Changing Frontiers of Mission

American Society of Missiology

by Wilbert R. Shenk

Changing Frontiers of Mission reflects on the history of missions and seeks to discern its path for the future. Ever since Jesus' time, mission must precede the church. The renewal of the church is linked to recovery of this priority of mission. Unlike in the past, where the "frontier" was a geographical location, the future "frontier" is symbolized by outward movement, away from the status quo, and toward new challenges, growth and opportunities.

Genres: Theology

207 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

About the author

Dr. Wilbert R. Shenk, who is well known both as an international missiologist and as a specialist in the area of Anabaptism and Mission, has been the main speaker. He has edited a book with the same title, that is still a classic in this field. Until 2005 Shenk served as professor of mission history and contemporary culture at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California/USA. He lives in Elkhart, Indiana/USA. Dr. Peter F. Penner is Director of the Institute of Contextual Missiology at the International Baptist Theological Seminary (IBTS) where he has served since 2001 in different capacities. Prior to this, he was involved with the St. Petersburg Christian University (SPCU) in St. Petersburg, Russia six years as Rector and four years as Academic Dean as a missionary of the German Missionary Fellowship (Deutsche Missionsgemeinschaft). He is married to Katharina, who was actively involved at SPCU and presently continues to serve with him at IBTS. They have two children and live in Prague, Czech Republic.

Reviews

[Joyce del Rosario · Rating 2 out of 5]

At this point, the book feels dated. There was a shift happening in missiology around the late 90’s and it was becoming more and more evident, but the change hasn’t been truly manifested yet for another decade. The book points toward the new, but doesn’t quite yet know what that looks like on the ground. Also, what is hard to read hear is the diminished self awareness of the colonialism of missions. This tends to happen in most of the missiology books. While there is an acknowledgement of colonial influence, the authors are rarely positioned to truly grasp the impact of this colonial nature to our missions communications. There is an acknowledgment by Shenk and other missiologists for “contextualization”, but there is nary a feeling of contriteness or repentance. It is discussed as if “oh yeah, we should have been contextual”. It is as if it’s a natural evolution of the discipline and not a conviction of the Spirit. But is this enough in comparison to the damage we have caused in sharing the gospel through imperialistic means?

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm, is it OK just to quote?

"Two facts face Christians in the West. On the one hand, we need to acknowledge that Western culture is one of the major mission frontiers of the next century and take steps to respond with the same sense of purpose and dedication as did those who led the way during the modern missionary movement. On the other hand, the crisis in identity facing many of the long-established missionary agencies should not be trivialized by treating it simply as a matter of outmoded policies. I believe these two challenges are intimately related. And yet more is at stake than changing the focus from foreign to home mission." pg 184

"Structures cannot lead the way. They must be devised in response to a vision." pg 185