Missions as Transformation: Conversion, Community and Culture

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‘Missions as Transformation’: Conversion, Community and Culture

Marcus W. Dean

Abstract

This article reflects the stages of development in my personal journey in understanding missions. It looks missions as a holistic endeavor that not only deals with spiritual conversion, but the transformation of the individual, the church,the community and the culture. The missionary task is ultimately about empowering the local/national Christian community to lead it its own and its culture’s transformation to become part of God’s kingdom. Transformation begins with conversion and leads toworldview transformation and thus true and lasting change.

KeywordsMissions, transformation, empower, conversion, relationship, community, culture

Introduction

Journeys are hard to delineate, especially as they are prone

to reflect the reality that journeys often meander. My journey

reflects my understanding of the nature of church’s task of

missions. Missions is not simply about the task of evangelism,

it is about God’s mission of transforming people who are not his

people into his people that reflect his kingdom.

As I began my journey preparing for missions service, I soon

realized that missions was far more complicated than the images

that I received growing up in the church. My seminary education

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challenged me to look at how I would become involved as a

missionary in the life of the church that I would be serving.

My ideas developed through personal missions’ experience;

and, more recently, have been influenced by colleagues in the

development field. The latest input was a study of Roland Allen’s

Missionary Methods: Saint Paul’s or Ours? Studying Allen strengthened my

understanding of missions and reinforced my journey. As I have

reflected on my journey in understanding missions; I have seen

how the key concepts of transformation, relationships,

empowerment, and ownership are predominant. In this article,

these four ideas are essential to ‘Missions as Transformation’ as

seen in conversion, community, and culture.

I first explore the roots of each of these four concepts in

my own journey. In seminary while studying the ministry of John

Wesley1, I learned (as is widely recognized) that the society of

England and particularly the culture of the poor needed

transformed. As a result of that study I began to see that the

church or missions should be about transforming individuals and

their culture, rather than transplanting one’s own culture while

sharing the gospel. I realized that I was not to take the church

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with me, but allow God to develop the church. It became clear

that the Bible guides the local church through principles to

follow, not forms to copy. I saw that when the church is relevant

to the local context, it leads to the needed transformation.

Wesley’s working model with the poor involved them in their

transformation. They did not simply become aid recipients. He

involved the people in making a difference and in leadership

which lead to ownership of the movement. As a result they were a

part of their transformation and the growth of the church.

During our years on the mission field I learned of the great

importance of relationships in missions. A particular

conversation drove that home to me. A pastor approached me after

a meeting. He commented that when my family and I came, many of

them were reluctant to get to know me as I might only be there

for a few years. His point was that as we ministered with them

their reluctance had disappeared and they were able to enter into

positive relationships.

During that time, the paper I wrote for my application to

Ph.D. studies solidified what I had been learning about

empowerment as it was taking form in our ministry. The end

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result of missions’ ministry—in whatever form—should build the

dignity of those being ministered to, an essential part of

empowerment. My thoughts in that paper were guided by the

mandates in Deuteronomy (24:19-22) of leaving grain and fruit in

the fields for the poor to glean. This action provides for needs,

but gives dignity and empowers the needy as they were able to

participate in procuring their sustenance, rather than simply

receiving a hand out. This is seen in practice in Ruth’s gleaning

experience in the fields of Boaz (Ruth 2). Our role with the

church was to empower the work not create dependency.

As I have moved into teaching here in the States, I have

found myself in an interesting academic department. For us,

‘Intercultural Studies’ is not a cover term for missions, but

about the bigger picture of what the church does to build God’s

Kingdom across cultures. We are an interesting mixture of

development practitioners, linguists, and missionaries who share

a concept of development and transformation underlying what we

have done and currently teach. This environment has strengthened

my ideas, and this article in essence seeks to bring a fuller

expression to my journey.

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A Theology for ‘Missions as Transformation’

Before I explore the aspects of conversion, community and

culture, I want to develop an explanation of the idea of

‘Missions as Transformation’ to set it apart from

‘transformational development’ as a field. There is overlap and

while I do include basic concepts from that field, I am

specifically looking at the broader field of missions ministry

among people for whom ‘development’ is not necessary.

