- The Early Stages: Pre-1910
- Laying the Foundations: 1910–1948
- Pivotal Years: 1948–1965
- Intense Activity: 1965–1990
- Consolidation and Challenge: 1990—Present
- Orthodox
- Anglican
- Methodist
- Catholic
- Lutheran
- Reformed
- Baptist
- Pentecostal and Charismatic
- Christology
- Church
- Baptism
- Eucharist
- Ministry
- Liturgy
- Justification
- Morals
- Mission and Evangelism
- Ecology
- Faith and Order
- World Council of Churches
- Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
- Bilateral Dialogues
- Chevetogne, Taizé, and the Groupe des Dombes
- Pro Oriente
- United and Uniting Churches
- Regional and National Councils of Churches
- Covenants
- Interchurch Families
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- Global Christian Forum
- Britain and Ireland
- United States of America
- Africa
- Asia
- Latin America
- The Middle East
- Europe
- Unity in Reconciled Diversity
- The Unity We Seek
- What Model of Full Communion?
- In Search of a Way
- Method in Ecumenism
- Kenotic Ecumenism
Abstract and Keywords
From its inception, the modern ecumenical movement has entailed the twin pursuits of realizing both the unity and the mission of the church. Moreover, mission and evangelism were closely related in twentieth-century ecumenical thought. The main ecumenical institutional structure that advanced the churches’ understanding of mission and evangelism for much of the century was the International Missionary Council, which in 1961 became the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism within the World Council of Churches. By the end of the 1960s, Roman Catholics and evangelical Protestants were also making major contributions to the broader ecumenical understanding of mission and evangelism. Enduring theological achievements including the concept of the missio Dei and the contextualization of theology remain a part of the overall legacy of the ecumenical movement.
Keywords: unity, mission, International Missionary Council, Commission for World Mission and Evangelism, missio Dei, contextualization
Dale T. Irvin is Professor of World Christianity at New York Theological Seminary, New York, USA.
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- The Early Stages: Pre-1910
- Laying the Foundations: 1910–1948
- Pivotal Years: 1948–1965
- Intense Activity: 1965–1990
- Consolidation and Challenge: 1990—Present
- Orthodox
- Anglican
- Methodist
- Catholic
- Lutheran
- Reformed
- Baptist
- Pentecostal and Charismatic
- Christology
- Church
- Baptism
- Eucharist
- Ministry
- Liturgy
- Justification
- Morals
- Mission and Evangelism
- Ecology
- Faith and Order
- World Council of Churches
- Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
- Bilateral Dialogues
- Chevetogne, Taizé, and the Groupe des Dombes
- Pro Oriente
- United and Uniting Churches
- Regional and National Councils of Churches
- Covenants
- Interchurch Families
- Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
- Global Christian Forum
- Britain and Ireland
- United States of America
- Africa
- Asia
- Latin America
- The Middle East
- Europe
- Unity in Reconciled Diversity
- The Unity We Seek
- What Model of Full Communion?
- In Search of a Way
- Method in Ecumenism
- Kenotic Ecumenism