Mission and Evangelism

[thewriteranon]

So I'm in missions classes four days a week this semester. 8 AM bright and early with Dr. Stroope Tuesday through Friday along with some of my classmates who are in both classes. Dr. Stroope's book on "missions" is currently with IVP and since he's just written on the language of "missions," many of our conversations on missions have centered on "what do we mean by 'mission'" and "is it different from evangelism" and "why do we use this language?" So I'm curious, what do missions and evangelism mean to you? When you hear those words, what comes to mind? Are "mission" and "evangelism" synonymous? Is one a subset of the other? David Bosch, whom we are reading, divides people into two overarching categories: those who see "missions" and "evangelism" as synonymous and those who do not. Bosch is a big fan of lists, and extensive ones, so I'm not going to repost them as that's pretty much half his article. If you're curious the article is "Evangelism: Theological Currents and Cross-Currents Today" and can be found in The Study of Evangelism, ed. Paul W. Chilcote and Laceye C Warner. Anyway, thoughts on mission?

[Cow Poke]

Just off the top of my head, evangelism is "telling people about Jesus", where "missions" is more interactive, and may involve cultural aspects, and medical clinics and water well drilling and orphanages - being more involved with the people being "missionized".

I think I usually include "meeting people at the point of their need" in missions, but not so much in evangelism.

[Pentecost]

I think of evangelism as any action taken that moves someone closer to accepting the saving grace of our Lord.

I think of missions as any ministry (even non-evangelistic ones like relief efforts) that takes place in a foreign location or culture than the one the missionaries come from.

[KingsGambit]

I think it might be risky to see the two as synonymous. I think one problem with some more liberal churches is that they focus almost exclusively on some of the social mission stuff, stuff that undoubtedly churches should be doing, and thinking that encompasses everything. If the gospel isn't front and center, no matter how noble the intentions are, it isn't evangelism.