Rethinking the use of disruptive pop-up encounters for transformation: A missional reading of Acts 8:26–40

Abstract

Socio-economic, political and religious pop-ups are a normal feature in the global context. While some are disruptive and annoying, others can be very useful. This article, through a missional reading of Acts 8:26–40, seeks to draw missiological lessons from disruptive pop-up encounter(s) in this text. A missional reading of Acts 8:26–40 discovered that the Holy Spirit is not only the author of Christian mission, but also the pop-up Spirit of God, who prompted pop-up encounters between two strangers whose pop-up experience became an encounter that transformed their search for meaning, understanding, transformative ecclesiologies and the praxes thereof. Therefore, disruptive pop-up encounters, creatively embraced and used, are able to generate encountering conversations that are liberating and transforming.