Interestingly, Roland Allen speaks to the ideas inherent in

transformational development: ‘The relief of distress should be

entirely in the hands of the congregation. … Nothing is more

calculated to draw the congregation together and to help the

people to realize their mutual dependence, than the supply of

special needs by special acts of charity one towards another.2

In borrowing the word transformation, I am reminded of a

discussion in my doctoral studies regarding the use of the term

‘missions’. We were discussing the tension of making everything

missions and thus nothing being missions. I want to avoid the

same dilemma with the term transformation because it really is

about more than development. ‘Missions as Transformation’ is the

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underlying idea that missions is not about what we can do for

those to whom we are ministering; but how we can be instruments

to enable or empower them in the ministry of the church so that

they can be transformed into what God wants them to be

individually in conversion, as a church in community, and as

agents of change in their culture.

My definition of ‘Missions as Transformation’ starts with a

few ideas that can be gleaned from development practitioners.

Transformational development is about empowerment because it

starts with the capacities of the people which are ‘long-term

strengths within a society,’3 and goes on to be holistic. As

Myers states ‘I use the term transformational development to reflect

my concern for seeking positive change in the whole of human life

materially, socially, and spiritually.’4 A definition of the idea

that broadens the focus is that biblical transformation is the

‘process of restoration to God’s intentions of all that was

broken when humanity rebelled against God at the Fall.’5 One more

definition states that social transformation is ‘a process of external

intervention intended to enable a people to become better than they were before.’6

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Paul Hiebert makes this pertinent statement; ‘How we define

transformation determines how we go about evangelism and

missions’.7 A theology of ‘Missions as Transformation’ recognizes

that we are seeking ‘transformation for all, not just the poor,

and in every way, not just in issues of poverty or social

marginalization.’8 It is meaningful in every context in which we

do missions. David Bosch reminds us that in missions we are to

‘minister to people in their total need, that we should involve

individual as well as society, soul and body, present and future

in our ministry of salvation.’9

Doing missions from a transformational foundation seeks to

engage all of the church. It is about establishing a church that

is not just contextualized; but transforms the individual, the

community, and the culture.

The image of God has two dimensions – vertical and horizontal (Gen. 1-3). The vertical dimension is where God by his grace constitutes this person an (sic) gives that person the ability to relate to him. So a person is someone in relationship. The horizontal aspect has several dimensions – mutuality, interdependence and relating to others. Transformation has to do with experiencing Christ and lives being transformed. That’s what happened to anyone who encountered Christ. There is a total reorientation of that individual and relationships, and reconstitution of

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his/her identity and the gift of looking at the world in an entirely new way.10

When missions is transformational, God transforms the people

coming to him into what He wants them to be. It is his agenda,

not the missionary’s that matters.

For this concept of missions to work it requires that the

missionary first be a learner and be willing to receive from

those that they serve.11 I remember receiving from those who had

much less than we did, as one of the hardest lessons to put into

practice. However, having done so changed us and empowered the

individuals and church in being allowed the privilege to give.

After all, the gospel is about giving as well as receiving. I

still have several small gifts that I will always keep, not

because of their value, but because of what the receiving meant.

Another important part of being a learner is knowing who we

are and how our culture molds us. We cannot lead others to

genuine transformation if we do not know how our cultural

assumptions influence how we see the world, and what is good and

bad.12 WIthout this knowledge, it is all too easy to simply pass

on our version of the church. We must remember that

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…the truth of Christ is not relative to any one particular culture. It is perceived through the media of at least two cultures. The first medium is the culture from which it came; the second is the culture into which we want to integrate it. We cannot begin to perceive how the truth of Christ applies to our lives unless we begin to integrate it into our cultural narratives. However, we must first discernthis truth from the cultures that are delivering it to us.13

‘Missions as Transformation’ will only happen as we deal

with the underlying assumptions of our worldview and those with

whom we are working. The Gospel message has to arrive at that

deepest level for it to effect lasting change.

