Abstract
Creative Collaborations: Case Studies of North American Missional Practices revolves around three concepts identified by the editors: mission, collaboration, and North America, “loosely defined . . . as Canada and the United States” (2). Yet, rather than applications of tightly defined definitions of these three concepts, the essays in the volume serve to explore the meanings of each term. William Gregory’s insightful description of ecumenical Catholic partnerships in charitable and justice work may fit with readers’ expectations for what a focus on mission, collaboration, and North America should look like. However, David Restrick’s description of theological education in Mozambique, where North Americans play a background or supporting role, stretches our understanding of what “North American” means, and other essays do the same for collaboration and mission.
Collaboration is a theme for the volume since it comes out of work done to celebrate the centenary of the International Missionary Council. It is notable, though, that the editors have chosen “collaboration” rather than “ecumenism” as a focus. The shift has two important consequences. First, while some of the essays do focus on collaborations that are classically ecumenical—bringing together different churches or denominations—other essays look at collaboration across other dimensions of difference—intercultural collaboration, collaboration between Christians and secular actors, and projects and partnerships that pull various church entities together. Second, by emphasizing collaboration rather than ecumenism, the volume looks beyond the denominational structures and mid-twentieth-century organizations that characterize so much formal ecumenism to survey a wide variety of networks and relationships that may draw on older structures but are not themselves formal structures. The result of both consequences is a wider scope of vision.
Scholars and students of North American mission who read the volume will be left with a sense of collaboration as fact, hope, and challenge for North American mission—fact because of the fundamentally collaborative nature of mission that is so thoroughly demonstrated here, hope because of the creative new possibilities described, and challenge because of the limitations documented and the remaining work to be done. In each of these ways, the volume opens up important new directions for exploring mission collaboration.