Mission as Oikumenical Doxology – Secularized Europe and the Quest for a New Paradigm of Mission. Empirical Data and Missiological Reflections

Henning Wrogemann

doi:10.7832/42-1-2-48

Abstract

For more than a century now, Christianitys influence within many European countries has been in decline. Since especially the 1960s, there has been a corresponding and massive loss of church members. Despite the development of new forms of missionary engagement, the trend has not stopped, and it is very likely to continue for some time. What reasons lie behind it? How should the church address the challenges presented by this situation? These questions cannot, of course, be dealt with in detail in a single article. After the survey of statistical data and the range of its sociological interpretations, I will focus, third, on the missionary efforts conducted by the churches in Great Britain and Germany. Finally, I propose a specific missiology termed oikumenical doxology which I consider applicable to the situation in Germany, in particular, and European countries, in general.

Highlights

For more than a century Christianity’s influence within many European countries has been in decline
During the 1960s and 70s, lots of sociologists expected every society in the world to follow the patterns of modernization in the West
According to the theory of secularization, the modernization of societies leads to industrialization, the differentiation of the society into a variety of sub-systems and a rationalization of life in general

Summary

Introduction

For more than a century Christianity’s influence within many European countries has been in decline. Missiological reflection, would need to focus on new forms of Christian presence which might better correspond to the demands of people exploring their own paths of religious experience.

Results

Conclusion