DB Week1
Oliver M. Brown DB#1: Mission & Missions 12Feb2015 After reading Moreau et al., ch. 1, how is mission and missions defined? How is this similar to or different from your previous ideas about missions? Finally, tell us about any involvement in missions that you have previously had (i.e., short-term missions, praying for missionaries) and what you hope to gain from this class.
A. Scott Moreau identifies the discrepancy between the two terms mission and missions.[1] Moreau explains this distinction by giving the modern definition of the two terms. According to Moreau, missions is that which “has been relegated to the specific work of the church and agencies in the task of reaching people for Christ by crossing cultural boundaries.”[2] Mission, however, covers the overall purpose of the church and all that it does that “points toward the Kingdom of God.”[3] Therefore, Moreau’s definitions showed that mission is the church’s general umbrella that covers missions and all things missions related.
Before now I did not think that the two terms were related. But I see that these definitions are similar to what I believe them to be. My previous ideas about missions was a tunnel vision that only saw spiritual men, women, even whole families going out into the field to spread God’s word and save souls. as feeding centers, orphanages, or providing clean water. The difference for me is not realizing that this goes outside the church and spreads to agencies that are also Christ driven
My involvement in missions has taken up the better part of the last fifteen years of my life. I have never personally gone out to the field, but I have been a very huge supporter of the movement. I have been the director of my previous church’s missions ministry. With this position I was able to reach out to missionaries in over thirty-five different countries and send donations on behalf of my church. We would also host these missionaries whenever they were
A. Scott Moreau identifies the discrepancy between the two terms mission and missions.[1] Moreau explains this distinction by giving the modern definition of the two terms. According to Moreau, missions is that which “has been relegated to the specific work of the church and agencies in the task of reaching people for Christ by crossing cultural boundaries.”[2] Mission, however, covers the overall purpose of the church and all that it does that “points toward the Kingdom of God.”[3] Therefore, Moreau’s definitions showed that mission is the church’s general umbrella that covers missions and all things missions related.
Before now I did not think that the two terms were related. But I see that these definitions are similar to what I believe them to be. My previous ideas about missions was a tunnel vision that only saw spiritual men, women, even whole families going out into the field to spread God’s word and save souls. as feeding centers, orphanages, or providing clean water. The difference for me is not realizing that this goes outside the church and spreads to agencies that are also Christ driven
My involvement in missions has taken up the better part of the last fifteen years of my life. I have never personally gone out to the field, but I have been a very huge supporter of the movement. I have been the director of my previous church’s missions ministry. With this position I was able to reach out to missionaries in over thirty-five different countries and send donations on behalf of my church. We would also host these missionaries whenever they were