INCHON DECLARATION

The Forties Anniversary and Eleventh Convention of The Asia Missions Association, Inchon, Korea, 2013

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The Asia Missions Association (AMA) has held its 40^thAnniversary and 11^thTriennial Convention at State University of New York Korea Campus in Songdo, Incheon, South Korea on October 7-11, 2013. 250 mission leaders from 33 countries attended the convention. Distinguished mission leaders who are the experts in various fields of mission from all over the world have gathered to engage in the topics of cooperation, new mission models and discipleship. The theme of the convention was “Discipleship in the 21^stCentury Mission and Cooperation in the New Mission Models were the subsidiary themes.

 

1. Confession/Discipleship

We have gathered together confessing that our faithfulness to the Great Commission has been inadequate and at times misleading to the larger church and to people of other faiths. Our concern has been to renew our understanding of Christian discipleship as our life in Christ for the sake of the world.

Therefore we seek to better understand what it means both for us to be faithful disciples in fulfilling the Great Commission in Asia, and to make true disciples for Christ in Asia.

 

2. Changing Contexts/New Models

The contexts of mission in 21^stcentury Asia are more complex than ever with rapid urbanization, postmodernism, religious pluralism, globalization, immigration and the development of modern technologies.

Therefore, discipleship requires that we find new models by returning to the richness of Scripture in light of the changing realities to develop new models of faithfulness in mission.

 

3. Suffering/Faithfulness

Asia continues to be a place of much human suffering. Human trafficking, disease, poverty are on-going concerns. In addition missionaries in Asia are often subjected to alienation and at times persecution. Suffering in mission today continues as we struggle to be faithful to God’s mission.

Therefore discipleship requires workers should be ready to pay the price for their faithless to God’s mission in the pattern of their Lord. As Jesus’ disciples we identify ourselves with the suffering masses in Asia, and we are willing to enter into their suffering as in the sufferings of Christ.

 

4. Diversity/Partnership

We have inherited many diverse forms of mission and types of churches in Asia. So often these divisions increase when we should instead be bringing about greater unity in mission.

Therefore, discipleship requires humility and mutual trust in order to bring about greater partnership and cooperation in God’s mission.

 

5. Foreign patterns /Authentically Asian

Many of the churches that have developed in Asia have inherited foreign patterns and structures that are inappropriate in Asian cultural, an especially religious, contexts.

Therefore, discipleship requires that we celebrate Asian ways of thinking and acting that give new and glorious understandings of God’s Word in God’s world.

 

Conclusion:

For forty years AMA leaders have committed themselves to faithfulness in God’s mission in Asia as a cooperative Asian missionary movement. In continuation of these commitments with those who have gone before us we press on toward greater faithfulness. Although we have made progress in Asia, we humbly recommit ourselves to these concerns as part of, and for, the global church. We seek greater unity, deeper discipleship, and more profound identification with Jesus Christ who is the Suffering Servant.

 

Inchon, October 11, 2013