“We Believe in… the Lord, the Giver of Life”: Polycentric Mission from and beyond Nicea
Call for the annual Conference of the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies
14 – 17 February, Osijek, Croatia
The year 2025 marks the anniversary of the so called First Council of Nicea (325). The Nicean Creed originates from this council and some churches has been using it in their church services and liturgies ever since. Other church traditions have long forgotten or never learned this creed. As an ecumenical and international association, the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies (CEEAMS) takes this historical reference to frame the theme of its annual conference: polycentric mission. Throughout the last seventeen hundred years, church leaders and scholars have been analyzing and interpreting not only its contents but also the contexts which affect its formulation. The creed has also informed churches as to how they related to other faith-traditions and how they shaped their own.
Polycentricity was part of the process of the formation of the Nicean Creed. The process involved a set of narratives confronting “heresy,” bringing about unity and harmony, establishing cohesion to describing God as Trinity. This process also implies a competing set of narratives that depict a battle for power to normalize a specific theological doctrine, with the danger of producing an “elitist” theology, which can be imposed on but hardly internalized by people. The struggle for the control of theological “orthodoxy,” which is inextricably linked to relationships of power (political and/or ecclesiological), reflects a repeated pattern in the history of Christianity worldwide. Studies in the history of Christian mission reveal the pattern of how “the right teaching” was moderated through socio-cultural prisms and implemented by the power of empire and political dominance both from the West and from the East.
Whilst certainly not a new concept in mission studies, the term “polycentric mission” has been theorized in different ways. One such theory uses the term to describe the change in perception regarding the diversity of Christianity worldwide: Christianity has been diverse at all times and in all places. Such a theory is a needed conversational course correction; a helpful critique to the prior cultural and theological dominance held by mission agencies and churches from the West “to the rest” and/or the orthodoxy of the Eastern churches. However, it is naïve to think these two issues—controlling orthodoxy and underlying power relations—are now dispelled by mission being recognized as “polycentric,” “from everyone to everywhere.” Rather, critical reflections are needed and critical questions must be asked both at the level of academia and church-praxis.
The call for the conference sees at least three interrelated areas of interrogation which could guide the conversations during the conference. Firstly, in relation to Christianity worldwide, what are the new ways through which power relations and normative theologizing manifest? Secondly, in relation to the Church worldwide, what does unity —intersecting with theories of polycentric mission, theological diversity, and background currents of power—mean in discourses on and practices of mission? Thirdly, in relation to Christianity worldwide and the Church worldwide, what is the relationship between histories of urbanization and manifestations of Christianity with their urban power-centers? How could theologians, mission studies scholars, church leaders, reflecting practitioners and theological educators critically examine urbanized forms of Christianity and the socio-political and cultural realities they entail? What kind of theologies contribute to life-bearing societies in the midst of mismanaged migration, wars, climate change and similar problems?
The conference will critically address the theme of the construction of narratives, ideas, and identities from the perspective of various Christian traditions and schools of thought. This will be done, inter alia, by exploring the issues of power dynamics and concepts such as empire, urbanization, unity in diversity, and World Christianity. The respective sections of the conference, introduced by thematic keynote papers, will focus on areas such as mission theology, historiography of mission, urban mission, theological education, and Christian leadership. The overall aim of the conference will be, therefore, to challenge the structures and systems that deny life and to explore the potential of the ideas and venues that enable life offered to humankind and creation by the Triune God.
The call for the conference invites theologians, mission scholars, reflective practitioners, and ministers to submit paper proposals which address theological-missiological questions related to Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) within the above introduced framework. The questions formulated below may be of some guidance:
- What is the relevance of the Nicean Creed for mission studies in your context?
- What is the purpose, significance, and relevance of (Christian) confessions of faith today, particularly in the context of Central and Eastern Europe?
- What power dynamics are at play in today’s world in general, and Central and Eastern Europe in particular, and what challenges do they pose to the church in mission as a confessional body?
- What stories are told about churches/communities? Who tells whose stories? Who constructs whose identity? How can stories be critically assessed? Which forms of critical reception could be viable?
- What insights emerge from the context of Central and Eastern Europe for studying Christianity as a worldwide phenomenon?
- How can the church in mission today, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, challenge the structures and systems that deny life for all?
- Which theories of polycentric mission emerge in relation to CEE?
- How does the recent Lausanne Conference in September 2024 in Seoul impact the polycentric mission approach in mission studies? How does it impact mission praxis in and of Central and Eastern Europe?
- What are good practices that bring harmony between mission in the West and the East, in different parts of the world? What transitions will help to convert toward a more polycentric mission approach?
- How do “struggles for orthodoxy” currently manifest in CEE and what are the various forces involved?
