VISION

 USL is a global learning community recognized for science and technology across all
disciplines, strong research, and responsive community engagement grounded on the CICM
mission and identity for a distinctive student experience.
MISSION
 USL sustains a Catholic academic community that nurtures persons for community, church and
society anchored on CICM’s Missio et Excellentia.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY AND CORE VALUES
 The University of Saint Louis upholds the philosophy that education is for building of self and
persons for the Church and the Society. Wisdom builds. To these ends, the following are
University of Saint Louis’s core values integral in the formation of every member of the Louisian
community.

1. Christian Living.  We are witnesses to the Gospel values as taught and lived by Christ
thus making God’s love known and experienced by all.
2. Excellence.We seek and maintain uncompromising standard of quality in teaching,
learning, service, and stewardship of school resources.
3. Professional Responsibility. We are committed to efficiently and responsibly apply
the learned principles, values and skills in the chosen field of discipline, taking initiative and
command responsibility in one’s professional advancement.
4. Social Awareness and Involvement. We engage ourselves with society by listening
to the prevailing issues and concerns in the society, thereby initiating and participating in
constructive and relevant social activities for the promotion of justice, peace and integrity of
creation and for people’s wellness and development consistent with the CICM charism.
5. Innovation, Creativity and Agility.We keep ourselves relevant and responsive to
the changing needs of our stakeholders by being flexible, solution oriented, and having cutting-
edge decisions and practices.

PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATION
Mission as mother of Theology  
Theology started as an accompanying manifestation of the Christian mission and
not as a luxury of the world dominating church. That the history and the theology of the
early church are first of all mission history and mission theology. Thus, the beginnings of
a missionary theology are therefore the beginnings of Christian theology as such.

MISSIOLOGY
         Missiology in general is born from the experience of people who reflect on their
missionary experience and involvement. If mission is essential to the church or if church is
mission, then Missiology is in the same way essential to theology. Without a sound Missiology,
there can be no good theology.
            Missiology is the systematic study of mission, evangelization, and missionary activity of
church. Missiology is not systematic or dogmatic theology. It does not study the content of the
message. It is rather practical theology.

Other suggested names of this discipline

 

1. Gustav Warneck (1834-1910), a pioneer in the science of missions, suggested the term

THEORY OF MISSIONS [Missionslehre].

2. PROSTHETICS: this term is borrowed from Ac 2:31. Peter has addressed the people on
Pentecost, and as a result: They accepted what he said and were baptised. That very  day
about three thousand were added to their number.
 Note:The term is derived from the Greek verb prostithestai meaning “to add to.” Prosthetics is
then the study of the process of adding members to the community. Critique too much stress on
numbers and visible growth. 

3. AUXANICS: this term is derived from a Greek verb meaning ‘to augment, to multiply’.
Auxanics is then the study of the process of augmenting the community. Same critique as under
[2].
4. HALIEUTICS: this term is derived from the Greek verb halieuein meaning ‘to fish, to be
fisherman’. This is a reference to Mk 1:17, And Jesus said to them, ‘Come after me and I will
make you into fishers of people.’ And in Mt 4:19 we read, And he said to them, ‘Come after me
and I will make you fishers of people.’
 Note: Halieutics is then the study of the process of fishing for people. Same critique as under
[2].  

5. Others suggested the name THEOLOGY OF THE APOSTOLATE. This term emphasizes
the content of the apostolic witnessing, teaching and proclamation. However it does not
emphasize the specific activity of the sending of God.
 
 

The place of missiology in the framework

of theological disciplines
Mission is a “central” activity of the church. It is proclaiming the good news, it is
witnessing. This has been done in the past. This is being done now. This will be done in the
future. As said before the church is mission and therefore missionary activities belong to the
nature of the church and are object of theological reflection.
 
Hence… missiology belongs to practical theology. It is not just one discipline
I.e. history. It is a descriptive, critical, normative and animating science.

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