In addition to sharing the latest news from our ministries, brainstorming topics and authors for future issues, and generally having a great time being together, the Christian Standard contributing editors also participated in a significant discussion of social justice during their meeting earlier this week.

The hours-long, far-ranging conversation was sparked by a presentation from Doug Priest, Executive Director of Christian Missionary Fellowship and a new member of the team. He pointed out that, demographically speaking, the "average Christian" lives south of the equator. The people in this area are marginalized and powerless, and the churches are poor.

"Since theology arises out of the human context of its adherents," Doug shared, "and since that context is now the majority world, Christian theology will increasingly focus on the issues of wealth and poverty, injustice and oppression, over-population, pluralism, and the environment as well as evangelism and church planting."

Our team discussed the evolving evangelical response to such problems: at first, churches focused on social action or evangelism. Slowly they moved to a position of evangelism primary and social action secondary. Today, churches are growing toward a more holistic understanding with evangelism in a place of ultimacy--ultimately, evangelism must happen but involvement in many areas and engagement with a variety of issues can be the entrance point.

Because I've sometimes wondered what my afternoon building houses with Habitat for Humanity or my semester tutoring fourth-graders has to do with advancing the kingdom of God, I appreciate this perspective. And because I routinely become irritated with those who equate care for our planet and its poor as being "liberal," I especially appreciated Doug's comment that "concerns for peace, environmental action, human rights, liberation, material welfare, health, hunger, HIV/AIDS and host of other problems fall within the scope of mission, if indeed mission is concerned with the bringing of the abundant life for which Jesus came."

What do you think--are you threatened by Christianity's center shifting to the southern hemisphere? Are "externally focused" church programs and community service initiatives a way to ultimately share the Gospel and reach unbelievers, or are they nice things without real "results?" What's the scorecard for ministry effectiveness? And what is the church called to do, here and overseas, for those living in poverty, walking through rivers of sewage, and selling their bodies for food?