Mission and spirituality: Ecumenical convergence and creative tensions in a new millennium

Introduction

In the 1980s renowned South African mission scholar David J. Bosch was offered a position at a leading US seminary. Although his friend Gerald H. Anderson urged him to accept, rather than escape the ongoing difficulties of the apartheid era, Bosch chose to remain. He said, “No I don’t think I can leave my colleagues and the struggle in South Africa. It is a critical moment and that is where God has placed me” (Anderson, 2011). This action illustrates the mission and spirituality of Bosch—he attempted to remain in hard places, bridging the tensions within South African society and the Dutch Reformed Church in his own context and between various groups in the Christian world at large. Bosch had articulated this type of spirituality in his 1979 book A Spirituality of the Road, arguing for a journeying cruciform life that does not simply supplement an internal devotion that flees from the world with outward action in the world, but instead is completely present in the world and at the same time completely outside of it. He was particularly concerned that this kind of spirituality be present in the lives of missionaries, whose vocation had come into disrepute. ¹

What might be surprising and inspiring to later observers is that while Bosch did not include “mission and spiritualty,” or any variant, as one of the many elements in his emerging ecumenical missionary paradigm in his later magnum opus Transforming Mission (1991), an ecumenical convergence around these concepts has actually appeared. In fact, interest in this topic has grown steadily since the 1970s and multiplied exponentially in the 21st century (see References). In this article I argue that scholars from a variety of fields and disciplines as well as various Christian traditions are now converging around the idea that mission and spirituality are inherently and vitally linked. However, with diversity and convergence, as Bosch pointed out, one must live in creative tension, and in this case, the tension is not two poles pulling against each other, but multidirectional tensions or differences in emphases in on how mission and spirituality are defined and interact.

Several ecumenical scholarly gatherings have contributed to the production of literature related to this intersection of mission and spirituality. For instance, papers presented at WCC meetings of the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME) have featured in later editions of the International Review of Mission (see López, 2009; Aguado, 2009; Cruchley-Jones, 2009; Premawardhana, 2009; Melanchthon, 2009; Quispe, 2009; Groody, 2009; Keum, 2009; Kerber, 2010; Aránzazu Aguado, 2010). ² The dedicated study track at Edinburgh 2010 entitled “Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship” also produced an edited volume by the same name that contains 18 essays by mission scholars and practitioners mainly from the Global South (Ma and Ross, 2013: 1–9). ³ Finally, the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Missiology (ASM) tackled the theme “Mission Spirituality in Global Perspective” (Starcher, 2012). Missiology: An International Review published five theoretically diverse papers from that meeting (3; Gallagher, 2012; Grenham, 2012; Karecki, 2012; Oh, 2012; Myers, 2012). ⁴

This article examines the body of literature that has emerged from these and other ecumenical gatherings as well as works by other mission scholars regarding the intersection of mission and spirituality. First I will review the scope and limits of this study. Next I will focus on the missiological literature by introducing a benchmark study to aid in organization and analysis, highlighting commonality and tensions in how scholars define and understand spirituality and its relationship to mission, reviewing four prominent converging trends, and providing examples of various disciplinary approaches employed. Then I will look at how scholars producing works in the field of spirituality studies have interacted with the concept of mission. The article concludes with an assessment and commission for the way forward.

Scope and limits of the analysis

The sources of analysis for this article are works in which the authors explicitly used the words mission and spirituality. The bibliography of approximately 80 works by over 90 authors included articles, books, edited volumes, book chapters, and dissertations. The vast majority were published in scholarly sources, while several were from popular presses, and a few were self-published. Although the list certainly is not exhaustive, it represents extensive title-, subject-, and abstract-searches of mission studies and spirituality studies periodicals and books from 1979 to 2013. Publications that address these topics directly feature more prominently. However, some works that simply use the terms mission and spirituality, or their derivatives, occasionally appear. Their inclusion is limited by my own reading and familiarity with their content. These common parameters necessarily limit this analysis from including the important and large volume of works that address this topic indirectly, such as many of Henri Nouwen’s books and missionary writings.

