General Secretary Attends Consultation on Worldwide Mission of PCUSA   

The General Secretary of the Church of North India Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan visited the Presbyterian Church of USA to attend its Consultation on Worldwide Mission from 15^th to 18^th January 2008 in Dallas, Texas. The Consultation was attended by the PC-USA World Mission program units and various other Presbyterian entities engaged in mission around the world, including the Medical Benevolence Foundation, the Outreach Foundation, the Presbyterian Frontier Fellowship, the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship, the Witherspoon Society, various mission networks and the Presbyterian Women and global partners from India, Peru and Ghana. The theme of the Consultation was “Renewed Call to Presbyterian Mission in the World: A Dialogue for our shared future”.  

The issue before the Consultation was the challenge of engaging collaboratively in world mission have been punctuated even more in recent years as more presbyteries, congregations and individuals choose to facilitate their own mission projects rather than via denominational structures. Presbyterian groups are increasingly forming their own global partnership and sending missionaries into the field.  At the end of the three days exercise a covenant was signed as an invitation to expanding partnership in God’s Mission. According to this Covenant signed and issued the Consultation has acknowledged that God is calling Churches in the West to new patterns of mission. The world has changed, and the majority of the world’s Christians are now in Latin America, Africa and Asia.  The great growth and mission faithfulness of the Church outside the West invite the Church in USA into a new posture.  The Church in the west must listen and learn to receive and be open to new patterns of collaboration.  

Therefore recognizing that God calls Churches to mission that is grounded in confession of our sins grows out of a life of prayer and is sustained in worship the Consultation acknowledged the following seven values:  

1.         Trusting in the Holy Spirit and trusting in one another as each discerns how God is moving us in mission. (Acts 10)

2.         Doing mission in the way of Jesus who humbled himself, showing the way of self-giving and self-emptying. (Philippians 2)

3.         Seeking to be faithful to God as we live and proclaim the fullness of Jesus Christ’s good news; personal witness to those outside the church, justice for the oppressed and compassion for those in need. We accompany others in their efforts to be faithful. (Luke 4)

4.         Affirming the complementary nature of God’s gifts to all in the one body of Christ and encouraging one another in living out those gifts. (I Corinthians 12)

5.         Recognizing our responsibility to each other by communicating openly, acting transparently and speaking and hearing the truth in love. (Ephesians 4)

6.         Striving in our mission to be aware of the context out of which we come, to respect the persons with whom we labor and to honor the context in which they live. In an era of massive global inequalities we commit ourselves to be sensitive to and address the issues of power that result from our differences. (Philippians 2)

7.         Valuing long-term relationships, partnerships characterized by perseverance and long-term commitments which support and encourage global partners. (I Thessalonians 2)

While seeking to live out these mission values with humility, integrity and steadfastness the Churches have made commitment to work cooperatively with one another in the following ways:  

1.         We will affirm and encourage World Mission as it continues to move from a regulatory role to a more enabling and equipping role.

2.         We will celebrate and encourage diverse Presbyterian approaches and structures for mission while maintaining the unity of our participation in God’s mission.

3.         We will share responsibility for the education and preparation of all Presbyterians for mission.

4.         We commit ourselves to seeking more mission personnel who will serve long-term in cross-cultural contexts through the PC(USA), and to supporting them fully.

5.         We commit ourselves to enabling and supporting our global partners as they send their mission personnel in cross-cultural service.

6.         We recognize and affirm the growing opportunity for cross-cultural mission in our own increasingly pluralistic and multi-cultural society, and we receive the global community from near and far as mission partners and God’s gift to us. We seek increased integration between local and global mission.

During his visits, Rev. Pradhan made an overwhelming presentation on the life, formation and ministry of the Church of North India and shared its mission concerns focusing on unity, witness and service.  This visit to PCUSA and attending such a significant Consultation has strengthened our partnership with PCUSA to recognize that God calls us to mission, that is grounded in confession of our sins, grows out of a life of prayer and is sustained in worship and therefore we, in the Church of North India, examine the values set above in our unity, witness and service. While seeking to live out these mission values with humility, integrity and steadfastness Rev. Pradhan has called upon the Dioceses, Congregations, Boards, Commission and Institutions to make commitment to work cooperatively with one another.