Storytelling the Status of Missions

As many people know, I am now on staff with LeaderSource, an organization that equips churches to build healthy leaders by helping them design healthy leader development movements. It’s a great org, very swarmish, and I’m enjoying my first weeks with them.

Later next month I will be traveling, participating in a couple of conferences. One of the presentations I am going to be giving, and which I am working on right now, is a “Status of Global Missions” presentation. I’ll have about 2 hours, but not really, because what I say has to be translated. And I won’t have a laptop with me – so no Powerpoint. And the people I’m talking with aren’t high level statisticians. I want to keep numbers to a minimum.

So that leaves me with stories. I’m thinking what I’ll do – and this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while – is to merge my History of Global Missions presentation (which takes about 90 minutes) with my Status of Missions presentation (which also takes about 90 minutes) to have one that heavily emphasizes stories to explain how we got to where we are now, and where we’re going.

Here’s the rough outline that I’m working from. Each story I tell will take about a minute or two. Anything I’ve left out? Anything you’d add? Something you’d emphasize?

History of Missions

I. CHRISTIANITY WINS THE ROMAN EMPIRE (33-500)

Peter, Paul: from Jews to Gentiles, spreading out
The Legend of Thomas: the Church heads East. Edessa, Chang’an.
Dirt, disease and acts of Charity: Outlasting the Roman Empire
From Toleration to Control: Councils and Infrastructure
Expanding too far: Roman Empire threatened by nomadic tribes, pulls back
Patrick.

II. GREAT RECESSION (500-950)

The Celtic Missionaries take Ireland
Justinian & Theodora: one last hoorah for the Romans
From Krakatoa to Rat Famine to Grain Ships to Plague
The plough comes from China: 1,000 monasteries refarm Europe, setting the stage for the Reformation
The advancing storm: Viking pillagers and the lightning spread of Islam

III. ADVANCE IN STORM (950-1350)

Christian Kingdoms: shoring up success
Converted Vikings are still restless: the Crusades
Christianity spreads far into the East: the Christian Uighur Kingdoms and the Nestorians
Western Religious Orders: the birth of the Franciscans and Dominicans
Rise of the Mongols and a Christian Princess: Sorghagtani Beki and the largest nominally Christian empire
”Send me Christians”: the biggest missed opportunity in history

IV. CONFUSION, CORRUPTION (1350-1500)

Wars and Rumors of Wars, Famines, Schism, Black Death, Timur, Ottomans: the end of the world?
Great discovery: Chinese and European Explorers
Early Reform Movements: Wycliffe & Hus

V. REFORM & EXPANSION (1500-1750)

European Empires & Expansion: Magellan, da Vinci, Raphael
Luther: catalyzed reform movements
Calvin: institutionalized the reform, making it last
Jesuits: Catholic reform movements and massive missionary thrust

VI. REPUDIATION & REVIVAL (1750-1815)

Great Awakening
William Carey: the Protestant missionary movement kicks off at last
Samuel Mills
Adoniram Judson: missions to asia
Luther Rice: inspires the launch of American missions.
Civil War.

VII. GREAT CENTURY (1815-1915)

In America, the women take over (because a lot of men are dead)
Launch of Christian Endeavor
Pierson, Clark, CT Studd & Cambridge Seven with Vision of China
Moody inspired by Studd: Moody + Wilder + Pierson = launch of the Student Volunteer Movement.
Explosion of agencies.
Christianity spreads to the interiors.

VIII. VIGOR AMIDST STORM (1915-1950)

Loss of SVM due to post-WW1 disillusionment, bad theology.
War.
Revival.
Loss of contact with Chinese church.

IX. THIRD WORLD SURGE (1950-2000)

Explosion of decentralized efforts.
Surge in technology.
Globalization. Reconnecting.

X. NOW

Enormous interconnectivity.
Population growth outstripping growth of the church.
Even the smallest person can change the course of history.