The AD2000 Movement - A Catalytic Study
The catalytic nature of the AD2000 Movement, as a contextual and institutional platform for a vibrant world evangelization effort during the final decade of the second millennium incorporates sections based on catalytic aim, catalytic means, catalytic leaders and catalytic structures. AD2000 provides a contextual and institutional platform for demonstrating the constancy of the nature of catalytic impulses that come from conferences, renewal, and unique leaders seeking the glory of God. The AD2000 case study shows that, to the degree that a world evangelization movement draws catalytic impulses from an appropriate goal, structure, leadership and means, is the degree to which the movement itself becomes a servant-catalyst in mission.
The introduction of the paper describes the birth of AD2000 and the methodological approach for fashioning the aim and vision. The first section deals with visionary goal. The second section develops the structural dimensions of AD2000. The third section describes the leadership. The fourth section reviews the catalytic means utilized in AD2000. The conclusion provides an assessment of AD2000.
I. An Introduction to AD2000
During the second half of the twentieth century, many Christian leaders and organizations perceived some new moves of God around the world and called for special prayer and consideration of these moves. From this period of prayer and reflection, AD2000 developed during the late 1980s. Its primary purpose was to encourage existing and new movements to work together across prevailing barriers, in order to advance the cause of Jesus Christ and his Great Commission. The movement grew as more and more individuals and entities worldwide joined the cause in which they would collaborate in the vision of a church for every people and the gospel for every person by the year 2000.
A. The Birth of AD2000
AD2000—a catalyst with a servant theme—was born to strategize, encourage, network, inspire, research, and disseminate information about what the Holy Spirit is doing through the church globally. Its stated purpose: in a spirit of servanthood, to encourage, motivate and network men and women church leaders, by inspiring them with the vision of reaching the unreached by the year 2000 through consultations, prayer efforts and communication materials. The intention was to encourage cooperation among existing churches, movements, and structures to work together towards this same vision. “A Church for Every People and the Gospel for Every Person by AD 2000” became the rallying cry.
To what extent did AD2000 serve catalytically to precipitate and increase the rate of reaction of the Great Commission process to advance the Christian movement? Assessing this and the means and principles it used can only be of great interest to us as we consider the future of the world Christian Movement of the twenty-first century.
B. The Setting: A Key Moment in History
AD2000 arose for such a time as this. The year 2000 became a magnet for a convergence of trends with related expectations. For example, Health for All 2000 was a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative with its theoretical roots in the Alma Ata Declaration 1978, which focused on physical health for every human being by the end of the year 2000. The three aims were: (1) The development of alliances and networks within the community, (2) the integration and delivery of health promoting activities, and (3) the promotion of the health of primary care staff (Fletcher 2001).
C. The Shaking of the Nations
The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized a dramatic turning point in human history. The break- up of the former Soviet Union, the movement of some nations toward democracy, the migration of hundreds of thousands of refugees across national borders, the intensification of tribalism and nationalism have altered the geo-political landscape.
The dismantling of the old Soviet Empire under the centralized authoritarian regime resulted in a proliferation of nations open to new ideas. One of the consequences is that since 1990, the United Nations (UN), up to this time, had grown twenty-eight percent in number of member nations.
It was as though God were shaking the nations, giving access to Christian messengers in a way that had not happened in a hundred years. The contextual conditions surrounding the end of the second millennium served to provide a suitable platform to launch a global Christian movement. In addition, the year 2000 became a giant magnet for all of mankind.
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