The Fourth Era Of Modern Missions by David Parish

We are living in the most exciting times in the history of the Church. The first 30 or so years of the Church are detailed in the Book of Acts. The story from Pentecost to Paul’s arrival in Rome is told in 28 brief chapters and spans from 30 A.D. to about 60 A.D. The book tells the story and also demonstrates the pattern of what the church is designed to be and do. I would contend that the last 20 years of Christian History have begun to match the excitement of those initial years. The kingdom of God has been expanding exponentially and we are just beginning to see the impact of this on our world. 

Here are some highlights from the last 20 years of Kingdom expansion.

In 1989, a missionary begins to focus on an almost totally unreached Megabloc of peoples in North India. In initial outreach, 6 native evangelists are brutally murdered. From the ashes of this first attempt, the missionary begins to focus on a disciple making strategy, linked to Obedience based discipleship. By 1993, 8 churches are established. By the turn of the century, in 2000, a church planting movement has begun with 4,000 churches. By 2006, the movement is reporting over 30,000 churches. One assessment in 2008, estimates this movement at over 80,000 churches! 3 to 5 million new baptized believers are serving God now in this group that was highly resistant to the gospel just 20 years before!

In 2002, a young Chinese leader is trained in the principles that were emerging in the previously mentioned movement. This young leader set some ambitious goals for the next 5 years. God surprisingly blessed his efforts and he met his 5 year goals in 6 months! From there a church planting movement was birthed. The results: By 2011, there were 150,000 new churches; the largest church planting movement in the world!

In 2005, a missionary provides an initial week of training to less than 30 people in West Africa. As the year progresses, trainings in CPM strategy occurs throughout Anglophone, Francophone, and the Horn of Africa. Multiple church planting movements emerge, and by 2012 there are 18,000 new churches. 500,000 people are discipled and 250,000 of them were Muslims when the movements started just 7 years before!

In 2008, a small group of Honduran leaders begin to be trained in Church Planting Movement Strategy. Beginning with 2 missionary families and 13 native leaders, the outreach begins. Although the next year sees the project set back during a time of government overthrow and 7 months of instability, the movement gets established and begins to multiply. By April, 2013, exactly 4 years after 13 native leaders begin to be trained, there are 228 new churches and 55 additional Bible studies involving the discipling of nearly 4,000 people.

            These examples of Church Multiplication are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Advance of God’s Kingdom. Not since the Book of Acts has there been a time of such explosive multiplication. Signs and wonders are accompanying most of these movements.

Have we entered into the Fourth Era of Modern Missions? I believe that the answer is yes!

Dr. Ralph Winter, the founder of the U.S. Center for World Missions taught that there have been 3 Eras of Modern Missions History beginning with William Carey in 1792. Dr. Winter observed that in the last 2 centuries there have been 3 discernible patterns in missions strategy. He taught that we are currently living in Era 3.

Each Era is characterized by a distinctive strategic focus (either geographic or sociological) that becomes the basis to evaluate the success of the mission. They also are characterized by a distinctive leadership base (Europe, America, or Non Western), a kind of missional structure (denominational, faith mission, or specialist structures) and are illustrated by specific leaders who were instrumental in pioneering these Eras or strategic movements. In every case during transition from one Era to the next, they overlap by great numbers of years (sometimes a 60 year overlap).

Here is a simplified analysis of the 3 Eras of Modern Missions History as identified by Ralph Winter: Each Era is highlighted in terms of its designation, timeframe, key leader(s), type of missional structure, the primary role of the cross-cultural missionary, and the measure of strategic success.

I.            Era 1:

a.       Designation: The Era of the Coastlands

b.      Timeframe: 1792 – 1910

c.       Key Leader: William Carey

d.      Mission Agency Type: Denominational Agencies

e.       Missionary Role: Pioneer

f.        Strategic Measure of Success: Geographic Expansion

II.          Era II:

a.       Designation: The Era of Inland Missions

b.      Timeframe: 1865 – 1980

c.       Key Leader: Hudson Taylor

d.      Mission Agency Type: Non-Denominational Faith Mission Agencies

e.       Missionary Role: Paternal

f.        Strategic Measure of Success: Geographic Expansion

III.        Era 3:

a.       Designation: The Era of People Groups

b.      Timeframe: 1934 –

c.       Key Leader(s): Cam Townsend, Donald McGavran, Ralph Winter

d.      Mission Agency Type: Specialist Agencies (Bible Translation, Relief, etc.)

e.       Missionary Role: Partner

f.        Strategic Measure of Success: Cultural/Ethno-linguistic people groups reached

I believe that these 3 eras are helpful concepts to help us understand the progress of World Missions in the last 200 years. Now I am asking if perhaps, with the emergence of church planting movements in the last 20-30 years, we are actually entering into a 4^th Era, while still overlapping with the 3^rd Era. And I am not the only person asking this question. Recently, the concept was taken up by missiologist Tom Steffen in his groundbreaking book, “The Facilitator Era.” I will not repeat Steffen’s argument and observations here (and I will highly recommend his book), but I am content to take his designation for this new era of Modern Missions.

