Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission: Global Mission Issues Committee Papers Volume 2, 2002-2005

Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Books World Mission 2006 Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission: Global Mission Issues Committee Papers Volume 2, 2002-2005 Bruce Bauer Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/missions-books Part of the Missions and World Christianity Commons TO CROSS-CULTURAL MISSION Global Mission Issues Committee Papers Volume II 2002-2005 Bruce L. Bauer, Editor Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission Global Mission Issues Committee Papers Volume II 2002-2005 Bruce L. Bauer E d itor To order additional copies of Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission, Vol. II compiled and edited by Bruce L. Bauer Call 269-471-6505 or write Department of World Mission Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1500 ANDREWS UNIVERSITY MISSION STUDIES-IV Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission Volume II Bruce L. Bauer Editor Other Books in the Series A M an with a Vision. Mission: A Festschrift Honoring Russell L. Staples Faith Development in Context: Presenting Christ in CreativeW ays Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission, Vol. I Department of World Mission Andrews University Berrien Springs, Michigan 2007 Copyright © 2007 by Department of World Mission Andrews University The authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations in this book. Editor Bruce L. Bauer Copy editors Linda Bauer and Kathy Ekkens Layout Marcus Frey Cover Design Marcus Frey Printed at LithoTech Andrews University Berrien Springs, Michigan 49104 Contents Introduction ix Mike Ryan Section I. April 8-9, 2002 Chapter 1 The Fundamental Beliefs and Globalization 1 Bertil Wiklander Chapter 2 One Brief Case Study of the Use or Non-Use of the 27 Fundamental Beliefs and the Baptismal Vow 7 James Coffin Chapter 3 The Urban Contextualization of the Fundamental Beliefs 11 Bruce Campbell Moyer Chapter 4 Sharing the 27 Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists with the Jewish People 21 Richard Elofer Chapter 5 Buddhism and the 27 Fundamentals 35 Pat Gustin Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission Chapter 6 Communicating Adventist Beliefs in the Muslim Context 41 Jerald Whitehouse Chapter 7 Ethno-Religionists and Adventist Fundamentals: Are Their Spiritual Needs Met? 63 Borge Schantz Chapter 8 Expanding Missions Implication for Fundamental Beliefs and Church Unity 81 Jon L. Dybdahl Chapter 9 2002 Recommendations and Approved Statements 93 Section II. April 6-7, 2003 Chapter 10 Who Can Administer the Sacraments? 99 James Coffin Chapter 11 Contextualization of the Communion Service 107 Bruce Campbell Moyer Chapter 12 Evangelism Among Resistant Peoples With Deeply Entrenched Polygamy 113 Russell L. Staples Chapter 13 Adapting the Church Manual 151 Pat Gustin vi Contents Chapter 14 Decentralization to Facilitate Mission 161 Bruce L. Bauer Chapter 15 2003 Recommendations and Approved Statements 173 Section III. April 5-6, 2004 Chapter 16 2004 Recommendations and Approved Statements 179 Section IV. April 4-5, 2005 Chapter 17 The Jerusalem Council 191 Gorden R. Doss Chapter 18 Variations in Administrative Relationships for Special Situations With “Emerging Spiritual Movements in ‘Creative Access’ Environments” 199 Jerald Whitehouse Chapter 19 Special Arrangement Structures for FDIC Communities 221 Bertil Wiklander Chapter 20 Avoiding Comfortable Syncretism by Doing Critical Contextualization 245 Bruce L. Bauer Chapter 21 Global Mission—Where To From Here? 263 Pat Gustin Chapter 22 2005 Recommendations and Approved Statements 277 vn INTRODUCTION MICHAEL RYAN Mission has always been a foundational value of the Seventh-day Adven tist Church. Even prior to 1844, those who studied, prayed, and were led by the Spirit to the distinctive beliefs of the Adventist Church were passionate about sharing those truths with neighbors and countrymen. By the 1870s, the Church’s definition of mission had grown to include the whole world. Seventh- day Adventists believed they were a special part of God’s great plan to invite every person in the world to know Christ and the saving truths of the Bible. By the year 1900, a small number of missionaries were serving in selected countries around the world. Over the next ninety years the number of mission aries increased and the Church grew rapidly in the Americas, the southern part of the continent of Africa, selected countries in Asia, and the Pacific islands. By 1990, there were 6 million members and the Church had a presence in more than 200 countries—all but 28 countries. A network of schools, hospitals, clin ics, publishing houses, food factories, and radio stations served the Church in countries around the world. In 1990, every day, one new church was established