General Secretary’s Greetings to TIM-40

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

I bring you greetings of love and peace in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, from the Council for World Mission (CWM)!

As the CWM remembers God’s unfailing love and faithfulness for the past 40 years of the Training in Mission (TIM) programme, I am glad to bring greetings through this INSiGHT issue to all those who have been part of TIM in various capacities. TIM 40 celebrations are underway, remembering and reflecting the missional concerns of CWM’s past 40 years of TIM with the theme, “Rising to Life: Celebrating the Sowers and the Seeds of 40 Years of Training in Mission.” This so happens at this crucial period of our history.

The world today is faced with numerous challenges threatening life and all its forms. The Covid-19 global pandemic has already taken millions of lives and exposed how corrupted our systems are and how fragile our lives are. Alongside the pandemic, vaccine injustices, misinformation, and neo-liberal health care systems are contributing to further loss of lives. In addition, the world is also grappling with various other challenges like climate change, natural disasters and, more importantly, the armed conflicts around the world taking the lives of innocent people, especially in Ukraine at the moment. It is unbelievable that all this news of pandemics and war is happening in the 21st Century like that of a primitive age. It shows how fragile the ecosystem is, how the civilisation is demoralised, and how sinful nature is dominating the excessive politics and economy.

It is at this juncture of history, we celebrate TIM-40 looking back to 40 years and look forward to our future engagement with the world as transforming disciples of Jesus Christ. More than ever before, the world is yearning for discipleship that can be a game-changer for the transformation of the world towards building a new heaven and a new earth.

Since 1981, the Training in Mission Programme has been promoting leadership and service to the church and God’s mission by providing opportunities for young people to learn about mission thinking and actions through lectures, exposure visits, projects, and work in various contexts. It also aims to offer training that provides a wider vision, deepened commitment, and a strengthened sense of fellowship and partnership with Christians around the world, particularly through CWM member churches. TIM is one of the longest standing training programmes in the history of ecumenical missionary endeavours, becoming a steppingstone for numerous missionaries, church leaders, professors, and ecumenical activists. More importantly, it is one of the most creative training programmes in mission with the emphasis on learning by doing and thinking.

There have been more than 400 young people who have engaged together in realising CWM’s transforming mission ethos. They have embodied missionary discipleship as they have lived, studied, struggled, celebrated, wept, and sung together their way through the challenges Christ has called them to meet. Their formation through TIM sent them back to their homes to be seeds of Christ’s new life to be grown and flowered in many ways. Some of this will have been in ways that Church recognises, like ministry, but many more have offered their gifts beyond the narrow church space as they have lived out the changes effected in them by the profound encounters TIM provides.

As we are looking forward to engaging and interacting with one another commemorating the 40 years of TIM, I would like to invite you all to celebrate TIM’s 40th anniversary with us. It offers CWM, member churches and partners an opportunity to give thanks for the work of the TIM programme, to rejoice in the contribution the participants have made in all areas of the church’s life, and to look into the future to offer a platform for their further insight and contribution into the current CWM mission ethos: Rising to Life.

May God bless you all.

Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum

General Secretary Council for World Mission (CWM)