June 18-19, 2025 @ St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana and Online.

Reckoning and Renewal: Engaging the Past and Envisioning the Future of Mission and Evangelism

Participation in mission and evangelism finds its virtue not merely in academic theory or technical expertise, but in embodied, lived practices embedded in a long history and tradition. In a moment marked by cultural fragmentation, shifting ecclesial and institutional landscapes, and accelerating technological change, reimagining these practices requires both honest reckoning with the past and hopeful engagement with the future.

This year’s theme invites proposals that critically and creatively engage the teaching and practice of mission and evangelism amid historical, cultural, generational, and technological tensions. We welcome papers that explore how the tradition can be faithfully received and innovatively rearticulated in ways that foster healing, deepen trust, and renew Christian witness across a range of contexts. We seek contributions that explore how Christian witness can be strengthened through practices of repentance, healing, and solidarity; how Majority World perspectives can reframe inherited models of mission; how teaching can address rising skepticism and disillusionment among younger generations; and how emerging technologies such as AI and digital media are reshaping theological, ethical, and pedagogical understandings of faith and student formation.

In this joint meeting of AETE and APM, we envision facilitating conversations along several potential tracks: 

Key Areas of Interest

• Practices of repentance, healing, and solidarity: How can mission and evangelism reform practices shaped by repentance, healing, and solidarity in witness across cultural and historical divides.

• Pedagogical innovation in an age of skepticism: How can mission and evangelism be taught in ways that resonate with rising generations, many of whom are disillusioned with institutional religion or wary of inherited paradigms?

• Engaging technology and digital disruption: What theological, ethical, and pedagogical questions emerge as AI, social media, and other digital technologies reshape how we communicate faith and form students?

• Constructive models for a shared future: How might Majority World perspectives help reframe inherited models and offer paths towards repentance, healing, and solidarity?