Martti Muukkonen

LAY ECUMENISM - MISSION OF THE WORLD'S ALLIANCE OF YMCAS, 1855-1955

This study aims to interpret how the mission view of the World’s Alliance of YMCAs changed from aggressive evangelism to social responsibility for human beings. The study looks at this change through changes in the interpretation of the YMCA Paris Basis from 1855 to 1955.In the interpretation it is studied how the different elements in the context (economic, political, cultural and religious opportunity structures), shell (structure, leadership, membership and social objects) and core (identity, mission and ideology) influenced the change in the mission view of the World’s Alliance of YMCAs 1855-1955.

The key factor identified in this change was in the change of the frame on the Kingdom of God, which changed from transcendent City of God to immanent God’s Creation. This, in turn, changed the policy from evangelism to international social projects like work for prisoners of war and refugees.