When one asks who is assuming global leadership on the approach the other world religions. Nor will it resolve the debate issues of religious freedom and the task of finding a fresh ap­ as to which of the voices today claiming global missionary lead­ proach to the adherents of the other world religions of Islam, ership-the fundamentalists, the evangelicals, the ecumenists, the Hinduism, and Buddhism, it is the churches of Asia that are liberationists-are the ones we should listen to. But these clues providing the intellectual and moral leadership. open up a deeper mystery as to how one scholar has seen the None of these churches is talking about seizing political Spirit of God at work in past periods of church history, and seeing power. The mistakes of the past have taught the churches that those signs may help us to celebrate rather than despair over the this is not the way to go. But they see their role as a source of colossal confusion being experienced by churches around the moral energy, a responsible conscience, a source of hope that world today. When we catch a vision of the breadth, depth, and political and economic systems can change. And these changes height of what the Spirit of God made known to us in Jesus Christ can move in the direction of a more just and free society guided is doing, perhaps we can be more patient and affirmative of each and shaped by the vision of the kingdom of God for which other in our differences and more hopeful about the future of the Christ died. Christian mission in the world today. In Summary These four clues from Kenneth Scott Latourette to the meaning Note of 2000 years of missionary history do not help us settle our debates as to which of the priorities should come first---church 1. Lesslie Newbigin, The Open Secret (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerd­ growth, the poor, war, racism, the needs of women, or how to mans Publishing Co., 1978), pp. 13-14. INTRODUCING A NEW SERIES My Pilgrimage in Mission Donald McGavran oW did I come to my present concepts of mission? How decision lies at the root of the church-growth movement. H has my mind changed between 1920and 1986concerning Any movement must be carried on in the real world, and Christian mission? What does Christ demand of us today as we since the concepts and understandings of the real world vary carry out Christian mission? To answer these questions in a brief from time to time and place to place, the rest of this story will be article is difficult, but I shall do the best I can. told in their light. The facts concerning the discipling of the peo­ The first steps in my pilgrimage were taken during the first ples of earth in all six continents, as these became known to me twenty-one years of my life in the friendship and guidance of my through research and travel, were the background against which missionary father and professor of missions. The next steps were my conclusions concerning the missionary task were formed. The taken at a YMCA conference at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, in the five main divisions of this brief account will relate the common summer of 1919. As a senior at Butler College and chairman of and changing understandings of the missionary task and how the YMCA committee, I went to Lake Geneva as a dedicated these affected my God-given purpose. Christian. But I also went there saying to myself, "My father and grandfather were missionaries. My family has done enough I. Mission Philosophy in 1920, 1947, and 1968 for God. I am going to be a good Christian and make a lot of money." At Lake Geneva it became increasingly clear to me that 1. At Lake Geneva and Des Moines, and indeed across the world a Christian could not thus limit the degree of his dedication. While at that time, mission was held to be carrying out the Great Com­ there one night in prayer I said, "Lord, I'll do whatever you mission, winning the world for Christ, saving lost humanity. want. I will go wherever you send. I will carry out, not my will Many leaders of today's mission like to say that discipling the but yours." That purpose has dominated my life. world was merely a reflection of the imperial (colonial) era when That Christmas season I attended the Student Volunteer Con­ Europe ruled much of the world. But any such breast-beating vention at Des Moines, Iowa. There it became clear to me that comment neglects the determination present since the day of God was calling me to be a missionary, that he was commanding Pentecost to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. As the early me to carry out the Great Commission. Doing just that has ever church-made up of the weak, the foolish, and the things that are since been the ruling purpose of my life. True, I have from time not-sought to spread salvation across the Roman empire, it cer­ to time swerved from that purpose but never for long. That tainly was filled with no imperial passion. In 1920 all missionary societies marched under "eternal God's command" (Rom. 16:25) to make the gospel known to all segments of society in all regions of the world. This was the dominant mission philosophy Donald A. McGavran is Dean Emeritus andProfessor Emeritus ofChurch Growth and South Asian Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of World Mission. of the time. He received his Ph.D. from Columbia University. Prior to founding the School The convictions were biblically sound. This is what the Bible of World Mission at Fuller in 1965, McGavran served as a missionary to India clearly sets forth. The Lord Jesus Christ steadily intended that for more than thirty years. the gospel should be spread to the ends of the earth. The last April 1986 53 book of the Bible states clearly that at the end, people from every the essential task of mission, discipling the peoples of earth. tribe, tongue, people, and nation will be there before the throne. Indeed, all these good deeds must help in its accomplishment. The Bible also states clearly that the only way to salvation is Prodded from without and stimulated from within, I was through Jesus Christ. John 3:16, possibly the most-loved verse in galvanized into action by a remarkable discovery. In the section the entire Bible, states that "God so loved the world that he of India where I worked, 145 areas were scenes of missionary gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should effort by denominations from America, England, Sweden, and not perish, but have eternal life." If they don't believe in him, on and on. I discovered that in 134 of these areas the church men and women will perish-whether they are Americans, Afri­ between 1921 and 1931 had grown at only 11 percent a decade. cans, Chinese, or Indonesians. Whether they call themselves It was not even conserving all its own children. But in the other Buddhist, Marxist, atheist, nominal Christians, or Hindus makes eleven areas the church was growing by 100 percent, 150 percent, or even 200 percent a decade. Why was this happening? A vast curiosity arose within my breast. There must be a key to Great Commission mission, and I resolved to find it. Missionary Research Is Alive and Well 3. Until January 1968 my thinking about fulfilling the Great Commission and doing the many other good things that need to A few months ago--to clear out our storage room-we ad­ be done had been largely conditioned by observation of what I vertised a special offer for all the back issues of the Occasional and most missionaries were actually doing. The campaign to re­ Bulletin ofMissionary Research (formerly from the Missionary make the world being carried on by the great Life and Work published between 1950-1976, for $200 Research Library), movement and many other Christian thrusts in the 1930s and with approximately 2,950 a set. This included 244 issues, '40s was a good thing, but it was not, despite Niebuhr and Hock­ pages. We thought we might receive eight or ten orders, ing, a part of essential Christian mission. In January 1968, how­ maybe twelve at the most. Instead, we received 40 orders ever, a radical change in my thinking took place. Up until then (and $8,000--thank you!) from all parts of the world, and I had not considered the insights that God had given me as in orders continue to arrive. any way opposed to those being promoted by the World Council Alas, our storage room is nearly empty and no more of Churches and its Division on World Mission and Evangelism. complete setsare available-only some issues from 1971-1980 Alas, in January 1968 as I read with amazement the documents remain. that prepared the way for the great Uppsala assembly, I saw that have about 160 bound volumes available of We do still if Uppsala endorsed what the preparatory documents said, the all the issues of the International Bulletin for 1981-1984. This World Council of Churches and all its member denominations bound edition was limited to 300 sets, and we expect they would be turning away from mission as Christianization to mis­ will all be sold in the next year. So if you have not yet sion as humanization.