Global Mobilization Consultation 2023 Report
We are full of praise to the Lord for a prosperous GMC 2023, and we thank everyone who was part of making it a success. As an affiliated network of the World Evangelical Alliance (Mission Commission), we were excited to see a representation of the Global Church in attendance. In total, we had 155 registered participants who attended (60 women, 95 men). Among the participants were representatives from Africa, North America, South America, and Europe, as well as representatives from Australia and New Zealand. We were so glad to have the strong participation of a large delegation from the “Big C Church” in the East, as well as a good representation of mobilizers from other creative access nations.
Dec 2 –
Allan Matamoros officially welcomed all the delegates and, later, reported on the state of the Network together with Kate, calling for greater participation.
Kate Register led a workshop on leading innovation and change in mission. Greg Parsons’s workshop was on leading multicultural teams and managing conflict. Jacob Igba focused on economic factors and sustainability in the mission. Rhoda Appia and Cristina Conti served as anchors. In contrast, Reuben Kachala, Ray Peng, Mary Mumo, Mark Kolo, Carissa Potter, Asif Calib, Pranee Boonkliang, and Sinmi Alao all served as panelists who discussed topics such as mobilizing the next generation and multiplying mobilizers.
Daniel Appiah led participants in corporate times of prayer that were well received alongside riveting times of worship led by Julio Vallejos and his team. Members of the ELT (Prakash Nayak and Harriet Ngugi) took turns being anchors for the day while David Flynn focused on ensuring a smooth media experience. Silvana Ricca ensured an all-round positive experience with logistical arrangements.
Marina Prins, A passionate and involved member carer, led the devotions each day, bringing refreshing and personal care applications from God’s word in very personable and impactful ways.
Paulo Feniman started the plenaries with a sober reminder that we are living in a world with the shortest time within which change takes place. It is a rapidly changing world, and mobilizers must understand this fast-paced dynamism as they work with churches that may no longer be able to make long-term plans due to the speed and pace of change. One of the implications of these changing times is to reconsider the key place of short-term mission and make it more strategic.
Ferdinand Nweke: To the question “How do you eat an elephant’, Ferdinand Nweke pointed out that instead of eating the elephant of the excellent commission task one piece at a time, we should find ways to bring the whole community to the party so that the task of eating the elephant could be more quickly accomplished! In doing this, he challenged mobilizers to consider ways to mobilize believers in the marketplace specifically.
Ryan Shaw challenged participants to consider the strategic place of ‘Mobilization Prayer’ and how it could be implemented in various contexts and made central in the mobilization effort.
Ashok Kumar drew attention to diaspora realities with a specific highlight on the less talked about Hindu unreached population of 1.2 billion, forming about 16% of the total number of the unreached, and the possible pathways toward mobilization to reach them.
Steve Shadrach built on Ralph Winter’s “Three Eras of Mission Movement” to emphasize that what now demands our attention and resources in the current “Fourth Era” is how to turn traditional mission fields into radical new mission forces through educating and empowering the unsent so they can become
engaged in going or sending to the unreached.
Jay Matenga reminded participants that the future of the mission and mission mobilization has shifted (or are shifting) past the colonial and development era towards a ‘Co-creation era’ where mobilizers and mission agencies must adopt the posture of coming alongside to serve the church to engage in the mission of God.
Rajesh Duthie challenged mobilizers to consider creative pathways to mobilize churches for mission, including the use of technology to rekindle passion for evangelism, discipleship, and mission so that all these will take place together.
Mike Adegbile brought a befitting closing word for the consultation. After enumerating key signposts on the roadmap towards completing the task of the Great Commission, he identifies the three most urgent needs towards completing the task of the Great Commission as: Mobilization…Mobilization and Mobilization!!
Pray for the next GMC and ask the Lord to make it even more glorious!!
