.

Please pray for our time together, as we are expecting to be refreshed by the fellowship with colleagues from so many different places and renewed by the encounter with the Holy sending Three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Please read the programme narrative, and connect with us on Twitter: @MissionWea to participate in the conversation #PanamaGC2016

New Mission Commission book “Mission in Motion” to launch at Global Consultation in Panama

Mission Commission — Mon, 15 Aug 2016 16:54:26 +0000

Ten years in development, execution and analysis. Nine researchers, covering eight regions of the world. Hundreds of hours of transcribed dialogue.

One aim: “What motivates people to become involved in mission?”

This book reports back.

With David Bosch’s “crisis in mission” as their backdrop the research team discovered that mission is indeed still in flux and concepts of mission are myriad.

The authors survey the history of mission mobilization for the first time in a book and identify four major categories (ideal-types) of mobilization activity. Then global voices speak frankly about what accelerates and retards mission’s flame. While many things can help or hinder mission involvement, consensus fell on one factor that ignites a passion for mission, and it is revealed in Mission In Motion.

This new Mission Commission book, which forms part of the Globalisation of Mission series, will launch officially at the Global Consultation Panama on 4 October 2016.

Please like the Mission in Motion Facebook page for updated information on how to order this valuable new resource: https://www.facebook.com/missionmotion/.

PROGRAMME NARRATIVE – WEA MC GLOBAL CONSULTATION IN PANAMA 2016 (updated June 1, 2016)

Mission Commission — Thu, 16 Jun 2016 08:58:53 +0000

“The most important are not the vessels, but the cargo, all the goods and commodities that are shipped through the canal”, said the vice-president of the Panama Canal.

The application to the Global Consultation of the WEA Mission Commission is easy to make. In a polycentric world of mission, the many kinds of bearers of the Gospel are only important because of the message they carry and bring to other places. Going from East to West, from South to North, or just circulating in the same region, the multiple and diverse missional structures have all the same challenge: to bring hope to a chaotic and needy world with an integral Gospel in a relevant way for people of our days. “From everywhere to everywhere” may be a worn-out expression but it is more reality today than ever before. In the 21^st century mission has many centres and goes from “all nations to all nations”.

Why Panama?

The Panama Canal has an amazing history and you will have the opportunity to know more about it when attending the consultation. The dream of uniting the two big seas, the Pacific and the Atlantic, came through in 1914 after many years of hard work, many “martyrs”, a lot of creative solutions and heavy investments. With larger ships, more traffic and demands of faster delivery, new locks will be ready in a couple of months. It is, of course, the picture of a dynamic world we live in. Almost impossible dreams can be dreamt and become reality. Historic, political, religious and cultural barriers to the message about Jesus Christ can be overcome, although it could require a lot of effort. The knowledge about the Kingdom needs to reach the outmost of the earth, regardless how we define it and “where” it is. At the same time new and different structures need to be created in order to respond to new realities around the globe.

The choice of Panama City as the venue for the 14th global consultation organised by Mission Commission is really appropriate and timely. It is 100 years since the Panama Conference and although the main focus was on evangelisation of the Latin American continent the themes discussed had a wider scope and influenced Evangelicals around the globe. However, the objective is not to remain in the past but to understand the current situation of polycentric mission and search for the new ways of working together in order to make Jesus and the Kingdom known to all people. The dynamic Church in Latin America in general, and in Central America in particular, is an encouraging example of what mission is about today. The encounter of the waters making possible both gathering and scattering gives a consultation gives to Panama also a geographic significance.

The conference centre that will host us is the Westin Playa Bonita Hotel Panama that is located just outside Panama City. It is a nice hotel at the Pacific coast with excellent facilities and enough meeting rooms for the different gatherings in the programme. Although being of a higher standard than needed (and perhaps too luxurious for many of us), the fact that the conference centre offers security, all the rooms needed, the necessary equipment and a good deal for such a gathering, was the decisive reason for choosing the place. And we hope that those who come will enjoy the good food, the nice view of the ocean, the many pools and the various spots for fellowship and prayer, when not in the planned meetings of the dynamic programme.

The consultation is bi-lingual, English and Spanish, and we will provide translation into French and other major languages as needed.

The expected processes and outcomes for the consultation are the following:

Gather the MC community. Almost 300 mission leaders from 85 countries are officially associated to the Mission Commission. But the MC community is much larger including hundreds of leaders that relate to the 25 different task forces and networks that are linked to the MC;
Provide a safe space for fellowship and sharing, believing that it is a crucial need for many of us in leadership;
Promote the interaction between the different networks related to the MC, exploring the enormous potential of working together sharing our different perspectives and resources;
Reflect on Panama 1916 issues and the polycentric reality of mission today;
Provide an opportunity for listening to voices of mission leaders and missional thinkers from a specific region, this time particularly from Latin America;
Give a global perspective of mission, using Panama as a symbol for both unity and diversity, gathering and scattering, historical richness and relevant creativity in advancing the Kingdom;
Launch two new books produced by MC task forces; and
Listen to the Missional God through His word and through His people.

