Rocky Mountains Region

The intersection of education and mission produces a maze of models and practices. From the many pastors’ conferences conducted each year around the globe, to short-term discipleship and leadership development processes utilized by missions sending agencies, to legacy institutions grappling with curricula, the maze grows deeper and more complex. Add into this mix, advances in globalization, urbanization, and technologically-driven educational platforms expedited by the global pandemic, and the maze goes virtual as well.

 With these models and opinions, key questions come to the forefront. Among these questions are, What are the missiologically responsible, theologically sound, and effective best practices in education for contemporary mission? The vast diversity of answers are expressed by the differing perspectives within missions–from the academy, the church, and the practitioner. The conference aims to address the role and shape of education and mission today from all of these perspectives.

Given the multiple intersections of education with mission, the Evangelical Missiological Society invites you to consider how your particular strengths and interests might stimulate deeper discussion and consideration surrounding the annual theme and impact of missiology, and to frame a proposal to present a paper. 

Possible topics include but are not limited to:

• The role of the church, mission organizations, and/or seminaries in mission education and mission training.
• Discussion of vehicles and pathways in mission education and training like orality, music, art, literacy, and so on. 
• Exploring the role of education in mission, evangelism, and church planting.
• Contributions from other academic disciplines to education and contemporary mission.
• Educational approaches and under-represented and/or under-utilized global voices and models in mission education.
• Discuss how the global pandemic has shaped education, training, and contemporary mission.
• Exploration of technology and educational models and their impact on learning and discipleship.
• Historical models and educational practices that are beneficial to retrieve for contemporary mission.

Missiology and the Black Experience Track

Educating for Contemporary Mission in the Black Missiology Experience: Through narratives, case studies or theological exegesis, the EMS invites papers directed at the unique contributions and explorations of the Black Church’s models and practices at the intersection of education and mission. Papers are solicited that address these and other related topics from missiological, theological, historical, sociological, and/or regional perspectives.

Submitting a Proposal

Accepted proposals are to be developed into papers of 4500-7000 words in length using Chicago Turabian author-date citation format. Some papers presented at the EMS regional meetings will be invited to be presented at the annual EMS meeting to be held in Dallas, September 15-17, 2023, leading to the possibility of being published as a chapter in the EMS Annual Compendium for 2024.