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Jacob Kavunkal is a retired Associate Professor in Missiology of the Yarra Theological Union/University of Divinity, Melbourne. He is a Catholic priest belonging to the Religious Congregation, The Society of the Divine Word (SVD).

Born on October 12 1943, Kavunkal is an Indian Theologian who taught at the Pontifical Athenaeum, Pune, for over 20 years and then at the Yarra Theological Union/University of Divinity, Melbourne and retired by the end of 2018. At Pune he was the Head of the Department of Theology and Indian Religions as well as the Coordinator of Post-Graduate Studies. At Yarra he was the Head of the Department of Mission and Ministry. Kavunkal has been a visiting lecturer at several countries like Myanmar, the United States, the Philippines Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea.

Kavunkal has published 4 books and over 200 research articles in different languages in addition to editing several books. His main theological interest is spelling out Christian mission as the continuation of the Divine self-reaching out that he terms as Extensio Dei. In this context, his book, Extensio Dei: Mission as Divine Self-Reaching (Delhi: ISPCK, 2020), is significant.

Kavunkal was the first one to advocate Church’s mission to be centred on the Ministry of Jesus Christ. His book Anthropophany: Mission as Making a new Humanity (Delhi: ISPCK, 2008) is a narrative of this vision, in addition to his earlier work, Abba Experience of Jesus – Model and Motive for Mission (Indore: Sat Prakashan, 1994)

Born and brought up in a Syro-Malabar Catholic family in Kerala, India, Kavunkal grew up in close proximity with the followers of other religions that widened his horizons to advocate the Christian dialogue with the followers of other religions and together with them to reach out to people on the margins of human society so that all can experience the divine reign, the centre of the ministry of Jesus Christ.

Kavunkal has organized several International Theological Seminars both in India as well as in Australia and has presented papers at International Seminars. He initiated the process of publishing an Encyclopaedia of Indian Christianity that was completed by the Pune Athenaeum. Similarly, he has contributed articles to International Encylopaediae.

Kavunkal was instrumental in founding the Fellowship of Indian Missiologists (FOIM), an ecumenical association of missiologists, that has published over a dozen books on various dimensions of Christian mission.

Currently he is on the staff of Ishwanikendra, an Institute of Mission and Communication at Pune, India.