Mission Education Program Area

The Mission Education Program Area has two primary goals: to develop a mission education philosophy for the General Board of Global Ministries that is rooted in a biblical and theological understanding of Christian global mission and to undergird the total program of the Board through mission education.

Mission Education proclaims and communicates the biblical mandate for mission and helps people understand the political, economic, and social contexts of the world in which the church is called to serve. It connects people to God’s mission and equips them to participate in it. Mission education today takes place in an environment of mutual learning with mission partners.

Comprehensive Plan, Collaborative Programs
The Comprehensive Plan for Mission Education 2001–2004 is a multifaceted design for mission education within the church. It forms the foundation for ministry in the quadrennium and beyond. The plan includes strategies for effectively providing information about the mission programs and projects of The United Methodist Church carried out by the General Board of Global Ministries. Many of the activities and programs covered by the plan are coordinated with other Board program areas, other United Methodist agencies, and partner churches around the world. Examples from 2000 and 2001 include:

>> Developing Christian education resources that are culturally appropriate for emerging churches in places such as Cambodia, Estonia, Haiti, Lithuania, Latvia, and Senegal, in cooperation with those churches and with the Joint Committee on Indigenous Resources, a venture of the General Board of Global Ministries and the General Board of Discipleship.

>> Launching a Children’s Web Page on the Board’s website and the development of a CD-ROM for children on the mission study, “Global Health and Christian Response-Ability.” This is a joint project carried out through an ongoing cooperative relationship with the General Board of Discipleship.

>> Sponsoring two mission travel teams in connection with the 2000 mission study, “Hope for the Children of Africa.” One team visited central conferences and partner churches in Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria; the second went to Angola, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.

>> Conducting a 2001 mission travel seminar to Southeast Asia in connection with the mission study, “Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.”

The African trips provided evidence of how The United Methodist Church is helping to make life better for people by alleviating the suffering of children. Funds from “Hope for the Children of Africa” have improved the quality of education in several of the countries visited, though much more is needed in the areas of education and health care.

The impact of the study tour in Southeast Asia is well summarized by one participant’s journal entry: “In Cambodia we were free to ask questions and encourage the student pastors and church members to learn about the work of the Methodist Church in Cambodia. We felt their desire for hope and their joyous faith in God, [though] the country was so poor, with needs at every turn. In Vietnam the economy is obviously better, the people better fed, the fields better irrigated, livestock fatter, and roads better maintained. However, the church is more restricted. I worried that our very presence placed our hosts at risk. They humbled us with their great faith—so great as to make themselves vulnerable to the state.”

 

Mission Theology Resource
Mutuality in Mission: A Theological Principle for the 21st Century, published in 2001, explores both the theology and the operation of Christian mission in the contemporary world. The emphasis is on the dynamics of mission in a global community of many races, nationalities, cultures, and languages. The message is connection and unity. Authors Glory and Jacob Dharmaraj write:

 

Ongoing Educational Opportunities
Mission seminars, held in New York by request, offer instruction on the breadth and variety of global ministries. They are attended by confirmation classes; conference, district, and local church groups; and others who wish to visit the General Board of Global Ministries. Some of these events provide training and dialogue for key church leaders, such as district superintendents, directors of connectional ministries, and conference executives with mission responsibilities.

The program area took an active role in the quadrennial jurisdictional joint training events in the fall of 2000. These events were sponsored by the General Council on Ministries for all general agencies and offered an opportunity to train mission leaders in each of the annual conferences in the United States.

Other activities include the preparation of mission-education resources for children, youth, and their leaders; promotion of mission-education materials for youth; development of mission-oriented resources for daily vacation Bible schools, after-school programs, and children’s sermons; and dissemination of ideas about webpages, books, and calendars to help children learn about mission programs. The staff also collects and recommends stories and artwork generated within global partner churches for inclusion in curricula prepared in the United States.