A “Religionless” Mission? — Reflecting on Creation’s Place in Mission Theology with Reference to the Croatian Context

Our world continues to change as a result of things such as rapid technological and scientific advances, the rapidly spiraling climate crisis, and shifting geopolitical dynamics. If mission is defined as God’s ongoing work to reconcile, heal, and renew all of creation, the Church must spend serious time reflecting on what God might be currently doing and how to best participate in it. Dynamic missional praxis emerges from a robust missional theology reflecting upon the realities in both local and global contexts—thus, missional praxis must always be creatively adapting. This paper urges evangelical churches in Croatia to reflect on their past understanding of mission and engage in a missional hermeneutic involving the witness of scripture, the context, and the theology of the church. In this regard, it highlights a central issue in current mission theology and praxis—a missing doctrine of creation in evangelical theology. This has contributed to a church with a disembodied mission ill-equipped to speak to the crises of today. However, because of the current challenges, there is also a significant opportunity for missional engagement in Croatia