About Eternal Purpose Institute

Missiology is a paradigm-shifting discipline. It challenges the status quo, defining itself in terms of a critical reflection upon theological faith and praxis.

Missiology as a discipline has emerged strongly within the last fifty years from within the cauldron of post-colonialism, as missionary communities and traditions have interacted with the increasingly vigourous, emerging churches of Africa, Asia and South America (Jenkins, 2002).

This phenomenon has coincided with the demise of Christian faith within its European heartlands and, to a lesser extent, North America. In spite of the 'rearguard' actions of evangelical, charismatic and Pentecostal churches, secularisation, humanism and pluralism have moved to the centre of public life as the guiding philosophies of the post-modern West. As Christian communities grapple with the implications of this for their faith, missional thinking has begun to emerge as a uniting theme.

As a result it is increasingly clear that many of the missiological disciplines and inter-cultural skills developed and established by those within the cross-cultural missionary community and academy now has considerable relevance to emerging Christian faith communities within the West.

EPI has been authored to undertake research and analysis into these twin phenomenon and to respond by developing appropriate educational resources—in particular, practical, relevant and accessible educational, missional resources for missional leaders within the two-thirds world.