The Changing Environment of World Mission: Six Areas of Importance
The Changing Environment of World Mission: Six Areas of Importance
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, (EMQ), July 2013
The environment in which missions exists has changed dramatically from a century ago. Missionaries once rode steams ships, waving goodbye to family, not knowing if they would ever see them again. Today, we live in an instant age. Email is out of style because it isn't fast enough. We use video chat to connect with co-workers on multiple continents, to let grandparents read bedtime stories to grandkids, and to teach groups in multiple countries at once. The people we minister to have changed as well. Worldwide use of technology has led to a worldwide phenomenon sociologists call "Deculturation", which simply means that from Shanghai to Sao Paulo, Phnom Penh to Peoria, and Mombasa to Manhattan, young people share startingly similar characteristics.... We must, therefore, ask ourselves, is the mission industry keeping up with these changes?
