Bölcskei, GusztávGaál, Sándor2012-04-162012-04-162005http://hdl.handle.net/2437/127525SUMMARY “Initiative Church” János Victor’s Contribution to the Issue of Church Development with Special Attention to Missions and Church Growth in the Reformed Church in Hungary The world, Christianity, Protestantism and the Reformed Church in Hungary were confronted with so many challenges and changes in the first half of the 20th century as never before. Our church, determined by theological Rationalism on the turn of the century, had to face two revival movements, two World Wars, decades of ideological oppression and the rise of the Ecumenical Movement. These developments inevitably and permanently influenced the activities of the church. It was in this turbulent period when János Victor ministered in quite a wide range of areas: as a leader of movements, a pastor, a teacher of religion, a professor of theology, editor of various periodicals, an outstanding representative of the ecumenical movement and a church leader. When studying the oeuvre of a person one must limit the scope and the perspectives of the research. In our case it was done in the hope that the depth of the research would result in conclusions which may hold relevant messages for the church of today. The project was also motivated by the fact that studies on and assessment of the works of this popular and well-known theologian are still missing, although he passed away more than fifty years ago, in 1954. The method of the research was determined by Victor’s manifold ministries. Biographical data are available both in written and by oral sources. His theological publications are accessible in the libraries, and a rich collection of his manuscripts is deposited in the Ráday Archives in Budapest; other ecclesial archives in Hungary hold valuable documents of his activities, too. The dissertation consists of three main chapters. The chapters follow Victor’s life chronologically, although their contents are primarily determined by the different fields of his ministry. Each part ends with a summary and with conclusions related to their topics. The first main chapter is devoted to Victor’s activities in the student movement. What is demonstrated here is that the value of the Christian movements can be enhanced if they are supported by profound theological knowledge. The special character of Victor’s multiple activities in a wide scale of contemporary youth movements may be described by the formula: “faith seeking understanding” (fides quaerens intellectum). His reflections on the activities of the para-church movements of “home mission” show that he sees the raison d’etre of them exclusively in filling the gap that is left void by the reluctance of the churches to fulfil their missionary obligations. The only legitimate purpose of these organisations may be the revival of the whole church. When the church realises her failures in fulfilling her mission and is prepared to take them over, movements can be integrated into the regular church life. Victor was an outstanding leader of the work of societies for decades, however, he always bore witness of his conviction that the church is the primus agens of Christian mission. He demonstrates both the legitimacy and the temporality of the missionary movements of the first decades of the 20th century, and considers them subordinate to the church. The next main chapter focuses on Victor’s theology of mission. The research is based on his articles published as contributions to the contemporary debates on the definition of mission. His view on this issue is crystallised in his theological polemics with Jenő Sebestyén and Sándor Makkai. He also supported the waking missionary interest of the church and the integration of the missionary movements into the church. He defines Christian mission as a special activity of proclaiming the gospel in the world, instead of identifying it with the regular activities of the church. On the other hand, he does not deny that all activities of the church have a missionary dimension. Victor makes a clear distinction between the missionary and the basic activities of the church. He sees the need of raising the quality of the basic church activities as a condition to genuine missionary activity. His contribution to these efforts are found in his works on the biblical and reformational understanding of these basic functions. After discussing Victor’s activities in the missionary movements and his theoretical works, the third main chapter sheds light on his ministry as a pastor of a newly formed local church. Leading a newly established and flourishing congregation, the practical value of Victor’s missiological insights into the contemporary church life and their relevance for today, is tested. Elements of the modern theologies of church growth (Gemeindeaufbau) are applied in proving that Victor’s main thesis on the congregation as the primary agent of mission is legitimate. Mission is God’s mission (Missio Dei), and He entrusts His church with the task of fulfilling it. The congregation is the community where this mission is realised. Victor’s ministry in developing the congregation of the Szabadság Tér Reformed Church in Budapest is determined by these convictions and by the fact that he took seriously biblical revelation as a norm for the church. His principle is that the definition of mission must be narrowed down in order to help the church find her divine identity and character, so that she would be able to fulfil her mission on a wider scale. The church must be an “initiative church” proclaiming the gospel in the world.140huteológiaTheologyHittudományokHittudományok