Ralph D. Winter 15

Strategizing to Reach the Unreached The Rise and Fall of the IMC—and Today Some observations on the gravest transition in mission cooperative structure in the 20th Century by Ralph D. Winter

he International Missionary Council (IMC), during most of its 40 year history, contributed more to the understanding and progress of T the missionary task than any other organization in history. What was it? How did it come into being? What parallels might there be today? What did it do right or wrong? How did it mutate into something quite different—as the result of success?! Why was it phased out? What can we learn today from its experience that may be helpful at the beginning of a new century? Are we now building on a similar, and major new push to the ends of the earth? Questions like these cry out for answers.

Since the Norwegian Missionary Council played a unique role in this drama, much as it is playing in the present meeting—the Global Evangelization Roundtable of 1999—a skeletal account of these questions may be of interest.

What follows here is exceedingly brief, written between sessions, written purely from memory without access to literature, and intended to concentrate on the dynamics of the development and demise of the IMC rather than to try to record all the names and dates and details of this fascinating, intricate, and significant story. The IMC: What Was It? The IMC was one of several valuable outcomes of the famous World Missionary Conference at Edinburgh in 1910—the jewel of the Student Volunteer Movement. The Continuing Committee of the 1910 meeting did not formally generate the International Missionary Council until 1921 due to the massive confusion that erupted in the First World War. But between Ralph D. Winter is a senior mission 1910 and 1921 the CC did sponsor many of the functions of the later-to- thinker who has been actively involved be IMC, as well as sponsor the valuable chronicle begun in 1914 under the  from the beginning of the massive name, International Review of Missions (IRM)—note the presence of an “s” mission transition from simply thinking in terms of countries or ending the final word. individuals to thinking in terms of The IRM was many years later renamed the International Review of Mission, that is, peoples. Dr. Winter is founder of the without its final “s,” roughly at the time the IMC passed over to the World Council of U. S. Center for World Mission, and Churches. This tiny change of spelling was considered to be of weighty importance, signifying the transition from the sending of missionaries in various “missions” to the is currently president of the William situation where the national churches of every land were now in place and “mis- Carey International University. sion” was now to be conducted by the churches themselves. This concept essentially International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003•14 Ralph D. Winter 15

legislated against mission-sending This fundamental difference between of the non-Western territories not organizations in general, replacing the Western and non-Western coun- overlap each other, except perhaps in their work with the normal evange- cils of the IMC will help to explain the major cities. Thus, when China listic activity of the various existing national churches. This fine idea the totally unexpected development closed, the Conservative Baptist for the locations where national which later led to the unchallenge- Foreign Mission Society (now CBI) churches existed inevitably ignored able rationale for the IMC itself to politely and routinely consulted by-passed peoples not yet possess- be transformed into a far less influ- the IMC and its relevant members ing a church movement within them ential mere appendage to the World concerning the relocation of CBFMS and relevant to them, and tended Council of Churches. The irony missionaries from mainland China to the concept of political bound- here is that the WCC itself came to Taiwan—an area which had been aries being more important than outside of its own earlier “comity” ethnic boundaries. For example, the (pompous) name “The Church territory. of Pakistan” represented a much This is now not The massive global shake-up follow- despised minority group, not the ing World War I occasioned one of 97% of the Muslim population. the kind of mystery the earliest contributions of the IMC, Nevertheless, an eminent scholar of missions, R. Pierce Beaver wrote a which is kept mysterious at which time friendly societies within small book entitled From Missions to by some sinster force the global fellowship of mission agen- Mission which essentially announced cies in the IMC had to try to take a new era—which in fact would which does not want the temporary care of the fields which blind people’s eyes to the frontiers had been occupied prior to that war beyond those ethnic groups which truth told. It is, however, by German missions. Indeed William by that date (1962) already pos- a story clouded by more Richey Hogg’s definitive treatment of sessed their own church movement. the history of the IMC (which does The membership of the IMC origi- than