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2025 – Volume 6 – Issue 2

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Editorial
Steve Taylor

Welcome to what is the twelfth issue of Ecclesial Futures, a journal focused on the 
mission of God in the world, particularly in local Christian communities and the 
systems that support them.

In this issue, you will find seven articles that explore the nature of the mission 
of God. Three of the articles are written by scholars in Global South contexts, three 
investigate charismatic and Pentecostal churches, while four study the systems that 
support local Christian communities. These include funding, ecumenical partner-
ships, diocesan strategies, and digital technologies. Together, these seven articles 
illuminate the interconnected and interwoven nature of God’s mission in the world 
that God loves.

Original research
The first article, by Mishael Donkor Ampofo and Peter White, studies the funding of 
mission in denominational systems. They demonstrate through empirical research 
how the dramatic shift in global Christianity’s centre of gravity towards Africa is trans-
forming mission work dynamics, including in the funding of mission. Semi-struc-
tured interviews and extensive documentary analysis illuminate how the Assemblies 
of God in Ghana have combined traditional church giving with modern technological 
solutions. The denomination sought to finance 3,000 new churches within a five-year 
period. Strategies included collaborative partnerships, including with technology 
companies to support automatic mobile micro-giving programs. A feature of the 
article is the attention paid to indigenous approaches to mission funding. The imple-
mentation of robust accountability structures and cultural sensitivity marked an 
alternative to traditional funding models, which can create unhealthy dependencies.

A second article examines the limits and possibilities of missionary church devel-
opment in the cities of Europe. Given a lack of research into interconfessional unity 
in contemporary church planting, Thomas Kräuter and Jack Barentsen interview 
church planters and ministers in Vienna, Austria. They found that ecumenical coop-
eration is very limited, due to theological assumptions and time constraints. Looking 
forward, they propose a regional ecumenical church planting hub across confessional 



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boundaries. In response to the isolation of church planting, a hub would encourage 
missiological togetherness through relational support, mutual learning, and spiritual 
community in developing new forms of church.

In a third article studying the systems that support local Christian communities, 
Andrew Dunlop investigates how dioceses as a church system might support inno-
vation. He draws on the term “mixed ecology” which has been used by the Church 
of England to affirm how traditional and new forms of church can mutually flourish 
rather than simply co-exist. The article analyses almost every diocesan strategy in 
the Church of England, along with vision statements and publicly available documen-
tation. Dunlop encourages dioceses to work at “amplification”, where the sharing of 
stories legitimizes innovation and invites creativity.

A fourth article examines another system, that of digital technology. Heidi A. 
Campbell and Meg Boone develop findings from a three-year study of how Indiana 
churches utilized and integrated technology to sustain community and spiritual life 
amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. A central insight is the realization by church leaders 
that technology is not a peripheral tool pre-pandemic but an essential component. 
The research also affirms the value of intergenerational collaboration to enrich 
decision-making around the adoption and adaptation of technology. Older church 
leaders tended to favour Facebook as a platform, while younger leaders favoured 
platforms like Instagram and Twitter. Mission challenges remain, including “digital 
divides” within congregations and among smaller and rural congregations.

In a fifth article, Sara Oliva examines faith formation in independent charismatic 
communities in Perth, Australia. She offers an invaluable insight, first, because of 
her empirical work on new expressions of independent community churches as an 
under-researched population. Second, she focuses on the journey of faith as she 
extends empirical work on recent converts in Australia and applies it in relation to 
supporting congregants in lifelong spiritual journeys. The article thus has practical 
relevance for church leaders as it affirms the importance of relational authenticity in 
nurturing faith during seasons of doubt, crisis and transition. (On a personal note, I 
was privileged to supervise Sara Oliva in her post-graduate research and to explore 
with her ways to publish her findings. My thanks to Ecclesial Futures co-editor Nigel 
Rooms for coordinating the double blind peer review of this article).

A sixth article examines the growth of African Pentecostalism. Mookgoo Solomon 
Kgatle defines and develops two theoretical concepts, missio spiritus and indigenous 
provenance. The work of the Holy Spirit – in witness, redemption life and creation – is 
argued to be central in the development of Indigenous expressions of African Pente-
costalism. Thus, Kgatle’s demonstrates that the growth of African Pentecostalism is 
“informed by the way Africans have embraced the mission of the Spirit”. This chal-
lenges how Pentecostal missiologists understand missions, indigeneity, and world 
Christianity. Equally, Kgatle also challenges African Pentecostalism by outlining how 



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embracing the role of the Spirit of creation can strengthen engagement in environ-
mental issues.

A seventh and final article examines unity and diversity in Pentecostal churches 
in Ghana. Working with recorded sermons and members’ experiences, Eric Manu 
compares Vida Bethel Prayer Ministry and Believers Worship Centre. The research 
is important because it rejects generalizations by paying attention to living praxis. 
Rather than contrast unity and diversity, Manu argues for a coexistence of unity in 
shared elements and diversity in distinct differences within the Pentecostal prac-
tices of these two churches. The article offers fascinating insights into how Pente-
costal worship and leadership practices support participants in the challenges of 
everyday life. Significantly, the research focuses on the emergence of women’s lead-
ership in community service and their pioneering role in what has historically been 
male-dominated communities of faith.

The seven articles are followed by five book reviews. The reviews are evidence of a 
community of scholars who are reading, thinking, and interacting together about 
the mission of God in the world in and through Christian communities. We always 
welcome book reviews, particularly of manuscripts relevant to mission and the 
future of the church in the Global South. 

As always, my thanks to my colleagues Nigel Rooms (co-editor), Patrick Todjeras 
(editor of book reviews), Christopher Pipe (copy-editor), and the team at Radboud 
University Press and Open Journals for their skill and care. Because of Diamond 
Open Access, original research is available free to authors and readers. To receive 
updates about new articles and developments in Ecclesial Futures, please sign up to 
receive our newsletter at https://ecclesialfutures.org/.

About the Author
Steve Taylor, Director AngelWings Ltd and Research Affiliate, University of Otago | 
Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. Contact: kiwidrsteve@gmail.com.

https://ecclesialfutures.org/
mailto:kiwidrsteve@gmail.com



