Editorial
J. Nelson Jennings
Published in Global Missiology, www.globalmissiology.org. January 2018
Journals take on personalities of their own, missiological journals included. For its part, Global Missiology (GM) has developed into a unique, multilingual conveyor of stimulating “contributions from international researchers, practitioners and scholars who have a global perspective,” as the masthead puts it. Spearheaded by English and Chinese but also through several other languages, GM has been providing the Christian mission world with substantial, evangelical, and globally informed insights.
While all praise goes to God for the journal’s sustenance and usefulness, Enoch Wan is without question the central person responsible for creating, running, and expanding GM over the past 15 years. We are all indebted to Enoch for his labors, which thankfully will continue except for editing the English portion. Dr. Wan’s stirring account of GM’s history in this issue is testimony to how God has graciously used key people to make this journal the invaluable instrument it has become. Of special note is how all those involved have served voluntarily, a GM trait that is slated to continue for the foreseeable future.
Some observers might mistakenly assume that the different language versions are translations of each other. That is not the case, since each version is in one sense its own journal under the overall GM umbrella. There are some instances of Chinese-English versions of the same content, but in the main the articles in each language stand on their own. GM as a whole thus represents the diversity inherent to the Christian faith itself, unified by the triune God’s mission but particular in its various linguistic and cultural expressions.
I am happy and honored to be assuming editorial responsibilities for GM-English, beginning with this quarter’s issue. I am also very happy to honored to introduce a new editorial team, who represent a large variety of the world by background and personal experience. Please read about and see photos of each team member elsewhere on this website at ENGLISH > ABOUT > Editorial Team page, linked here. Readers familiar with GM will no doubt be delighted to see that Mary Wilder is continuing to assemble the humor page (often the first spot readers seek out each quarter).
In light of the new editorial team launching our tenures, I have invited them to contribute articles from their areas of expertise and interest. Along with Enoch Wan’s GM overview, this issue’s insightful analysis of millenials and mission (Part 1) by Wanjiru Gitau should pique readers’ interest in a vitally important topic about upcoming leaders. So should Guille Mac Kenzie’s theological and missiological examination of how sanctification plays out for Latin American Christians. Readers can anticipate forthcoming articles from the other editorial team members - Thomas Oduro, Gloria Tseng, and Ruslan Zagidulin - in the near future. No less significant in this issue are an article examining scriptural teaching on finishing the task by Michael Cooper, and a history of Anglicanism in Smyrna by Chris Royer.
As for upcoming issues, in April Jim Harries will serve as guest editor for a theme that deserves a wide hearing, that of Vulnerable Mission. Projected themes to follow include Mission and Nationalism, Multidirectional Missions, and the ongoing nature of the Unreached People Group concept. Consider this an invitation not only to anticipate the material to come but also to submit your own contributions, the guidelines for which can be found elsewhere on this GM website.
Enjoy this issue; use its contents in your own scholarship, ministry, and research; and, do not hesitate to contact me with any feedback whatsoever at GlobalMissiologyEnglish@gmail.com.