On October 28, 2026, the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary hosted an open online lecture by Dr. Timothy Tennent, Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University (USA). The lecture was titled “Missio Dei and the Public Mission of the Church: Proclamation, Justice, and Witness in a Wounded World”.
The event aimed to unpack the theological understanding of Missio Dei and to explore how the Church can pursue its public mission in today’s world through the proclamation of the Gospel, the pursuit of justice, and Christian witness, especially amid social crises and human suffering. Dr. Tennent’s lecture, with its focus on the public mission of the Church in a wounded world, spoke directly to the questions Ukraine is living with every day.
The lecture drew students, faculty, and alumni of theological institutions, as well as pastors, church leaders, and representatives of civil society. Participants joined the lecture from various regions of Ukraine.
Dr. Timothy Tennent has taught for over three decades in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa, and for fifteen years served as president of Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of the textbook Invitation to World Missions and the book Theology in the Context of World Christianity, and is widely regarded as one of the leading evangelical missiologists today.
The event was organized as part of the partnership between UETS and Beeson Divinity School of Samford University. We are grateful to Dr. Tennent for his time and wisdom he shared with us. We also give thanks to God and our partners at Beeson Divinity School for making this meaningful experience possible. In a time when the war daily disrupts our lives with all the challenges it brings, such partnerships remind us that we are not alone, and that the work of theological education and Christian witness continues.