Operation World: The Church in Africa

The colonial and apartheid past is fading and a new level of confidence, dynamism, vision and maturity is evident in many parts of Africa. In many countries the Church is the only effective social organization that can bring reconciliation between ethnic groups, cope with the many economic, health and education challenges in collapsing societies. Pray that the Church of the 21st Century might rise to the challenge. Challenges to face in the new millennium:

1 More effective discipling of new believers. Millions have been evangelized and responded, but non-Christian customs and worldviews have invaded the Church. Syncretism is a major problem in many areas. Thorough-going repentance and renunciation of sin and the works of darkness are often lacking and many Christians are not free from the fear of witchcraft and evil spirits. The new generation, or third wave of African Christianity, takes a clear stand against these but many churches are seriously compromised.

2 Unity in great diversity. There are around 15,000 denominations, clusters of churches and networks in Africa. Pray:

a) That the carnality of inter-personal relationship breakdowns, desire for power and ethnic favouritism that lie behind many denominational splits may be crucified with Jesus on the cross.

b)
For pan-African bodies such as the AEA (Association of Evangelicals of Africa). The role of the AEA is strategic in linking national evangelical denominations in fellowship, stimulating vision and in promoting leadership training, culturally relevant biblical theology and social action. Over 188 denominations and agencies are members and these represent a 50 million Christian constituency.

3 Leadership training is the critical bottleneck. There is a lack of funds for training and supporting full-time workers. Leadership is limited at every level: for village congregations, for the urban educated and for theological training. Pray for:

a) Theological institutions. These have multiplied for students with primary, secondary and post-secondary level. There are only two significant interdenominational graduate-level theological schools. ACTEA, Africa's accreditation body, lists in its directory over 100 seminary-level members and many more schools, over half being in 4 countries — Nigeria (130), South Africa (111), Congo-DRC (85) and Kenya (66).

b) A relevant curriculum that is biblical, yet Africa-oriented. Too much is geared to Western theological battles and perceptions.

c) Harmony between staff. Tensions among missionaries and between missionary and national staff have sometimes not been a spiritual example to the students they teach.

d) Selection of students. Discernment is needed to know who are anointed of the Spirit for future leadership and who apply out of baser motives of prestige, desire for education, etc.

e) Funds. The poverty of the Church and lack of understanding among potential donors hampers the development of Bible training institutions. The needs for buildings, libraries, student grants and travel are endless. Western churches need to give as freely for providing spiritual food to the starving Christians as they have done to provide for Africa's famines.

f) TEE programmes, which are vital for training lay leadership. Over 100 programmes are in operation, but some are less successful. Funding, difficulties in travel, low motivation and the failure to involve the real leaders have all been hindrances.

g) African theologians. There is a theological vacuum to be filled. A truly indigenous evangelical African theology has been slow to develop. A clear stand by African theologians to expound the universal and unchangeable truths of Scripture in the African context is needed which will also counteract error, African misconceptions of the gospel and the very real powers of darkness.

4 More effective cross-cultural missions. The missionary force is increasingly African and multi-continental and less Western. Much sensitivity and humility is required for effective ministry that reaches the unevangelized and defers to the maturity and vision of the growing African Church. The need for missionaries continues to be greater than the supply of those with the gifting and vision for:

a) Pioneer areas. These still abound; see below. A high degree of commitment and sacrifice will be required to reach present pioneer areas where conditions are sometimes very hard. In some cases missionaries will need to learn two to four languages before they can reach the least-reached.

b) Church support personnel for teaching, youth work, etc., which are needed as never before. Yet the willingness to work under African leadership and as part of the Church in Africa is essential.

c) Specialists for Bible translation, education, agriculture, health, radio, television, cassette ministries, Internet evangelism, etc., yet who will also make a spiritual impact through their lives.

d) Social projects and aid ministries which are in ever-growing demand. In many countries governments have been unable to provide basic services to their people and Christian churches and agencies have had to take these up. Physical needs must be met, but such is the pressure that this can lead to neglect of spiritual needs that may be the ultimate cause of suffering and deprivation.

5 The development of missions vision in the Church. Praise God for the rapid growth and spread of African missions — in 2000 there were estimated to be nearly 13,000 African missionaries with most serving in a cross-cultural setting. Much of past and present church planting has been through humble, dedicated African missionaries. Pray for:

a) Churches to see missions as fundamental to the gospel itself, and the task of every believer — not just a white Christian!

b) Funds to be made available to train and send out missionaries. Exchange controls and poverty prevent many churches from realizing their mission vision to the full.

c) Effective cross-cultural training for missions — few Bible schools do this, but they should. Innovative training mechanisms have been set up and are growing in different parts of Africa — in West Africa through such as the Nigerian Calvary Ministries and CMF, in East Africa through the Africa Inland Church, in South Africa through various agencies.

6 Christian research has flourished through the enthusiastic efforts of a new generation of talented African researchers. The AD2000 and Beyond Movement was used of God to encourage a national research initiative in many African countries — especially prominent in this are Nigeria, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. Especially needing such initiative are Kenya, Tanzania and Congo-DRC.



7 The expatriate mission force. Honour must be given to the huge impact of dedicated missionaries who achieved so much despite the frequent neglect or even opposition of colonial rulers in the past. These missionaries educated, healed, uplifted and modernized much of Africa in what became a massive social transformation. Generations of African leaders were educated in Christian schools. Inevitably there were weaknesses — importation of Western individualism, dualism (division between spiritual and physical), structures and theological presuppositions, but the Church became rooted in Africa as a result. Praise God for both the lives of these heroes of the faith and for the emergence of the Church. The 21st Century brings new challenges:

a) Partnership. The mission force is increasingly African and multicultural. The growth and expansion of the Church means that relationships, partnering, unity in vision and sharing of resources are fundamental for progress. Pray for unity and fellowship that transcends all social and cultural barriers within mission agencies, among agencies themselves, and between the indigenous churches and agencies.

b) Health and restorative ministries. The increase of wars, disasters and economic failures has provided an enormous need for a new type of medical missions and for restorative ministries — AIDS ravaged societies, war-traumatized populations, children in crisis (abuse, child-soldiers, child prostitution, etc.).

Pasted from <http://www.operationworld.org/region/af/owtext.html#Pray4>