AFRICAN ARTICLES III
Africa Needs More Church Partnerships
MORE BY DENNIS KILAMA
Church partnership is fellowship. It is a mutual agreement to . It involves working in harmony and union with other churches and parachurch organisations to attain a common goal. The great commission is an urgent and immense task. This task is too big to be completed by any single congregation. To accomplish the great commission, the path to follow is the path of partnership. Therefore we must work in community, not isolation.
We can accomplish far more for the kingdom of God by working together.
It is high time the African church realised that partnership is a major path to follow if we are to fulfil Jesus’ mandate. For we can accomplish far more for the kingdom of God through establishing church partnerships and working together. That is purpose of this article, to urge African Christians to work alongside each other in service of God.
Competition Undermines the Gospel
I have been a church leader in Uganda for 15 years. And one of the saddest things I’ve observed is the difficulty Christians find in working together. Many find it easier to tear each other apart than to build each other up. Thus Christians in Africa have a lot of difficulty working together for a shared good. The spirit of is within the tribe. But it doesn’t appear much in the church. So it’s common to see Christian entities, that should be working together, working against and even opposing each other.
The spirit of Ubuntu is within the tribe. But not so much the church.
The light of the gospel has been dimmed by competition among churches on a continent that is filled with darkness. Church partnership is the path that will light the gospel and expel the darkness on our continent. Competition has limited the impact of the church in being salt and light to society. This competition and rivalry is a clear sign that we have not fully grasped the magnitude of the great commission—perhaps even the gospel.
Jesus’ great commission thrives in the lush soils of solid gospel partnership between churches.
Christian Unity is Obedience to the Gospel
Biblical church partnership affirms unity in diversity. Throughout the Bible we see the theme of unity in diversity, God repeatedly calls us to be relationally united yet diverse in our functions (). This unity is a call to live in union with other believers without necessarily being uniform. It involves being united, while each member serves a different function.
God calls us to be relationally united yet diverse in our functions.
In , the church is described as one body made up of different parts. In the Bible it is clear that the church is one body with one head, Christ Jesus. So we’re playing on the same team, God’s kingdom. In and , Jesus calls on his disciples to be united and work together as a unified team. This is because in working together the church reflects the very triune nature of God and how he designed it to function in unity yet diversity.
Three Benefits of Church Partnerships
1. Partnerships Maximise Ministry Outputs
Through communication the church gets to know what others are doing. A point in case is discipleship. In Africa, it is well known that we have a discipleship crisis and almost everyone is trying to do something about this problem. A lot of financial resources have been invested in developing materials on discipling, training leaders, developing teams. However, there is unfortunately a lot of duplication, because of a lack of knowledge about who is doing what.
Partnerships improve communication, creating an environment to learn from one other.
Many church ministries have limited resources yet they are reinventing the wheel, rather than partnering with other churches and maximising their limited resources for greater impact. Church partnerships improve communication, creating an environment to learn from one other.
2. Church Partnerships Promote Effective Collaboration
In collaboration we work as part of a team. For example, in the case of evangelism and church planting, collaboration is critical.
Partnership will lead to collaboration in evangelism and church planting.
It is common in Africa to see the same people being evangelised repeatedly, while others aren’t reached at all. Many have heard the gospel more than twice. Yet some have not ever heard of Christ’s wonderful work. This is especially true in urban areas, where churches are being planted next door to each other, leaving other areas without a single church. Church partnership will lead to collaboration in our efforts to evangelise and .
3. Partnerships Boost Better Coordination
Coordination is necessary in complex matters. Consider, for example, the challenge of poverty in Africa. The African church has been keen on a holistic mission, seeking to care for the whole person. But our efforts are often fruitless because of a lack of coordination. In its efforts to improve care for the needy, there has been duplication of support to the same people by different parachurch organisations. Churches partnering together and coordinating their work to address matters such as poverty will result in a greater impact.
Three Requirements
Church partnerships can surely be complicated. But I trust by now I’ve convinced you of their value. Under the final three subheadings I will briefly outline the basic building blocks for any potential partnership between churches.