one factor. not include its final years) pours out nally consisted of a few of the many the story of an ocean of good works performed by the nerve center consti- mission agencies which had gathered into being long after the IMC was tuted by the IMC (Hogg, Ecumenical in 1910. However, it did not con- founded, and largely because of the Foundations, Harper & Brothers, tinue for long as a council of mis- work and existence of the IMC. The 1952). sion agencies but became a council writer is particularly well acquainted of councils—a council of the various with this curious and unantici- national-level councils (networks) of pated transformation due to being The Mysterious Mutation of mission agencies. One of the “great” asked by the editors of the WCC’s the IMC accomplishments of Mott in his own International Review of Mission to This is now not the kind of mystery eyes was to catalyze the establishment write up the story of the final meeting which is kept mysterious by some of 22 councils of missions in the vari- of the IMC where the decision was sinister force which does not want the ous countries receiving missionaries. made to yield to that fateful transi- truth told. It is, however, a story that It is crucial to note that from the start tion into the World Council (Winter is clouded by more than one factor. the national-level councils were of 1962). The emergence into the mission two basically different kinds. Some scene of liberal theology was only one At that final meeting in Ghana factor, and secondary at that. True, of them, as in the mission-sending not just the Norwegian Missionary countries of the West, were like the Hocking’s famous Rethinking Missions Council strongly resisted the move. So report sent a shock wave throughout Norwegian Missionary Council, that did the British and German councils is, they were councils of representa- the global mission community which in the West. But I am getting ahead in turn then built distrust of global tives of sending missions based in the of myself. sending country. The second type of level entities and such “external” council arose in the receiving countries, studies of the mission movement. the majority of them (including the What Did the IMC Do? Why was liberal theology not the famous “Twenty Two” councils Mott The IMC became a nerve center of largest factor? catalyzed in the missionary-receiv- global mission intelligence. Kenneth Scott Latourette, on behalf of the The major, truly irreversible factor— ing countries) consisted of gatherings to which the Great Commission of expatriate field executives of most IMC, for most of the history of the International Review of Missions Roundtable kind of network may of the missions originating in the be exposed—was the decision, wise Western countries. (hereafter the IRM), contributed an annual summary of global missionary or unwise, in one field council after Thus, for example, the National advance, usually in the January issue. another, to invite the emerging Christian Council of India, was origi- national church leaders to become nally composed entirely of executives The IMC also engineered the voting members at the meetings of of mission agencies sending mis- global network of “comity” agree- these otherwise mission field councils. sionaries to India from the Western ments, which insured that the several This development was hard to oppose sending countries. incoming mission agencies in each International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003•14 20:1 Spring 2003 16 The Rise and Fall of the IMC—and Today Ralph D. Winter 17 because it was entirely reasonable in eventually begin to be devised and (EFI), the Evangelical Fellowship one sense. The “Younger Churches” supervised by the national churches of Thailand (EFT), the Evangelical were, after all, the apple of the eye of themselves (that is, in developing what Fellowship of Asia (EFA), and the the Western missions, the result of are now often called “Third World World Evangelical Fellowship itself painful, sacrificial and often outstand- Missions”) they made it impossible in are all “mixed” councils, which ing mission work. There seemed to be advance for those emerging agencies combine church leadership and a few every reason to include these emerg- to have any fellowship, association, of the leaders of so-called parachurch ing church leaders, and to invite them or council to join! Why? Because all agencies. But, the dominant force to sit down in the strategic sessions of the National Christian Councils is usually constituted by the church of the various councils that had been (starting out as mission agency forums) leaders. formed in the receiving countries, had now become National Councils A major difference between these councils mostly called “National of Churches, with little evangelistic two kinds of structures and leaders, Christian Councils.” The hope often interest and even less understanding church and mission, is not that church was that a single unified national or interest in cross-cultural mission. leaders are necessarily less committed church would result from the various Furthermore, they sometimes