and more than 1,000 people were baptized into church membership. God be praised, the growth had been remarkable and a worldwide founda tion had been established. And yet, it was as though God, in his all-knowing and caring wisdom, then began to move the Church to understand more fully the mission challenge that still remained. World population had exploded to 5.4 billion people. Several studies conducted by non-Seventh-day Adventists and data coming from inside the Church strongly suggested that the mission challenge was far greater than previously understood. Adventist Responses to Cross-Cultural Mission The Church initiated a study to discover where the presence of the Church was located across the countries of the world. Membership and church loca tions were compared with populations in the context of territories that had been organized into groups of one million people. Of 5,400 segments (the world population in millions) data revealed that the Church did not have a presence in 2,300 of those million population segments. Quickly it became apparent that the Adventist Church was best represent ed in rural, island, Christian, animistic, and poor areas in our world. In 1990, nearly half the worlds population lived in cities and the vast majority held val ues represented by Islam, Communism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and a growing secular/postmodern generation. These world religions, governments, and ide ologies held more than 70 percent of the worlds population. These territories were becoming known as the 10/40 Window—the great Christian mission field of the world. In these areas the Seventh-day Adventist Church had only a small presence. In 1990, the highest authority in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, the General Conference in session, voted an initiative called Global Mission. Glob al Mission was mandated to establish a church in every segment of one million people. The action of the world church called for the establishment of religious study centers to develop methodologies and materials for advancing the mis sion of the Church into those great unentered areas of the world. By 2005, world population had increased to 6.3 billion adding another 900 segments of one million beyond the 1990 total of 5,400. The data indicated that of 6,300 segments of one million, the Adventist Church now had a presence in all but 430 of them. Every day, 11 new congregations are being established somewhere in the world. Every day, somewhere in the world, 2,800 people are joining the Church. While urban and 10/40 Window mission advances seem considerable, the church has really only just begun. Without question, the early pioneers’ strug gle to establish a foundation from which to initiate mission was both testing and considerable. However, the Church of 2006 may possibly face the Church’s most challenging years. Rapid growth in the 10/40 Window has forced the Church to look at the interface between members and a population who come from different world views and religious backgrounds. While the Church’s doctrinal message remains biblical, mission methodologies and the logistics of providing language and culture-relevant literature, radio, television, education, nurture, and training x Introduction have stretched the Church into unfamiliar territory. Additionally, the Church is challenged to keep alive the interest and vision for mission in the hearts of those whose support is critical—3rd, 4th, and 5th generation Adventists. As the Adventist Church has advanced into vastly diverse cultures, tribes, and peoples, a wide array of issues have arisen that must be addressed if the Church is to remain a unified world community. The biblical principle of unity is vitally important to the mission of the Church. The Administrative Committee at the world headquarters established a Global Mission Issues Committee (Issues Committee) to meet each year at the time of the Church’s Spring Council. The Issues Committees immediate task is to prepare an agenda of current mission issues that have potential to advance or disrupt the mission of the Church or challenge world unity. The search for contextualized methods provides a wide array of issues for discussion and reso lution. The agenda of the Issues Committee is often expressed through papers that present the context and history of an issue and that then suggests a rationale and lists values to serve in developing solutions or resolutions. Committee membership includes a wide spectrum of administrators, biblical scholars, and those training frontline workers. The Issues Committee has no constitutional authority. After the presentation of informative papers and lengthy discussion, repre senting a wide discipline of experience and academia, a small writing commit tee is appointed for each issue to express the consensus of the wider

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