A benchmark and model of analysis

In October 1980, Michael Collins Reilly wrote an article for Missiology: An International Review entitled “Developing a Missionary Spirituality.” While Catholic scholars like Reilly had been using the term “spirituality” for centuries with various meanings arising at different times, the turn towards spirituality within the academic field of missiology only began in the 1960s and 1970s, and corresponded with the increased popular interest in spirituality and the emergence of spirituality studies as an academic field in its own right (Sheldrake, 2013: 2–3). With the exception of a few Protestants (e.g., Bosch, 1979; Stockwell, 1979), Catholics influenced by the new teachings of Vatican II dominated the early discussion (e.g., Hastings, 1971; Raguin, 1973; Reilly, 1973, 1976, 1978; Nemer, 1983). Although Reilly was not the first to write about spirituality from a missiological perspective, his 1980 article represented an initial analysis of the literature and an early proposal of a model for the study.

As a Jesuit steeped in Ignatian spirituality and former missionary in the Philippines for ten years, Reilly was certainly uniquely qualified to tackle the topic of missionary spirituality. Rooting his article in Vatican II understandings of mission and spirituality, he described Christian spirituality as “life lived in the spirit of Christ, imitating Christ” (1980: 433) or “the Christian lifestyle” (433). While he acknowledged that missionary spirituality had much in common with Christian spirituality, he argued for a missionary vocation and thus a uniquely missionary spirituality. Building on his definition for Christian spirituality, he said that “missionary spirituality in the concrete is the life-style of those called and sent on mission to share Christ with others who do not believe or fully accept him, and in the abstract it is the theory and inspiration which informs this calling and life-style” (437). Using this definition, he proposed concrete approaches (empirical study, faith sharing, reading missionary autobiography and biography, and examining missionary motivation) and abstract or theoretical approaches (Scripture, theology, history, and cultural factors) for studying and developing a missionary spirituality (438–39).

Reilly then surveyed the literature, analyzing both confessional and scholarly texts written in English, Spanish, and French by Catholics and Protestants. The names in his bibliography included such notables as Pedro Arrupe, R. Pierce Beaver, Adrian Hastings, and Bosch as well as his own (1978). ⁵ Throughout the 1980 article, Reilly wove in the trends surrounding the study of mission and spirituality and areas for future scholarship. He concluded by highlighting some of the metaphors for missionary spirituality such as servant, pilgrim, and beggar (445). Starting with Reilly’s article as a benchmark and following parts of his model of analysis, this study will examine definitions, trends, and approaches for studying mission and spirituality.

Definitions: convergence and tensions

In the three and a half decades after Bosch (1979) and Reilly (1980) penned their thoughts, mission scholars have converged around the idea that mission and spirituality are inherently linked in their definitions and practice. Canadian Mennonite Robert J. Suderman, who taught for many years in Latin America, provided one of the most thorough attempts at definitions (1998). Rooting his presentation in understandings of spirituality in general, Suderman said that Christian spirituality “refers to the alignment of our human spirit with the Spirit of God” (1998: 6). Further, he saw mission as “aligning the human task with the task of God. As a result, Christian spirituality and mission are inseparable and virtually synonymous” (8). Given this conclusion it is no wonder that he did not think there was an appropriate linking word (e.g., of, in, for, etc.) that accurately represented the relationship between mission and spirituality. Suderman also critiqued understandings of spirituality and mission that emphasize sequences. Instead he observed that often manifestations of spirituality and mission happen simultaneously and are not chronological (e.g., action does not always follow prayer) (140).

Susan Hope of the Church of England defined mission as rooted in God’s cosmic desire to restore all things with the Church’s role being to move out towards the outsider and spirituality as “life lived towards God” (2010: xii–xiii). Clearly there are commonalities in her definitions and that of Suderman, but Hope emphasized the reciprocal interaction between mission and spirituality rather than their oneness. She said that even as a church’s spirituality shapes its mission, that mission acts back on the church’s spirituality, shaping and reforming it. In other words, going out in mission changes people and churches. She threaded her argument with stories from both “fresh expressions” and more “traditional” churches, ultimately urging and inspiring her readers to follow the Spirit into the adventure of mission (116).

