Anapolis,
Brazil 2006
International Theological
Education for the 21st Century
Social
responsibility and the gospel are bound up in each other...
The
Ward Consultation in Anapolis, Brazil
(September 14-16, 2006) is based on the premise that social
responsibility and the gospel are bound up in each other. At
this Consultation, public leaders, church leaders, and
theological educators together will seek an understanding of
evangelism that takes John 3:14-18, Matthew 25: 34-39, and 2
Corinthians 5:18-19 seriously. What we learn at this
Consultation will affect how we view the practices of
discipleship and theological education for the whole people of
God.
A critical question for the
Consultation
is to examine the ways in which the growth of the church is, or
should be, affecting the countries where it is growing. What
hinders Christian involvement in societal issues and concerns?
In what ways can political and social leaders assist the church
and theological educators in addressing injustice and
unrighteousness in society? Which churches, nonformal
initiatives, and seminaries (in Brazil, Latin America, and
elsewhere) have developed learning experiences in social
responsibility and what can we learn from these efforts?
One key goal of the
Consultation
is to connect participants with one another
• to explore the possibility of some kind of cooperative venture
following the Consultation;
• to share ministry strategies, hopes and dreams, concerns and
struggles;
• to help one another and discover how we can do more things
together rather than separately;
• to pray together and find ways and means to make better use of
our resources;
• to propose researchable tasks and advocacy opportunities;
• to discuss the possibility of developing and/or connecting
with other groups in Brazil and other countries in Latin
America;
• to explore how leaders can travel into one another’s contexts
to learn, to view one another’s ministries, to share resources,
to connect with leaders who were unable to attend the
Consultation.
Questions that will guide our conversations
include the following:
• How do Brazilian and Latin American leaders perceive the
effects of over 400 years of Church and State relations? In what
ways has this history affected current relationships between
Protestant evangelical churches and government agencies?
• What can be learned from documents now being prepared to guide
thinking about evangelism and social responsibility?
• What can be learned from how churches and government agencies
are working together to effect change in local towns and cities?
• What can be learned from local stories of how churches,
seminaries, and social agencies are working together
successfully?
• What particular issues must be considered in formulating a
definition of evangelism that incorporates social
responsibility? How will this definition be used to guide the
efforts of churches and seminaries in Brazil and Latin America
to make a difference in culture?
• In what ways will the acceptance of the integration of
evangelism and social responsibility affect the church’s efforts
in discipleship and theological education?
• What frustrates you? What engages your heart?
Consultation
experiences will include the
following:
• Sharing stories about how churches, schools, and government
agencies have worked together effectively.
• Working together on written drafts of definitions, project
proposals, and stories of successful examples to guide us as we
confront human need, physically and spiritually.
• Learning about the integration of mission and social
intervention from visits to at least one local school and
orphanage.
• Interacting with government officials about their ideas for
how churches and theological schools can make a difference.
• Interacting with church and seminary leaders about the role of
the seminary in relation to the church’s mission in society.
What resources do we have to assist one another? What do you
need from others to do your work?
• Inquiring into the availability of funding and research
expertise for specific tasks.
• Reviewing reports and recommendations leading to action plans
based on the interaction of various working groups.
Ministries we learned about in Brazil
www.renas.org.br
www.mntb.org.br
www.asasdesocorro.org.br
www.mvida.org.br
www.acedevida.com.br
Readings
Ward Consultation Brazil: Consultation Design
Rhonda McEwen, a specialist in community development, is going to the Micah Network meetings in Thailand during the time of the Ward Consultation Brazil. However, she sent along these web site links to organizations that are assisting churches with holistic outreach. Some of their materials are available in Spanish and Portuguese.
The Disciple Nations Alliance (Bob Moffitt and Darrow Miller) are worth noting for their work with churches and helping them get on board re holistic outreach. See: Harvest and Disciple Nations Alliance. This movement is growing and there may be people present at the consultation who have attended a conference.
There is a trend toward Partnership language. The Micah Network has put out a lit review and partnership information See Partnership literature as well as a list of guidelines etc.
A recent publication from Interaction (a relief and development networking group based in Washington, DC) publishes “Monday Developments” This is worth looking at from time to time to keep abreast of current thinking in this arena.
It is also worth checking the Lausanne web site periodically. When you go to the home page, click the Documents hyperlink to see a list of resources, some of which relate to the theme of the Ward Consultation Brazil