Plenum Mission

This is a recording of the Mission Plenary at the WCC 10th Assembly 2013, Busan, Republic of Korea. The plenary aspires to highlight the common challenges and opportunities for mission, in light of the new global developments. It offers an action-oriented reflection based on the new WCC mission statement, Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes, so as to enhance ecumenical cooperation on future mission work, addressing churches and ecumenical partners to commit anew to the call for common witness.

The plenary comprised of three reflections and two short videos. The session also includes an interval with a performance as creative contextual reference. The three reflections address: first, the pneumatological aspect of mission in the presence of the life-giving Spirit; a theological approach emphasizes the dynamic, transformative aspect of mission in the Spirit. Second, the new ways of witnessing together to the Gospel of life; in responding to the needs of our time it is essential to explore and point to concrete action points. Third, the holistic view of mission towards fullness of life in justice and peace; concrete life-affirming changes that mission has contributed.

Text versions of the messages and greetings from Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan, the World Evangelical Alliance and Rabbi David Sandmel can be found here.

Moderator

Prof. Kirsteen Kim is Evangelical, from the UK. She is professor of Theology and World Christianity at Leeds Trinity University. She is a member of the British and Irish Association for Mission Studies and the editor of Mission Studies. She is a member of the Lausanne Theology Working Group and since 2006 she has been serving as Vice-moderator the Commission for World Mission and Evangelism.

Speakers

Rev. Prof. Dr Stephen Bevans is a priest in the Catholic missionary congregation of the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), United States. Ordained in 1971, he served as a missionary in the Philippines. between 1972-1981. He is currently professor of Mission and Culture at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is also a member of the core faculty of the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute (GETI)

Rev. Cecilia Castillo Nanjarí is Pentecostal, from the Pentecostal Mission Church in Chile. She is the coordinator of the Ministry of Women and Gender Justice (PMJG) of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI). She is also engaged in numerous projects of the Evangelical Church of the Lutheran Confession in Brazil. From 2000 to 2007, she was part of the Joint Consultative Group between the WCC and Pentecostals.

Bishop Dr Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, from the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is the Metropolitan of Niranam in India. He is the moderator of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME). President of St. Paul's Mission, the Mission and Evangelism program of the Syrian Orthodox Church in India, he is also the chairperson of the Student Christian Movement of India and of India Center for Social Change.

Teatro Ekyumenikal is the cultural theatre group of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. It endeavors to promote ecumenism and peace based on justice through the use of drama, songs, dances, and liturgical art forms. The group is composed of young people from the affiliated churches and organizations of the NCCP. It was founded in February 2010.

High resolution photos available via http://photos.oikoumene.org/?c=3272