Although some may criticize such wide definitions as not being useful, defining terms more narrowly can also be problematic, as illustrated in the Edinburgh 2010 anthology, Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship. In their introduction, editors Wonsuk Ma, a Korean Pentecostal, and Kenneth R. Ross of the Church of Scotland told the history of the development of their framing question, “what motivates and sustains us in mission?” (2013: 6). Interestingly, early on in their discussion, they distinguished between spirituality and discipleship, stating that spirituality is what motivates in mission and discipleship is what sustains (4). Ma and Ross acknowledged that the two are not so starkly separated in actual life, but it was helpful to separate them for the study. It could be that the distinction was a reflection of residual understandings of spiritualty from history—a reference to internal devotional life rather than outward action. Therefore, this decision could reflect a desire to preserve a traditional meaning of spirituality or an unwillingness to adopt a broader, more contemporary use of the term. Despite these potential nuances, the multiple sample descriptions of spirituality that the editors offered in their introduction appeared to reflect an integrated understanding of spirituality, but this example highlights some of the tensions in the literature (7).

Another approach taken by British scholar, missionary, and ecumenist Kirsteen Kim in The Holy Spirit in the World: A Global Conversation was to describe the views of others rather than supplying a comprehensive definition. As she surveyed pneumatologies from around the world and their bearing on mission, she provided explanations of what the various theologians in her survey meant by “spirituality” (2007: 79, 91, 101, 143). ⁶ Despite any criticisms, this method does hold various views in creative tension and presents them as a conversation.

In contrast to these four theoretically and theologically grounded examples, quite a number of missiologists have used the term “spirituality” without offering a definition and where they do describe what they mean, often they have not linked to spirituality studies scholarship. This results in a lack of precision that can create confusion because it assumes common understanding rather than providing it.

However, the lack of definitions may also be a critique of the Western tendency to systematize Christian theology and practice, and is a creative tension not to dismiss too quickly. For instance, many of the essays in Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship did not offer definitions, and represent more narrative and contextual approaches to the study of mission spirituality (Ma and Ross, 2013). Taken together, they could be construed as a kind of global “faith sharing” that may spark further mission spirituality (Reilly, 1980: 438). ⁷ Instead of telling the reader what mission spirituality is, they showed it—it is the Anglican church engaging in development work in Kenya or the Christ-like self-emptying of Israeli and Palestinian Christians as a way towards reconciliation or a reaffirmation of the Russian Orthodox Church’s pastoral responsibility to witness to Christ and his mission or the dedication of South Korean Yoido Full Gospel Church members to spiritual disciplines and evangelism (Wambua, 2013; Bush, 2013; Kozhuharov, 2013; Lee, 2013). After one reads through these and other inspiring stories one cannot help but conclude with the editors that spirituality has emerged as the “beating heart of mission” (233). Whether one agrees with the theology implied, the metaphor accurately captures the vitality and renewal of lived faith that the ecumenical convergence around mission and spirituality truly illustrates.

Converging ecumenical trends

Beyond definitions, there are four converging ecumenical trends that have developed since Bosch and Reilly’s early writings on mission and spirituality. These trends mirror trends in missiology and Christian spirituality studies in general. A prominent first trend is the emphasis on Christian spirituality being inherently missionary because it is rooted in the triune God who is a missionary God. Rather than initiating mission, people join in the missio Dei as part of what it means to live the Christian life. The emphasis on the missionary nature of the entire Christian church has been traced to the work and influence of both Lesslie Newbigin and David Bosch. Through their initial ideas the missional church movement and scholarship has emerged, a movement that emphasizes the centrality of the local church’s role in mission in a world where mission is from everywhere to everywhere and from everyone to everyone.

This trend has in turn influenced shifts in terminology. Missional scholars have moved away from Reilly’s 1980 “missionary spirituality” to a more general “missional spirituality” for all Christians and churches (e.g., Helland and Hjalmarson, 2011). In addition, outside of the missional church movement, many missiologists now prefer to talk about “mission spirituality.” Stan H. Skreslet’s chapter on “Missionary vocation” in Comprehending Mission illustrated this move (2012). Although he saw spirituality as connected to the idea of a missionary vocation, he used the descriptor “mission” in front of spirituality as he explored various themes. However, despite this shift, the use of the term “missionary spirituality” does persist, particularly amongst mission historians who describe the spirituality of historical missionaries (e.g., Robert, 2009: 38).

