The 3 Cs of Integral Mission
Somebody once asked me on why there is a need to put the qualifier 'integral' in integral mission. Isn't the word 'mission' in itself enough?
My immediate response is to say that the popular understanding of 'mission' has developed over the years in such a way that so many things have been put apart and became separate fragments of what used to be tightly knit components of the mission of God's people. As a result, we have had churches that went on their way picking only certain specific aspects of what they want to do. This is quite unfortunate and has resulted to unnecessary fragmentation and reduction in a lot of Christian ministries today.
‘Integral Mission' is an attempt to bridge the gaps in the way we fulfill our role in God's work of bringing transformation to people’s lives and to the rest of His creation. In its more popular form, integral mission is understood as a way to:
complement proclamation of the Good News with concrete demonstration of good works
fuse together verbal and non-verbal communication of the gospel
care for the welfare of one's soul and the well-being of one's body
But beyond these resolutions to the unhelpful dichotomy that is so often made between evangelism and social action, an integral approach to mission has also helped a lot of Christians to:
close the gap between what is considered as secular and what is believe as sacred
recognize that fulfilling the mission calls for the 99% members of the church and not only the 1% few who are professionally trained in ministry
understand that God will bring renewal to the rest of the planet and not only to His people
Biblically-speaking, integral mission is what happens when the Body of Christ finds its place in the whole scheme of restoring all things that were broken and set apart. As explained by Apostle Paul in Colossians 1:20, "And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again—things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ’s death on the cross." Missional theologian Craig Van Gelder provides a helpful exposition on the deep implication of this verse for Christian ministry,
“The world belongs to God. It is His creation... The horizon of God's passion is the world. It is critical that the horizon of the cross be no less. The 'redemptive reign of God' (aka the kingdom of God) in Christ has as its horizon the possibility of bringing back every dimension of life into reconciled relationship with the living God. When Jesus announced the presence of the kingdom of God, he had the whole world in view...
The Spirit of God is moving all things toward the new heavens and the new earth. This future has already begun. The church is now living between the times -between the now and the not yet. Now, the faith community that is to emerge, while anticipating the coming of the Messiah, is to bear witness to God's intent to bring redemption to bear on all of life in the world. All things were created through Christ, so all things can be re-created through Christ.”
Different expressions of integral mission flow from this broader perspective of a God-at-work who brings reconciliation and renewal in Christ. It serves as the response of the Body of Christ for the need to give a credible ‘witness’ that indeed God’s kingdom is 'breaking-in’ and bringing transformation to people’s lives and in the places they inhabit (cf., Acts 1:6-8). The rest of the world can see that change is a reality whenever those called by Christ’s name embody God’s will in places and instances where glimpses of restoration and sparks of redemption are most needed.
In light of this task to be a godly ‘witness,’ living out integral mission will pull together three prominent themes in the Bible: (1) obedience to the 'Greatest Commandment,' (2) commitment to what is popularly regarded as the 'Great Commission,' and (3) contribution to the often neglected work of 'Creation Mandate.'
Creation Mandate. God originally wanted ‘fullness of life’ for his entire creation. This is captured by the Hebrew word ‘shalom,’ insufficiently translated as peace, but basically means life marked by harmony between God, humanity, and the rest of the created order. In such a vision, God shared with human beings the task of ruling over the earth (Genesis 1:28) to ensure that all of creation is well-cultivated and properly cared for (Genesis 2:15).
But disobedience disturbed this harmony (cf., Genesis 3). Human beings became alienated from God and veered away from the “image” in which they were made. The more they took control of things and rebelled against God’s will, the more also their relationships with each other are marked with selfishness and greed. This includes their relationship with the rest of the created order, wherein their God-given dominion deteriorates into forms of domination resulting to the degradation of the natural environment. These are all a showcase of the corruption of God’s design for “life in all fullness” and the gross neglect of the responsibility God has given for the well-being of both people and the planet.
Greatest Commandment. Jesus came to earth and showed a new way of living -a life reconciled with God and with people. He issued a challenge of loving God above all else and loving one’s neighbour as one’s self (Luke 10:25-37). Yes, even one’s enemies. He addressed the failures of empty religiosity and one-sided spirituality by emphasizing that loving 'other people' is the proper expression of one's love for God (Matthew 23:25-26). An inseparable fusion that his disciples remembered well: it is futile to claim love for God without love for one’s neighbour (I John 4:20-21).
Jesus promised the coming of the ‘kingdom of God’ and the fullness of life that comes with it (John 10:10). He saw ‘shalom’ returning on earth and shall be made visible by individuals living in a community characterized by selfless love and service for God and for one another (John 13:34, cf., Acts 4:32-36). He calls this new community as his ‘church’ -his prolonged presence on earth.
Great Commission. The ‘church of Christ’ is specifically tasked with showing to the world how life under the reign of God is supposed to be like. They are called to be disciples who live by all the things that Christ has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). Amidst corruption and perversion, they live as ‘salt and light’ -disturbing the usual spin and turn of the world around them with radical expressions of giving allegiance to Christ as ‘Lord’ in all areas of life. Accordingly, they embed themselves as ‘yeast’ in all spheres of society -truly “making disciples of all nations” by serving as agents of change in corners of the world marked with poverty, oppression, injustice, discrimination, and godlessness.
As God’s initial spark of hope, they show to the world that things can be transformed into something more beautiful. This while they await the promise that one day Christ will come again to fully restore all things in a new heaven and a new earth. In the meanwhile, they live as a community of Christ-disciples praying and working for “God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.”
Conclusion. Dr. Melba Maggay, world respected missiologist and current president of the Micah Global, termed these three tasks as the "3 Cs of Integral Mission." Together, they capture the broad spectrum of the mission of the people of God on earth as they bear witness to the reign of Jesus Christ as Lord of all (Matthew 28:18). Dr. Maggay wisely counsels, “Such is the height and length and breadth of the mission to which God calls us. It requires the gifts and resources of the whole church.” Indeed, integral mission requires nothing short of the whole church to bring the wholeness of the Gospel to whole persons and to the whole world.
-Rei Lemuel Crizaldo
NOTE: Full statement of the Micah Declaration on Integral Mission can be read here. In 2010, Integral Mission was adopted by the Lausanne Movement as a key articulation of what constitutes the Christian duty of God’s people (The Cape Town Commitment Part 1, Section 10/B).
