CTC Centre for World Christianity
Background and Rationale
World Christianity is an academic area that is now well established within biblical, theological and missiological disciplines within the global church. The pioneering work of the late Andrew Walls and Lamin Sanneh continues to shape and define the contours of World Christianity through various centres in the West such as Edinburgh University Centre for the Study of World Christianity, Liverpool Hope University Andrew F. Walls Centre for the Study of African and Asian Christianity, Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide, Yale Divinity School and Fuller School of Intercultural Studies to name a few.
One emerging expression of World Christianity within the British context is the development of the Intercultural church conversations as an ecclesiological framework to help churches do integration well. These conversations have led to church networks such as Intercultural Churches, Anglican Network of Intercultural Churches (ANIC), ICCT-WEAVE and Intercultural Ministries Ireland facilitating and helping British churches grapple with this new reality. Whilst these networks are crucial and needed, there is the necessity of a theological and missiological framework for the emerging intercultural conversations. In essence, there appears to be a gap in the emerging intercultural church conversations and therefore CTC offers something to address some of these gaps.
We therefore offer CTC Centre for Intercultural Christianity in order to address the theological, missiological and ecclesiological paradigms of the developing intercultural conversations. We aim to achieve this through offering Polyphonic theology as an intercultural theological framework. The edited book resource Polyphonic God already positions itself in this light. The edited book Polyphonic God: Exploring Intercultural Theology, Churches and Justice (2025) already brought together 17 of the key voices and experts on intercultural thinking and engagement in the UK bridging the gap between practitioners and theologians.
Centre for Intercultural Christianity
The Centre for Intercultural Christianity will therefore focus on developing intercultural theology through the concept of Polyphonic theology for the theological academy and the UK church.
This will be achieved through four areas of activities:
Teaching: We offer short course, modules, training and one-off courses on intercultural theology and missiology through Polyphonic God resource book.
Research: Ongoing research, writing and publications on intercultural theology and missiology.
Leadership: Twice a year gather together academics and church practitioners who are experts on intercultural theology and missiology.
Consultation: Provide expert advice through one-to-one consultation to academics, church leaders and organisational leaders. In addition, provide expert advice to denominations, mission organisations and church networks.
Leadership of the Centre
Dr Usha Reifnsider, Rev Dr David Wise and Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana as editors of Polyphonic God and joint directors of this new centre. All three of them also have different expertise that covers a range of topics on World Christianity, Diaspora Missiology and Intercultural Theology. Lastly are the network connections to different people, church denominations, mission organisations and theological colleges in the UK and beyond.
Rev Dr Israel Oluwole Olofinjana
Dr Usha Reifsnider
Rev Dr David Wise