The importance of the global historical context in which convergence around the concepts of mission and spirituality is taking place cannot be understated and points to the second trend in the missiological literature—concern with the postcolonial, post-Christian, and postmodern cultural context and what it means for mission and Christianity today. In 1980, Reilly pointed out several trends in Christianity relevant to the development of missionary spirituality in his historical context: concern with the inculturation of faith, an increasingly pluralistic world, and a growing interest in the spiritualities of other religious traditions (442). Since then, authors have wrestled with these historical realities by looking at the nature of the global church and its mission (e.g., Avis, 2003), the need for a spiritual revitalization or reconversion of the west (e.g., Kettle, 2011), and the development of a mission spirituality in a world characterized by religious and cultural pluralism (e.g., Grenham, 2004, 2012). Philip Jenkins in The Next Christendom described this new world where Christian spirituality and mission are flourishing in the Global South (2011: 16). While some may see this interest in mission and spirituality as a reaction to the “spiritual, but not religious” phenomenon in the Western world, from a missiological and global perspective, the more sustaining impetus worldwide may be Christians in the Global South who desire to recover a more affective, and less intellectual, experience and understanding of faith (Ma and Ross, 2013). It probably represents both a desire to drill down to the core of what it means to be Christian, regardless of culture, geography, or tradition, in the face of a plurality of religions, and a desire to live and express the gospel in a more open, experiential, holistic, and perhaps even more meaningful way (Kim, 2007: vi).

The kind of spirituality that is flourishing and is being studied has given rise to the third converging trend—discussions of mission and spirituality are often situated within studies on Pentecostalism and Charismatic expressions of faith. In 1980, Reilly had noted the spiritual vitality of the young charismatic prayer movement, suggesting that it could produce a “rebirth of missionary enthusiasm and outreach” (1980: 441). Jenkins (2011) confirmed the spread of charismatic Pentecostal spirituality around the globe, and with it, much mission activity. Other missiological literature that has focused specifically on Pentecostal and Charismatic movements provides further evidence of this trend in two main ways. First, those authors who write about Pentecostalism often argue that Pentecostal spirituality is inherently missionary (e.g., Anderson, 2007). Second, scholars simply find it hard to talk about Pentecostalism and the Spirit without talking about spirituality (e.g., Ma and Ma, 2011: 12, 14, 26, etc.). So whether on purpose or by default, studies on Pentecostalism and Charismatic movements are main sites for the intersection of mission and spirituality

The fourth and final trend in the scholarly discourse on mission and spirituality is its connection with justice and transformation. Early on, Reilly (1980) and others articulated this theme using the term “liberation,” distinguishing between liberation spirituality and missionary spirituality despite their acknowledged overlap. Gradually there has been a shift towards using the term “transformation.” Authors writing in this vein have addressed such diverse topics as development (Suderman, 1998), climate change (Kerber, 2010), healing and reconciliation (López, 2009), and the spiritual life and mission of the church (Hope, 2010). Generally, they have all been concerned with bringing positive and holistic change to the earth and human life. For example, Mae Elise Cannon (2013) provided portraits of historical exemplars whose faith spurred their action for justice in the world and pointed out areas for the readers’ practical application. In addition, the WCC’s CWME described “mission spirituality” as transformative in their new affirmation on mission and evangelism (2012: 4, 13, 38).

Within this literature and throughout these four trends, the ecumenical nature of the scholarly discourse is evident. Catholics no longer dominate and scholars from diverse traditions are engaged in the topic. That the conversation stretches across ethnic and national lines illustrates an even wider ecumenism. Finally, the fact that writers from a variety of theoretical disciplines are writing about mission and spirituality showcases the unique convergence within diversity that is taking place.

Approaches to the study of mission spirituality

Similar to Reilly’s 1980 article, Robert L. Gallagher, an Australian evangelical Pentecostal, provided an in-depth literature review and analysis of writings on spirituality and mission (2012). ⁸ But dissimilar to Reilly, he looked at the literature solely from Latin America, an important example of how to highlight the thought and influence of a specific world region.

In 1980 Reilly called for more biblical and theological approaches to the study of missionary spirituality. Several recent examples include Mission Spirituality of Jesus by evangelical missionary and scholar Daniel Oh (2012). He focused on Jesus’ modeling of his spirituality in John 13. Anglican Paul D. L. Avis presented a “model of the Church’s mission and ministry for our times” (2003: vii). He developed a theological model centered around the pastoral role of the church on mission in a post-Christian culture, drawing on empirical research to describe and evaluate current expressions of spirituality in England.

