:8

!
would likc to addrcss what ! scc to bc thc largest
new factor in 21
st-
century missions. !n past history
thcrc havc bccn othcr major lactors in mission
stratcgy. Unlortunatcly, in most ol thosc cascs, wc did
not scc thcm clcarly until it was alrcady too latc to
maximizc our stratcgics in thcir light. ! will givc somc
cxamplcs lrom thc past so that wc can bc morc alcrt to
ncw lactors in thc prcscnt.
Earlier New Factors
1. Te William Carey factor. Almost singlchandcdly
Villiam Carcy brokc down all kinds ol silly thcologics
which sccmcd to opposc thc thought ol scnding mis
sionarics. Hc wcnt and did it. Protcstantism nally bc
camc awarc ol thc Grcat Commission. 8ut Protcstants
had bccn blind to missions lor ovcr two hundrcd ycars.
Tcir covctcd Rclormcd thcology did not hclp thcm.
2. Te Hudson Taylor factor. Taylor almost singlc hand
cdly brokc down thc idca that wc cannot pcnctratc
inland, and with condcncc scck to cvangclizc whole
countries. Scvcnty ycars altcr Carcys Enquiry was pub
lishcd tokcn missions, touching only coastlands, was all
Protcstants could conccivc. ! dont bclicvc wc nccd to
lcarn that lcsson again, praisc God!
3. Te Archbishop William Temple factor. Hc is thc onc
who torc back thc curtain so that all could scc thc cx
istcncc and vitality ol thc nonVcstcrn church movc
mcnts. Hc spokc ol a global church as thc grcat ncw
lact ol our timc. Most mission supportcrs back homc
simply could not bclicvc that a ncw lorcc had bccn
born in thc mission lands. ! dont bclicvc wc nccd to
lcarn that lcsson again, praisc God!
4. Te Townsend/McGavran factor. Townscnd locuscd our
attcntion upon gcographically distributcd tribal socict
ics. McGavran pointcd out sociologically isolatcd pcoplc
groups. Tcsc mcn torc back thc curtain on thc cxistcncc
ol thousands ol ncw placcs to go to and ncw pcoplcs to
bc rcachcd, who lormcrly wcrc bypasscd. Togcthcr thcsc
two mcn took cultural idcntity scriously. For many ycars
missions talkcd about rcaching a wholc country oncc a
church movcmcnt cxistcd within any onc ol thc cthnic
sphcrcs ol that country. Somc missions pridcd thcmsclvcs
on having missionarics in cvcry country bcing blind to
thc divcrgcnt peoples within thosc countrics. ! hopc wc
dont nccd to lcarn that lcsson again.
5. Te non-Western mission factor. avid Yonggi Cho in
Korca, pcrhaps morc than any othcr pcrson, hclpcd to
tcar back thc curtain on thc vital cxistcncc ol mission
agcncics bcing born in thc lormcr mission lands. For
many pcoplc this was an cntircly ncw phcnomcnon.
Vc still havc much to lcarn lrom this sturdy cmcrging
rcality. !n my opinion, thc gcncral lailurc ol Vcstcrn
missions, historically, to plant mission societies, not
mcrcly churches, is thc largcst and most scrious stratcgic
crror Vcstcrn missionarics cvcr committcd.
6. Te Churchless Christianity factor. Tis lactor is thc
thcsis ol this articlc. Tis, to mc, is thc largcst ncw
lactor in 21
st
ccntury missions. \cry lcw undcrstand
it. !t is not yct takcn scriously. To somc it may comc
as a hugc, disturbing surprisc. To othcrs it may consti
tutc thc nal cvidcncc ol thc powcr ol thc 8iblc ovcr
all othcr stratcgics ol mission. !n any casc, it radically
changcs our undcrstanding ol thc kingdom ol God
and thc work ol God on carth in rcgard to thc rolc ol
what wc call Christianity.
