“There are only two things you need to remember about missiology”, a friend said to me last week, “it is God’s mission, not ours and it should all be based on relationships.”

My friend was speaking over a meal during Wycliffe’s four yearly international Gathering, from which I’ve just returned. His words were a good corrective to a mission organisation which has at times been highly activist and idividualist. That being said, I do believe that Wycliffe is changing and we certainly saw signs of this during the Gathering – I may have more to say in the next few days.

However, I found myself musing on my friend’s words and eventually decided that I didn’t quite agree with him. The mission of God and relationships are hugely important, but there are other fundamental aspects of mission which we need to take into account to. Our starting point must always be the Triune God and as we explore his nature and his interaction with the world, our theology of mission will develop. The diagram at the top of this post tries to capture some of the aspects of what may well turn into a new series of blog posts. Watch this space.