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ABSTRACT
Assemblies of God (AOGGB) have consistently sought to respond to a fallen humanity which left to itself faces the fire of eschatological demise. AOG has been in the process of helping its churches to recapture their vision for church planting in order to help non-Christian peoples discover a Christian faith. A theology of the inbreaking of a new heaven and a new earth, as the goal of the church’s mission, is central to a missional ecclesiology based on the Missio Dei. AOG has rebranded its college as, ‘Missio Dei Leadership and Theological College’. It is seeking to equip leaders and churches for church planting and discipleship formation. This article makes a case for the development of church planting education programmes that can equip believers to bring hope to a world in need of God’s coming new creation. The body of Christ needs to represent the coming new creation by the way it seeks to participate in the Spirit of Christ’s healing presence in the midst of a fallen and compromised cosmos.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes
1 Cf. AOG GB; The denomination aspires to double the number of its churches from about 500 to 1,000 by 2032.
2 Cf. Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17.
3 Pingst, PMU. Pentecostals, Transformation and Social Engagement.
4 Ibid., 22.
5 Ibid., 22.
6 Ibid., 22.
7 Freeman, Pentecostalism and Development Churches, 26.
8 Op Cit. Pingst, PMU, 26.
9 Ibid., 22.
10 Ibid., 5–24.
11 Ibid., 5–35.
12 Panizzut et al., Exploring Relationship Between Environmentalism and Consumerism.
13 Op Cit., Pingst, PMU, 5–24.
14 VanderWeele, Religious Communities and Human Flourishing, 476–81.
15 Cf. Hardy, An Ordinary Mission of God Theology, 50–63.
16 Cf. Cemeron et al., Talking About God in Practice.
17 Cf. Ward and Tveitereid, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Theology and Qualitative Research.
18 Cf. Hardy, An Ordinary Mission of God Theology, 50–63.
19 Cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16–21.
20 Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 232–3.
21 I presented this paper at this conference.
23 Macchia, “Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology”, 280; cf. Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 182–96.
24 Cf. Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17.
25 Cf. Ibid., 1–17; Williams, Flame of Creation, 272–85; Williams, Greening the Apocalypse, 205–29; Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17; Maseno and Mamati, An Appraisal of the Pentecostal eco-theology.
26 Cf. Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17; Williams, Greening the Apocalypse, 205–29; Williams, Greening the Apocalypse, 205–29; Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17; Maseno, and Mamati, An Appraisal of the Pentecostal Eco-Theology.
27 Wright, The Missio of God’s People; Moo and Moo, Creation Care.
28 Ibid., Wright, 35.
29 Ibid., Wright, 35–50.
30 Swoboda, Eco-Glossolalia, 1–17. Cf. Davis, “Pentecostal Approaches to Eco-theology,” 4–33; Wright, The Missio of God’s People, 48–62; Woolnough and Ma, Holistic Mission.
31 Ibid., Swoboda, 3.
32 Ibid., 3.
33 Pingst, PMU. Pentecostals, Transformation and Social Engagement, 5–35.
34 Op Cit. Swoboda.
35 Berry, Nature Religion and the Problem of Authenticity, 18–41.
36 Op Cit, Pingst, PMU, 22.
37 Masson-Delmotte et al., Global warming of 1.5 C, 43–50.
38 Cf. Moltmann, The Spirit of Hope.
39 Hatch, The Politics of Global Warming in Germany, 415–40.
40 Matthew 15:29–39.
41 Matthew 14:13–21.
42 Cf. Mark 4:35–41; Colossians 1:17; Matthew 5:45–47.
43 John 10:10.
44 Stephenson, Pentecostal Theology According to the Theologians; cf. Stronstad, A Pentecostal Biblical Theology.
45 John 10:10.
46 Tennent. Invitation to World Missions, 190.
47 Genesis 2:15.
48 Hrynkow, Greening God? 81–87.
49 Rees. An ecological economics perspective on sustainability, 15–46.
50 Hardy, Pictures of God, 75–97.
51 1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Revelation 20, 21; Exodus 24:17; James 3:6; Luke 3:16; 9:54; Psalm 89:46; Revelation 1:14; Deuteronomy 5:24; Acts 2:4; Revelation.
52 Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain, 1–19.
53 Matthew 24:14 (NIV).
54 Cf. Hardy, An Ordinary Mission of God Theology, 14–20.
55 Viviers. The Second Christ, Saint Francis of Assisi and ecological consciousness, 1–9.
56 Ibid.
57 Matthew 3:11.
58 Cf. Hardy, Enhancing The Empirical Theological Approach of the Waverley Integrated Framework.
59 Studebaker and Yong, Pentecostal Theology and Jonathon Edwards.
60 Ibid.
61 Cf. Machia, Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology, 280–94; cf. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God, 280–338.
