Equilibrium Between Engaging in Practical Missiology and Scholarly Academic Missiology: A Driving Force to Attain Missio Dei

Abstract:

There is no difference between the terms Mission and Missiology, as far as some are concerned, whereas to others, these terms have different meanings. The term "Missiology" is commonly used among the academia but not commonly used among the non-academic persons who are actively involved in missions. The latter is more conversant with the term ‘mission ‘and “missionary”. Some people are pure "Academic Missiologists" and "Non-Academic Missiologists", and fortunately there are several field missionaries today who double as Academic Missiologists. There is a perceived gap between the missiologists and the field missionaries. This paper is an extensive literature research on whether missiology is purely an Academic Discipline with no space for "non-academic missiologists “and whether there could be an equilibrium between engaging in practical missiology and scholarly academic Missiology as a driving force to attain missio Dei. Findings by the writer show that practical missiologists and scholarly academic Missiologists, complement each other and have the same thing at stake. They both want to see the work of mission carried forward. The study concludes with some recommendations to both practical missiologists and scholarly academic missiologists.