World
Missionary Conference has been a significant event in the Christian community due
to its enormous impacts for the ecumenical movements. This Conference has led
to the formation of many other ecumenical endeavors which came after it. This
paper is a short work to introduce World Missionary Conference which has been
instrumental in unifying missionary works irrespective of denominational
barriers.
1. Background:
Spiritual
development and missionary movements in the 18th and 19th
centuries provided a conducive atmosphere that eventually led to the successful
holding of an epochal and landmark World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
1910 grew out of the missionary movement and ecumenicity. Ecumenical leaders
saw unity as an important means in which the church could pursue and expedite
the task of converting the “heathens” and planting of churches.[2]
2. Basis of the Conference:
The
World Missionary Conference met on 14th – 23rd June 1910.
It was a widely represented conference. Its 1215 strong delegates came from
almost 160 protestant mission societies or boards and native leaders from North
America and Northern Europe.[3]
Edinburgh
provided an occasion that gave serious attention to the planning for effective
mission and evangelism of the whole world in this generation. They met together
and expressed their oneness in the daily sessions of worship and group meetings,
besides participating in the main business sessions. The focus of its
ecumenical unity was on the world’s need of Christ and the urgency of
fulfilling the great commission.[4]
The
conference was well planned and it represented the “enthusiasm of missions.” It
was a comprehensive and inclusive meeting. Its emphasis on the priority of
evangelization of the non-Christian world made the organizers of the conference
to pass over issues of ecclesiastical beliefs and rituals. It was so, not
simply as an act of compromise but as an advantage disregarding the question of
just or right. However, there was an implicit unanimity on the authority of the
Holy Bible, Christ’s unique salvation, the World’s immediate need of the
salvation of savior and obligation to worldwide mission.[5] Apparently, it was a
general consensus on these fundamental principles that had enabled the Conference
to see the possibility of cooperation and working together inspite of divergent
theological heritages.
3. Importance:
Edinburgh
1910 was important because of its consultative character in which different
missionary societies or boards could unite together in thinking and planning
for achieving common mission goals. This dimension might well be perceived from
a careful observation of the eight major topics that were presented and
discussed in the Conference.[6] They were[7]:
1.
Carrying the Gospel to all the non-Christian world.
2.
The Church in the mission field
3.
Education in Relation to Christianization of national life
4.
The Missionary message in relation to the non-Christian religions.
5.
The preparation of missionaries
6.
The home base of missions
7.
Missions and governments and
8.
Cooperation and promotion of unity.
These
topics were wide-ranging, realistic and providing indications of people’s
vision for mission and evangelism and experiences from the mission fields. The
conference had the effect of creating a new sense of unity among Christians
from different protestant traditions, national identities and cultural
backgrounds. Even the Anglo-Catholic communion, which had neither shown
interest nor participated in earlier conferences, came out openly and actively
participated in the conference.[8]
4. Impact
The objective of the conference was
for “the evangelization of the world in this generation”. It did not discuss theological
issues or concepts of mission.[9] It was a missionary
conference that devoted to mission. Its contribution might be seen in the way
in which members accepted each other as fellow believers in the lord and as
friends besides advancing in the spirit of toleration of theological
differences.[10]
The Edinburgh 1910 set out plans for
consecutive operation and unity through the continuation committee. Following
the conference, John R Mott toured different countries and held conference with
missionaries and natives leaders. The aim was to translate the visions of the
Edinburgh Conference 1910 on areas of co-operation. The tour was productive as
many national types of councils were organised in several countries in Asia,
Africa, and Europe and in other areas of the world creating tremendous
ecumenical awareness.[11]
Edinburgh 1910 produced outstanding
ecumenical statesmen in the persons of John R. Mott, Joseph H. Oldhan, Robert
E. Spear and others. They were of products and leaders of interdenominational
student movements and evangelical Awakening. Mott’s contribution to ecumenism
was through his personal visits to different countries, eloquent speeches and
writings. Oldham and Speer provided stable administrative leadership,
missionary strategy and kept the work moving on their role through the
international missionary council was notable and wide-ranging.[12]
Another significant impact of the
world Missionary conference was on the subsequent formation of the
International Missionary Council which was an integrative missionary
organization and reflected the concerns of Edinburgh. It functioned to create
interest and stimulate action on world in addition to promoting mutual
understanding, respect and co-operation among various protestant bodies.[13] Besides that, its impact
was also evident in the rise of national councils and the formation of the
World Council of Churches later that served as an important instrument for
ecclesiastical unity.
Conclusion:
Our responsibility in this
post-modern age as people of God and theologians is to share the gospel as a
relevant option for the present context. We have to continue the mission of
bringing in communities from the peripheries: the poor, the marginalized, and
the like to the centre, so that they may all experience the reign of God. We
are called to engage ourselves concretely and creatively in the on-going
reality of the life of the world so that it may be transformed into a realm
where God’s will be done. WMC has induced the wider scope of mission work by
not only sticking to the spiritual and evangelical activity but by going beyond
this and embracing the plurality. The challenge for us is to stay creative,
active and to transform the society that we are in and to be relevant to the
reality around us.
Bibliography
Der
Bent, Van. Vital Ecumenical Concerns. Geneva:
WCC, 1986.
Longchar,
Wati. Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to
Christ today in India. Edited by James Massey and Snaithang, O.L. A History of
Ecumenical Movement: An Introduction. Bangalore: BTESSC, 2012.
Thomas,
Norman. Readings in World Mission. London:
SPCK, 1995.
Wati
Longchar. Kolkata: SATRI, 2011.
Webliography:
http://www.edinburgh2010.org/en/resources.html
[1] O.L
Snaithang, A History of Ecumenical
Movement: An Introduction (Bangalore: BTESSC, 2012), 97. Hereafter referred
to as Snaithang, A History…,
[2] Wati Longchar, Edinburgh
2010: Witnessing to Christ today in India, edited by James Massey and Wati
Longchar (Kolkata: SATRI, 2011), 2. Hereafter referred to as Longchar, Edinburgh 2010…,
[3] http://www.edinburgh2010.org/en/resources.html
[4] Snaithang, A History…, 97-98.
[5] Norman Thomas, Readings in
World Mission (London: SPCK, 1995), 225.
[6] Snaithang, A History…,98.
[7] Snaithang, A History…,98.
[8] Snaithang, A History… 97
[9] Longchar, Edinburgh 2010…,2.
[10] Snaithang, A History…,100.
[11] Snaithang, A History…,101.
[12] Snaithang, A History…,101.
[13] Van Der Bent, Vital
Ecumenical Concerns (Geneva: WCC, 1986), 14.
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