LE ADE RSHIP | REVIE WS point. For Winter, both “the denomination and the local congregation” are examples of a modality, while a “missions agency” or “missionary band” are examples of a sodality. Modality and sodality together constitute “the New Testament church.” Winter’s distinction is not without controversy, but Ireland points to Acts 13 as an illustration of it. That chapter distinguishes “the church at Antioch” By GEORGE P. WOOD from “Barnabas and Saul,” whom the Antioch church “set apart” for “the work” the Spirit had called them hat is the relationship between evangelism to perform (verses 1,2). That work involved proand compassion in the Church’s mission? Historically, Pentecostals prioritized evangeclaiming the word of God among Jews (verses 5,14) lism. Pentecostal missionaries and Gentiles (verses 46–48). All believed the Spirit called and this took place under the guidempowered them to proclaim ance and empowerment of the the gospel and plant indigHoly Spirit (verses 2,4,9). enous churches in cultures For Ireland, a modality like where Christ was not known. the Antioch church has broader Pentecostals more recently responsibilities than a sodality have advocated a holistic like the Paul and Barnabas misunderstanding of missions sionary band. A local congregathat puts evangelism and comtion performs both evangelism passion on equal footing. This and compassion within its culunderstanding of missions tural context. Missionaries, on focuses on Christ’s proclamathe other hand, cross cultures to tion of the kingdom of God, establish indigenous churches which touches on the whole of where Christ is not known. Evangelism and Social Action in human existence — spiritual In other words, the modality Pentecostal Missiology and material. practices holism, the sodality In The Missionary Spirit, prioritism. Jerry Ireland argues that PenUnderlying this distinctecostals need to reclaim priortion about who does what is a itism. He is a professor of theology and intercultural nuanced theology of the Holy Spirit as the driving studies at the University of Valley Forge in Phoenixforce in missions. In Acts especially, the Holy Spirit ville, Pennsylvania, an ordained Assemblies of God calls and empowers missionaries to cross cultural minister, and a former missionary to Africa. boundaries, proclaim Christ, and establish indigIt is easy to mischaracterize prioritism as advocatenous churches. Ireland points at “the missionary ing evangelism at the expense of compassion. That nature of tongues” throughout Acts and argues that is not Ireland’s position, nor was it the position of glossolalia “orients the church to the nations and historic Pentecostal missiology. For Ireland, prioremphasizes its proclamational role.” itism is less about what should be done than about Ireland concludes The Missionary Spirit by who should do what. arguing that prioritism leads to more effective comIreland draws on Ralph Winter’s distinction passion than holism. Too often, international combetween “modality” and “sodality” to make this passion ministries breed dependence on Western
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JERRY M. IRELAND
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