tended to evangelism and missions than the mission agencies’ efforts. Presbyterian still to consider themselves receivers, mission leaders (after all, the missions missionaries, for example, uniformly not givers, to that extent. produced the churches in the first urged that to happen. And it did This ominous transition to church place), but that the constituencies of happen in the Philippines, Thailand, councils did not happen suddenly. the church leaders eventually include India, Guatemala, etc. Had all of the “Younger Church” a vast number of people who may have So far so good, but over a period of leaders appeared all at once it is very merely grown up in the church and are years without anyone anticipating, possible that someone would have not necessarily mission and evange- much less planning, the development, proposed, then and there, that this lism minded people. By contrast, the those national church leaders grew new category of non-missionary lead- members of the mission agencies (the more and more numerous such that ers form their own, separate Council foreign missionaries) have made an in the various NCCs they eventually of Churches rather than take over a additional, separate decision to follow gained the majority vote and tended in council composed of mission entities. Christ as full-time workers. Usually one way or another to ask the original Alas, for lots of understandable they are so highly committed that, (mission) sending agencies to step reasons this did not happen. Having compared to pastors who stay home, back and perhaps not even vote at all! admitted a few church leaders fairly all they ask is living expenses vary- The mission agencies were often quite early on, courtesy alone may have ing with the size of their families. willing for this to happen. It was, impeded clear thinking as their They don’t receive a salary varying in a way, a sign of success—that the number gradually increased. with a measure of the output of their work—such as the number or size of church would increase and the mis- In any case, one by one all of the sion agencies would decrease. It was their congregations. That is, pastors “twenty two” National Christian of big churches tend to have bigger a glorious transition, from mission Councils gradually evolved into what to church. But in the euphoria, few salaries, while missionaries involved in were in most cases finally actu- bigger work do not get paid any more. apparently noticed that this did not ally renamed National Councils of take into account the effect within the (Reason? In mission work any extra Churches. What a transformation! countries upon bypassed, minority money is used to send more missionar- or majority ethnic people groups— Now, it is true that India did not ies not expand the salaries of existing toward which the “national” churches rename its council—to this day it is missionaries). often still possessed built-in resistance the National Christian Council of and deep animosity. India and not yet called a “National What Should Have Happened? Council of Churches” even though Obviously the welcomed rise of the However, in this way these 22 councils that is what it is. It did not change non-Western churches wrecked of expatriate mission leaders were thus its name but it decisively changed its the IMCs’ original function—to irresistibly transmuted into councils of function in 1947 by ruling out formal facilitate the strategic comparison of church leaders, and this took place long participation (voting) of all foreign notes between mission leaders. Was before the need for mission leaders was mission executives and inadvertently that something that could have been over—before all the ethnic groups were even ruled out the participation of the avoided? It may be theoretical to look penetrated. Furthermore, the creation already-emerging “third world” type back and say what should have hap- of cross-cultural mission outreach on of mission agency in India itself, such pened. However, it is instructive to the part of the national churches was as the two mission-sending agencies note that there are a few basic, seem- virtually never even envisioned. (The Bishop Azariah had founded even ingly essential functions which every CMA in the Philippines, however is a before 1910!). country might well need, and even rare example where it did happen.) anticipate the need of. Notice that the more recently devel- Curiously, by failing to envision that oped Evangelical Fellowship of India A case study might be the surge mission structural development would of mission efforts of all kinds into International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003 16 The Rise and Fall of the IMC—and Today Ralph D. Winter 17