To manage cultural change, development facilitators and missionaries must first understand the narratives of the communities they serve because they reveal the nature of thestructures that govern life and explain the way the world works. The irony of learning narratives, however, is that people are often unaware of them and of the structures they represent; they are among the elements of the kosmos. They have tremendous influences on efforts to cope with the struggles of daily life. People need to empower themselves to transform their narratives and thereby their social structures.14

I have learned a lot about worldview from Paul Hiebert. His

book ‘Transforming Worldviews’ helps us understand why missions

has to address this level of culture. He explains that

transformation has to be ‘Cognitive’ as people accept the truth

and correct knowledge about Jesus and the Bible. It has to be

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‘Affective’ as individuals need the full heart experience. It has

to be ‘Evaluative’ as it reaches into the moral dimensions and

worldview of culture.15 If missions does not function from a

model that is transformative of all aspects of life, we actually

fall short of our goal. While this may seem daunting, Hiebert

encourages us with a reminder that

‘Cultures are constantly changing, and these changes often lead to changes in worldviews, which tend to change more slowly because they are at the subconsciouslevel. When worldviews change, the world itself does not change, but after the transformation people live ina perceptually different world.’16

When we are intentional about transformation, we can be

successful as change at the deepest level can and does occur when

God is involved.

Two passages help us to orient this concept to the biblical

message. First is Romans 12:2. Paul reminds us that we are to be

transformed, not just remodeled. This concept is expanded to show

that

…transformation is the change from a condition of human existence contrary to God’s purposes to one in which people are able to enjoy fullness of life in harmony with God (John10:10; Col, 3:8-15; Eph. 4:13). This transformation can onlytake place through the obedience of individuals and communities to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whose power

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changes the lives of men and women by releasing them from the guilt, power, and consequences of sin, enabling them to respond with love toward God and toward others (Rom. 5:5), and making them ‘new creatures in Christ’ (2 Cor. 5:17). 17

Second is Colossians 1:15-20 which reminds us that all

things are to be reconciled to God through Christ. Again from my

studies of Wesley, I learned that

Reconciliation speaks of a process of restoring a relationship what has been estranged. For Wesley, that is what new birth does. It rebuilds the bridge between God and man. It reopens the lines of communication. It reactivates the relationship that sin has deadened.18

From this broad understanding of transformation, I will move

into the three specific concerns of this paper. Each is a vital

part of all missions’ ministry, whether traditional or with more

of a developmental focus.

‘Missions as Transformation’: Conversion

Western society that has set the tone for much of today’s

missions endeavor is often driven by results—coming from the

competitive side of who we are as a culture. Emphasizing results

has often been a factor in missions, and I believe a problem with

the way conversion is approached. All missionaries are aware of

the challenges to produce good reports. Results keep us on the

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field. It can even impact our fundraising. One church we

contacted flatly refused to even talk with us if we were not in

the direct work of evangelism. I was a Bible school teacher and

administrator, discipling those would do evangelism and church

planting. ‘Missions as Transformation’ looks at the conversion of

the individual not as the sole outcome of missions, but as a

restoration of relationships with God and others. It is

inherently seen as a process—discipleship. The church has to be

involved in more than evangelism.

Allen highlights the need to think of conversion in light ofa process:

It would be better, far better, that our converts should make many mistakes, and fall into many errors, and commit, many offences, than that their sense of responsibility should be undermined. The Holy Ghost is given to Christians that He may guide them, and they that may learn His power toguide them, not that they may be stupidly obedient to the voice of authority.19