Churchless Christianity
Ralph D. Winter
Rcprintcd with pcrmission lrom: Ralph . Vintcr, Frontiers in Mission: Discovering and Surmounting Barriers to the Missio Dei. Tird dition. Pasadcna,
CA: Villiam Carcy !ntcrnational Univcrsity Prcss, 2005, pp. 118121.
Tis is an cditcd lccturc originally givcn as Tc Largcst Ncw Factor in Mission Stratcgy in thc 21st Ccntury: Ncw Global Partncrships lor Vorld Mission.
Asia Missions Association, Moscow, Scptcmbcr, 2003
:8 Cnivcnivss Cnvis:i~xi:v
Te Big New Factor Today
Churchless Christianity is thc titlc ol a book compilcd
by a 8iblcbclicving MissouriSynod Luthcran mis
sionary and thcology prolcssor. Tus, whcn ! spcak ol
Churchlcss Christianity, ! am rclcrring to that book.
Tc book contains thc rcsults ol a scicntic survcy ol thc
largcst city in Southcrn !ndia, lormcrly callcd Madras,
and today known as Chcnnai. !t givcs thc cvidcncc that
masscs ol Hindus havc a high rcgard lor Jcsus Christ,
and about 25 ol that city ol millions ol pcoplc havc
givcn up thcir idols and arc daily 8iblcrcading lollow
crs ol Christ. Tc surprisc is that thc majority ol thcsc
lollowcrs ol Christ study thc 8iblc and worship at thc
homc lcvcl, continuc to associatc within thc Hindu
social sphcrc, and do not routincly associatc with thc
somcwhat Vcstcrn Christian churchcs. Tat is why
thc book is cntitlcd Churchless Christianity.
!n my pcrspcctivc it would bc morc accuratc to spcak
ol Christianitylcss churchcs. Vhy: 8ccausc wc arc
talking about lcrvcnt 8iblcbclicvcrs who at lcast mcct
in housc churchcs, cvcn il thcy do not normally mcct
in cxisting Christian churchcs. Tis lact is itscll vcry
rcminisccnt ol thc Ncw Tcstamcnt worshipping housc
holds, such as that ol Cornclius, Lydia, and Crispus.
Morcovcr, this is not a tiny, isolatcd phcnomcnon. Vc
arc talking about millions ol bclicvcrs who ncithcr call
thcmsclvcs Christians, nor arc callcd Christians by thcir
Hindu ncighbors.
Tis subjcct which ! havc labclcd thc Churchlcss
Christianity Factor is, howcvcr, littlc rccognizcd.
! myscll havc long bccn unawarc ol it. !t is so littlc
undcrstood that wc may nccd to dcscribc it morc lully
bclorc commcnting on it lrom a vicwpoint ol mission
stratcgythat is, what wc can or cannot do about it.
What It Is
Notc wcll that a cautious, 8iblcbclicving Missouri
Synod Luthcran scminary prolcssor brought this lactor
into limitcd promincncc whcn hc madc a prolcssional
survcy ol that grcat South !ndia city ol Madras (Chcnnai)
in thc 1980s. His survcy rcvcalcd millions ol lcrvcnt, daily
8iblcrcading lollowcrs ol Jcsus Christ who continucd to
idcntily with Hindu and Muslim lamilics, but who livcd
largcly in total isolation lrom thc lormal Christian movc
mcnt in !ndia. Vhilc this was surprising, disturbing, and
pcrplcxing, and hc cvcn wrotc a book about it, it did not
attract much attcntion lor tcn to twcnty ycars.
You can imaginc rcactions such as Tcn, arc thc
traditional Christian movcmcnts in !ndia wrong: o
all Hindus and Muslims havc to go this routc: Tc
publishcd book dcscribing this carclul survcy, cntitlcd
Churchless Christianity, has a somcwhat mislcading
titlc, as ! havc pointcd out.
Is Tis an India-Only Phenomenon?