the suddenly opened country of with the field realities, and also for Evangelical Fellowship of India, the Mongolia. From early times the the missionaries to regain something Evangelical Fellowship of Thailand, missionaries for the most part found of the culture loss which foreign mis- etc.) although the latter, a bit confus- ways to meet together to pray and sionaries commonly undergo. ingly, have tried from their inception fellowship. Also, in a different set- to embrace more than church entities. ting they also met to compare notes Indeed, as with the NCCs in Mott’s strategically. In the first case we have [E]very country day, in most cases these church fel- a foreshadowing of what is often lowships emerged as initiatives of called an “Intermission Fellowship.” can benefit from incoming missionaries. In the latter case we have what Mott 4. Historically more recent and and Co. called National Christian at least four kinds highly desirable is the valuable fel- Councils. of quite different structures, lowship of leaders of the outgoing or In the case of Mongolia the bril- each allowing a so-called “indigenous” missions of liant Interdev “Strategic Partnership” different dimension a given country, agencies which may movement soon firmed up the kind of work cross-culturally both within in-coming (or “expatriate”) mission of the dynamism of the their own multi-ethnic countries collaboration in a helpful way. But, Christian movement and/or beyond national borders. in addition, I understand, the need These agencies are often involved, for emerging church leaders to meet to flourish. also confusingly, with both what together was foreseen and the pres- could be called simply mono-cultural ence and extension into Mongolia of 2. In the early years we can readily evangelistic thrusts (where a church is the World Evangelical Fellowship see the value also of the incoming expanding within the same cultural was also encouraged. This then mission leaders from abroad meet- tradition) and true cross-cultural allowed for three kinds of meetings; ing together—not for fellowship but mission efforts which require the 1) meetings of expatriate missionar- to prevent overlap, to compare notes workers to learn a new language and ies for fellowship; 2) meetings of and instruct each other, perhaps to become involved in culture shock and expatriate missionaries for strategic arrange for joint language study pro- the inevitable mistakes where work planning and 3) meetings of emerging grams, medical work, etc.—the early is begun within a distinctly differ- church leaders. Theoretically, there NCC type of meeting. With the ent culture. Examples of this kind will need also to be 4) meetings of demise of the IMC, such meetings all of a structure are the Norwegian Mongolian mission sending entities, but disappeared until the emergence Missionary Council, as well as the similar to IMA in India or NEMA of the somewhat different “Strategic IFMA and the EFMA in the United in Nigeria. There is not yet a meeting Partnerships” Interdev has been States and the marvelous India of the latter kind designed to bring assisting into being. Meetings of the Missions Association in India. together the “Third World” kind of early IMC type took place in both Note, then, that we have now listed Mongolian outreach in cross-cultural China and in India at the country four different kinds of valuable struc- mission, although hopefully that will level, even before the 1910 meet- tures. No one of them can effectively soon be contemplated! ing. Those meetings then inspired Mott and functioned as a model for take the place of the other. And they Four Structures! him and others as they conceived the ought not be too closely coordinated unique features of the 1910 global or merged, either. It would be unfor- Thus, we can generalize that every tunate if any of them assumed the country can benefit from at least four meeting. This famous meeting for the first time did the same thing at the necessity of dominating or replacing kinds of quite different structures, one or more of the others. each allowing a different dimension world level, that is, brought together of the dynamism of the Christian mission executives (not church leaders), Furthermore, these are not the only movement to flourish. and delegates not invitees. helpful structures. We could note the value of many other kinds of To summarize: 3. It is obvious, as both the world- level structures like the WCC and meetings, such as those of Christian 1. It has been clear that the incoming the WEF manifest, and structures school administrators or missiology (expatriate) missionary constitu- like the national-level NAE-USA, professors. In their case as well, one ency can be nourished and edified EFT (Thailand) and EFI (India) cannot substitute for the other. by annual fellowship meetings. portray, that there is real value in These, as mentioned, have been church leaders in each country The Global Level called “Intermission Meetings” and gathering together, for reasons The number 2 and 4 types of meet- they tend to invite annually a famous partially similar to those of the ings have a special value when they pastor from one or the other of the mission leaders. These structures become regional or global, for the missionaries’ home countries to come are sometimes called Councils of simple reason that many mission and minister for a week or a few days Churches or Alliances, and, more efforts are relatively isolated from both to acquaint a leader from home recently, Fellowships (such as the other workers in other cultures.