- In light of CEE’s history, what kind of unity should churches and mission practioners be working towards?
- What larger global narratives are influencing the various contexts of CEE and how do those interplay with the local stories?
- What power dynamics are currently manifesting between expat missionaries and churches in CEE? How are increasing religious and political polarizations in various contexts affecting these dynamics?
- What stories or narratives do various church traditions in CEE identify with in regard to their relationship to Christianity worldwide?
- What are relevant challenges of leadership in the church and society today? How do these challenges appear in Central and Eastern Europe?
Abstracts and procedure
To submit a paper or a panel proposal, please send an abstract of 300 words to ceeams@ceeams.org by the 10th of November 2024 with the subject heading: CA2025 / [your name].
Abstracts should provide a brief description of the work, clearly outlining the theoretical perspectives and methodology to be applied in the paper, as set out in the Guidelines for Abstracts (see below).
NOTIFICATIONS OF ACCEPTANCE WILL BE SENT BY the 20th of November 2024.
Papers may be selected for publication in ACTA MISSIOLOGIAE, the journal of the Central and Eastern European Association for Mission Studies.
Conference presentations/papers should be restricted to 20 minutes of presentation time.
Dates of the Conference
The conference starts on Friday afternoon, the 14th of February 2025 and ends on Monday the 17th of February with lunch.
Conference Venue
Evangelical Theological Seminary
Cvjetkova 32, PO Box 370, Osijek, Croatia, HR-31103
Tel: 385-31-494-200 // Fax: 385-31-494-201
Hybrid format
The conference will be organized in a hybrid format.
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REGISTRATION
The conference cost is 100 euro which includes conference participation, lunch, dinner and coffee breaks. 45 euro is non-refundable in case of cancellation. Accommodation and breakfast are not included in the conference cost.
Registration timeline
January 10th, 2025 – EARLY BIRD registration:
- 80 euro – conference fee for regular participants (accommodation to be arranged by participants themselves)
- 40 euro – online participation
January 24th, 2025– FINAL registration:
- 100 euro – conference fee for regular participants (accommodation to be arranged by participants themselves)
- 50 euro – online participation
The conference fee is waived for conference planning committee members.
Scholarship
We are glad that again this year, we will receive financial support for those conference participants who cannot afford the full conference fee.
Scholarship applicants must submit a request that includes the following:
1. Motivation to attend and the reason for requested financial support;
2. Budget of your conference costs.
Scholarships will be considered for those who meet the following criteria:
- are from Central and Eastern Europe
- submit an abstract
- register for the entire conference
- students
- do not get a reimbursement through their institution.
Based on their applications, scholarship recipients are entitled to pay a reduced conference fee and be hosted in shared rooms.
Scholarship requests must be submitted not later than November 30, 2024. Recipients will be notified by December 15, 2024.
Full scholarships for conference fees are available only in exceptional cases.
Do not hesitate to ask any questions you may have at registrations@ceeams.org
Payment
You can pay through Paypal or through CEEAMS bank account.
1. Paypal LINK
2. CEEAMS bank account:
IBAN HU58 1202 04070175 8448 0020 0001
BIC: UBRTHUHB
Raiffeisen Bank Zrt. Budaörs
Templom tér 22.
2040 Budaörs
Hungary
Branch number 2040
Do not forget to add the conference code and name of participant: *CA2024+participants name*
Travel information
- Direct flights to Osijek:
There are a few direct flights to Osijek. Please check Osijek airport travel agency.
2. Flying to Zagreb:
If you travel by bus, train or plane to Zagreb, please check Arriva or other bus lines. There are regular busses to Osijek, many times a day. For those arriving at Zagreb airport, there is a shuttle to Zagreb bus station.
3. Flying to Budapest:
*Budapest to Osijek by shuttle: We can arrange a shuttle pick up at Budapest airport for you. It is 50 EUR per person/one direction. If there is a group of people being picked up, transport is 35 EUR per person.
Accommodation information
Recommended Hotels:
If you are going to book your own accommodation here are some options. If you are looking at booking.com or Airbnb.com make sure to put “Donji Grad” – this is the part of the city where the conference venue is located. There are just apartments to rent, there are no hotels or hostels.
*Apartment Mursa: 5 min walk from conference venue, it can accommodate up to 7 people.
*Apartman Krstova: Private apartment across the venue, it can accommodate 2 people. Price: 50 EUR per night for apartman.
Cancellation policy
If you cancel your conference participation:
- Before February 10th, 2025: you will receive your previous payment minus the 50 euro non-refundable fee for on-site participation and your previous payment minus the 25 euro for online participation.
- After February 10th, 2025: no refunds are possible.
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