The Story of Lesslie Newbigin

If you explored the question of Christian mission much, you will quickly encounter the name of Lesslie Newbigin. He played a pivotal role in reshaping the understanding of mission and ecclesiology in the 20th century. He was born in northern England in 1909 and lived out a call to mission in India for forty years. After so many years trying to spread the gospel abroad, he returned in 1974 to find an England that, in many respects, now needed missionaries itself. The result was his development of what is now known as missional ecclesiology. An ecclesiology is a theology of what the church is and what it is supposed to do. A missional ecclesiology is an understanding of the church as an agent of God’s mission in the world.

The Early Years and Missionary Beginnings

Newbigin’s early years included a strong foundation in the Christian faith. He grew up in the Church of Scotland, which gave him a deep sense of commitment to the Christian faith. After attending the University of Cambridge, he went on to join the Church of Scotland’s foreign mission in 1936. He would go to India as a missionary.

As a missionary in India, Newbigin found himself in a cultural and religious context that was vastly different from his British roots. The subcontinent’s rich tapestry of religions and traditions confronted him with the complexities of engaging in cross-cultural mission. During his time in India, which spanned over four decades, he served in various capacities, including as a bishop in the Church of South India.

Twilight Zone Experience

In 1974, after some forty years of service in India, he returned to England. It was then that he had what he described as a “Twilight Zone” experience. The landscape of his home country had undergone a profound transformation during his absence. When he left, Christian culture was still a dominant force in public life. The Christian faith had been an assumption of British culture. When he returned, the culture had shifted toward a more secular, pluralistic, and materialistic society. Meanwhile, Christianity had retreated into the private sphere, losing its influence on public life.

This experience served as a catalyst for Newbigin’s reflections on the nature of mission. What specifically is the role of the church in mission. As a result, he tried to develop a fresh ecclesiological (church) framework that could respond to the challenges of a rapidly changing cultural context.

Missional Ecclesiology Unveiled

In the wake of his return, Lesslie Newbigin began to articulate a vision that would later be recognized as missional ecclesiology. This framework challenged the prevailing understanding of the church as an isolated institution and called for a more engaged and public expression of Christianity. Newbigin believed that the church needed to both gather for worship and scatter into the world, embracing a holistic mission that integrated every aspect of life. 

In a sense, this same dynamic had already played out in the United States with significant impact. In the wake of World War II, a group that called themselves “neo-evangelicals” in America mobilized a movement that would sweep the United States, with Billy Graham at the forefront. In the US, as in Britain, World War II had been very disequilibrating. The neo-evangelicals called post-war Christians to come out of withdrawal and to engage the public sphere. As they did so, they tried to stay as politically neutral as possible while being as spiritually impactful as possible.

Reimagining the Church's Role

Newbigin’s missional ecclesiology sought to address the disconnect between a withdrawn, privatized faith and the public life of the church. He envisioned a church that was not confined to its walls but actively participated in the rhythms of society. It was a call to reclaim Christianity as a public truth applicable to all spheres of life, including government, commerce, and recreation.

Newbigin processed the changes he was witnessing in terms of two poles: the form of Christianity and its substance. On the one hand, he believed that mainline Christianity had done a good job of capturing the forms of Christianity. They did communion well. They did the liturgy well. They captured well the flow of the Christian calendar. However, they seemed to lack the fervor of personal faith, and they didn’t seem to have much impact on the public spaces around them.

By contrast, more evangelical forms of Christianity captured well the personal dimensions of faith. They were making an impact on the world. They had recaptured the fervor of faith and were trying to make an impact on the world around them. However, to Newbigin, they sometimes lacked the historical depth of Christianity in its more historic forms.

Newbigin began to advocate for a more integrated approach. In this vision, the church would honor both the forms and the meaning of Christianity, capturing the strength of both groups. Thus it would present a coherent witness to the world.

