PART ONE:  Workshop Flow and Discussion

• The concrete mission reality of individual countries was presented (seven mission situations were described:  Mongolia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Taiwan).  There are a wide variety of challenges, successes, and difficulties.

• There is a constant challenge to create an evangelizing and missionary local church.

• Acceptance of the reality that missionary activity ad gentes is waning;  there was an analysis of the reasons why the fervor is lessening (e.g. materialism, inauthentic witness of church members, seminary orientation, etc.).

• Workshop participants discussed how theological-missiological factors affect commitment to mission ad gentes (see recommendations).

• Workshop frequently returned to concrete life experiences of mission as these factors were discussed.  All the recommendations emerge from the lived experience of mission in Asia.

• Elements for the renewal of ad gentes mission:

• renewed conviction, courage, and daring needed
• inner renewal and conversion is needed
• better attempts at Christian life-witness
• need to actually GO OUT and meet people
• explore new forms of ad gentes mission

    To address the fact that “missionary activity specifically directed “to the nations” (ad gentes) appears to be waning” (RM 2), the group recognized this to be true in Asia.  In order to invite the local Churches to renew their missionary commitment, we propose these specific recommendations:
 

(1)  Each and every Christian will strive actively to reach out to ALL PEOPLE (both Christians and non-Christians) in their areas of responsibility (e.g. parish, school, hospital), avoiding a “Christians-only” approach to ministry or a “maintenance” (not missionary) view of being Church in Asia.

 (2)  Each local Church will engage in theological-missiological renewal to more clearly understand the meaning and implications of key elements of theology (Proclamation, Dialogue, Kingdom, Jesus, Holy Spirit). When ambiguities and contradictions remain, these adversely affect missionary effectivity.  Some ordinary examples are: counterposing Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit's role in salvation history; opposing the Kingdom of God and Jesus’ Kingdom;  viewing Dialogue and Proclamation as opposing elements in the Church's one mission of evangelization.

(3)  Bishops’ Conferences and local bishops will promote the establishment of missionary associations / societies that recruit, train, send and sustain missionary personnel (men, women, laity, youth) specifically dedicated to ad gentes mission.   Asian local churches are invited to implement Ecclesia in Asia 44d concerning missionary societies.

(4)  All Church resources (personnel, institutions, structures) need to be renewed and placed at the service of mission;  they must again focus on their original charism and foundational purpose,  emphasizing the centrality of evangelization.

(5)  Various concrete initiatives for sharing personnel and resources as well as new forms of missionary cooperation (e.g. short-term missionaries, Fidei Donum  priests, “twinning” of dioceses) should be explored.  Missiology in all seminaries is essential.