Using the timeframe that Steffen has recommended and adding some personal observations, here is my continued analysis:

IV.              Era 4:

a.       Designation: The Facilitator Era

b.      Timeframe: 2000 –

c.       Key Leader(s): Rick Warren (Steffen), David Garrison, David Watson, Neil Cole, Alan Hirsch

d.      Mission Agency: Local Church Based/ Task Agencies

e.       Missionary Role: Participant

f.        Measure of Success: Transformative/Multiplicative success

We are calling this new era “The Facilitator Era”, because the task orientation for cross-cultural mission workers is “Facilitative.” There is heavy emphasis on mentoring, training, short term (and longer term) facilitation of the indigenous church for the purpose of multiplication of disciples and churches, and for the penetration of new people groups and geographic regions with the gospel. This era change begins around the year 2000 (with roots into the late 20^th century) as the concepts of church planting movements (CPM) and disciple making movements (DMM) began to come into the awareness of key missiologists. Most of the emerging mission structures (“Sodalities” in Ralph Winter’s terminology) are either local church based or what I would call “task agencies”, mission agencies devoted to the task of short or long term facilitation. The missionary’s role is participative. Missionaries, both long and short term, participate in training, mentoring, and resourcing indigenous leaders by invitation. And the measure of success is in transformation of peoples and regions and in multiplication of disciples and churches.   

Movemental Ecclesiology

How can we understand the dynamics that are operating in this new Era?

One scholar of Church Planting Strategy comments that exponential multiplication of the Church happens at the intersection of Ecclesiology (Theology of the Church) and Missiology (Theology of Missions).(1) Amazing things happen when the church is viewed, not as an organization or an institution, but as an organic living thing: The body of Christ on earth. And it is an active and obedient living body! Allen Hirch calls this kind of theology "Movemental Ecclesiology". (2)

Here is a way to understand the new “Movemental Ecclesiology” that is a key engine in this new era. By looking at 3 key issues through the entirety of church history, we can see the church modality changes that have impacted the missional dynamic of the church.

Those 3 key components are:

1.      The Central Source of Authority (for doctrine and practice)

2.      The Structural Paradigm for the Church

3.      The Leadership Model for the Church

What I am suggesting is that the New Testament Church could be described on those 3 measures as having:

1.      Christocentric Authority

2.      Organic Structure

3.      Organic/Servant Leadership

To go much deeper on what is meant by these three phrases, I would recommend 3 books that go into much more depth on these concepts. For Christocentric Authority my recommendation is Alan Hirsch's book, "The Forgotten Ways". For Organic Structure I recommend Neil Cole's book, "Organic Church". For Organic/Servant Leadership I would recommend Cole's companion book, "Organic Leadership".

With that as a foundation, let's look at the sweep of church history for the last 2000 years as to how these elements have (in general) been applied in the church and what has been the result.

I am postulating 7 patterns of Church Structural and Functional Development in the last 2000 years.

       I.            The New Testament Era: 30-100 AD

a.       Christocentric Authority

b.      Organic Structure

c.       Organic/Servant Leadership

             I think that the early church began with this Biblical model in place and that partially explains the massive growth of the church from Jerusalem into the Roman Empire in a world shaking way, in spite of the persecutions faced.

    II.            The "Fathers": 100-300 AD

a.       Christocentric Authority

b.      Organic Structure

c.       Institutional Leadership

            In the next 2 centuries, the Church continued to have phenomenal growth in the face of many severe persecutions. Alan Hirsch believes that by just after 300 AD, there were as many as 20 million believers. This is because, I believe, that this era continued in the main with the pattern received from the Lord and the Apostles and encoded in the New Testament. However, on the 3rd element, change crept in. It was in this "post-apostolic"era that leadership transitioned from Organic to Institutional. There were good reasons for this, especially in the midst of rampant heresies and persecutions, but much was lost as well. 