In ‘Missions as Transformation’ we have to ask how we define

conversion since it is linked to how we carry out missions. Is

conversion about knowledge, behavior, or the turning? Are we

focused on where one stands or on a process? Hiebert reminds us

that being a Christian is not about measuring up or aligning with

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a certain set of parameters or behaviors. Hiebert describes this

as being in a bounded set, when a predetermined aspect determines

if one is in or out. Rather being a Christian is about where we

are going, that is becoming like Christ. He describes this as

being in a centered set, when we are in based on whether or not

we are drawing closer to our goal.20 If the convert does not move

on to become like Christ ‘conversion takes place at the surface

levels of behavior and beliefs; … worldviews are not transformed,

the gospel is interpreted in terms of pagan worldviews, and the

result is Christo-paganism.’21

Shifting the focus from the point of conversion to the

process of developing Christians moves us into the realm of

transformation. It reminds us succinctly of Paul’s words in

Romans 12:2 ‘Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this

world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.’ Growth

of the believer has to take place.

This emphasis was clear to me early on in my study of

Wesley’s movement. In his ministry, it was easy for people to

join with the society, yet evidence of true faith was required to

continue. For Wesley salvation

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begins in repentance and climaxes in belief. In repentance we turn from a life without Christ; in belief we complete the turn by moving to embrace Christ’s way as our way. In the process, salvation is begun. Beyond the initial commitment there will be a lifetime of development and progress.22

Transformation starts with leading people to Christ from

where they are: thus conversion. They begin their journey on the

basis of their history and their culture. Transformation

continues with discipleship that leads to changes in behavior, in

beliefs, and in worldviews. ‘It is important, therefore, to

disciple them [new believers] into Christian maturity. This

includes a transformation … in the way people think and behave

… . They must learn to think biblically.’23

‘Missions as Transformation’ is holistic and involves all

aspects of the conversion of the person. As indicated above,

conversion is cognitive; people develop a correct knowledge about

Jesus and the Bible. Missions must be about building biblical

understanding. Conversion is affective; people need the full

heart experience. They need to see the impact on their lives and

learn to be a witness. Finally, conversion is evaluative; it

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reaches to the moral dimensions and worldview of culture. There

is a transformation of the decision making process.24

It is important to remember that transformation does not

take place in a vacuum. It is not about individual Christians.

Transformation touches the new believer’s relationships, not only

with God, but with others. After all, ‘At its base sin is broken

relationship, whether that brokenness is expressed toward others

or toward God.’25 David Bosch describes the process well:

Evangelism, then, means enlisting people for the reign of God, liberating them from themselves, their sins, and their entanglements, so that they will be free for God and neighbor. It calls individuals to a life of openness, vulnerability, wholeness, and love (cf Sprong 1982:15, Snyder 1983:146). To win people to Jesus is to win their allegiance to God’s priorities. God wills not only that we be rescued from hell and redeemed for heaven, but also that within us—and through our ministry also in society around us—the ‘fullness of Christ’ be re-created, the image of God berestored in our lives and relationships.26

It is this reality that requires us to move to the next step in ‘Missions as Transformation’.

‘Missions as Transformation’: Community

‘Missions as Transformation’ focuses on the church as a

community, and the church as part of a community. It requires

those of us from the West to remember that the rest of the world

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is not as individualistic as we are. In fact, I believe we need

to learn more about community from the global church. By focusing

on the collective aspect of the church, ‘Missions as

Transformation’ builds the church on relationships and empowers

its members for ministry.

Allen again sets the stage:

St Paul did not go about as a missionary merely to convert individuals: he went to establish churches from which the light might radiate throughout the whole country round. Thesecret of success in this work lies in beginning at the verybeginning. It is the training of the first converts which sets the type for the future. If the first converts are taught to depend upon the missionary, if all work, evangelistic, educational, social is concentrated in his hands, the infant community learns to rest passively upon the man from whom they receive their first insight into the Gospel. Their faith having no sphere for its growth and development lies dormant.27

This is a lesson that is strongly emphasized in the

transformational development field. Bryant Myers states that

‘ownership of the development process lies with the people

themselves.’28 This was seen to be true in our own missions

experience. A simple example illustrates the point. Our mission

for years had raised funds in the States to buy Christmas gifts

for national pastors. As the national church we were working with

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grew, we faced a challenge; the amount that was sent was not

sufficient. In part, not knowing what to do, we gave the

available money to the district church leaders to let them decide

how to use it. We were surprised and learned a lesson. They not

only found incredible deals on gifts for the households, but they

raised additional funds. Ownership makes a difference. Also, we

learned about receiving as they included the missionary wives.

