1 - 2000
Mission in Germany
Mission in a Pluralistic Society
What the church is called to do
by Peter Steinacker
If the German churches want to speak convincingly about "Mission in Germany", they have to become more aware of what mission is about, what can be learned from the history of the missionary movement, and especially what mission means in the multi-religious society of today.
There is no doubt that the church’s first priority is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people, so that they can become free as Christians. This is the content of the old, traditional word "mission". The Gospel is directed towards a person’s innermost being ("ducation for the heart"), where it develops its power to shape the person’s entire life. Responsibility for mission is not secondary to other tasks of the church, such as administration of the sacraments, pastoral care, building up local congregations and service to those in need; instead, it is a basic process that cuts across all areas of church activity. To witness effectively to the Gospel also means to convert persons through missionary work. The word "mission" has become a heavily loaded one in our society. Many people connect the idea of missions with forcing one’s own principles of faith down the throats of other people. It awakens historical associations with the frequent use of violence in converting entire peoples, the persecution of those of other faiths in the Middle Ages, and the colonial period when injustice was often done under the sign of the cross. A second look at all these situations, however, shows that they were not about mission in the true sense of the word. For, if mission is directed towards a person’s innermost self, faith convictions and way of life, there I cannot force anything on anyone. I am dependent on the other person’s listening to me of his or her own free will, following my thoughts, and then being able to recognise the truth of this message and accept it. Until the beginning of the 20th century Germany could be assumed to be a Christian state. Often the sovereign prince of an area was also the bishop of its church. All of Germany was shaped by Christianity. Since then, however, this form of government has been replaced by the Ð at best - neutrally-oriented, partially laicised political system of the pluralistic society. With regard to the relations among church, state and society we are in an epoch-making period of transition. In a pluralistic society, the missionary efforts of the church are in a difficult position. This can be seen in the difficulty which the church’s message has, following the National Socialist and Socialist periods, in finding its footing again in the East German fedreal states. Systematic theological research Ð with Luther’s Long Catechism in the background Ð into what is needed for the message of the Gospel to convince people, yields two elements which must come together. The necessary condition is the proclamation of the Gospel through preaching and teaching, pastoral care and service to those in need. Without this proclamation, nobody would hear about the liberating message of the Gospel. The sufficient condition, however, is the action of the Holy Spirit, which not only lets words be heard, but causes the conviction to take effect in the person: "Yes, the message of the Gospel is true; it corresponds to what I have experienced in my life. I want to live in accordance with it." We have no power to steer the action of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit blows where it chooses, and whenever it chooses. But our task as the visible church is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to carry it and spread it further, in this world where so much else is on offer, so that people have at least the opportunity to think about it. Here mission and education come close together. In a pluralistic society, mission becomes to a large extent a process of education. In the face of the observation that only three to five per cent of our local church members regularly attend worship, I suspect that young people in particular need other ways of getting to know the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I would like to encourage the churches and mission agencies to move out freely and self-confidently onto this ground where free competition reigns and not to withdraw into inward-turned or ghettoised niches. Every society must solve the problem of how to organise itself with regard to religion. Without definite ideas about humanity and the world, their meaning and purpose, no certainties which can make action possible can be developed. The best is wherever freedom, justice and responsibility are found in the best and most balanced combination. Our faith, the religion of freedom, need not shrink from comparison with any other religion or world view. We can stand up confidently, in this pluralistic society, for Luther’s "Freedom of a Christian", which of course is not identical with the post-modern "anything goes". In summary we can agree on four elements that broadly describe the topic "Mission in a pluralistic society":- Convivium: living together peacefully, as neighbours, in tolerance and acceptance;
- Dialogue: beginning to discover others as individuals with their own values, views and traditions;
- Witness: not concealing oneself in dialogue, but describing one’s own convictions and religious certainties, and expressing them;
- Competition with a peaceful purpose: contributing one’s own convictions to the discussion, standing up for them and trying to enlist others. The goal is, as in every argument, to convince the other through the power of words, and - without having any control over it Ð through the work of the Holy Spirit.