Integral Mission

We need a vocabulary we can share for the work of mission when we meet as a network. We all aspire to minister in the context of a full Biblical model that includes proclamation of the Word and addressing the practical needs of the poor. That is what we are trying to express in our beliefs and by reference to Micah 6:8 - the verse that gave name to the network in the first place.

A number of phrases have been used to summarise that Biblical model of mission or express an organisation's part in it - holistic mission, holistic development, transformation, good news to the poor, Christian development, holistic diaconate, Mission Integral etc.

Each of those expressions is valued and enriched within the organisations that use it. However, Micah needs an accepted phrase that broadly covers all these near-alternatives to avoid the danger of confusion and delay in our meetings while we debate the merits of each. We suggest the phrase "integral mission" - not to impose it in any way on member organisations but just as a matter of practicality in network communication. So Integral Mission is ...

" .. the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel. It is not simply that evangelism and social involvement are to be done alongside each other. Rather, in integral mission our proclamation has social consequences as we call people to love and repentance in all areas of life. And our social involvement has evangelistic consequences as we bear witness to the transforming grace of Jesus Christ. If we ignore the world we betray the word of God which sends us out to serve the world. If we ignore the word of God we have nothing to bring to the world. Justice and justification by faith, worship and political action, the spiritual and the material, personal change and structural change belong together. As in the life of Jesus, being, doing and saying are at the heart of our integral task."

The above is an extract from the Micah Declaration on Integral Mission developed by those present at the Micah Network consultation on Integral Mission held in Oxford during September 2001.

The second of the Micah Network's aims is to encourage Integral Mission – to speak strongly and effectively regarding the nature of the mission of the Church to proclaim and demonstrate the love of Christ to a world in need - and in so doing encourage churches to embrace integral mission.

To find out more about our work to encourage Integral Mission, and find out how to participate, click on the boxes on the right.