The objective is to lead the church into becoming a new and

empowered community. As people confess faith in Christ and the

church develops, the goal is for people to ‘graft themselves and

their communities into the narratives of their faith.

Christianity has the power to transform history and thereby to

transform cultures.’29 The Wheaton Statement clarifies this idea

of transformation of the community:

We are called to be a new community that seeks to work with God in the transformation of our societies, men and women ofGod in society, salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt.5:13-16). We seek to bring people and their cultures under the Lordship of Christ. In spite of our failures, we move toward that freedom and wholeness in a more just community that persons will enjoy when our Lord returns to consummate His Kingdom (Rev. 21:1-22:6).30

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Ultimately, as Christians we are part of a body (I Cor. 12:12-

27).

‘Missions as Transformation’ responds to both individuals

and the community. We cannot expect new disciples to progress as

they should without the community. We are reminded that the

covenantal nature of the Old and New Testaments were based in the

community. ‘Covenant is a mutual commitment and relationship for

mutual building up, receiving and giving and openness and

building, that’s what covenant is all about. The biblical concept

of the community is people in a covenant relationship.’31

‘Missions as Transformation’ focuses on both the church and

its surrounding community. We do not want to develop a church

that does not care for or reach out to those around them. It is

the involvement of the individuals and church that shows that

transformation of community has taken place. ‘When people change

by becoming less passive and more the primary actors in their own

development, participation has become empowerment. And it is

changed people who change people.’32 To fulfill this function

requires that the believers and church be empowered.

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‘Missions as Transformation’ starts with the individual, but

recognizes that each disciple is in a context. Transformation of

the community

offers every person and community, everywhere, a valid opportunity to be directly challenged to a radical reorientation of their lives, a reorientation which involvessuch things as deliverance from slavery to the world and itspowers; embracing Christ as Savior and Lord; becoming a living member of his community, the church; being enlisted into his service of reconciliation, peace, and justice on earth; and being committed to God’s purpose of placing all things under the rule of Christ.33

Thinking along these lines will force us to evaluate how we reach

out to those who need Christ. Do we do so in a manner that

reflects the individualism of the West, or the collectivism of

the majority of cultures? We are reminded that the

‘church in each locale, as a community of faith, must define what it means to be a Christian in its particular sociocultural and historic setting. It must take responsibility for defining and keeping biblical orthodoxy, and it must do so by defining how Christianity is different from its cultural surroundings.’34

Do we seek quick results or adhere to the slower process of

corporate or community transformation?

‘Missions as Transformation’: Culture

‘Missions as Transformation’ does not stop with

transformation of the church community. It leads into a holistic

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transformation of not only the believers’ lives, but also the

society so that it reflects the kingdom of God. We are reminded

that the transformation of Romans 12:2 and Colossians 1:15-20

involves all aspects of life. ‘Until the church understands that

its job is to represent all of God’s intentions—not only

spiritual conversion but transformation in every sector of

society—it can never fulfill God’s full intentions.’35

Once again Allen contributes to our understanding.

We cannot teach less than the full truth that we have so learnt. But to introduce the fully developed systems in which that truth has expressed itself amongst us is to attempt to ignore differences of race and clime and to omit necessary stages of growth. It is impossible to skip stages of growth. … So our new churches guided and helped might speedily and painlessly learn the lessons which the Church of old learnt with the pain and labour of centuries. But it is one thing to pass through stages quickly, it is another to try to omit them.36

Allen’s last comment touches on another problem that we face

in the West—at least in the US. We are not known for our

patience; we want things to happen now. We need to remember that

the church in our culture has a long history and that we have

undergone progress and change over the centuries. (Although we

have also seen regression.) Not being aware of this in missions

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can be a problem. ‘Missions as Transformation’ is about the long

haul. It is not so much about staying for the long haul as

setting the stage for the church to keep the work of

transformation as an ongoing reality.

