Evangelical Missiological Society, "EMS Southwest Regional Meeting", April 4th 2024

Richard Cook, Logos Evangelical Seminary

Ecclesiology and Evangelical Missionaries: 1900 to the Present (Part 2)

To understand the history of the missionary experience, I compare three classic textbooks on the life of a missionary from distinct eras. Contrasts yield insight into each epoch, whereas consistencies crystallize timeless truths. Scouring each work for insights into ecclesiology and missions reveals a remarkable progression of the understanding of the church.

In 1907, Arthur J Brown provided an entire chapter on the “home” church, discussing its role including letters, furloughs, and adequate support. Later, a second chapter turns its attention to the “native” church. One particularly fascinating section deals with why missionaries might fear allowing for the independence of the Indigenous churches.

Like Brown, in 2008 Steffen and Douglas include a robust discussion of ecclesiology and missions. Nonetheless, the context has transformed. There is no longer a clear dichotomy between the “home” and “native” churches, as missions is constantly evolving in the direction of “from everywhere to everyone (Samuel Escobar).”

Most startling, however, was J Herbert Kane’s contribution in 1980. He does not have a chapter on either home or native churches, and he seems to include little on ecclesiology. I believe he represents a transitional moment in evangelical conceptions of the “church” that is worthy of thoughtful examination.

The three volumes, from 1907, 1980, and 2008, represent the church and missions at three discrete moments in time and, as I will show, reflect the inexorable movement toward our contemporary understanding of the Global Church.