The Perichoretic Mission frames the missionary’s role as deeply connected to God’s ongoing, relational work in the world, modeled after the perichoresis of the Trinity. This divine dance of mutual indwelling between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit shows us that mission isn’t just a task to complete—it’s a reflection of God’s loving and communal nature, always revealing Himself. The ekklēsia, as Christ’s body, incarnates within cultures, joining this divine movement. In doing so, we embody the unity, love, and purpose of the Trinity, engaging with God’s ongoing mission of redemption and reconciliation. Mission, then, is inherently relational, collaborative, and participatory, as both the missionary and the church connect with the missio Dei, extending God’s grace to all peoples and cultures.
Simply defined, the perichoretic mission refers to:
The missionary’s connection to God’s dynamic, relational mission, modeled after the perichoresis of the Trinity—the mutual indwelling and interrelationship of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It emphasizes that mission is not merely a task to be accomplished but a reflection of the loving, communal nature of God who eternally self-reveals. The ekklēsia, as the body of Christ incarnating in culture, participates in this divine dance, embodying the unity, love, and movement of the Trinity as it engages in God’s continuing mission of redemption and reconciliation in the world. This approach views missions as relational, collaborative, and participatory, where the missionary and the ekklēsia connects with the ongoing work of the missio Dei with all peoples and cultures.
Perichoresis offers a rich and dynamic framework for understanding both missiology and ecclesiology. God, in His very nature, is self-revealing, constantly moving toward His creation in love and relationship. This divine movement (motus Dei) is the foundation for the missio Dei, God’s mission to reconcile all things to Himself. As we have seen, God’s self-revelation, though often implicit in our view, can indeed be salvific as God moves in mysterious ways to reveal Christ to people, even when the missionary has not yet explicitly proclaimed the gospel (John 6:44).
The Church as a Participant in the Mystery of Salvation
The church, as the body of Christ, is called to participate in this divine dance, reflecting the relational, self-giving love of the Trinity in its mission to the world. Through the motus ecclesiae, the church moves toward the world in love and mission making explicit the revelation of God that is already at work in people’s hearts (Jer 31:3; Hos 11:4).
The beauty of perichoresis lies in its mystery: it invites us to acknowledge that God’s salvific work is beyond our full comprehension, yet calls us to participate joyfully in making His love known to all people. The church, as the living expression of perichoresis, carries this mission forward as it embodies the relational, dynamic, and outward-moving love of the Triune God. As Charles Twombly suggests, “In our day, perhaps there are those who can grasp the depths of perichoresis in terms of the classical Christian doctrines and go on to probe its implications for enlarged areas of theological interest” (Twombly 2015:155-156).
We have only briefly touched on this beautiful doctrine of the Trinity. If we were to take up Twombly’s challenge, there are many more areas of research to pursue. Here are a few suggestions:
- God’s Self-Revelation and Mission: Further research could explore the theological implications of God’s universal self-revelation, particularly in relation to the concept of “unreached” people groups.
- Denominational Boundaries and Trinitarian Participation: A deeper investigation could examine how the church’s participation in the life of the Trinity challenges the necessity of denominational adherence and formal church membership.
- Unified Will of the Trinity in Church and Mission: Research could focus on how the single, unified will of the Trinity informs and guides both the church’s structure and its missional activities.
- Transcending Denominations: An area for exploration would be how a Trinitarian understanding of the church might encourage transcending denominational divisions in favor of a more unified body of Christ.