In the past six years I have traveled across America
talking with people about ministry on the continent of Africa. On several occasions I have been asked whether
I think it is possible to see genuine long term change in Africa. Many people I talk with are encouraged that
significant ministry advancement is taking place in so many places there. However, there are some who have little faith
that real transformation over time will come.
The logic goes something like this, “After
all we have poured millions and millions of dollars and volunteer hours into
Africa in the past decades and things there seem to be no better than they were
before. What more can we do that hasn’t
already been done? I’m glad that you
have a heart for Africa, Kevin, but I hope you won’t be discouraged if nothing
really changes long term there.”
As I have pondered this over the past couple of years I
have become more and more convinced that more money or more volunteer hours will
not be the key to bring genuine long term change to Africa. The natural response of most Americans to
needs around the world is to raise more money and to start more new projects
believing that we can make a major difference if we just work hard enough and
commit enough resources to it. Rather it
will take a major move of God across the continent to see transformational change
really take place.
What we need more than money or effort is to learn how to
discern and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit expecting God to do great
things through His church. Money and
people power is important, but genuine change won’t come unless we are
responsive to God’s leading and depending on Him to do great things. I believe with all my heart that the church
will be the key to seeing long term change in Africa. The Apostle Paul said it well in the benediction
of his prayer in Ephesians 3, “Now to him
who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to
his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Recognizing that we serve a God who is able to do more
than we can even dream about we have set as one of our 10 Year Goals for the
ministry in Africa to “grow a culture of
Biblical spirituality where our staff and national partners both know and
follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and also expect that God will do the
extraordinary in and through us.”
Will you pray with us that God will bring glory to
Himself as we see this take root all across the continent?
1 comment:
Great perspective, Kevin. To your objectors I would suggest the experience of a place we both know and love, Tandala, DRC. A lot of time and money and resources got poured into that place to build a mission and hospital and all the rest...from the 30s to the 90s. Then the missionaries had to leave because of the Zairean civil war. When the American church heard from their DRC brethren some years later, the church had truly indigenized and grown. In an ironic way perhaps, God used the forcible separation of the missionaries and the locals to really light that church on fire. I join you in testifying to the strength of that church, which is now sending its own missionaries using its own money, to Haiti.
But a lot of time and resources and money were poured into that region before the church (in its third or fourth generation) grew to this point. Could it have been done more "efficiently?" I do not claim to know. But I would hate to see such good work as this dismissed due to a hopelessness that may just be too short-sighted.
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