!n rcgard to missions in othcr parts ol thc world, this
onc survcy ol onc largc city in !ndia raiscs insistcntly
thc morc gcncral qucstion, Can bclicvcrs in Jcsus
Christ in othcr countrics continuc as part ol a cultural
tradition which is distinctly dicrcnt lrom thc Vcst
crn Christian tradition: Many ol us might bclicvc this
could happcn in thcory and yct rccoil cmotionally at its
appcarancc and cxistcncc in rcal lilc.
!n othcr words, it raiscs an cvcn morc signicant qucstion
lor mission stratcgy. !s this sccmingly brcakaway movc
mcnt happcning only in South !ndia, or arc thcrc parallcls
in Alrica and Asia in gcncral: How would wc nd out:
Vhat book might wc consult:
Hcrc thc answcr is swilt in coming. Tc World Chris-
tian Encyclopedia rcports 52 million 8iblc bclicvcrs
in Alrica and 14 to 24 million bclicvcrs in !ndia who
arc outsidc ol thc lormal Christian movcmcnt. Fur
thcrmorc, wc also know that thcrc arc lrom 50 to 70
million Chincsc lollowcrs ol Christ who arc clcarly
outsidc ol thc 15 million Chincsc bclicvcrs within thc
lormal Christian church movcmcnt in China today.
Tcsc arc not small numbcrs! How do thcy comparc to
thc numbcr ol Christians in thcsc various countrics:
r, morc accuratcly, how do thcsc numbcrs comparc to
thc numbcr ol sinccrc, 8iblcbclicvcrs who arc lor
mally Christians in thc samc countrics: (Many within
thc Christian sphcrc arc quitc nominal.)
!n actuality, thc astounding and pcrhaps alarming lact is
that thcrc may now cxist in thc nonVcstcrn world as
many (or cvcn morc) truly dcvout bclicvcrs in thc 8iblc
and Jcsus Christ outsidc ol lormal, Vcstcrnrclatcd Chris
tianity as thcrc arc truly dcvout bclicvcrs within it.
Curiously, mission lcadcrs havc talkcd about contcx
tualization or indigcnization lor many ycars, undcr
thc assumption that wc could dcvclop, as it wcrc, ncw
clothing lor thc Vcstcrn church to makc it morc
acccptablc to Muslims, Hindus, 8uddhists, ctc. 8ut,
amazingly, it has not until rcccntly dawncd on us that
God may havc a dicrcnt stratcgy altogcthcr. Hc has
Ralph D. Winter :8
bccn with us as wc plantcd idcntiablc Christianity,
but Hc now sccms, in addition, to bc bringing lorth
largc movcmcnts cntircly lrom within thcsc hugc non
Vcstcrn cultural traditions.
Alcrt mission obscrvcrs havc alrcady sccn somc cvidcncc
ol thcsc ncw movcmcnts. 8ut thcy may havc ignorcd
thcm as brcakaway hcrcsics rathcr than undcrstood
thcm largcly as sinccrc rcsponscs to thc 8iblc.
How Important Is Tis New Factor?
Vc can comparc it to thc prcvious major lactors that havc
bccn acccptcd and undcrstood by mission stratcgists:
1. Carcys rcdiscovcry ol thc Grcat Commission.
2. Taylors push to complctc thc Commission gco
graphically.
3. Tcmplcs discovcry ol a truly global church.
4. Townscnd and McGavrans cmphasis on thc 8ibli
cal nations not thc political nations, thc cra ol thc
unrcachcd pcoplcs.
5. Tc discovcry ol mission agcncics appcaring on thc
mission cld, that is, TwoTirds Vorld Missions.
Tc sixth lactor, howcvcrthc suddcn awarcncss ol
thc Gospcl bursting thc bonds and boundarics ol
Vcstcrn Christianityis very little understood.