Since Reilly’s earlier 1978 work and 1980 article, some leading mission historians have focused on missionary spirituality as part of their historical analysis. For instance, in her work on American women in mission, Methodist Dana L. Robert argued that the missionary spirituality of American women was defined by “self-sacrifice” (1997: 417). Evangelical Baptist scholar Travis L. Myers provided a recent example of a historically-framed piece in his investigation of William Carey’s Enquiry. He traced the kingdom motif in Carey’s seminal work and suggested that he found “a theologically complex rationale and vision that can both inspire and sustain mission activity, inform a spirituality of participation in the missio Dei, and propel kingdom oriented life together despite cultural or denominational differences” (2012: 44).

Anthony J. Gittins, Catholic priest and Spiritan missionary from England, has produced much of the scholarship on mission spirituality from a social scientific perspective (e.g., Gittins, 1993, 1999, 2002). In one of his more recent works, Gittins (2002) drew on the social sciences to build a model for effective cross-cultural ministry. This model was characterized by doing marginal ministry as a stranger, following in the path of Jesus. Integrating biblical analysis with his social science approach, Gittins proposed that Jesus modeled a spirituality for mission—he “questioned, listened, responded, reinterpreted, accompanied, did not impose, was courteous, was invited, and became a guest” (150).

Within the missiological literature related to spirituality, spiritual formation guides are the most popular and growing practical approach to mission spirituality. Spiritual formation guides for missional churches and people abound (Graybeal and Roller, 2007; Hagstron, 2010; Shaw, 2014), and the production of literature related to the spiritual formation of vocational missionaries continues (Mitts, 2012; Teague, 2012). Whether this turn towards spiritual formation for mission is simply a reflection of the popularity of spirituality or if it will generate real spiritual vitality for mission remains to be seen.

What is most surprising in much of the missiology literature focused on mission and spirituality is the limited interaction with the academic field of spirituality studies, a field that is typically considered a subdiscipline of practical theology, and like missiology draws on historical and social scientific approaches. South African Catholic sister Madge Karecki’s article was a notable exception (2012). Karecki employed contextual theology and spirituality studies in her investigation of mission spirituality, and saw her work as being mutually enriching to both missiology and spirituality studies. She drew her definition of spirituality from spirituality studies and respected the contextual nature of spirituality by examining four regions of the world. She also emphasized the importance of contemplative prayer for mission praxis. This marriage of fields probably has its roots in her training at the University of South Africa, possibly the only higher educational institution in the world that groups missiology and spirituality studies together in the same department, and was also Bosch’s scholarly home.

Convergences with spirituality studies

The academic field of Christian spirituality studies had been relatively silent regarding the idea of mission for much of the period under investigation. Although some missionary movements such as the Moravians or Methodists were included, the absence of an entry on missionaries or mission in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality (Wakefield, 1983) illustrates this point. Bradley Holt (1993) was one of the earliest and perhaps the only spirituality studies scholar to talk about a missionary spirituality. He took a rather critical view of the modern missionary movement, but did acknowledge some of its positive influences on spirituality (96).

Despite the scant interaction prior to the turn of the millennium, there are some signs that there is a growing interest in and appreciation for missiological thought within the field of spirituality studies. Recently, some scholars have intimately linked the idea of mission to their definition of Christian spirituality. Sandra M. Schneiders (2011: 17) said that “life in the Spirit” is “lived in the world as mission in and to the coming reign of God.” Philip Sheldrake (2013: 39) was even more specific: “Christian spirituality is inherently rather than accidentally connected to continuing Jesus’ mission.” He did not limit “proclaiming the Kingdom” to a verbal message, but asserted that mission means being a “living message.” In an earlier work, he also explicitly linked Christian spirituality with the missio Dei (mission of God) (Sheldrake, 2005a: 289).

The presence of a full article entitled “Mission and Spirituality” by Catholic mission scholar Anthony Gittins in The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Spirituality further illustrates this changing tide and must be due to Sheldrake’s editorial influence (2005). Similarly, the article about “Mission and Ministry” by Dennis P. Hollinger in the Dictionary of Christian Spirituality, a dictionary that specifically highlights evangelical expressions of Christian spirituality, shows that the discourse is more broadly ecumenical (2011). Both dictionary articles discuss similar convergences and tensions regarding the definitions and interactions of mission and spirituality already mentioned above in the missiological literature discussion.

