CSC Luncheon to Honor Gailyn Van Rheenen

Missionary, educator, scholar, and innovator, Gailyn Van Rheenen served fourteen years as a church planter, first in Uganda and then among the Kipsigis people of Kenya, eighteen years as a professor of missions at Harding and Abilene Christian University, and thirteen years as the founder and director of Mission Alive, an organization that trains and partners with American congregations for missional renewal and church planting.

A renowned missiologist, Van Rheenen is a scholar of the first order. His voice is ecumenical, influencing the study of mission across denominational lines throughout the global missiological community.

His publications include the popular Missions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Perspectives (now in its second edition), Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts, and Contextualization and Syncretism, along with the co-edited volume The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends. In addition to numerous academic articles, his highly acclaimed blog missiology.com enjoyed a global reach.

One of my favorite CSC traditions is our annual dinner or luncheon to honor those who deserve honor from among us. In the past honorees have included David Edwin Harrell, Tom Olbricht, Everett Ferguson and Landon Saunders. Typically, the presentation of a Festschrift, an in memoriam or the naming of a lecture is opportunity for the gala.

This year, Gailyn’s students requested the opportunity and provided a stunningly appropriate occasion for the luncheon, to be announced in his presence on Thursday, June 10.

Six full sessions from the Mission and World Christianity section will surround the gala event, with participants representing colleges, universities, churches and other organizations from the US and Africa doing scholarship. May this academic party and gala celebration be incentive for you to join us! For more information, please contact Greg McKenzie (greg.mckenzie@lipscomb.edu) or Chris Flanders (chris.flanders@ACU.edu)