1. Common Vision
Vision answers the ‘why’ question of a church partnership. It means sharing a clear and desired future or outcome. A common vision is the purpose for any partnership. Without a vision, a partnership will perish. What are we agreeing to work together towards?
Without a vision, a partnership will perish.
This highlights the motivation driving the partnership. It is a shared burden between the partners. Vision determines the mission, objectives, strategies, and actions to be implemented. This needs to be written down clearly, with specific agreed action points. If this is not clear the partnership will not go far.
2. Consistent Values
Values answer the ‘how’ question. This defines the method of operation for the partnership. These values determine what is right and what is wrong. This is important, because it is on this basis that trust is built.
Values determine what is right and wrong.
Trust is the currency of partnership. It makes the partnership authentic and transparent. Trust in a partnership cannot be bought but is only earned. It takes time and intentionality to build. So values built on mutual trust help each one to understand the shared expectations. If the standard operating procedures are inconsistent the partnership will not thrive.
3. Communion in Prayer and Beliefs
Beliefs determines ‘who’ is in the partnership. For the church, the chief end of a partnership is to glorify God. If the glorification of God is not at the centre of a partnership, then the partnership is not worth it. Thus there should be shared theological beliefs in any partnership.
The chief end of any church partnership is to glorify God.
It is also important that intentional prayer time is part of the partnership, if it desires to fulfil the great commission. These common beliefs ensure that God is not left out, but is at the centre of the partnership.
We Need Each Other
Partnership is at the heart of the Trinity; it was at the heart of the gospel; and it was the heart of the early church. Therefore it should be reflected in the heart of the church today. The building of solid gospel-centred church partnerships is critical to the health of the African Church. The great commission is too big to be accomplished by a single church.
Why African Christians Should Engage In Missions
MORE EPISODES
The need for African Christians to engage in missions is high. With the face of Christianity changing, will Africa rise up and take its place in history?
Why African Christians Should Engage In Missions.
There’s not going to be a time that is convenient for us to engage in mission. There’s not going to be a time when the sea will rest
What if the only Christians left in Uganda was you and your neighbour, the people right in this room. What would you do? How would you strategise in such a way that you would thrive?
Topics & Timestamps
– Doing church with no church buildings
– The East African Revival
– Why every Christian should engage in missions
– The needs of the nations
– Why Africa should engage in missions
– The changing face of Christianity
– Why Uganda should engage in missions
– The powerful Ugandan church history
– Common excuses to not get involved
Top Quotes: African Christians Must Engage In Missions
“Four out of ten people on earth live in an unreached people group. And who is going there? It is you and me.”
“The face of the body of Christ has changed. There’s a shift. What does this mean for us?”
“There’s not going to be a time that is convenient for us to engage in mission. There’s not going to be a time when the sea will rest”
Other Content On This Topic
Text:
Date preached: 29 May 2021
Location: , Lugogo Baptist Church, Kampala, Uganda
TRANSCRIPT
6 Threats to Evangelism in the African Church
MORE BY PUKUTA MWANZA
The early church’s preaching turned the world upside down (). The first generation of Christian’s obeyed Jesus Christ’s great commission (), and by the power of the Holy Spirit and because of God’s grace they saw staggering change, from individuals to societies. Sometimes we romanticise this period and forget that we have the same gospel and Spirit. Therefore Christians in Africa must be committed to evangelism, as well as being aware of the many challenges to evangelism in Africa.
1. Abandoning The Gospel
It is increasingly uncommon to preach the centrality and supremacy of the gospel today. The gospel is seen as the power of God for salvation (). God’s gospel cuts to the heart and evokes faith in Jesus Christ (). The purpose of the gospel is not to excite or entertain but to provoke a reaction that leads to the confession of sin and turning to Christ.
Ministers fear that if they emphasise sin, people will leave. So in order to keep the people, the offensive truth of humanity before God is omitted (). But people don’t get saved by nice messages. They must be confronted with their sin and comforted by the Saviour. If people in our churches are not being changed by the message preached, then we should ask probing questions about what exactly we are preaching. The points below are in many ways symptoms of this vital point.
