The centenary of the World Missionary Conference of 1910, held in Edinburgh, was a suggestive moment for many people seeking direction for Christian mission in the 21st century. Several different constituencies within world Christianity held significant events around 2010. From 2005, an international group worked collaboratively to develop an intercontinental and multidenominational project, known as Edinburgh 2010, based at New College, University of Edinburgh. This initiative brought together representatives of twenty different global Christian bodies, representing all major Christian denominations and confessions, and many different strands of mission and church life, to mark the centenary.
Essential to the work of the Edinburgh 1910 Conference, and of abiding value, were the findings of the eight think-tanks or 'commissions'. These inspired the idea of a new round of collaborative reflection on Christian mission-but now focused on nine themes identified as being key to mission in the 21st century. The study process was polycentric, open-ended, and as inclusive as possible of the different genders, regions of the world, and theological and confessional perspectives in today's church.
To provide a broader context and understanding of the diverse landscape within evangelical Christianity, here's a look at various groups and their missions:
Distribution of the evangelical population worldwide.
Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps
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The Aggressive Christianity Missions Training Corps is an evangelical communal ministry founded in 1982 by Jim Green and his wife Deborah Green as the Free Love Ministry. They saw the group as an end-time army brought together to fight sin, especially what they saw as major evils running rampant in society-pornography, homosexuality, rock music, and so on. Inspired in part by the Salvation Army, they developed a disciplined military lifestyle, and members wore uniforms and assumed ranks in the corps. The group maintains that it looks to God for its support.
The progress of the corps was blocked in 1987 when a former member sued, claiming that the group brainwashed had her. The leaders of the corps ignored the lawsuit and did not appear when the case came up in court. As a result, the former member received a million-dollar default judgment, which led to the loss of the corps’California property.
Currently, the group lives communally as an ekklesia under the theocratic government of God. They hold all things in common, including finances and meals. They honor God’s standards for marriage and sexual purity. They are nonviolent. They have a worldwide literature ministry with affiliates in Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Liberia, India, the Philippines, Mexico, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. Affiliates are also located in England and various European countries.
The corps teaches a militant, fundamentalist Protestant Christianity. Words of the Spirit audio broadcasts and Battle Cry Sounding video messages are available online via the group’s web site.
Alliance for Renewal Churches
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The Alliance for Renewal Churches is an association of conservative evangelical churches founded in the 1990s. The alliance and its member congregations have affirmed their adoption of the central statements of orthodox Christians as found in the ancient creeds, which as reflections of the clear teaching of scripture provide the benchmark for orthodoxy. They also have adopted a set of “Common Concerns” that identify special additional truths that the churches affirm. These emphases include, but are not necessarily limited to, the priority of grace as God’s saving power, the authority of the Bible as the inerrant Word of God, and the Oneness of the Church. The churches also affirm that “the chief end of men and women is communion with God, and the chief expression of that communion is worship.”
That being said, the church promotes a dual thrust in evangelism and concern for the social order. Among the founders of the alliance is Ned Berube, pastor of Christ Community Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and president of the alliance since 2000. The Alliance’s Ministry and Missions Council functions as a local church eldership guiding the ministry of the alliance. The president of the council is responsible for the general oversight of the alliance and its network of pastoral care. The Assembly of Senior Pastors meets once a year for consultation to foster outreach.
Alliance of Christian Churches
The Alliance of Christian Churches emerged in 1985 as a ministry for evangelical Christians who sought a means of ministering “outside the box.” One goal of the ministry was an inclusive coalition. In 1987 people associated with the Alliance gathered for what was termed the ADVance Conference; the conference became an annual event, growing each year and becoming the catalyst for a more formally organized congregational fellowship. In October 1996 a constitution was developed, and 27 congregations were formally chartered with the Alliance of Christian Churches. The churches have accepted a statement of core Protestant beliefs centered upon belief in the Trinity and affirmation of the Bible as the infallible Word of God.