International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003 18 The Rise and Fall of the IMC—and Today Ralph D. Winter 19

Thus, they sometimes fumble the ball ciation, had a hard time getting going. in cultural tradition! Thus, these because they have nothing radically The last meeting of the TWMA in churches are distinctly not the different to which to compare their Kyoto resorted to church sources for right ones to partner in outreach to strategies. Facilitating missionaries at support to the extent that the entire Muslims, and we even endanger their work in disparate countries to com- program virtually was converted over people if we try to get them involved. pare notes has been one of the most valuable functions performed by a hey sometimes fumble the ball because they school like Fuller’s School of World Mission, though that is not probably have nothing radically different to which to as conscious a function there as it should be. compare their strategies. Other than the 1910 meeting and T to a meeting primarily of relevance to The same would be true if outside the 1980 meeting (which attracted church people. agencies were to try to “partner” delegates from almost 50 Third with Egypt’s four million Chris- World mission agencies, one third One reason both the TWMA and the AMA have had trouble is the tians in outreach to Egypt’s Muslim of the total), there was, very briefly, population or with Iraq’s half-million in Pretoria, the time when AD2000 unfortunate fact that many church leaders in the Third World, espe- Christians in outreach to the Kurds people allowed for a mission execu- in the north. tives’ track as one of ten or so “tracks.” cially Korea, believe so strongly in That was good. Toward the end of the congregational structure that they Robert Blincoe’s book on the that meeting I encouraged a huddle see no place for the Pauline mission- history of missions to the Kurds including Luis Bush, Jerry Rankin, ary band or modern mission society, points out how during two centu- Avery Willis and a few others to which structure, historically, has been ries Protestants spent the lives of discuss on-going mission-executive the means of breakthrough to most 500 missionaries and $500 million relationships at the global level, as did pioneer fields. dollars entirely in vain by trying to actually happen there in the parallel Another reason for the slowness to see reach the Kurds via the Christian PAD track (Presidents and Academic the relevance of global interaction of enclaves among them. Deans of seminaries), but this plea mission leaders is the Protestant par- Phill Butler’s Interdev has to a great was not acted upon. allel to the Catholic trend: the Roman extent taken up the slack of more This kind of global mission-to-mis- Catholic church has now defined formally called meetings of mission sion contact is, however, a potential out of existence all former mission leaders, such as the early NCCs of value of the Missions Commission territories on the face of the earth; the IMC’s career, and has performed of the WEF, which has matured bishops—not mission agencies—are one of the most significant roles in significantly over the years since the now in charge. Protestants have not late 20th century missions, with even WEF appointed Bill Taylor as head. worked things out quite as formally, greater possibilities in this century. However, in all its earlier years the but there is a strong push, mainly His efforts here at Hurdahl, Norway people appointed to this “Missions coming from the World Council of [in the inception of what is now the Commission” were predominantly Churches, to believe that all mission Great Commission Roundtable] will church leaders without mission experi- territories on the face of the earth are be hampered if they do not result in ence or responsibility. This could now in at least the “backyard” of some a networking of mission structures happen again depending on whom the church movement or other in the at the global level which is similar to WEF appoints. By contrast, the (USA) same country. their regional partnerships, in effect, National Association of Evangelicals This strident emphasis on “Partner- not overshadowed by either the WEF would not think of “appointing” the ship” is partly based on the assump- constituency or any non-mission head of its related EFMA which Paul tion that you cannot go to Pakistan body, including the Lausanne group. McKaughan heads. to reach the Muslims there without The latter has always focused (with great success) on winning church Thus far, furthermore, the WEF “partnering” with one of the national leaders to evangelism not as much in Missions Commission has never con- church movements there, such as facilitating the strategic interaction vened a world level meeting to which The Church of Pakistan or one of of mission leaders. mission agencies could send their own the Presbyterian denominations choice of delegates. Participants have in Pakistan. But note two things: A great strength in Butler’s approach always been selected and invited by The Church of Pakistan is not part is that it has not been tied to any par- the commission itself. This procedure of WEF, and neither are, to my ticular theological or church-related is drastically different from either knowledge, the various Presbyterian constituency. This factor has allowed 1910 or 1980, and can be compared to Churches of Pakistan, but 2) even if it to informally achieve fellowship a house party or even a Jesus Seminar. these churches were WEF-related, and collaboration between groups that their constituencies are not Muslim back home in Western church life The Third World Missions Associa- in background but Hindu and tribal simply do not talk to each other at all. tion has, like the Asia Missions Asso-