Numbcr six is a phcnomcnon that would sccm to bc
parallcl to thc 8iblical shilt lrom Jcwish to Grcck
clothing, and also parallcl to thc shilt lrom Latin to
Gcrman clothing (which is usually callcd thc Rclor
mation). At this latc datc in history it would appcar
that thcrc havc bccn at lcast thrcc rclormations: Jcw
ish to Mcditcrrancan, Mcditcrrancan to uropcan, and
uropcan to nonVcstcrn.
What Is Our Response?
Vhat will bc, and what should bc, thc mission rc
sponsc to this major ncw lactor: Shall wc call it unol
cial Christianity and just livc with it: Shall wc drop
thc tcrm Christianity altogcthcr and start counting not
Christians but 8iblc bclicvcrs:
Vc nccd to pausc and think clcarly. Christianity is not a
8iblical tcrm. vcn thc word Christian which is in thc
8iblc only thrcc timcs is apparcntly a snccr word cm
ploycd by outsidcrs and not a word thc Ncw Tcstamcnt
bclicvcrs callcd thcmsclvcs. Tat is, NT bclicvcrs wcrc
in somc cascs, callcd Christians by othcrs, but apparcntly
no onc in thc NT cvcr callcd himscll a Christian. Vhcn
Agrippa askcd Paul il hc wcrc trying to makc him into a
Christian, Paul did not makc any usc ol thc word.
My pcrsonal pcrspcctivc is that wc rccognizc again that
our mission is simply thc 8iblical laith. Vc prcach Christ,
not Christianity. !n this rcgard ! scc a parallcl to thc Ncw
Tcstamcnt 8iblical laith cscaping thc Jcwish cultural
tradition and bcing born lrom within thc Grcck culturc. !
scc this phcnomcnon in thc book ol Acts not as a uniquc
event but as a major cxamplc ol a process that must happcn
ovcr and ovcr again as missionarics cross into ncw culturcs.
Vc scc in thc NT thc constcrnation ol Jcwish lollow
crs ol Christ vicwing thc Grcck lollowcrs ol Christ as
somchow inlcrior. And thc Grcck bclicvcrs apparcntly
also lookcd down on Jcwish bclicvcrsor Paul would
not havc dclcndcd thcm in Romans 14.
Not only do wc scc thc Grcck bclicvcrs scong at thc
Jcwish wrappings. Vc scc carncst Jcwish lollowcrs ol
Christ, thc Judaizcrs, insistcntly sccking to makc thc
Grcck lollowcrs morc Jcwish. o wc today somctimcs
think likc thc Judaizcrs: o wc scck to makc Muslim
and Hindu lollowcrs ol Christ morc Christian, by
urging thcm to call thcmsclvcs Christian, or by lollow
ing ccrtain Vcstcrn Christian customs:
Is Tis Radical Contextualization?
Vhat wc arc talking about gocs bcyond ordinary con
tcxtualization. Somc havc callcd it radical contcxtu
alization. Vhat wc call this phcnomcnon is not thc
point. !t is rcally not a ncw phcnomcnon. Christianity
itscll is thc rcsult ol radical contextualization.
Vhcn thc Gospcl movcd bcyond thc Jcwish cradlc in
which it was born, it not only took on Grcck clothing, but
carricd within it thc samc 8iblical dcmands ol hcart laith.
Vhcn latcr it was takcn up by Latinspcaking pcoplc it
outwardly changcd again, so much that cvcntually thc
Grcck church and thc Latin church movcmcnts wcnt
scparatc ways. Still latcr, as 8iblical laith pcnctratcd thc
Tcutonic lorcsts ol middlc uropc, it divcstcd itscll ol a
good dcal ol thc Latin tradition and now rcappcarcd as
a Gcrman, Luthcran, tradition. About thc samc timc it
brokc away as an nglish phcnomcnon. Tcsc ncw tradi
tions wcrc much morc than a changc ol languagc.
