2010 North American Meeting of the International Society for Frontier Missiology

Reassessing the Frontiers:

Ethnicity, Globalization and the Kingdom of God

September 21-23, 2010

prior to the North American Mission Leaders Conference, Sept 23-25

Charlotte, N.C.

at the Country Inn & Suites

In a centennial year of global mission gatherings from Capetown to Tokyo, the mandate for missions will be under review. Mission and church strategists will be studying all the indicators of change and envisioning directions for mission in the 21 st century. Unprecedented migrations, wrenching political and economic shifts, and staggering natural disasters seem to flatten historic barriers. Social, cultural and institutional boundaries once so solid seem to evaporate under the conditions of globalization. The missiological relevance of ethnic and cultural difference is often disputed or ignored in the emerging multicultural agendas of a global sending church.

After more than three decades of emphasis on ‘unreached peoples’, this year’s ISFM meetings will reevaluate frontier mission by examining the intersection of ethnicity, globalization and the Kingdom of God. What are the emerging social, cultural and religious dynamics on these frontiers? Are they eroding or hardening under the impact of globalization? What new access is granted for Kingdom-mission in the turbulence of change? Plenary talks, formal responses and interaction from the floor will combine to unpack these frontier realities. Some of the key plenary sessions will include the following speakers:

	The Global Perspective Dr. Todd Johnson (co-editor of the Atlas of Global Christianity and director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity) will bring a sweeping macro-analysis of how globalization impacts religious, ethnic and social boundaries, creating either firewalls or new thresholds between communities and civilizations
	A “Glocal” Perspective  Dr. Gary Fujino (Ph.D., Trinity) will offer an analysis of how globalization has impacted Japanese identity and the Japanese church. From more than 15 years of church planting in the “global city” of Tokyo, Gary will assess efforts in contextualization within the multiple, shifting identities of Japanese culture.
	The Religious Perspective Dr. Kang San Tan (Former OMF Research Desk, professor Redcliffe College, UK) will address the multi-religious experience in a globalized world, giving special focus to the Christian-Buddhist frontier. While Christian theology has tended to treat non-Christian religions as tight and separate religious systems, global complexities make this increasingly problematic for converts who struggle to relate to their previous faith world.
	The Anthropological Perspective Dr. Robert Priest (Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies, and Director, PhD Program, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School)will survey the development of our anthropological lenses on ‘people groups’ and refine our grasp of the contextual complexity of peoples under the impact of globalization.
	The Missiological Perspective Steve Hawthorne (Perspectives on the World Christian Movement) will probe the missiological concept of “people group” by reviewing the historical use of ‘ethnicity’ in recent mission strategy. With increasing calls for multiculturalism and culturally-hybrid congregational life, Hawthorne will reexamine the biblical and theological foundations of ethnic and cultural difference in frontier mission.
	The Biblical Perspective Bruce Graham (Frontier Mission Fellowship) will address the subject of the Kingdom of God from his two decades of training indigenous mission workers in India. With voices from the non-Western world and a rising student generation calling the church to reconcile the injustices and inequities of globalized society, Graham will focus his response on the biblical narrative of the Kingdom Mission as an integrating perspective for reaching creatively across resistant and turbulent frontiers. Responses from a rising Kingdom-minded younger generation will compliment this session.

For an informative development of this theme, see this article in the May/June issue of the periodical Mission Frontiers.

Registration

Registration will begin at 6:00 pm September 21 st at our meeting room in the Country Inn & Suites Hotel.

The conference will conclude at noon the 23rd. To register, click here.

Cost

$50 for a 3 day conference (includes coffee breaks and materials)
$40 early bird registration up until September 1st
$25 for full-time students and donor-supported foreign missionaries

If you plan to only attend the Wednesday PM and/or the Thursday AM sessions, please contact us at isfm@ijfm.org .

Location

Country Inn and Suites

131 E. McCullough Drive

Charlotte, N.C. 28262

Phone: 704-549-8770

Fax: 704-717-8728

Email: countryinnfom@gmail.com

Lodging Options

On-site
For a discounted lodging at the Country Inns & Suites ($69+tax per room per night, double occupancy), click here

Conference Schedule (Pending)

Contact Us
For more information, please e-mail us at brad.gill@ijfm.org, or call us with the phone number listed here.