The Definitive Mission Resource from Everyone to Everywhere

Mission in today's world demands a framework as global as the church itself. Featuring scholars and practitioners from every continent and various Christian traditions, Mission in Polycentric Perspective explores both the theory and practice of polycentric mission across cultural, theological, and organizational dimensions.

As the numerical and spiritual center of Christianity has shifted to the Global South, traditional mission paradigms rooted in Western dominance are no longer sufficient. Polycentric mission offers a timely model—theologically rooted and contextually diverse—that encourages mutuality, collaboration, and shared leadership.

What you'll find in Mission in Polycentric Perspective:



- A comprehensive treatment of the polycentric approach to mission

- Topical chapters by masters in the field on subjects like indigenous mission, interreligious engagement, and innovative mission strategies

- Global, regional, and community-specific coverage



This book is the definitive academic and practical resource for those teaching, studying, or engaging in mission in today's multi-nodal, collaborative world. Whether you're looking for the next missiology textbook for your classroom or a comprehensive field guide for your mission work, Mission in Polycentric Perspective is the book you need.

About the Contributors

The more than forty contributors to this volume hail from around the world and include Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Graham Joseph Hill, Patrick Fung, Harvey Kiwanyi, Sam George, and Mary Lederleitner.



Joseph W. Handley Jr. (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is CEO of A3 and serves as catalyst for leadership development for the Lausanne Movement. He is the author of Polycentric Mission Leadership and editor of Leading Well in Times of Disruption.



Allen Yeh (DPhil, Oxford) is dean and vice president of academic affairs at International Theological Seminary near Los Angeles. He is the author of Polycentric Missiology and the coeditor, with Tite Tiénou, of Majority World Theologies.



Foreword (forthcoming)



Introduction: Conceptual Foundations

Allen Yeh

Part 1: Theological and Historical Foundations



1. Polycentricity in the History of World Christianity

Klaus Koschorke



2. Global Pentecostalism as a Polycentric Movement: Historical Considerations from the First Decade of the 20th Century

Jacob Palma



3. Polycentricity and Interconnectedness: A Biblical-Theological Basis for Mission

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen



4. Trinitarian Leadership: A Polycentric Framework for a Fragmented World

Joseph Handley



5. Biblical Foundations of Epicharic Mission

Graham Joseph Hill

Part 2: Ecclesial and Denominational Expressions



6. The "Prophethood of All Believers": A Pentecostal Contribution to Polycentric Mission

Wonsuk Ma



7. Polycentric Mission and Catholicism

Paul Kollman



8. Polycentric Orthodox Mission

Ralph Lee, Calum Samuelson, and Fr. Evangelos Thiani



9. BMS Transformation Journey: Catalyzing Polycentric Leadership in Baptist Missions

Kang-San Tan

Part 3: Missiological Theory and Global Dynamics



10. Navigating Leadership Challenges in a Polycentric World

Mary Lederleitner



11. From Power to Partnership: Women, Polycentric Mission, and the Call to Shared and Safe Leadership

Kavitha Emmanuel



12. Polyglottal Mission: Language and the Gospel in a Polycentric Church

Michel Kenmogne



13. Exploring the Polymorphic Ekklesia: Insights from Filipino House Churches

Jason Richard Tan



14. Exploring Our Understanding of the Significance and Relevance of Indigenous Movements in the Current Context of Polycentric Mission

Patrick Fung



15. Mutuality Rather than Polycentrism

Jamie Mātenga



16. Post-Centric Mission

Harvey Kwiyani

Part 4: Structures and Networks



17. The Transformational Journey of the Wycliffe Global Alliance: From One to Many

Kirk Franklin



18. A3: A Case Study in Polycentric Mission Leadership

Joseph Handley



19. SAT-7: A Polycentric Window for MENA Christians

George Makeen



20. Designing for Polycentrism: Practical Lessons from Urbana 25

Mark Matlock



21. IFES: A Global Student Movement in a Polycentric Age

Tim Adams



22. Lausanne 4: Polycentric Theology, Unity, and Strategy

Allen Yeh

Part 5: Regional and Cultural Expressions



23. Asia Rising: From Mission Field to Mission Force—Challenging the Next Generation to "Go Where There Is No Gospel"

David Ro



24. Polycentric Mission in Chinese House Churches: Opportunities and Challenges for Global Mission

Liu Guan (Abraham)