Tc 8iblical laith bccamc at an carly point a Ccltic
phcnomcnon, and thcrc was antagonism lor a long
timc bctwccn Roman and Ccltic lorms ol laith. A bit
:86 Cnivcnivss Cnvis:i~xi:v
latcr than thc Ccltic but bclorc thc Luthcran wc scc
thc 8iblical laith cmcrgc within thc Arabic tradition in
thc lorm ol !slam, which is only partially 8iblical.
Many ancicnt obscrvcrs lclt that !slam was simply an Ar
abic lorm ol Christianity. 8ut thc Christianity to which
Muhammcd was cxposcd was vcry wcak and dclcctivc. !t
posscsscd only parts ol thc 8iblc, and in particular it had
a dclcctivc undcrstanding ol thc doctrinc ol thc Trinity.
Muhammcd was apparcntly ablc to cvaluatc the defective
trinity ol thc Christians hc kncw and rcjcctcd it just as wc
today rcjcct such a misundcrstanding.
Mcanwhilc, Christianity lor many ccnturics was ticd
in with local govcrnmcnts which could not allow social
divcrsity, and so Christians ol onc sort cvcn tricd to
cxtcrminatc Christians ol anothcr sort, and ccrtainly
opposcd thc lollowcrs ol !slam. !nstcad ol sharing
thc 8iblc and studying it togcthcr thcy simply tricd
to rcmovc thc cultural divcrsity through pcrsccution
and cvcn gcnocidc. !n gcncral, Christians havc actually
bccn morc intolcrant than Muslims.
Today Amcrica laccs a rapidly growing movcmcnt
which has a partially 8iblical laith, callcd Mormonism.
Mormons bclicvc thc wholc 8iblc, but likc !slam, thcy
havc thcir own spccial prophct and additional book,
not thc Quran but thc 8ook ol Mormon.
arly on, Amcrican Christians killcd many Mormons,
tricd to convcrt thcm, and drovc thcm out ol thc
castcrn part ol thc country. 8ut thcy havc continucd to
grow into a largc movcmcnt today. Many ol thcm as in
all strcams ol Christianity, arc purcly cultural in adhcr
cncc. Many ol thcm arc vcry sinccrc and godly pcoplc.
And, thcy havc rctaincd a conccpt ol thc Christian
lamily which in many ways is supcrior to gcncral
Amcrican lamily pcrspcctivcs.
Now, thc practical qucstion that ariscs no mattcr what
kind ol a pcrson wc arc dcaling withwhcthcr Prcs
bytcrian, Mormon, or Muslimis, do thcy hungcr and
scck altcr rightcousncss: o thcy in thcir hcarts scck
to know God and do His will: !l thcy arc Catholic,
Muslim, Luthcran, Hindu or 8aptist, do wc lccl thcy
must lcavc thcir own pcoplc and join ours and call
thcmsclvcs by our namc, whcthcr Prcsbytcrian, Angli
can, vangclical, or just Christian:
!n othcr words, is it our mission to insist on a changc ol
namc and a changc ol clothing: !snt thc 8iblc, isnt Jcsus,
Gods Son, morc important to thcm than what thcy call
thcmsclvcs or how thcy worship: !n this rcgard, arc wc
alraid that our supportcrs and donors arc lorcing us to
rcport on how many Christians or 8aptists wc havc
crcatcd, or how many church buildings wc havc brought
into bcing that look likc our own church buildings:
What Can We Do?
Vc can go humbly to thcsc groups and try to hclp
thcm undcrstand thc 8iblc morc clcarly without assum-
ing they will accept our form of Christianity when they
read the Bible.
Furthcrmorc, wc can rcjoicc that thcrc arc millions outsidc
thc lormal Christian tradition who arc hungcring and
thirsting altcr rightcousncss and who havc in thcir hands
thc 8iblc. !snt that bcttcr than to add morc millions who
may call thcmsclvcs Christians but who do not pay much
attcntion to thc 8iblc and who can hardly bc dcscribcd as
hungcring and thirsting altcr rightcousncss: