Mission : From everywhere to everywhere
https://archives.anglican.ca/link/article36732
- Author
- Butter, Jan
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican World
- Date
- 2012 September
- Author
- Butter, Jan
- Material Type
- Journal Article
- Journal
- Anglican World
- Date
- 2012 September
- Issue
- 129
- Page
- 6-8
- Notes
- In July 2012 the Church of England General Synod passed a resolution which endorsed its "biggest change to mission policy in 50 years". "As laid out its report 'World-Shaped Mission, Exploring new frameworks for the Church of England in world mission', the C of E has rethought its working relationship with other churches of the Anglican Communion. It is asking its dioceses to commit to principles of partnership that encourage the continuation of a journey from former patterns of dependency and paternalism towards mutuality". Zambian-born priest and Director for Mission for the Anglican Communion, John Kafwanka, stated that "'What has happened [across the Communion] is that money has too often been seen as the only resource. When we ask, "What does the church need ?" the answer has often been 'money'. Whoever had the money therefore had the power'. After the global economic downturn the answer to 'Who has the money ?' was not so always easy to answer. In 2009, John shocked a conference of Anglicans and Episcopalians of the Americas gathered in Costa Rica, by celebrating at least one aspect of the global financial crash. 'I told them this financial downturn that has happened in the West, with all its negative implications, is best for mission in the Anglican Communion because the church in the West are going to start to ask completely different questions now about relationships. 'If relationships had been more or less about money, and there's no more money, does that mean there are no more relationships ?" The Mothers' Union is one Anglican mission agency which is living out the new paradigm in response to the financial crisis. Robert Dawes, regional development manager at the Mothers' Union (MU) global office in London, "said this new way of working is about unlocking potential. 'We knew we have four million members .. but how do you make it so each member counts ? And changes their own community ? If we can do that we can change the world".
- Brazilian Paul Ueti, regional facilitator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the Anglican Alliance, Relief, Development and Advocacy, said "church projects still require funding, but that money 'is not suppose to be the basis for the relationship'. ... 'This model of partnership is very important because it helps the North to see people in the South differently because we do have capacities .. It helps the people from the South to see themselves as a valuable people, people with capacity. We are not just the objects of mission, but the subjects of the mission. We can do this together'." "The Rev. John Kafwanka says such 'out of the box' thinking about mission will be increasingly welcome as financial resources continue to dwindle in the West. He suspects Western churches will increasingly look to successful examples of domestic mission in the South for solutions to challenges at home. 'There is recognition by the church in the West that it does not have the answer to every problem', he said. 'When you deal with that, you are moving toward where we should have been many years ago: relationships based on mutuality and collaboration, where churches can learn from each other and share gifts'."
- Subjects
- Missions - Church of England
- Missions - Anglican Communion
- Wolrd-shaped mission
- Partnership in Mission - Church of England
- Partnership in Mission - Anglican Communion
- Money - Religious aspects - Church of England
- Money - Religious aspects - Anglican Communion
- North and south - Religious aspects - Anglican Communion
- Kafwanka, John K. (John Kaoma), 1966-
- Dawes, Robert
- Mothers' Union - Anglican Communion
- Ueti, Paulo
- Location
- General Synod Archives