 III.            The Constantinian Era: 300-500 AD

a.       Christocentric Authority

b.      Institutional Structure

c.       Institutional Leadership

            During this period, (after the emperor Constantine "converted" in 313) a new structural pattern became prominent in the Church. Church buildings and governmental structures were solidified and the Clergy/Laity division became hard and fast. (Of course, I am generalizing and also focusing primarily on the "western" church.) Mission advance began to slow. Christendom had arrived. I continue to classify this period by Christocentric Authority however, mainly because the official church was still focused on the Person of Jesus, and it was during this time that the Biblical teachings on the humanity and Deity of Christ were expressed in theological language, language that I believe does justice to the Bible's revelation of who Jesus is. He is God in the flesh, and the great doctrinal councils of the church were faithful to establish this.

  IV.            The Middle Age: 500-1500 AD

a.       Religiocentric Authority

b.      Institutional Structure

c.       Institutional Leadership

            In this era, the transformation was complete. While still acknowledging the authority of Christ and the Scriptures, tradition and experience and the structure of the church was raised to nearly equal authority. I call that "Religiocentric" authority and during this time the church leaders tended to be the only ones with the scriptures and the official church actually ended up opposing the "laity" even possessing a copy of the Word. Missions continued, but the life of the church suffered and the mission tended to be the advance of the structure rather than the advance of the gospel. A reformation was needed. And in 1517 it began with Martin Luther and his contemporaries. In spite of the next 3 eras, however, the 3 institutional elements will continue to be present.

     V.            The Reformation/Revival Era: 1500-1900 AD

a.       Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)

b.      Institutional Structure

c.       Institutional Leadership

In the Reformation and the Great Awakenings and the birth of the denominations and the modern mission era the Church began a difficult return to Christocentric authority and the authority of Scripture. This one return was the very most significant, for it is Jesus who builds His Church! Gospel expansion exploded over the 4 centuries mentioned.

  VI.            The Renewal Era: 1900-2000

a.       Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)

b.      Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)

c.       Institutional Leadership

             The 20th century has been called "The Pentecostal Century". Sweeping Renewal movements circled the world and by the end of the century there were nearly 700 million who could be described as Pentecostal, Charismatic, 3rd Wave, or Post-Charismatic. Even distinctly Non Charismatic groups of believers have refocused attention on the Person and Work of the Holy Spirit. In many cases, the new wine burst the wineskins and new kinds of church structures emerged. But perhaps the most significant move toward Organic Structure occurred in China, where communism crushed the shell of the Institutional Church and the emerging House Church movement has exploded underground. Then the various "cell church" experiments emerged (a kind of hybrid Institutional/Organic mix). Finally, the various CPM movements at the end of the century and the emerging Organic Church movements have rounded out the greatest century of gospel advance since the days of the apostles.

VII.            The Closure Era: 2000 and beyond

a.       Christocentric Authority (and Religiocentric Authority)

b.      Organic Structure (and Institutional Structure)

c.       Organic/Servant Leadership (and Institutional Leadership)

I believe in closure on the great commission. I believe that Matthew 24:14 will take place literally. I pray that we are in that era now, though I have no idea how long it will take. But in this final era I think that we will see the emergence of all the elements that were present in the first century (alongside of all the elements that have developed during the last 2000 years).

            Let me state unequivocally, I believe that genuine believers who are carrying out God's work are in ALL of the combinations of these elements that I have described over the centuries. The great commission will not be fulfilled by "tinkering" with church structure. It will be fulfilled by obedience to the command to make disciples.

This final emerging ecclesiology intersecting with the 3^rd Era of Modern Missions has produced the 4^th Era of Modern Missions: The Facilitator Era. Biblical Ecclesiology and Biblical Missiology are facilitating exponential multiplication of God’s Kingdom, toward closure on the Great Commission.

¹ Payne, pp.7-8

² Hirsch & Catchim p.XXXV

Bibliography

Cole, Neil. Organic Church: Growing Faith Where Life Happens. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2005. Print.

Cole, Neil. Organic Leadership: Leading Naturally Right Where You Are. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2009. Print.

Garrison, David. Church Planting Movements. Bangalore: WIGTake Resources, 2004. Print.

Hirsch, Alan. The Forgotten Ways, Reactivating The Missional Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Pr, 2006. Print.

Hirsch, Alan, and Tim Catchim. The Permanent Revolution. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2012. p. XXXV. Print.

Payne, J.D. Discovering Church Planting. Colorado Springs: Paternoster, 2009. pp. 7-8. Print.

Steffen, Tom. The Facilitator Era: Beyond Pioneer Church Multiplication. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2011. Print.

Trousdale, Jerry. Miraculous Movements. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012. Print.