The failure to bring about the transformation of culture

leaves open the possibility of what Paul Hiebert has referred to

as the excluded middle.37 Basically he teaches us that ‘Missions

as Transformation’ has to deal with all aspects of the culture.

He particularly deals with the aspects of the spiritual

dimension, which is often ignored by those from the West. Hiebert

also indicates that transformation has to deal with the worldview

of a culture.

Conversion to Christ must encompass all three levels of culture: behavior and rituals, beliefs, and worldview. Christians should live differently because they are Christians. However, if their behavior is based primarily ontheir culture, it becomes dead tradition. Conversion must involve a transformation in beliefs, but if it is only a change of beliefs, it is false faith (James 2). Although conversion must include a change in behavior and beliefs, ifthe worldview is not transformed, in the long run the gospelis subverted and becomes captive to the local culture. The result is syncretistic Christo-paganism, which has the form but not the essence of Christianity.38

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While missions is about contextualization—making the gospel

and the practices of the church relevant and understandable to

the disciples—we cannot ignore that the biblical message changes

cultures. Contextualization is a valuable tool, but cannot stop

short of transformation. It cannot let relevancy be ahead of

needed change. That can be as much of a problem as syncretism.

Another way to look at the process leading to deep cultural

change has been expressed as translation. Translation, according

to Andrew Walls, brings the Gospel into a culture so that it can

‘be comprehended by means of and in terms of the pre-existing

language and its conventions…. It is not about substitution, the

replacement of something old with something new, but about

transformation, the turning of the already existing to new

account.’39

‘Missions as Transformation’ is about change. Change that

reaches into all aspects of the believers’ lives and culture.

As Christians we live in the world, but are not to be of the world. We are those transformed by the power of the gospel to show to the world a new worldview, one that bringsabout eternal salvation and manifests itself in love, joy, peace, gentleness, and witness. We are not called to fight the world or to flee from it. We are to be like salt and yeast, bringing about transformation in the world. One

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danger is to withdraw and form Christian communities that have no impact on the world. Another is to become so captiveto our culture that we lose the gospel. We are to live as a countercultural community and as individuals in the world, exemplifying Christlikeness in our lives as individuals and as communities of Christ’s disciples.40

Conclusion

‘Missions as Transformation’ is about God’s kingdom on

earth. It is about bringing not only individuals, but communities

and cultures under the transforming influence of the Gospel. It

starts from the premise that all cultures and all problems in

every culture are the result of the Fall; all meanings and values

need to be transformed or reconciled back to God’s values. It

understands that all individuals in all cultures need to develop

a biblical worldview.

We must also recognize that transformation of worldview

occurs in an integrated system of systems. ‘Christian

transformations speak of spiritual realities—the relationships of

communities of faith and individuals to God, to one another, and

to the world in which we live.’41 It is change in the whole

system that ‘Missions as Transformation’ seeks.

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‘Missions as Transformation’ is not achieved unless the

church is able to keep the process of transformation alive even

without the presence of missionaries. While development speaks

primarily of the poor, its message is equally true of the church

in the process of transformation. Development teaches us that the

poor ‘must come to believe in themselves—not in us, our

development aid, or our development agency. If they believe we

are the true instruments of development, then we have failed to

create mental sustainability. Instead, we have created dependency

and deepened their poverty.’42

‘Missions as Transformation’ is permanent transformation

when those being transformed become agents in the process.

‘Missions as Transformation’ is about the big picture. It

reconciles relationships, empowers people in ministry, and

enables ministry to be owned by the local church.

Finally, ‘Missions as Transformation’ means that we are on a

journey from being without Christ, to becoming like Christ, to

standing out for Christ.

