“Mission” and Missio Dei: Response to Charles Van Engen’s “‘Mission’ Defined and Described”

Abstract

Background : Ed Stetzer and David J. Hesselgrave co-edited the 2010 book MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium . They invited a total of fifteen missiologists, theologians, and practitioners to engage in conversation on the confusion that has arisen over the meaning and concepts of the terms "missional" and “contextualization” in the 21st century and the way forward. The design of the book was to have three grand essays (by three leading missiologists: Charles Van Engen, Paul Hiebert and Ralph Winter) for others to respond and it took two years to accomplish their goal.