Introduction This is a summary paper of the book Adventist Mission in the 21st Century by Jon L.

Dybdahl, in this paper I am going to summarise five of the seven issues facing the Adventist mission in light of the seven which Dybdhal highlighted in his book. Just for logical progression I will mention all the seven issues namely: Mission Malaise of the First World Church, Decline in Western Mission and Giving, Growth of NonWestern Mission, Diversity of Sending Organisations, Renewal and Change, Lack of Knowledge about Mission, Meeting Mission Theological Challenge. This will be done by revealing chapters that has these issues

embedded in them and in short summarise the message of the chapters by simply outlining what Dybdahl wrote and grapple with these issues in short. Chapter 1 There are seven problems encountered by Adventist in the 21st century concerning mission: Mission
Malaise of the First World Church, Decline in Western Mission and Giving, Growth of Non-Western Mission, Diversity of Sending Organisations, Renewal and Change, Lack of Knowledge about Mission, Meeting Mission Theological Challenge. Dybdhal concludes this chapter by saying we are entering the twilight of

missions. We are in the dusk of the present era of mission. The glimmers o flight from the dawn of a new post-colonial, truly international mission era are already lighting the horizon. To embrace this new dawn I suggest that at least two things need to happen in the church First, mission must be seen as the priority and essence of the whole church. East and West, rich and poor, first and third world, Asian, African, and American are included. Not only are all parts of the world essential parts of the mission symphony, all believers in Christ in each local church are part of missions music. Old barriers between laity and clergy, paid and unpaid, male and female, mission field and homeland must disappear as the missionaryhood of all believers is manifested. No occupation, social or economic status, gender or role, is excluded from Gods call. Baptism into the body of Christ is ordination for mission. If this were taken seriously, what a revolution would come to the church! Second, education about and in mission must take place. From the cradle to old age, from kindergarten to graduate school, mission must be part of our curriculum and practice. The more we know, the more intelligently we can act. As we act, our hearts change. As humans taking part in Gods mission to reach people, we can do three things: go, give, and pray.
Chapter 7

In this chapter the fundamental question is can or should Seventh-day Adventist Belief be Adapted to Culture? Here he tells us of how the word of God is effective when it is communicated, using different methods that are not limited to ones own culture. He says I began to understand that God communicates His message effectively, using a whole plethora of means I had even dreamed of. I began to understand that it is not only desirable but absolutely essential for the church to be appropriately adaptable when it engages in cross-cultural ministry and mission. Here he highlights four points addressing the above stated question but I am only going to deal with two and mention two others.
1. Gods Initiative: Model of Adaptability

Argues that God has to incarnate and become man that he may not be strange to us however as much as he is living as man he did not cease to be God at any point yet fully human, how God used bible writers within their own level of education and culture. It becomes obvious, then, that an essential starting point for mission is an appreciation of the implications of the doctrines of revelation, inspiration, and the Incarnation. We can be assured that we are on safe grounds when we follow Gods missionary method. Just as the Word who was with God and was God.became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1:1-14), so there is a sense in which todays word of truth becomes flesh as it is communicated in the world. Seventh-day Adventists have no alternative but to find appropriate means to share the message in a diverse and imperfect world while maintaining the integrity of that message.

2.

The Church and Culture

A culture is an integrated system that gives its people a sense of dignity, security, identity, and continuity. It includes values, beliefs, customs, institutions, and material artifacts of the group. It is stable, but at the same sufficiently flexible to cope with the contingencies of change that confront it. In order to realize the necessity of appropriate adaption, Seventh-day Adventist should recognize that each culture is distinct. The Holy Spirit is the agent of that transformation, which can take place only if the message is communicated in the context of the receiving culture. Then the gospel can be heard, understood, accepted and applied. Each human being is nurtured within a cultural context. Individuals and communities interpret the world through its context. They evaluate incoming ideas, beliefs, and values through their own pre-existing worldview. The need to understand these underlying cultural issues is for one to learn the language within the culture. Language is probably the most pervasive characteristic of a culture. It encapsulates the thought form, the belief systems, and the worldview. It facilitates the expression of all that is vital and necessary in a culture. If people do not understand the language, conceptual communication is almost impossible.

3. 4.