Not only does God in Christ take people as they are: He takes them in order to transform them into what He wants them to be. Along with the indigenizing principle which

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makes his faith a place to feel at home, the Christian inherits the pilgrim principle, which whispers to him that he has no abiding city and warns him that to be faithful to Christ will put him out of step with his society, for that society never existed in East or West, ancient time or modern, which could absorb the word of Christ painlessly into its system.43

As disciples we are always in the process of being transformed

(Romans 12:2) at every deeper levels, for the journey only ends

in heaven. Transformation is also knowing that God ‘has

reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present

you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation’

(Colossians 1:22). Biblical transformation is about both the

beginning and the process:

‘transformation has simple beginnings (a person can turn wherever he or she is) but radical, lifelong consequences. It is not simply mental assent to a set of metaphysical beliefs, nor is it solely a positive feeling towards God. Rather it involves entering a lifeof discipleship and obedience in every area of our being and throughout the whole story of our lives.’44

That is when transformation is complete.

Notes

1 The ideas in this and the following paragraph come from an unpublished paper written while at Asbury Seminary. The only copy of the paper I can find does not carry the title I used at the time. The intent of the paper was to glean from Wesley’s ministry for cross-cultural missions.

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2 Rolan Allen, Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours? (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdman’s Publishing Co., 1962), p. 155.

3 Bryant L. Myers, Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development (MaryKnoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1999), p.171.

4 B. L. Myers, Walking with the Poor, p. 3.

5 Robert Mofitt, ‘Transformation: Dream or reality?’, Evangelical Missions Quarterly 41/October (2005), p. 490 (490-494).

6 Edward R. Dayton, ‘Social Transformation: The Mission of God’,in Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden (eds.), The Church in Response to Human Need, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company 1987, p. 55 (52-61).

7 Paul G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews: Anthropological Understanding ofHow People Change (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), p. 311.

8 Rollin G. Grams, ‘Transformation Mission Theology: Its History, Theology and Hermeneutics’, Transformation 24/July & October (2007), p. 201 (193-212).

9 David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission(Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1991), p. 399.

10 Vinay Samuel, ‘Mission as Transformation’, Transformation 19/October (2002), p. 244 (243-47).

11 See D.J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, p. 456.

12 See B. L. Myers, Walking with the Poor, p. 169.

13 Bruce Bradshaw, Change across Cultures (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), p. 37.

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14 B. Bradshaw, Change across Cultures, p. 240.

15 See P. G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, p. 312-314.

16 P. G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, p. 316.

17 ‘The Wheaton ’83 Statement’, in Vinay Samuel and Chris Sugden (eds.), The Church in Response to Human Need, Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company 1987, p. 257 (254-265.

18 Stever Harper, John Wesley’s Message for Today (Grand Rapids, MI: Francis Asbury Press of Zondervan Publishing House, 1983), p. 67.

19 R. Allen, Missionary Methods, p. 145.

20 See Paul G. Hiebert, Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1994), pp. 125-127.


22 S. Harper, John Wesley’s Message for Today, p. 58.


24 See P. G. Hiebert, Transforming Worldviews, pp. 312-314.

25 S. Harper, John Wesley’s Message for Today, p. 29.

26 D. J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, p. 418.



29 B. Bradshaw, Change across Cultures, p. 22.

30 ‘The Wheaton ’83 Statement’, p. 260.

28

31 Vinay Samuel, ‘Mission as Transformation’, p. 246.


33 D. J. Bosch, Transforming Mission, p. 420.


35 R. Mofitt, ‘Transformation: Dream or reality?’, p. 493.


37 See P. G. Hiebert, Anthropological Reflections, p. 196-198.


39 Andrew F. Walls, The missionary movement in Christian history: Studies in the transmission of faith (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books 1996), p. 28.




43 A.F. Walls, The Missionary movement, p. 8.

Author BiographyDr Marcus Dean is associate professor and chair of Intercultural Studies at Houghton College, Houghton, NY. He and his family spent 14 years as missionaries in Latin America.

Missions as Transformation: Conversion, Community and Culture

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Transcript of Missions as Transformation: Conversion, Community and Culture