62 Romans 8:19-21 (NIV).
63 Cf. Williams, Greening the Apocalypse, 205–29.
64 Matthew 28:16–20.
65 Matthew 6:10 (NIV).
66 Op Cit, Pingst, PMU, 5–35.
67 Cf. Williams, Greening the Apocalypse, 215–20; Hessel, and Rasmussen, Earth Habitat.
68 Newbigin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, 232–3.
69 Van de Kamp, Churches and Urban Regeneration, 204–14.
70 Hardy, and Yarnell, Missional Discipleship After Christendom.
71 Ibid.
72 Ibid.
73 I take this as somewhat of a self-evident interpretation of the rapid growth of early Christianity alluded to in the book of Acts; Oxbrow. Mission and Martyrdom, 91–104.
74 Cf. Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 221, 263, 272, 274, 277, 288, 301, 315, 357, 1456, 1501, 1579.
75 Matthew 28:16–20; cf. Hardy, and Yarnell, Forming Multicultural Partnerships; Hull, Conversion and Discipleship.
76 Longenecker, Patterns of Discipleship in the New Testament.
77 Gehring, House Church and Mission; cf. Paas, Church Planting in the Secular West.
78 Ibid.
79 Op Cit, Longenecker.
80 Cf. Ireland, “A Classical Pentecostal Approach to Discipleship in Missions,” 243–66.
81 Macchia, Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology, 280; cf. Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 182–96; Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism, 40–70; Ma, When the Poor Are Fired Up, 28–34.
82 Cf. Vondey, Pentecostal Theology, 11–34.
83 Ibid., 94.
84 Op Cit, 20–30.
85 Op Cit, 25–34.
86 Op Cit, 20–30.
87 Karkkainen, An Introduction to Ecclesiology, 71.
88 Ibid.
89 Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism, 1.
90 Vondey, Pentecostal Theology, 3, 4.
91 For a consideration of complexification cf. Swinton and Mowat, Practical Theology and Qualitative Research, 13, 72, 87, 190, 257.
92 Cf. Anderson, Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity, 653–663.
93 Cf. Schnabel, Early Christian Mission, 221, 263, 272, 274, 277, 288, 301, 315, 357, 1456, 1501, 1579; Hardy, and Yarnell, Missional Discipleship After Christendom.
94 Cf. Bates, Salvation by Allegiance Alone; Sagosky, and McGrail, Together for the Common Good.
95 Cf. Sagovsky and McGrail, Together for the Common Good; Cray, Disciples and Citizens; Cf. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God, 443–74; Wright, The Mission of God’s People, 48–62; 222–3.
96 Hardy, An Ordinary Mission of God Theology; Hardy and Yarnell, Forming Multicultural Partnerships; Hardy, Pictures of God.
97 Cf. above.
98 Revelation 21:5.
99 Hardy, ‘The Reign of God and Discipleship Formation’, 92–116.
100 Ibid.
101 Matthew 25:31–46.
102 Hardy, ‘The Reign of God and Discipleship Formation’, 92–116.
103 Matthew 25:31–46.
104 Matthew 25:31–46.
105 Fee. Paul, The Spirit, and the People of God.
106 Ibid.
107 Ibid.
108 I could find no research that links Pentecostal healing ministry to healing of the environment, perhaps this might make for a useful area of further research for a PhD.
109 Cf. Hardy and Yarnell, Missional Discipleship after Christendom; Jun, “Missional Discipleship in the Public Sphere,” 111–21; Beard, “Missional Discipleship,” 175–94; Smith and Niemandt, “Exploring a Missional Pedagogy,” 362–77.
110 Hull, Conversion and Discipleship.
111 Cf. 1 Corinthians 12.
112 Hardy, Pictures of God.
113 Cf. Mark 2:14, 15.
114 Hull, The Complete Book of Discipleship.
115 Hull, Conversion and Discipleship.
116 Ibid.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Andrew R. Hardy
Rev. Dr. Andy Hardy (PFHEA) is actively engaged in research, as well as teaching, as part of Missio Dei Leadership and Theological College’s faculty. He is their Academic Dean. He also leads three churches. He works as an adjunct visiting lecturer on Cliffe College’s PhD programmes, and is part of Tabor College’s (Australia) postgraduate faculty. He is also a Principal Fellow of the Higher education Academy. He has written numerous books and articles, and acts as a Higher Education consultant in programme design. His research interests are in Philosophical Theology, Missiology, Leadership, Empirical Theology and Missional Church Studies.