Introduction
Building bridges along the Danube
The Osijek Institute for Mission Studies is a platform for academic reflection on the missionary practice of Church and mission in the societies of post-communist Europe. The new Institute seeks to build on, renew and strengthen the vision of the Evangelical Theological Seminary as a Learning Centre for Mission in Eastern Europe.
Our motto:
build bridges for holistic mission along the Danube
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The geographical location of Osijek in the triangle of Croatia, Serbia and Hungary, near the confluence of the Drava and the Danube, offers itself as a natural meeting point and laboratory for bridge building. Like the many bridges across the Danube, OSIMS seeks to serve as a bridge between East and West, focusing on:
- Connecting evangelism and social involvement in holistic mission
- Spanning the gap between lay people in the church and pastors
- Linking theoretical reflection on and the practical involvement in mission work
- Highlighting the cross-cultural dimension of mission in a context with various minorities in Central and Eastern Europe
- Extending relations between Eastern Europe and Christianity in the global South
- Communicating the Gospel in a relevant way, that in Jesus Christ the gap between God and men is bridged
Our approach:
innovative, cooperative, ground-breaking and focused on the Kingdom of God
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OSIMS combines four approaches:
- Innovative in exploring new ways for connecting Gospel and Culture
- Cooperative in working together with theological institutions and networks for mission studies of different Christian traditions in a Consortium
- Ground-breaking in complementing informative and transformative learning approaches in education that respond to local challenges
- Focused on building, strengthening and extending the Kingdom of God as revealed in Jesus Christ
Our aims:
seedbed and platform, learning community, equipping local churches, resource centre
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OSIMS aims to be:
- Seedbed and platform for engaged, contextual, missiological reflection
- Learning community building bridges and listening to text and context
- Equipping local churches to grow into witnessing communities of Jesus Christ
- Resource centre for mission in Central and Eastern Europe, across Christian traditions