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Report on GCR Sierra Madre Consultation
March 29-31, 2000
Dear Friend of the Great Commission Roundtable,
I am writing to update you on recent developments coming out of the recent planning consultation of the GCR international task force which met in the Los Angeles area, March 29-31. With the support of many who were praying around
the world, we experienced a wonderful sense of unity and fellowship which also enabled us to move rapidly and to agree on GCR's future directions, goals and services. If you would like to see the fuller notes of the consultation,
please let me know and I will send them to you. Here is a summary of the key decisions made:
- The name has been shortened to Great Commission Roundtable, dropping the word "global"and making it easier to pronounce!
- We agreed on a revised mission statement and criteria for participating networks. (See the attached document.)
- As far as services to be offered, we decided to focus on three main areas: relationship building between networks, information sharing for networking, and missiological/theological reflection.
- Keep the structure as simple and lean as possible with just enough administrative infrastucture to get the job done; be partner-centered rather than central staff-centered with all task force members (21) serving as contact
persons and vision-bearers.
- Working groups were formed and one to three years goals were adopted for each area:
Relationship Building
- Develop code of best practices for network to network relationships.
- Initiate annual meeting of international and regional network leaders, starting next year at the end of April before the WEF General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- Create secure GCR website and chat rooms.
- Build initial working list of networks and leaders, including contact information and focus of mission.
- Compile list of high profile and emerging leaders where mentoring is going on or needed.
- Work though existing regional conferences to identify and bring together network leaders and facilitate such meetings where none exist.
- GCR equipped to facilitate global video conferencing via the Internet.
Information Sharing
- Identify best practices for obtaining, managing, and disseminating ministry information in different cultures.
- Identify those who have databases and will share the info they have. Create web-based catalogue to existing network databases. Closely track "Harvest Information Systems" and other similar research/information
initiatives.
- Draft a code of best practices /conduct to be reviewed and adopted by participating networks. Adopt global information standards.
- Facilitate GCR networks to participate in a flow of information to and from the grass-roots level.
Missiological/Theological Reflection
- Ask for joint meeting of WEF and Lausanne theological and missiological groups, requesting them to:
- Define missiological and theological terms relating to evangelism
- Define the unity and the mission of the church
- Look into missiological reflection from the 2/3 world, eg. theological basis for spiritual warfare (Africa)
- Explore and study orthodox church view of mission
- Invite orthodox church to dialog on Christian mission and a response to Islam
- Encourage theological and missiological schools to dialogue and converge in their discussions of world evangelization
- Identify the best missiological materials in other languages
- Make summaries of some of them
- Plan to translate what is globally usable
- Identify and promote young, influential English and non-English-speaking theologians to meet
- Develop a consultation for them
- Identify emerging theologians and missiologists (find the next John Stott) …and promote them in our gatherings
If you would like to give feedback on the three foci and goals listed above to the working group concerned or would otherwise like to be involved, we would welcome hearing from you. Please get in touch with the following contact
people:
Perhaps the most crucial thing at this stage of GCR's development is the identification of those international, regional and functional networks which should be part of GCR. Could you please assist us by reviewing the attached
mission statement and criteria, then use the attached form to identify any relevant networks with whom you think we should be in communication? We would be much obliged for your help.
Warm regards in Christ,
John Robb
GCR International Coordinator
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