We, the leaders of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission are resolved to ensure the Mission Commission is a safe place of belonging for all existing and emerging missions leaders to share their commitment to and experience of participating in God’s mission, as it is commonly understood in its broadest Evangelical expression.
The Mission Commission, since its origins in 1951, has been an ethnically, culturally, gender and demographically diverse community of people engaged in God’s mission. A chief concern has been to amplify seldom-heard voices within the global missions community, especially those from the so-called “majority world”. This is expressed through being intentionally diverse in our conference participants and keynote speakers, writers for our anthologies, participants in our working groups, in our selection of operational leaders and, especially, representation on our Global Leadership Council.
We concede that our intention toward inclusion and encouraging diversity has not been perfect in our past practice. Aspects of our structures, systems and processes have at times limited involvement or favoured those privileged with the means to participate, whether by economic, linguistic, or positional advantage.
Inherent in the development of our persons, societies, theologies and experience of Christ-centred community, are strong preferences uniquely formed in our locations and experiences[1]. We recognise these as gifts from God useful for missions service[2], but they are not biases we should cling to for our own comfort or gain, or to impose as influence over others. Having the attitude of Christ, we are called to yield to one another[3].
We acknowledge (conscious and unconscious) prejudice in our own hearts, in our respective cultural heritage, in our churches and in our missions organisations[4]. As Mission Commission leaders, we will support respectful dialogue that highlights unhealthy bias and do all within our power to rectify inequalities that are identified within the Mission Commission community. We will not tolerate attempts (intentional or not) to diminish the dignity of others—within our community or elsewhere[5]. Within the theological scope of our commonly understood Evangelical faith, no single perspective will be privileged over another[6].
We believe that in the beginning God created humanity in the image of God[7]. From this creative source all the families of the earth derive their being and their dignity[8]—to live and move and have existence[9]. We lament the corruption resulting from our forebears’ early disobedience, resulting from a desire to be like God, judging good from bad. We trace our experience of sin back to this event and recognise our propensity to pre-judge and dehumanize others not like us as a manifestation of sin and unacceptable in-Christ[10].
We identify Christ as the source who created all things and holds all things together[11]. As the source and finisher of our faith[12], we look to Jesus as the one who reconciles us and our histories to God, to one another, and to the good creation He made[13]. We look to the cross of Christ as the point at which our prejudices are put to death[14] and to the empty grave as assurance of eternal life in a new-covenant community[15], unified yet still honourably recognised as being made up of particular tribes, languages, peoples, and nations[16].
Wherever it gathers, the Mission Commission is a small expression of Christ’s new-covenant community. By the power of the Holy Spirit we resolve to love one another well[17]—honouring the spiritual, cultural and practical gifts we each bring into the community, formed in our respective contexts and experiences. We will not be content with superficial tolerance of difference. Rather, we will seek the mutual transformation that arises from our inter-relationships[18], as we invest in co-learning by listening to one another, dwelling in each other’s histories and griefs, and rejoicing with one another’s redemption stories and calling; seeking first to understand deeply before expecting to be understood[19].
As a missions-focused community, we are intent on co-creating the future of missions towards a declaration and demonstration of the Kingdom of God in all the earth[20]—which always belonged to God even as humanity was delegated to care for and flourish in it[21]. The core of the gospel message, in whatever culture it is expressed, is that the advent of the crucified, risen and returning Christ has made possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the restoration of right relationships with God, all people and creation[22]. We acknowledge this will only manifest fully at Christ’s return, but as the Mission Commission we commit to working as a diverse community to strengthen participation in God’s mission so that it results in multiplying local expressions of God’s shalom-kingdom reality, which we commonly call churches, where few or none currently exist[23].
As examples of principle (not as ‘proof texts’)