Paper short abstract:

Around 1980 a new way of mission communication with church members started. From focus on the work done by the mission to focus on art expressions by Christians from partner churches in Asia, Africa and Latin-America. The case is illustrated by the mission history of Bali, Indonesia.

Paper long abstract:

In promoting its mission work at home mission societies and mission departments of churches has a long record of using photographs to illustrate their work. To get the attention of church members the missionaries and their work, if needed including pictures of the 'mission field' and new convicts were the focus of mission photography.

Mission calendars appeared on the scene from 1949 on and gradually grew into a strong instrument to promote mission work in The Netherlands. Until the end of the seventies the concept was that photographs from missionaries and their work were shown on these mission calendars.

In the early eighties this started to change and the focus shifted to photographs of biblical art from artists from partner churches. In doing so at home new cooperation over denominational barriers could be realized and increasing numbers of colourful expressions of Christian art found their way into the houses of those supporting mission work.

This new way of communicating at home in line with the new mission concept of 'mission in six continents' is illustrated by the first calendar designed in this way, the background of this Bali mission, the ethnographic identity of the Balinese culture and the artists involved. A complete new expression as a church in Bali had been started only two decades earlier in the young church history on this Island.