The Alliance of Christian Churches views itself as a Christ-centered, biblically focused, and evangelical fellowship. It has developed a spectrum of outreach programs that include the fall conference, church support, education, evangelism, and local and global missions. Each spring regional retreats are held by the various affiliated congregations and parachurch ministries.
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American Coalition of Unregistered Churches
The American Coalition of Unregistered Churches (ACUC) was founded in 1983 as a fellowship of fundamentalist Christian congregations (many Baptist in faith) that exist as unincorporated entities and have organized to resist government pressures that appear to encroach upon their religious liberties and attempt to reshape their ministries. The association grew out of a meeting of pastors from some 25 states who gathered in Chicago on August 8 and 9, 1983, to discuss what they saw as attacks on church ministries. Among the major concerns was the government’s attempt to force schools attached to churches to be licensed and conform to state educational regulations. Most in attendance felt that this was due in part to the government’s acceptance of a humanist position in place of a biblical perspective.
The meeting passed a set of resolutions that rejected government attempts to license church ministries, regulate churches, or impose taxation. One resolution specifically rejected state jurisdiction to inspect church property with respect to health, fire prevention, or safety. They also passed a resolution rejecting any use of force in defending their ministries.
Following the meeting, Dr. Greg Dixon, then senior pastor of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple and head of the Indiana Moral Majority, resigned his leadership in the Moral Majority to become chairman of the new association. An active fellowship originating out of the ACUC is the Unregistered Baptist Fellowship (UBF). The UBF is a fellowship of Baptist pastors, evangelists, laymen, and missionaries. It meets annually at the Indianapolis Baptist Temple in October and also schedules regional meetings. Approximately 100 churches participate.
American Evangelical Christian Churches
The American Evangelical Christian Churches (AECC) was founded by Dr. G. Hyatt in 1944 as an interdoctrinal ecclesiastical body. It has tried to remain open to both Calvinist and Arminian theological trends, with the Calvinists believing in predestination and the Arminians insisting that people can exercise free will and choose to follow the gospel. Each church member must accept the seven articles of faith that are seen as the “essentials”: the Bible as the written Word of God; the virgin birth; the deity of Jesus, the Christ; salvation through the atonement; the guidance of our life through prayer; the return of the savior; and the eternal reign of Christ. All other points are optional.
The AECC states: “our mission is to create a body of believers where we as individuals can realize God in our lives and model, teach, call forth, and celebrate the integrity of the spirit, mind, and body in all that we do.” The polity is congregational, and the American Evangelical Christian Churches seems to function primarily to offer orthodox evangelical ministers a chance to preach without the “restrictions of man-made doctrines imposed by so many religious bodies today.” The American Evangelical Christian University specializes in home-study courses.
Antioch Network
The Antioch Network is a fellowship of evangelical churches that dates to 1987. It “serves a growing fellowship of local churches who are interacting with challenges of sending church planting teams to unreached gospels.” On March 16, 1987, people from seven very diverse congregations met in Austin, Texas. In spite of divergent historical and theological backgrounds, all were affected by the desire to reach groups of people who for various reasons never heard Christianity preached to them.
As the Antioch Network was founded and grew, it saw as its overarching ministry the empowerment of local congregations to reach the nations of the world. While firmly based in an orthodox Evangelical faith, the primary work of the network has been the creation of congregations who are involved with cooperative ministries reaching around the world, with their organization modeled on that of an extended family. The network also holds that every believer is called to be a minister utilizing his or her individual gifts and talents. It encourages all to exercise the gifts that God has given them.
These are just a few examples of the many diverse organizations and movements within evangelical Christianity. Each has its own unique history, beliefs, and mission, but all share a common commitment to spreading the gospel and making a difference in the world.
Understanding the diverse landscape of evangelical churches provides a foundation for appreciating the unique role and history of Peniel Ethiopian Evangelical Church within this broader context.