International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003 18 The Rise and Fall of the IMC—and Today Ralph D. Winter 19 Singapore ’02 Addendum It would need to relate foundationally This is how I see what will happen Wednesday evening, October 30, 2002 to frontier-active mission agencies, but after that call goes out. Any and all also to national and regional associa- agencies fitting the category will It is clear here at S’02 that there is tions of mission agencies (such as IMA, be welcome to send delegates to a great interest in a global connectivity NEMA, AMA, IFMA, EFMA, etc.). founding meeting. Once that found- and fellowship between various mis- ing meeting is convened, the decisions sion sending structures at least of the of this constituting group, whether “frontier active” type. Yet this marvel- derived from the West or the non- ous group here can hardly mandate Once convened, West, will determine the nature and the existence of such a structure. That future of the new organization. The structure must both be founded and the decisions of this organization will, of course, have no operated by the mission structures constituting group, more of an external mandate than does that choose to be involved. Once the Lausanne Committee, the WEA, formed it will have to decide its func- whether derived from the etc. What it does and however effec- tions and internal structure, its means tively it does its work will be the basis of support and also choose between West or the non-West, on which other mission agencies will formal or loose affiliation with the would determine the decide to join or not. The same will be other many global bodies. true for the affiliation of national and nature and future of the regional existing bodies. It would seem clear that tying in formally with any other global body new organization. However, the overarching reason for will inevitably hamper its efforts. It such a “new thing” is the simple fact will have its own credentials com- that in order to do the job handed to us by God in His Word, we must take into mittee which will maintain certain It could have a general council consist- account at least two basic urgencies: doctrinal and logistical standards for ing of delegates from all member (fron- all mission structures which officially tier-active) mission agencies as well as 1) We must be able to harvest participate, such as, for example, a “senate” of delegates from all member the gifts and insights of all agencies with Evangelical theology associations of mission agencies. parts of the globe without which intend to send truly cross- Representatives from both constituting any geographic or political cultural missionaries to unreached an executive committee. priorities. There must be a peoples and have been in existence for forum at which all agencies As mentioned it could edit a journal at least three years, etc. are equals. comparable in function to the IMC’s Such an office could routinely International Review of Missions 2) We must be able to work plan global meetings of this kind, (speaking of its 1914 to 1961 period). with the thousands of ethnic undoubtedly with the help of  groups which are no longer organizations like Interdev, could And, of course, it could catalyze confined to a particular interface with the WEA Missions regional and global level gatherings of location but are found all Commission, the Lausanne any of these commissions or combina- across the world, especially Committee, the Global Network of tions thereof as well as a full assembly in both the Western and Centres for World Mission, the vari- every so many years. non-Western worlds. The ous EFA, EFI, EFTs, etc. Written on the way home from precious new insight we Singapore: now possess about taking It would not attempt to tell member peoples seriously as ethnic agencies how to work but it would As the result of a group-process activity and cultural groups demands endeavor to perform the cross-fer- at the conference several dozen sugges- that we seriously follow them tilization of good ideas, etc. It could tions came from the S’02 participants. wherever they go. revive (under a different name) They were grouped together and then No existing entity routinely enables the function of the longstanding even the major categories were ranked mission agencies to meet and compare International Review of Missions in terms of how much favor they notes and work together as equals in as its official journal. Basically, it received. The very first major category this way on the world level. IJFM would provide an on-going forum for was comprised of six specific points. A frontier-active mission structures to seventh very similar point was found meet as equals no matter in what part in the second-most-favored major of the globe they were born. This has category. These seven are listed on page not existed since the IMC attempted 12 and thus not repeated here. to go in that direction long before However, these statements from the substantial non-Western mission S’02 conference would seem to be a structures existed. Now is the time! substantial confirmation of the idea of Here for example are some thoughts interested mission agencies taking the on how it might be structured: initiative and sending out a “call.”

International Journal of Frontier Missions 20:1 Spring 2003