A few spirituality studies scholars have included the study of Protestant missionaries in their works. Amy Mandelker and Elizabeth Powers (1999: 18) listed “pilgrims and missionaries” as one of four categories of spiritual autobiography that they included in their anthology of spiritual autobiography. Presbyterian church historian Gerald L. Sittser (2007) listed “the spirituality of pioneer missionaries” as one of 11 historical spiritualities that he surveyed. He said that the concept of risk characterized the spirituality of the pioneers of the modern missionary movement.

In the past few years, several scholars have taken more integrative approaches, looking at the role of the local church (Lonsdale, 2011), globalization and justice (Groody, 2007), and the Christian spiritualities of the Global South. Sung Kyu Pak’s (2013) work, Christian Spirituality in Africa: Biblical, Historical, and Cultural Perspectives from Kenya, was a prime example of a study of Christian spirituality coming out of the Global South. A Korean, Pak examined Christian spirituality in Kenya, combining biblical, historical, and cultural approaches. While the work is impressive he stops short of connecting the concepts of mission and spirituality. Instead we hear about historical “mission Christianity” and Kenyan spirituality, especially spiritual disciplines, but no discussion of Kenyan mission spirituality. Perhaps this disconnect represents a residual tension with the term mission and its connection to the Western missionary enterprise.

Probably the most impressive, astute, integrative, and comprehensive treatment of Christian spirituality and mission yet by a scholar in any field is Adventist L. Paul Jensen’s (2009) Subversive Spirituality: Transforming Mission through the Collapse of Space and Time. Not only did he provide a thorough discussion of definitions, he also used theological, historical, cultural, and field analysis to propose a model for Christian spirituality and mission for a pluralistic and postmodern culture in which there seems to be little time for spiritual practices. He showed how grace, spiritual disciplines, and mission practices formed a rhythm in the life of Jesus, in the early church, and in the missionary movements of the modern and postmodern ages. He also developed a model for teaching and practicing spirituality and mission.

Conclusion

In many ways, this review of the literature about mission and spirituality has represented a kind of missionary encounter—where two important fields of study and scholars from a variety of Christian traditions are converging on a frontier of faith. Bosch would be happy to see the mounting evidence that the intersection of mission and spirituality is a topic of increasing interest and ecumenical convergence within missiology and spirituality studies today. The present context is a place where Catholics and Protestants, Orthodox and Independents, and evangelicals and Pentecostals from a variety of disciplines and parts of the world are indeed converging around the idea that mission and spirituality are holistically and vitally connected in theory and practice. Despite this convergence there are inherent tensions that have emerged. In order to creatively live into these tensions and make the most of this convergence for scholarship and Christ’s Kingdom, Gittins’s words are helpful:

The collocation of “mission” and “spirituality” should serve as a challenge and a directive. It should be understood to refer to joyously and honestly incarnate ways of striving for godliness, and of intentionally seeking out new encounters that would challenge our notions of self and God, and focus us on building more inclusive, more mutually respectful and more Godly communities. Spirituality, after all, is empowerment by God’s Spirit, whom we invoke to “come . . . and renew the face of the earth”; it is our way of responding to inspiration, our way of being “inSpirited” by God’s own Spirit, the Spirit of Mission. (2005: 444)

While these words certainly have much bearing beyond the scholarly discourse they do present a challenge and directive to the missiological and spirituality studies communities to further examine their points of intersection—to live missionally by encountering each other. This article has hoped to show that the studies of Christian spirituality and Christian mission would benefit from even deeper engagement with each other because each come into greater focus the more deliberately authors engage with both fields. The fact that two already interdisciplinary fields are involved speaks to the impossible challenge for individual scholars to be read in all the necessary literature, so humility and dialogue are vital. In what ways might more bridges be built between various disciplines, fields, and Christian traditions? More in-depth historical case studies of missionaries and broad historical surveys of mission movements would highlight the uniqueness and interconnectedness of the spirituality of various Christian traditions. Studies that draw on social scientific approaches and empirical research to look at the effects of spiritual practices on mission in the contemporary context might be another area for collaboration. As Bosch noted, and he and many others have lived, academic study and bridging across traditional disciplinary and denominational boundaries will require a spirituality of the road. It will be an ongoing journey in which each traveler will be changed as they carry a cross, empowered and inspired by the Spirit of God.