An Orthodox Assessment of the New Mission Statement

Together towards Life, Missional Formation, and Transforming Discipleship

“…As Nzenzili Lucie Mboma has observed, TTL “drew inspiration and insights from the various forms of mission theology in vigour today; we can even pinpoint insights from the Catholic mission theology.” Likewise, from an Orthodox perspective, Petros Vassiliadis has pointed out how strongly TTL resonates with an Orthodox theological understanding – in contrast to earlier WCC mission statements, such as the 1982 Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation and the 2000 CWME study document Mission and Evangelism in Unity . The Trinitarian, ecclesial, and spiritual notes of TTL chime well with central concerns of the Orthodox …”

Missio Dei – the contemporary missionary paradigm and its reception in the Eastern Orthodox missionary theology

“…He underlined the martyria dimension of mission instead of an offensive and sometimes arrogant mission, the liturgical aspect of Christian witness in the form of the Liturgy after the liturgy, but also the Trinitarian importance of the missio Dei theology. 47 The centre and content of the mission of the Church is to proclaim the salvation of humankind as a gift of God, given in the cross and the resurrection of his Son, Jesus Christ. Mission is an essential part of the gospel of Jesus Christ.…”