“Missional at its core means to be characterized by mission.  God has a mission to unify all creation under Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10) and to reconcile all of creation through the cross and resurrection of Christ (Colossians 1:15-20). God invites his redeemed people into this mission, commissioned by him as ambassadors of our Savior-King Jesus Christ.”

“A few weeks ago, we ran an interview on missional theology with Dr. Mark Dalbey, president of Covenant Theological Seminary.  We’re grateful for the responses we have received as a result of that conversation.  Some of the feedback has been appreciative; some listeners have raised further questions or concerns.  In the interest of giving Dr. Dalbey a full and fair hearing, we wanted to follow-up by publishing an article he wrote addressing some of the same questions that the podcast raised.  We post it not in the interest of either endorsement or criticism, but rather out of concern to give a dear brother in Christ the benefit of a full and fair hearing – for the building up of Christ’s body and the glory of His name. – JLM   

Covenant Seminary recently strengthened its systematic theology department by positioning it in a larger newly named area called “missional” theology. This change has prompted some questions from friends and others as to whether Covenant, as an historic Reformed seminary and the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America, has in some way altered or diminished its commitment to systematic theology. The answer is not at all. In light of such questions and concerns, we present the following for consideration.

First, a bit of history. In 2010 the board of trustees of Covenant Seminary (whose voting members are composed of PCA ruling and teaching elders elected by the General Assembly) adopted a revised purpose statement with the primary adaptation being the inclusion of the clause “all for God’s mission” at the end.  This reflected a deep desire to place seminary education into the Bible’s larger unfolding mission of God to reach the nations, the generations, and the people in our churches, and to restore all things in and through Jesus Christ.

Second, a definition of “missional.” Missional at its core means to be characterized by mission.  God has a mission to unify all creation under Christ (Ephesians 1:9-10) and to reconcile all of creation through the cross and resurrection of Christ (Colossians 1:15-20). God invites his redeemed people into this mission, commissioned by him as ambassadors of our Savior-King Jesus Christ. The ascended Christ sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and empower his people to respond to his call to go forth into the world proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.  This means our Savior-King sends us out with a message for sinners to trust in the finished work of Christ and be reconciled to God and neighbor.  Our theological heritage from Calvin onwards motivates us to connect the theological task of the seminary to the missionary impulse of the church. Theology is for the sake of the church and its mission. This is what we mean by missional theology.  In recent years some have taken the word missional and put it in opposition to confessional systematic theology. We actually think the opposite is true – deep theological reflection actually fuels the church’s mission.

Biblical Rationale for the Change

It is our commitment to God and his Word that has strengthened our passion for doing “all for God’s mission.”

• In Genesis 1, God creates man as male and female in his image and likeness with a purpose and mission to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and extend God’s glory over it as they reflect his good and gracious rule over all living things.
• In Genesis 2, God places Adam and Eve in Eden with a calling to work and keep the garden to the glory of God.
• In Genesis 3, the very agents of that mission of God become the obstacles to its accomplishment by their rebellion.  They stand in need of God’s gracious provision of a promised rescuer who would be like them, yet without sin – in order to overcome their rebellion, reconcile them to God, neighbor, and creation, and empower them once again to fulfill God’s call on their lives.

God’s call now necessitates the proclamation of a both present and coming Kingdom of God’s beloved Son into which sinners are being transferred (Colossians 1:13-14).

• In Genesis 12, God calls and blesses Abraham into his covenant Kingdom mission so that all the families of the earth might be blessed through his offspring.
• In Exodus 19, God calls his rescued people from slavery in Egypt to be a holy nation and kingdom of priests on behalf of their God as a light to the nations.
• In Galatians 4:4-7, we see the sending mission of God himself on display when in the fullness of time God sent his Son to redeem his people and also sent the Spirit of the Son into the hearts of believers.
• In Luke 8:1-2, Jesus’s mission consists of his proclaiming and bringing the good news of the Kingdom of God through his preaching, teaching, and healing ministry.
• In Matthew 28:16-20, Luke 10:1-9, and Acts 1:8, Jesus sends his people out on a mission that will reach nations and generations and one day reconcile and restore all things, making peace by the blood of Christ’s cross (Colossians 1:20).  We are now privileged to be part of this comprehensive missionary movement.
• In Revelation 21-22, we see this grand missional story of Scripture fulfilled in the new heaven, new earth, and New Jerusalem where all things in heaven and earth are reconciled in Christ.

A Deeper, Richer Commitment to Systematic Theology

We believe that all aspects of the seminary curriculum as well as its co-curricular activities must constantly answer the following two questions: (1) “How is this rooted in and faithful to God’s inerrant Word?” and (2) “What does this mean for life and ministry today?”  We strive to be uncompromisingly faithful to God’s Word and its historic and confessional Reformed theological expressions while at the same time faithful to equip our students to apply God’s Word and our theological commitments to real people and places today.

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