by John H. Armstrong
March 24, 2021

Almost from the beginning of my journey into the work of deep ecumenism I discovered something in the prayer of Jesus in John 17 that has often been missed by some actively involved in this work.  Our Lord says: “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20-23).

I served in church planting and missionary activity before I became a fervent practicing ecumenist. My ecumenical “conversion” was divinely connected to my work in the mission of Christ. I soon discovered that the first modern movements for ecumenism were rooted in mission. Indeed, Christ’s kingdom mission was to be advanced through our unity. Thus Jesus prayed we would be united “so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

As a Protestant evangelical I began to read the great texts and history of modern ecumenism. One of the most important recent texts for my development has been Pope Francis’ masterful apostolic exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel. Francis urges the whole people of God to experience “missionary transformation.” He describes Christians as “missionary disciples.” All of us are sent and we are sent together. We are sent as salt and light to be a communion of the whole; i.e. to be “missionary disciples” together. The choice of these biblical words captures exactly what Jesus said: “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (John 20:21).

As I pondered the pope’s insights I wondered, “Is his term missionary disciples a better way to frame my own missional theology than in my ideas rooted in the missio Dei/mission of God?” (Accordingly, I call my own understanding missional-ecumenism.)

Missionary disciples is clearly a fruitful way to understand both our corporate and personal calling. It may even resonate more closely with the commonly understood terminology of the New Testament itself. Missionary disciples will pursue unity because they understand that without unity the effectiveness of their entire joyful mission will be undermined. If each of us is a missionary disciple, then together we are missionary disciples. Perhaps missio Dei fits best with a robust theology of mission. But the designation “missionary disciples” plainly helps us grasp our role in this corporate call.

In the end, I conclude that both terms help us better understand what we should be and do. Thus we have two models: the missio Dei paradigm of missional-ecumenism, a theological expression that captures our commission. And missionary disciples, the paradigm of Pope Francis that captures the focus of our personal and corporate work. I concluded that both link mission and unity in extremely helpful ways.

By the second half of the twentieth century the West was increasingly becoming an unchurched mission field. The ethos of a rapidly declining church has permeated all aspects of our corporate life. The Great Expansion—the decade-plus of church boom that followed the end of the war in the 1950s—ended almost imperceptibly. By the 1960s millions of Baby Boomers finished high school, went to college and began to leave their churches. Some returned when they had families. But their children and grandchildren have left in ever increasing numbers. Loren Mead was right in 1991: “We are on the front edges of the greatest transformation of the church that has occurred for 1600 years. It is by far the greatest change that the church has ever experienced in America; it may eventually make the transformation of the Reformation look like a ripple in a pond.”¹ Less than four years later Mead wrote an even more dire description: “[The problems facing the church] go to the roots of our institutions themselves . . . The storm is so serious, I believe, that it marks the end of ‘business as usual’ for the churches.” ²

Incredibly, multitudes of church leaders still refuse to give up on American expressions of Christendom. We remain anchored to our budgets and buildings, our programs and management theories. The Coronavirus pandemic has revealed just how weak most of our churches really are. Because we have not thought of ourselves as a distinct people on mission, but rather as a building that houses our corporate organization, we struggle mightily to know what we should do next. The facts are starkly clear but few seem willing to come to grips with them. We prefer to tell ourselves that things will get better when they’re back to normal. But young people aren’t just walking away from the church—they’re sprinting in the opposite direction. Many express a deep interest in spirituality, but not religion. This fact alone should be explored with a missional understanding of our ministry. Unlike earlier generations of dropouts, these modern “leavers” are very unlikely to seek out alternative forms of Christian community such as home churches and small groups. When they leave the church, most of them leave the Christian faith altogether. We can’t know where this might lead in the decades ahead but the staggering truth is this: we have lost the future of the church in less than three decades.

Holy Scripture provides us with hope when it comes to Christ’s mission and our unity. If we are to face the difficulties of church decline, and the profound disunity that threatens our future more than ever, we must not merely “curse the darkness but light a candle.” The light has not gone out. Jesus still prays for us. We can become missionary disciples who pray and work for unity. Together we may well discover “strength for today, and bright hope for tomorrow.” We must faithfully keep our eyes on Jesus and the prize of his kingdom, dreaming how we can hear Jesus’ prayer “so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).

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Rev. Dr. John H. Armstrong was a pastor for twenty years, then the leader of a mission devoted to ecumenism for twenty-eight years. He is the founder of The Initiative, a community committed to missional-ecumenism by sharing life together in Christ’s design for oneness. He lives in Chicago and is the author of the forthcoming book, Tear Down These Walls: Following Jesus into Deeper Unity (Summer, 2021).

 

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