PROGRAMME FLOW

The main theme of the Consultation is POLYCENTRIC MISSION – from all nations to all nations. The general flow of the programme starts with a brief historical review of Panama 1916 and the developments in mission both out of the Latin American continent and in a global perspective. Lessons from history will be applied to current realities and the polycentric mission will be described and analysed.

The fast changing world scenario will be acknowledge is several of the plenary sessions and roundtable discussions, focusing on collective contributions and partnership solutions. So taking the history as a trampoline into the present with focus on the future of mission, the consultation aims to help us move some steps ahead in an obedient, servant-minded and cooperative discipleship for the sake of God’s Kingdom and the impact of the Gospel. Each evening an editorial team will be sharing some of the conclusions of the discussions of the day and at the end produce a document that will reflect the conversations of the week.

The MC Global Consultation in Panama starts with buffet dinner on Monday, October 3^rd, 2016. Hopefully all will have arrived safely to Panama and to the conference centre by then.

The opening evening has a diverse programme with a cultural presentation by employees of the Panama Canal, greetings from representatives from WEA, the Evangelical Alliance of Panama and local authorities. The worship team will already be active under the leadership of Santiago Benavides (Colombia) and Josh Davis (USA). The theme of the consultation will be introduced by the Executive Director of the MC, Dr Bertil Ekström, followed by a presentation of the Panama 1916 conference and its importance for today’s mission. It is also a night for mingle and getting to know new people.

All mornings will initiate with a time of worship and a biblical reflection based in the book of Jonah, led by David Ruiz (Guatemala), Dr Samuel Escobar (Peru/Spain), Dr Anne-Marie Kool (Netherlands/Hungary) and a brother from Central Asia, with time for personal and collective prayer.

Tuesday (Oct. 4^th) morning is dedicated to the missiological topic, “Mission from the periphery” presented by Dr Samuel Escobar and followed by group discussions around tables. After a refreshing coffee break, the consultation divides in thematic groups, aiming to create interaction between the different networks and task forces related to the MC. People from the diverse missional community will discuss specific themes but also try to find ways to collaborate in response to the issues that will be raised.

The topics are:

Mission in Motion – how is mobilization of mission done today and what are the challenges for the future?
Spirituality and Mission – what can we learn from different cultures and traditions?
Training and equipping missionaries for the reality of mission.
Caring and supporting mission workers in a stormy world.
Arts for a better future – using arts in mission.
Contextualized communication of the Gospel.
State of the Gospel: Reflecting on the UPG concept, major religious blocks, underserved geographical regions, the potential of the global church for discipling the nations.
Innovated strategies in mission and sustainable mission.
Mentorship & Leadership transition in mission.
Migration, Displaced and Diaspora – challenges and opportunities.

On Tuesday afternoon Dr Valdir Steuernagel (Brazil) will lead us in a reflection around the theme “Missiological roadmaps for the church” and after coffee break we will spend time in regional groups. The evening will be dedicated to “Indigenous peoples in Latin America” with the participation of three leaders of Indigenous churches in Central and South America.

After the bible study on Wednesday morning, Dr Samuel Pagan (Puerto Rico) will speak on the “Mission journey from 1916 to 2016”, followed by table group discussions. During the coffee & tea break it is time to move to the Missional Fair that will give the participants the opportunity to share and to be acquainted with missional ministries, resources and books. In rooms around the plaza brief TED-talks will also be presented.

During the afternoon of Wednesday we are all invited to visit the Panama Canal and to a city tour. The evening is dedicated to the younger leaders continuum network with a special programme led by Adriaan Adams for leaders in Latin America in general and Panama in particular. The speaker of the evening is Helder Favarin (Brazil/Spain).

Thursday morning will have two missiological topics: “Polycentric Mission” presented by Dr Kirk Franklin (Australia) and “Cooperation in a polycentric world” presented by Dr. Patrick Fung (Singapore). After the lunch break there is time for the different Networks and Task Forces related to the MC to gather for business, seminars and fellowship. Before dinner, all the participants will meet again in their regional groups, reflecting on the relevance of the presented themes for their own region and applying any conclusions to their own reality. The evening of Tuesday will take us further in a projection towards the future with the presentation of Dr Jehu Hanciles (Sierra Leone) on “Engaging the changing global landscape”. The evening ends with Holy Communion.

Friday is the last day of the consultation and hopefully the climax of the week together. After worship and biblical reflection we will listen to Duncan Olumbe (Kenya) on the topic “The cost of unity in mission” and have time for reflection around the tables. After coffee break, Bishop Efraim Tendero (Phillipines) will talk about “ The challenge of unity: Christian witness in mutual servanthood”. The last session will be dedicated to the transition ceremony, installing the new Executive Director of the WEA Mission Commission.

In preparation for the Consultation, please pray that

The Lord will affirm strong, trusting relational bonds as colleagues in global mission service and introduce new relationships;
The Lord may speak to us through the reflection on the missiological themes;
Most participants will be able to discover how God will provide, through their own networks, for their full participation and travel costs;
God will lead some to offer funds for partial scholarships;
The preparations for the consultation will work out in a satisfactory and effective manner; and
The fruitfulness of the table groups and thematic meetings will be places for developing the relationships with each other and with the Spirit of God that will help all of us understand the central role of the Church in witnessing to Christ in our time.