"To SERVE the PRESENT AGE, OUR CALLING to FULFILL"
Ecclesiology, Mission, and Vocation
August 12–21, 2007; Christ Church, Oxford

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Taking our theme from a Charles Wesley hymn, in the year of celebrating the 300th anniversary of his birth, the Twelfth Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies will devote itself to considerations at the intersection of ecclesiology, mission, and vocation.

It is a given in the Wesleyan tradition that participation in God’s redemptive mission in the world is central to both our personal Christian vocation and to the nature and mission of the church. As such, serving the present age is not an optional commitment for some to embrace. It ought to be an integral dimension of our lives and our ecclesial structures. Given the dynamic nature of the “present,” it should also be a recurrent focus of our theological investigation.

This Institute invites proposals that contribute to this overall focus. It is expected that all proposals will be developed with some attention to the character of our present age in the context of historical developments within Methodism and the contemporary pressures of globalization (social, economic, and political), increased inter-religious conflicts, and “post-modern” currents. Though some proposals may focus primarily on such analysis, we are particularly interested in studies that explore such questions as:

What are the currents that are shaping and changing our world?

What is God’s redemptive mission in the world—the mission in which we are called to participate?

What have been characteristically Wesleyan/Methodist emphases about this participatory mission?

What “service” does our present age really need?

What skills or sensitivities are crucial for the church/Christians to develop, if we are truly to serve the present age?

How do Christians in the range of vocations contribute to this mission of serving the present age?

How is concern for matters like evangelism, worship, formation, and oversight integral to the church’s mission of serving the present age?