Edinburgh 2010 Study Process And Its Impact On The Conference

Which aspects do you consider special about the Edinburgh 2010 study process?

The Edinburgh 2010 study process is unique - it is a polycentric, multinational project of churches worldwide. It is sponsored by all the major Christian world bodies; there are study events taking place in every continent; hundreds of Christians in different parts of the world are taking part; at least ten volumes and many articles are expected from it. The project is focused on nine study themes. The conveners of these themes are 8 women and 9 men from Protestant, Orthodox, Evangelical and Pentecostal backgrounds; 3 Africans, 4 Asians, 2 North Americans and 10 Europeans. In addition, Edinburgh 2010 study processes have been organised in all continents by regional and confessional groups, including six Roman Catholic institutions, and there are seven transversal topics which cut across the main themes. The breadth and inclusivity of the Edinburgh 2010 project mark it out as a very special - and almost certainly unparalleled - event in Christian history.

                                                                     
In which way is the work of the 2010 study groups different from the work of the 1910 commissions?

The most noticeable difference is that Commissioners in 1910 were all of European descent, of Protestant denominations and overwhelmingly male. A second difference is that the main work done by the Commissions was gathering information on mission activities in different parts of the world and discussing strategy. Discussion of theology was curtailed because it would make ecumenical cooperation too difficult. Today the facts are largely known, and most of the Edinburgh 2010 discussions relate mission theory and practice to theological issues at the heart of mission. Third, the means of research have changed. The postal systems of today probably do not match up to those of the imperial period but in the era of globalisation, email does an even quicker job of linking researchers around the world. In 2010, like 1910, many hard-bound volumes will be produced, but in 2010 the internet makes it possible to expand the research material almost infinitely. Under the "study process", "events" and "resources" links on the website you can find programmes, papers, reports, statements and photos of the many different study activities worldwide. It is the website - a multi-faceted, hyper-linked, open-ended worldwide web - which will most faithfully represent the content and ethos of Edinburgh 2010.   

Is it still possible to engage in the study process?

Although the list of delegates for the conference is now closed, its proceedings will be made available, and you are encouraged to respond. After the activities of 2010, the website will continue to provide material for missiological reflection for years to come.

What role will the study process have at the Conference?

The Edinburgh 2010 study process has been working since 2008, and the 2010 conference in Edinburgh marks a new and important stage in it. At the conference those taking part in the international study process will engage with representatives from the worldwide church to explore what challenges the study process may bring to the life of churches over the years to come. 

The study process has been centred on 9 main themes, which are complemented by 7 transversal topics, and supplemented by regional, confessional and other study processes. Studies and consultations have taken place on all continents and the process is as inclusive as possible of churches and Christian mission networks. Further details, including many papers submitted, can be found on the study process section of the website.

Each of the groups working on the 9 study themes has produced a report. These, together with contributions on the transversals relating to women and the Bible, form the raw material for discussion at the conference. This has been published as Edinburgh 2010: Witnessing to Christ Today (Regnum Books, 2010), edited by Daryl Balia & Kirsteen Kim. Copies have been mailed to all conference delegates. The volume is also available for purchase from Regnum Books and Amazon. The full text is available for download (pdf file) on the website.

The aims of the study process at the conference will be accomplished through 9 timetabled sessions over the 3 full days at the Pollock Halls. These comprise 3 plenary sessions and 6 parallel sessions in which delegates will be divided into 3 groups.

The PLENARY SESSIONS, which will be posted as videos on the website, are as follows:

• Plenary 1 (Thursday, 3 June): "Mission in long perspective". Keynote speaker: Dr. Dana Robert, Truman Collins Professor of World Christianity and History of Mission, Boston University School of Theology.
• Plenary 2 (Friday, 4 June 2010): "Mission worldwide". Four case studies: Rev. Dr. Lee Young-Hoon, Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, Seoul; Dr. Tony Kireopoulos, Senior Program Director for Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations, National Council of Churches USA; Dr. Teresa Francesca Rossi, Associate Director, Centro Pro Unione, Rome; and Dr. Fidon Mwombeki, Executive Director, United Evangelical Misssion, Germany.
• Plenary 3 (Saturday, 5 June): 'Towards a common call'. A business meeting gathering consensus around a common call to be made at the following day's celebratory worship service.

The PARALLEL SESSIONS will give opportunity for the material already disseminated to be subjected to rigorous critique from various transversal perspectives and engaged with by church and mission delegates from around the world and from various denominational perspectives. This will open up the study process and move it forward. The work done on each theme will be further developed and there will be cross-fertilization of themes. Two consecutive sessions will be allowed for work on each theme, and these will be arranged in three tracks according to the following table: 

Each theme will be approached in a different way, utilising different resource people representing transversals and regional and confessional studies. The aim of the parallel sessions is to debate and refine the key issues and priorities raised in the pre-conference report by hearing diverse perspectives and working in small groups. Delegates are expected to have read the relevant reports before coming to the conference and to bring their insights to share.

Issues and priorities arising from each track will be reported briefly in the final plenary by members of the conference listening group. Delegates will also receive a more detailed record of the proceedings. Inputs to the parallel and plenary sessions, and records of the discussion will be posted on the website and further online comment will be invited. Selected highlights of the conference study process, together with conference and online contributions which bring in new perspectives not already reflected in the preparatory volume, will be published in a conference report before the end of 2010.

Kirsteen Kim
Study Process Coordintor

Dr. Kirsteen Kim is Associate Senior Lecturer in Theology at Leeds Trinity and All Saints and works half-time for Edinburgh 2010, coordinating the study process. British by birth, Kirsteen has worked for the Presbyterian Church of Korea, Union Biblical Seminary in India, the Cambridge Theological Federation and Selly Oak College in the UK. She specialises in World Christianity and its implications for theology and mission.