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.

Description: This study is the first comprehensive history of the impact of the modern missionary movement on the understanding of and work toward Christian unity. It tells stories from all branches of the church: Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant in its many types (conciliar, evangelical, Pentecostal, and independent). Part 1, ""Historical,"" highlights the contribution of modern missions to Christian unity, from William Carey and his antecedents and peers to present-day missions. Part 2, ""Ten Models of Unity,"" takes an inductive approach to history, asking not ""how should Christians cooperate?"" but ""how has the missionary movement helped Christians to work together at the local, national, regional, and global level?"" Part 3, ""Wider Ecumenism,"" broadens the evidence to include how the missions movement has helped not only institutional churches but also broader society to have concern for the unity of the entire human family. Included here is the story of how the Protestant missionary movement influenced the forming of the United Nations as well as the drafting of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The study also covers the movement's impact on Christian attitudes toward, and relations with, persons of other faiths. Mission and Unity is the standard reference work in the field for persons studying modern history, modern church history, missions, and ecumenics. Endorsements: ""Flowing from a lifetime of scholarship and activism, this timely book on a classic theme could only be written by Norman Thomas. His panoramic yet thorough treatment of 'missions and unity' will help to restore this subject to the central place it deserves in mission praxis. This useful book belongs on the shelf of everyone who cares about the continued relevance of Jesus' visions for his followers."" --Dana L. Robert Truman Collins Professor of World Christianity and History of Mission Boston University School of Theology ""It is often remarked that missionary work and efforts of Christian unity are vitally linked. What Norman Thomas has shown in these pages is how very true this is. I don't know of any other source that treats the topic of missions and unity with comparable depth, clarity, and careful scholarship. This books is a gift to missiology."" --Stephen Bevans, SVD Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture Catholic Theological Union ""Common participation in mission has consistently been the most powerful solvent of the historic divisions between churches. Yet Christians have frequently disagreed about the appropriate means of mission, and may struggle to agree even about the goals of mission. The twin themes of mission and unity are thus intertwined in complex and ambiguous ways throughout the history of the Church. Norman Thomas's book is a timely and helpful reminder of that ambiguous yet inescapable relationship."" --Brian Stanley Professor of World Christianity University of Edinburgh ""This book is quintessentially Thomas. I know of no one more aptly experienced or academically capable of writing this immensely useful historical assessment of the interstices of world missions and the ecumenical movement. This will become a standard reference on the theme."" --Jonathan J. Bonk Executive Director Overseas Ministries Study Center About the Contributor(s): Norman E. Thomas is Professor Emeritus of World Christianity at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is the editor of Classsic Texts in Mission and World Christianity (1995) and of the International Mission Bibliography: 1960-2000 (2003).

Description: Subversive Spirituality links the practice and study of Christian spirituality with Christian mission. It develops a twofold thesis: grace, spiritual disciplines, and mission practices are inseparably linked in the mission of Jesus, of the early church, and of several historical renewal movements, as well as in a contemporary field research sample; and amidst the collapse of space and time evidenced by our culture's increasingly hurried pace of life, more time and space are needed for regular solitary and communal spiritual practices in church, mission, and leadership structures if Christian mission is to transform people and culture in our time. This requires a subversion of the collapsed spatial and temporal codes that have infected our Christian institutions. Jensen employs methods and approaches from a variety of academic disciplines to explore both spirituality in terms of space and time and mission in terms of deed and word. Specifically, Jensen examines the spirituality and mission of Jesus, the early church, the apostolic fathers, Origen, the Devotio Moderna, the early Jesuits, David Brainerd, and several women in 19th century Protestant missions. He considers the spirituality and mission that have arisen within the postmodern generations born after 1960. Based on the theological, historical, cultural, and field analyses of this study, a model for spirituality and mission is proposed. The model addresses the contemporary collapse of space and time and appears to have widespread applicability to diverse cultures and eras. Jensen's model is applied to the pluralistic and postmodern milieu of North America with recommendations for spirituality and mission in church, mission, and educational structures. A derivative model for teaching and practicing spirituality and mission in the academy, which also has application for non-formal leadership development structures, is also proposed. Endorsements: ""Far too many Christians live in little compartments: prayer over here, mission over there, Bible study somewhere else, even Jesus himself somewhere else again, and all squashed up because of the apparent relentlessness of today's fast-track lifestyle. What happens if we open up the little compartments to one another, and allow the bigger picture that emerges to challenge not only the way we think and live as Christians but the very framework of lifestyle which today's culture imposes on us? This wide-ranging and groundbreaking book provides an answer which will open eyes, minds, and hearts to an integrated vision of Christian discipleship, spirituality, and mission. Jensen's work is rooted in history but open to God's future, grounded in prayer and devotion while grappling with hard-edged practical questions. This is a book all of us in Christian leadership need to learn from if we are to be equipped for God's mission in tomorrow's world."" --N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, Church of England ""This is the book that I've been waiting for in my own teaching. In our technological, postmodern, post-Christendom age we need to hear the call to reengage both a generous spiritual journey and a courageous missional life. Each aspect of formation must rely on the other-and both are the product of the Spirit's clear work in Jesus' followers. My students either think that the church will be renewed by an inward journey or by outward activism. And each group thinks that their way is Jesus' way. Paul Jensen's lucid, scholarly, and empowering book calls us back to a transforming spirituality which nourishes and empowers God's people for the Kingdom mission into which Jesus sent all his followers with grace, love, and power."" --Stephen A. Hayner, President of Columbia Theological Seminary and former President, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship ""This is an important book. Jensen is dealing with issues that others are not and doing so in ways that challenge the church and lure us into new openness to intimacy with God. He co

Following Jesus in mission is at the heart of Christian discipleship. It is not an option for the specialized few, but for all Christians.Six writers with broad mission experience examine current trends in missiology and call the church to renewal in missions. Wilbert R. Shenk, editor. Number 12 in the Mennonite Missionary Study Series.