World's Top Missiologists to Brainstorm for Asia Missions

By Michelle A. Vu , Christian Post Reporter

October 30, 2007|7:14 am

Prominent western missiologists joined their Asian counterparts for the first international conference of the Asian Society of Missiology on Tuesday.

Dozens of world renowned missiologists, including Dr. Ralph D. Winter of the U.S. Center for World Mission and Dr. David J. Cho of DavidCho Missiological Institute, have convened to participate in the ASM international conference held in Bangkok on Oct. 30-Nov. 2. The theme of the conference is “Asian Mission: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow.”

“Asian churches are emerging as new forces of world mission, but have not been fully developed to play their unique roles in the missionary movement of the Church,” noted Dr. Timothy K. Park, ASM president and associate professor of Asian Mission at Fuller Theological School of Intercultural Studies.

In order to help Asian churches accomplish their mission, ASM members aim to tackle the changes in mission and communicate them to the Church through publication, consultation and education.

“The clear understanding of the changes in mission in our days will help the Asian Church do her mission more effectively and protect her from pitfall that hindered the Western mission a lot,” according to the ASM website.

The conference has brought together missiologists to talk about Asian mission from historical, theological, leadership development, and strategic perspectives and to prepare a roadmap for Asian mission.

During plenary sessions, Asian missiologists will speak and both Asian and Western missiologists will respond.

Dr. Ralph D. Winter will speak at the closing service. He will present the 12 mistakes of Western churches and agencies that Asian churches and mission agencies should not repeat.

ASM was organized at the Moscow Convention of Asian Missions Associations (AMA) in 2003 to be a “think tank” for the missionary movement of Asian churches. ASM also promotes fellowship among Asian missiologists for mutual encouragement, knowledge sharing, and more effective service in mission education.

On the Web: asianmissiology.com