POLYCENTRIC MISSIOLOGY

A free short course from Morling College with Dr Allen Yeh, presented by the Tinsley Institute.

In this four-part video series, Dr Allen Yeh explores polycentric mission in the twenty-first century, tracing the move from mission “from the West to the rest” to mission from everyone to everywhere and unpacking the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for this global shift.

About the Presenter

Dr Allen Yeh

Dr Allen Yeh is Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs at International Theological Seminary near Los Angeles, as well as the Creative Director of the Young Adult Initiative at Denver Seminary. He earned his BA from Yale, MDiv from Gordon-Conwell, MTh from Edinburgh, and DPhil from Oxford. Allen has travelled to over 60 countries on every continent to study, speak at conferences, do mission work, and experience different cultures. He is also the author of Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere (IVP, 2016), which forms the basis of this course.

Course Overview

Welcome to this short video series with Dr Allen Yeh, presented by the Tinsley Institute. In this course, Allen presents an exciting vision for contemporary global Christian mission that encompasses every continent and embodies good news for all nations.

Drawing on his book Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere, he helps us see why mission today is no longer simply “from the West to the rest” but from everyone to everywhere, exploring the biblical, theological, historical, and practical bases for this important shift in perspective.

Each session is accompanied by discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, so you can continue reflecting, learning, and applying what you have heard, either on your own or together with others.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

🌍Why Christian mission today is best understood as “from everyone to everywhere” and how polycentrism differs from postcolonialism.
📖The biblical and theological foundations for a truly global, multi-continent church that speaks with many voices.
🌐How the history and demographics of world Christianity challenge Western assumptions and highlight the reality of “reverse mission”.
🧭Practical implications of polycentric mission for Majority World and Western churches, including the “four-self” framework and the call to self-theologising.

AT A GLANCE

Starts

Any time

Four online video sessions at your own pace.

Who's it for?

Pastors, students & mission leaders

Anyone interested in global mission and world Christianity.

Duration

4 sessions

Each with discussion questions for group or individual use.

Cost

Free

Simply register to receive your links and resources.

COURSE SESSIONS

Session 1 · Polycentric Mission Theory

Learn why Christian mission is no longer from the West to the rest, but from everyone to everywhere.
Broaden your understanding of the difference between postcolonialism and polycentrism.

Session 2 · Polycentric Mission Theology

Explore the biblical basis for polycentric mission.
Discover how Christianity was a tri-continental phenomenon from almost the very beginning.

Session 3 · Polycentric Mission History

Learn how Christianity has been a truly global religion even from its earliest days.
Gain an understanding of the missiological concept of reverse mission and contemporary global church demographics, and how they change the way we do mission.

Session 4 · Polycentric Mission Praxis

Learn about the four-self framework for Christian mission, and in particular what it means for churches in the Majority World to be self-theologising.
Recognise the ongoing impact of a “colonised mind” and consider how Majority World and Western churches can learn from each other.