The 2022 Stott-Bediako Forum sought to explore questions and experiences of faithful Christian witness in the face of empire and power in order to challenge and encourage the global Church. Drawing on the stories of historical and present-day communities, Biblical interpretation, socio- political analysis, contextual theologies, spiritual practices, and more, the forum aimed to provide space for dialogue and resources that provoke fresh reflection and action on the part of faith communities. The event itself proved to be a meaningful encounter with deep conversation and fellowship, while the resources from the process remain available and will continue to be produced for widespread use in the future.

The forum featured a multi-generational and globally diverse group of 28 contributors who explored the themes together. Of these, 16 people had the opportunity to meet regularly online and in-person over the course of a year to shape and hone their ideas in community. They were joined by over 100 other registered participants (online and in-person) who brought their own questions and experiences to the discussion.

Notably, the forum was held as a hybrid gathering with several of the presentations broadcast live from the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad, Romania, as well as other independent sessions occurring in-person and online. This allowed INFEMIT to learn from, encourage, and contribute to a specific local context: namely, scholars and students from around Eastern Europe and local churches in Arad, while simultaneously enabling participation from across the world. We are immensely grateful to all who participated in and contributed to this event, and we trust that the relationships formed, seeds planted, and resources developed will nurture many churches and individuals as they seek to witness faithfully amidst empire and power in the years to come.

INFEMIT connects and contributes to regional fellowships, local movements, and organizations across the world by participating in projects and events with the goal of promoting holistic theological reflection, deep fellowship, and faithful practice that is attentive to context.

In addition to the multiple regional events to which members of INFEMIT’s Networking Team contributed during the year, the Stott-Bediako Forum provided a unique opportunity to strengthen affiliated organizations and deepen INFEMIT’s partnerships. In attendance were several Langham scholars. Tearfund also coordinated the participation of several members of its Young Theologians and Peace Building teams to take advantage of the space the forum provided for formation and collaboration. Several partner organizations of INFEMIT sent representatives or invited their members to get involved online.

It was also important to INFEMIT to use this gathering as an avenue to revitalize regional fellowships, particularly the African Theological Fellowship which has been somewhat inactive in recent years. Three regional leaders recruited a large group of people from across Africa to join the forum online and in person, and they met during designated meal times and networking sessions to share their dreams and ideas for a reactivated fellowship on the continent. Similarly, participants from across Europe also took advantage of the opportunity to meet with one another and expressed their own eagerness to find ways to connect and collaborate more regularly.

Meanwhile, throughout the year, INFEMIT has continued to host online fellowship groups called “INFEMIT Circles”. The circles are intentionally diverse in terms of region, gender, and generation; and they meet monthly for fellowship and dialogue. The initiative has now been in place for a year-and-a-half, and all eight circles have continued to meet, with over 50 regular participants. At this point, new questions emerge, such as, “how might we sustain the initiative and form additional facilitators once demand exceeds our current capacity?” and “what does it look like for each group to develop its own dynamic that ensures its value to each of the members?” Meanwhile, the Stott-Bediako Forum exposed a number of new people to the ethos of INFEMIT, several of whom are eager to join the INFEMIT Circles in 2023. The formation of deep and supportive cross-cultural friendships continues to be one of the key ways in which we as INFEMIT contribute uniquely to the understanding and practice of holistic mission in our world today.

Faith and Life is a process of theological formation for integral mission which empowers Christians to live out the good news of God’s reign in all arenas of life: in hospitals, NGO’s, universities, government buildings, and on the street, as well as in churches. Made up of four modules: Work, Family, Church, and Society, Faith and Life is developed for a specific cultural context by those with native understanding of that context.

Faith and Life, as a model for theological formation, was born out of the Community of Interdisciplinary Theological Studies (CETI) in Latin America, which operates today under INFEMIT. CETI offers non-formal and formal theological formation in Spanish and Portuguese through certificate and master’s programs.

In 2022, CETI particularly sought to diversify its non-formal offerings, to include programs of different lengths that are adapted to online and in-person modalities.

Another example of Faith and Life emerged in Eastern Europe. INFEMIT leaders used the model to develop curriculum for use at the Aurel Vlaicu University of Arad. Today, this includes English and Romanian master’s and PhD programs in “Faith and Public Life.” The deep thirst for practical, holistic theology in the Eastern European context has translated to consistently high demand for these programs. In part, the decision to hold the Stott-Bediako Forum in Arad this year was intended to recognize and celebrate God’s work through these programs!

INFEMIT promotes interdisciplinary and cross-regional scholarship and practice and invests in opportunities for younger scholar-practitioners to grow in roles of leadership in their local and global contexts.

INFEMIT continues to produce both print and online resources to nurture the practice of mission as transformation in the global Church. This year, the major focus of our academic work was the Stott-Bediako Forum articles and presentations produced. Several of these have already been made available publicly online as videos, and the final print publication is underway for 2023.

Additionally, multiple articles from the previous forum have also been published in the Transformation Journal (view here).

An important goal for any academic project by INFEMIT is the involvement and formation of younger scholar-practitioners. We were able to involve 8 young leaders among the contributors to the Stott-Bediako Forum this year, as well as 4 young leaders among the organizers. Our aim is to consistently include these younger leaders, their passions and concerns in determining the direction of our dialogue and the organization as a whole.