Six Elements of Mission in Contemporary

Missiological Discussion

A 1984 document from the Secretariat for non Christians spoke of five elements of
mission, namely (1) presence and witness, (2) development and liberation, (3) liturgical
life, prayer and contemplation, (4) interreligious dialogue, and (5) proclamation and
catechesis.10 Andrew Kirk insisted on ecological commitment and peacemaking as an
integral part of mission, and Robert Schreiter has written significantly about
reconciliation as essential to understanding mission today. 11 In an effort to synthesize
these elements and several others proposed by a number of authors, Eleanor Doidge and I
proposed six elements of mission in an essay we wrote in 2000. 12 These are the six
elements on which I will reflect here.

1) poverty, liberation and economic justice

2) Interfaith and spirituality
3) Interfaith -HIV/AIDS
4) Interfaith -Climate Change & Environmental Concern
5) Interfaith Peacemaking & Reconciliation
6) Interfaith Humanitarian and Rehabilitation
7)