The means of Adaption to Culture

Critical contextualization, Indigenization, or incarnational mission.

The Dangers of Inappropriate Adaptation

Conclusion in answering the question is yes the SDA message can and should be able to incarnate. The SDA church of the third millennium will be effective as it finds ways to express the message in terms of the culture of its recipients. This was Jesus method. Chapter 13 This chapter is one that our church does not even want to entertain because of the nature of the way the gospel was brought to us. The issue of healing and Miracles are good enough for sermon material but not on praxis. We preach of a God that heals but when we are supposed to do we refer to physicians even before we even pray, and when we pray we pray not for God to grant healing but for the physician to get insight as to what is wrong with you. Because also in these days charismatic churches practice healing and miracle we do not want to associate with them on any level because they are wrong and we are right. Miracles and Healing are the devils tools for his agents forgetting that healing is a biblical command that is given to Jesus followers that they will cast out demons and 2

heal the sick all in the name of whom they believe in. the problem with us is that we dont believe what the bible teaches, secondly is that we are willing to change our beliefs and accept what the bible teaches.. Third do we have faith enough in God to believe He can perform miracles today Right answers to these questions can lead us to a renewed ministry in which the power of God is more real. Chapter 15 Mission is Dynamic it changes over periods of time the method of mission one is using today will be irrelevant in ten or twenty years to come. Even the Seventh - day Adventist church has changed from being predominantly White English-speaking North-Americans, developed to be an international family, speaking a multitude of languages and living under a variety of political, social, and economic condition around the world. However there has been a negative growth in some critical parts of the world particularly in what is known as the 10-40 window, the world of the Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and the Chinese. Tentmaking has become the mode adopted by Christian witnesses from any nation who, because of their skills or expertise, gain access and maintain themselves in another culture with the primary intention of making disciples for Jesus Christ and, where possible, to establish and strengthen churches. What then are the requirements for Tentmaking? First is that a person must have employment in a cross-cultural location. Second, a person should have a recommendation from the local congregation. As we have mentioned 10-40 window. This area must be the priority area for the twenty-first century. Because this group is the most visible of the unreached areas, the focus should be on this one as they are everywhere in the world.

Chapter 19 In this day and age we need missionaries that are educated and passionate about mission. The church has over the recent years introduced programmes incorporating young people from crosscultural backgrounds to join in venture of this great initiative. This has over the years been of significance to the church in a way that this young people are sent to various fields to work as teachers, in language schools, elementary or secondary schools, and even colleges. In addition serve in various institutions, as assistant deans in boarding schools, as secretaries and accountants, as technicians in Advent World Radio facilities, as construction workers and maintenance personnel. They also work as medical workers- nurses on the Amazon, assistants in NEW START programs, and aides in jungle clinics. What are the benefits of having this ministry? 1. The program has changed the lives of people around the world who have been reached with the three angles messages through the ministry of these youth; 2. The lives of thousands of Adventist young people themselves have been changed and their and their futures forever altered by a year of serve as missionaries; 3. Hundreds of local churches have been blessed and their awareness of the churchs mission inevitably increased as they have lovingly and faithfully supported the student missionaries with prayer and funds; and 4. The world church is strengthened by giving the youth an opportunity to mingle with brothers and sisters of different cultures and languages, building bridges of understanding and unity.

How does the church accomplish this endeavour? 1. Administrative structures around the world must be modified and streamlined to be more user-friendly to facilitate young people who are seeking SM posts; 2. Churches and Institutions in every division must recognize the potential power in this program and begin creating opportunities for their own young people to serve at home, and also looking for ways to include missionaries from outside their territories; and 3. The denomination must develop and support these volunteers with adequate training and orientation programs as well as mentoring and support during their time of service. Conclusion Mission is going to be irrelevant to people once it ignores all the challenges that includes culture and if the missionary is unable to adapt to the given cultures he is ministering to. The mission must be able to adapt to the context it finds itself to be so that those ministers unto may not feel betrayed and robbed of their identity. Now in the context of SDAs based on the five chapters above I tried to highlight what Dybdhal is saying to us in term of missionary relevance to those we are ministering to. We wont grow if we do not move out of our comfort zone and seek relevancy rather than imposition and contempt of just being Adventist and expecting everyone else to be like us instead of us trying to meet them where they are.