2. Departure From Evangelicalism
The African church is weak because there has been a departure from . We have lost our biblical and spiritual mooring. In order to be effective in evangelism, we need to uphold the fundamentals of evangelicalism:
- The authority the Bible
- The necessity of the gospel and its power to save
- Personal salvation through evangelism or proclamation
- The centrality of the cross of Christ for forgiveness of sin
If these things are not the backbone of our ministry it signals much more than denominational preference or the mere swapping out of an outdated title. Evangelicalism is an identity, rooted in God’s revelation and the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.
3. The Prosperity Gospel
Many ‘men and women of God’ are absorbed with materialism: stylish fashion, extravagant lifestyles, lavish spending, fancy cars and mansion-sized homes. These worldly treasures are often treated as the measure of a minister’s spirituality or success; the Lord’s favour.
Because their ambitions are worldly wealth over winning souls their preaching rarely mentions sin or demand repentance. The true gospel has been replaced by sermons tailored to being liked, esteemed and considered greatly blessed by God.
4. Numericalism
Many churches have substituted Christ’s emphasis on discipleship with an undue attention to attendance numbers. Preachers are more interested in numbers in seats rather than conversions, followed by discipleship. Similarly to the above point, a commitment to numbers can reshape the message. Where numbers are emphasised, the preaching will often seek to make people comfortable rather than asking what they must do to be saved.
Preachers have become like politicians who see people as votes; businessmen who view people as inventory stocks for their balance sheets. Preachers cherish numbers more than the fact these numbers have a personal relationship with God. This is because it has become fashionable to talk about numbers and to associate them with a ‘preacher’s anointing’.
5. Credentialism
Following from the previous point, many clergy have become “title driven preachers.” It has become both fashionable and desirable to string titles together before your name: Apostle, Prophet, Psalmist, Bishop and even Doctor. It has become old fashioned to just be ‘pastor.’ It is no longer appealing to be called an evangelist or pastor – under-shepherds of God’s flock. We want impressive titles rather than the desire to impress on our hearers God’s glory.
Doctrine is no longer popular, having been supplanted by ‘prophetic ministry.’ A friend told me how one bishop challenged him over his emphasis on doctrine in his teaching, “Are you going to eat doctrine?”. Nature abhors a vacuum. In the absence of faithful and true biblical teaching, preachers have been disseminating error instead.
6. Commercialism
The modern pulpit has become a place to sell anointing oils, holy water, holy soils, prayer shawls, anointed soaps, seed sowing for breakthrough prayers, etc. False preachers are one of the greatest obstacles to effective evangelism. They emphasise that individuals with needs should give away a seed for their prayers to be answered. “There is a seed for every need.” They even preach that people should give a seed for the salvation of loved ones. This is not a far step from the Roman Catholic indulgences, viscerally opposed by the Reformers. The office of minister should never be treated as an opportunity to make money.
In some cases, because pastors want to retain wealthier new visitors to church, they tend to fast track them into membership and baptism, even leadership. This is little more than securing future financial benefits through the kind of partiality God abhors (). The results of this have been disastrous in churches where lay leaders are appointed according to size of their wallets rather than their Christian maturity.
The Only Way The Gospel Can Thrive
Paul was no stranger to churches that wandered from the truth. We need only read Galatians, 1 Corinthians or the Pastoral Epistles to see that many challenges in the 1st century arose from within the church. Thus it is no wonder that nearly all of his epistles are introduced by prayer (; ), or that he asked, “Who is sufficient for these things?” (). A few verses on he wrote, “Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” ().
If the gospel is going to thrive on our continent then we must be men and women committed to the only gospel that saves, confident in the sovereign God who hears our prayers.
This article is adapted from a talk given at the , hosted by the RZIM Africa Trust earlier this year.
4 Challenges to Evangelism on the African Continent
MORE BY PUKUTA MWANZA
The great goal to which the Bible points is that day when God’s people from every nation, tribe and tongue will be gathered around the throne of God and of the Lamb. The end to which all things are heading is the restoration of relationship. That gathering begins in this life when people who carry the message of the Gospel go and make disciples of all nations. Should we not then take the time to recover both the priority of relationships and the priority of evangelism in our own lives and in the communities to which we belong?
