An Olive Agenda as an accompaniment model of mission

Abstract

The engagement of Christians in working to help alleviate suffering in the world is a biblical mandate. During the era of industrialization and colonial expansion, the idea of social and economic progress dominated the Western mind so that indigenous cultures and ways of life were judged through a lens of evolution, development, and so-called economic growth. This view was further entrenched after World War II and, for decades now, international development has been part of the church’s involvement in mission. Despite these efforts, the gap between the “haves” and “have nots” in our world continues to grow. Additionally, the divide created between “receiver/objects” and “giver/subjects” mitigates the chance of meaningful sharing to take place. In response to this history, Christians in the so-called Western world need to search for models of mission engagement not based on the presuppositions that undergirded previous efforts. An accompaniment model of mission, grounded in a theoretical foundation such as South African scholar and activist Steve de Gruchy’s Olive Agenda, can serve as a needed corrective to common Western notions of community development.