Addressing Post-Christian Challenges

Newbigin’s missional ecclesiology was particularly relevant in the context of post-modernity and post-Christianity. He recognized the disintegration happening in Western societies, where traditional Christian influence was waning, and sought a path forward. His call was for the church to become a vibrant community that engaged with contemporary challenges while holding onto the rich traditions of the Christian faith.

In his writings, Newbigin underscored the need for a church that could navigate the complexities of a pluralistic and secular world. He envisioned a holistic ecclesiology that would integrate the 2000 years of Christian tradition with the vibrancy and relevance required to address contemporary issues.

Missional ecclesiology, as articulated by Newbigin, aimed to reunite the forms and meaning of Christianity. In his view, the church should not only maintain the rich traditions and forms but infuse them with vibrant and meaningful expressions of faith. This integration was crucial for presenting Christianity as a coherent worldview that extended beyond private beliefs into the public sphere. He wanted to bridge the gap between churches that held onto traditional practices but lacked relevance in the modern world and those that embraced contemporary expressions but were devoid of historical grounding.

A Public Truth for All of Life

At its core, Newbigin’s missional ecclesiology was a response to the question: Can Christianity become a public truth again? He believed that it could, but it required a radical reimagining of the church’s role. The church, according to Newbigin, needed to be an agent of God’s mission in the world. It needed to be an agent that not only proclaimed personal salvation but also spoke into the broader structures and systems of society. This entailed a recognition that the message of Christ is not confined to the private realm but has profound implications for the secular world as well.

In his key work, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society, Newbigin explored the challenges posed by pluralism and secularism. He argued that the church must engage with the pluralistic nature of contemporary culture. It needed to recognize that it was no longer the dominant cultural force it once was. Instead of retreating into a privatized faith, the church is called to be a prophetic voice, addressing the complex questions and issues that arise in the public square.

As articulated by Newbigin, the missional hermeneutic stresses that the church should be at the forefront of societal transformation. This involves a robust engagement with cultural, political, and economic structures. Newbigin challenges the church to offer a comprehensive vision of truth that is not only personally transformative but also socially and culturally relevant.

Engaging Pluralism

In a post-Christian world, the church exists within a pluralistic context where diverse worldviews, religions, and ideologies coexist. This act calls for a nuanced and respectful engagement with other belief systems. Newbigin proposes that the Church should neither succumb to a relativistic acceptance of all perspectives nor adopt an aggressive, confrontational stance. In relativism, you have your religious perspective, which is valid for me, and you have your perspective with is valid for you. In relativism, we consider both perspectives equally valid for their adherents.

Instead of a relativistic or pluralistic perspective, Newbigin argues that the church is called to emboAslogue, seeking common ground while also presenting the distinctiveness of the Christian message. We believe the Christian perspective to be the correct one. We seek to bring the good news to others, but we do not do so in a combative way. The missional encounter with pluralism invites the Church to participate in interfaith conversations, acknowledging shared values while making clear the claims of the gospel.

Newbigin encourages Christians to navigate the complexities of pluralism with discernment and cultural intelligence. The missional hermeneutic proposes that the church become a learning community. We gain insights from various cultural expressions and religious traditions while remaining anchored in the central truths of the Christian faith.

The Sending of the Church

The culmination of Newbigin’s missional ecclesiology is the sending of the church. Newbigin was convinced that the church is a sent community, not a staying-in-one-place community. For him, the church’s mission is not static but is propelled by the Holy Spirit into the world.

Newbigin draws inspiration from the biblical narrative of the early church in Acts. In Acts, the Spirit empowers and sends believers to bear witness to Christ in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. This sending is not confined to geographical boundaries but encompasses every dimension of life where the church is present.

The missional hermeneutic challenges the church to break free from an inward focus and embrace a continuous sending into diverse contexts. Whether in the workplace, educational institutions, neighborhoods, or global missions, the church is sent with the transformative message of Christ. The missional sending is not solely about converting individuals but about embodying the reign of God in every sphere of human existence.