Of course no one is saying that this will be easy. In an age that offers more connectivity than any other time in history people are finding themselves disconnected from real relationships. In a time when tolerance is paramount, the challenges of sharing the gospel are ever on the rise. No doubt this is merely scratching the surface, but here are four challenges to evangelism that the African continent is currently facing.
1. Challenge: Political instability
Politics is not just political. It is spiritual too. We cannot dichotomize the sacred and secular. This approach cannot influence society. The only way to change the way politics is done is through a Spirit-filled life. This is the same as in business. If one separates business from one’s spiritual life it means the latter can have no influence or bearing on how business is conducted. When a country boasts a high percentage of Christians why are their politics still marred with malpractice, regionalism, nepotism, tribalism, and corruption?
the church should revisit the theology and history of the church-state relationship, identifying the most effective alignment that will make the church a true change agent for holistic societal transformation
The church must see itself as God does: an intervening factor for reconciliation and effective conflict resolution, shaped by the gospel message (; ). More critically, the church should revisit the theology and history of the church-state relationship, identifying the most effective alignment that will make the church a true change agent for holistic societal transformation.
Political turmoil also shows that the political agendas of our nations are not entirely controlled by our political leaders. There is so much western influence on our politics, shamelessly insisting on alien practices such as advanced human rights. Our governments are pressured to compromise on issues that previously would not have been considered: progressive liberal sexuality, abortion on demand, reproductive health information offered at a troublingly young age, etc. The West does not necessarily know best. Where possible we must explore avenues for a greater Christian influence on politics.
2. Challenge: Social and economic factors
Poverty in Africa, particularly southern Africa is high. Our evangelistic thrust should incorporate these realities, making our ministry more holistic. This is accomplished by combining the preaching of the gospel with ministering to the personal needs of those affected — a combination of proclaiming God’s love and demonstrating it ourselves. This also calls for the effective preaching that can inspire and motivate people into vocation and entrepreneurship. We need to understand the fundamental causes of poverty in the region and identify means to address them. The church can help people to become productive and lead self-sustaining livelihoods.
3. Challenge: Information and technology
We need to reclaim the role of our Christian parentage and improve the effectiveness of our pulpits in order to reshape and influence our youth through biblical truth and God’s life-changing gospel
Our generation has access to more information than any before us, possibly even all of them combined. This is largely because of the internet, social media and television. Young people are engaging more with social media than they are engaging with their parents or leaders, face-to-face. This means that the critical source of information for our young people is no longer parental or pulpit guidance, but the countless scores of opinions online mediated through their gadgets. We are losing our children to a world without morals and without hope. We need to reclaim the role of our Christian parentage and improve the effectiveness of our pulpits in order to reshape and influence our youth through biblical truth and God’s life-changing gospel.
4. Challenge: The growth of Islam
Throughout the continent, where they are not already the majority, Muslims are penetrating politics, business, sports, education and philanthropic work. They are making themselves more and more visible to the media and through public engagement. Muslims are seeking to be included in the affairs of their respective nations. The Muslims are targeting women and children and they are appealing to the poor of our society. We should look ahead and protect the space we occupy, but more importantly we must make inroads for effective witness to Muslims. The Christian message of love should drive our ministry into the Muslim world, as much as it need shape our reception of Muslims to our regions. Facing this challenge, along with those mentioned above, cannot be done in our own strength. Therefore we must turn to our sovereign God in prayer.
The Christian message of love should drive our ministry into the Muslim world, as much as it need shape our reception of Muslims to our regions. Facing this challenge, along with those mentioned above, cannot be done in our own strength. Therefore we must turn to our sovereign God in prayer
Conclusion
Without prayer there can be no effective Christian witness or ministry at all. If we truly believed that the earth and all that is in it belongs to our God a few things would happen (; ). Firstly, we would bring our concerns and challenges before him in prayer. Secondly, we would be less anxious about shifting cultural and religious sands on our continent. Lastly, our ministries would seek to the fame of his name, wherever we are.
This article is adapted from a talk given at the , hosted by the RZIM Africa Trust earlier this year.
Comments
Post a Comment