Nordic Missiological Discourses following Together towards Life and the Arusha World Mission Conference

Abstract

The article gives an overview of recent discussions on international ecumenical missiology in a Nordic, and particularly Norwegian, context. A short background on historical disagreements between churches and mission agents gives the backdrop for more recent theological discussions following the Edinburgh 2010 anniversary. Two WCC events in particular have contributed to the discussions. First, the publishing of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism's Together Towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes has fuelled the discussions with new insights. A pneumatological entry point into missiology prompted churches and mission agents to renew their talks about the main reasons for engaging in mission. A central part of these discussions has been the question of what “mission from the margins” may mean. Second, the Arusha World Mission Conference gave an opportunity for a broad ecumenical encounter, also from within the Nordic region. The many stories and witnesses from the margins that were presented in Arusha gave new insights into a Norwegian (and partly Nordic) understanding of who the marginalized are, also within a Nordic context. The article concludes that the Arusha conference contributed to understanding storytelling as crucial to the meaning of the term “mission from the margins.”