25. Pluriform Mission in and from South Asia

Allan Varghese Meloottu and John Amalraj Karunakaran



26. Polycentric Discipleship: How African Diaspora Churches in the United States Form Generation Z for Global Mission

Rosemary W. Mbogo and Stephen N. Mbogo



27. Ibero-Americans Following Jesus into His Mission

Décio de Carvalho



28. Spiral-centrism: A View of Polycentrism from the Worldview of Indigenous Peoples

Jocabed R. Solano Miselis



29. Polycentric, Omnidirectional, and Hyperconnected World of Missions: An Indian and Nigerian Diasporic Envisioning in an Age of World Christianity

Sam George and Bulus Galadima

Part 6: Strategic Innovations for the Future



30. Praise and Proclamation in Polycentric Worship Music in North India/Pakistan

Eric Sarwar



31. From the White Man's Burden to Polycentric Generosity: How the Global Church Is Moving Beyond Dependency Toward Shared Financial Participation in God's Mission

Redina Kolaneci



32. When Machines Take the Light Work: Polycentric Mission Leadership in the Age of Intelligent Agents

Heejin Choi



33. Strategic Sending (A Data-Informed Project) and the Need for Polycentric Sending Today

Chris Maynard



34. Polycentric Mission and the Global Aging Population: A Case Study of the Canadians

Sadiri "Joy" Tira and Juliet Lee Uytanlet



35. Christianity and Gen Z: A Polycentric Faith for a Polycentric Generation

Mercedes Berti and Raynaldi Philipus

Conclusion: From Everywhere to Everywhere

Joseph Handley and Allen Yeh



"In this volume, Allen Yeh and Joseph Handley have assembled what amounts to an encyclopedic collection of essays on polycentric missiology. Reading through them, one can only be convinced that a new movement is on the rise, a new catholicity is in the making. A polycentric church is truly a church from everywhere to everywhere and to everyone, driven by the agency of local people with local wisdom."



"Mission in Polycentric Perspective is a timely and important contribution to the global missions conversation. I was deeply encouraged by the diversity of voices, perspectives, and experiences represented throughout this volume. The rich dialogue across theological traditions, cultures, and ministry contexts provides a fuller understanding of polycentric mission and its significance for expanding the kingdom of God in our time. As Jesus declared, 'This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations' (Matthew 24:14). This book offers valuable insights for faithful collaboration, mutual learning, and gospel witness in our generation."



"Two contrasting interpretations of Christian mission are prevalent today, neither of them satisfactory. Secular media persists in viewing mission as a relic from the colonial past, an anachronistic movement from a dominant and supposedly Christian West to the rest of the globe. The other, discernible among radically postcolonial Christians, reacts to this caricature by redefining mission as simply a global sharing of Christian resources in order to promote justice and human welfare. This rich collection of essays proves that there is a third and better option: Christian mission is directional in its essence, but it is not unidirectional and never has been. Today, Christianity is more polycentric than ever before, generating mission movements across continents and oceans in all directions. Mission and church leaders in every part of our interconnected world will find much in Allen Yeh's fine book to inspire, instruct, and correct mistaken perceptions."



"This substantial volume does what it says in the subtitle: collaboration and integration. It demonstrates a polycentric perspective by the diversity of its nearly forty contributors from both academic institutions and mission organizations. Together they show that polycentrism cannot mean siloed working or missions passing each other like ships in the night. Instead, there are many gifts and callings that together build up the body of Christ and contribute to the one mission of God. In that endeavor, this book also reveals questions for further attention and mutual challenge."



"There are fresh charges being made about contemporary Christian mission being an expression of neocolonialism. In such an environment, it is heartening to see documented and explained the real phenomenon of exciting initiatives springing up from all over the world. This has been true throughout Christian history, but this book demonstrates how it is especially marked in today's church."



"Allen Yeh and Joseph Handley have brought together leading voices around the Majority World to give voice to the true nature of our increasingly polycentric mission. In 1974, John Stott challenged Lausanne to envision the day when we would see 'the whole church bringing the whole gospel to the whole world.' Today, that is not merely an aspiration but a reality, as this volume so nobly demonstrates."



"For years, the slogan 'from everywhere to everywhere' has permeated missiological writing, but never before has one volume so carefully and thoroughly described both the theology and practice of what global partnership should look like. The diversity of authorship is itself a vivid portrayal of how polycentric missiology equals global voices thinking together, exploring together what the mission of God means in our diverse and often divided world. Every reader will find their thinking challenged and enlarged."