Categoriearchief: kerk

A Just Mission – not a real review

I read A Just Mission, Laying down power and embracing mutuality (2022) by Mekdes Haddis. This is not a proper review but more like a ‘reading impression’.
The Foreword raises high expectations: Mekdes Haddis uses a ‘bridge-building approach’ and this book can reshape the mission movement and ‘Western Christianity for the better’ (p. x).

Costly discipleship
There is a lot I agree with and Mekdes’ analysis is often spot on. Yes, the Western mission movement is still heavily ‘transactional’ and this needs to change. We need to move towards ‘relational mutuality’ (p. 4). She sees a disconnect between the mission (outreach) and discipleship departments in most Western churches (p. 40). A missionary call is ‘… a call of deep and costly discipleship that enables us to live a life God has intented …’ (p. 32).

Unreached
It is also true that a lot of the language that is used by Western missions has colonial connotations. ‘Labeling people groups as “unreached” [-] is a dangerous fruit of the dotrine of discovery…’. ‘Surely we can’t believe that God is so small that he awaits Western theology and white saviorism to reach his people around the world’ (p. 48). Yes, we need the church in the West to embrace diversity (p. 62) and to not ‘self-idolize’ its own theological practice and create ‘mini versions of herself’ (p. 74). Yes, diversity is God’s intention (p. 89)!

USA context
The book is very much written in a North-American context. This is just an observation, not a critique. Mekdes focusses a lot on short term mission in that context and we don’t have this (in that form and to that extend) in the Dutch (or European) context. Some of the examples she gives from the USA context are surprising (to say the least) to me as well.
Her point that we shouldn’t be helping churches elsewhere in the world if (as a church) we don’t know how to connect to people in our own local neighbourhood, makes a lot of sense. This is very much something to reflect on for us as Dutch churches.

Sending Nehemiahs
It is time for the Western church to step back, says Mekdes: ’The role of the Western church in this season of change for global missions is largely to be the ear that listens’ (p. 158). The church in the West should (from now on) be using members of the diaspora community as missionaries: they are Nehemiahs. They can ‘… create a beautiful middle ground to benefit both cultures.’ They have better connections and have a broader perspective (p. 154).

Mixed feelings
I have read this book with mixed feelings. In many ways is Mekdes correct with her analysis and her strong language is necessary. The Western church needs to face (the new) reality.
On the other hand is it not easy to use this book as a guide for a conversation about these important topics. Mekdes’ perspective is sometimes (too) narrow and she makes statements about issues that are (in my view) more complex than presented. For instances when she states that Western aid is helping corrupt leaders and destroying democracy in Africa (p. 142). Yes, aid is definitely a factor but is the reality not much more complex than this?

Mekdes does not talk about Europe (Western seems to mean USA) and she hardly talks about long term mission strategies. I am not saying that Europe is doing way better and that long term missionaries are perfect but I think the picture will look different taking this into account.

So yes, do read this book and reflect on the issues that Mekdes Haddis raises. For me the most important question is: How can we change as a church in the West and make ‘relational mutuality’ our key doctrine?

What is the Mission of the Church?

A brief survey of some literature & documents (compiled and summarised by Jacob Haasnoot)

I. Cardinal Avery Dulles’ Six Models of the Church (2002, expanded)
1. Mystical Communion: community that is related by Spirit – we are connected to each other not just by what we say and do but by God. Warm and welcoming. Mystical Communion, not just friendly fellowship.
2. Sacrament: Church is a visible sign of Christ still in the world today. A sign and instrument of Grace in the world. Connects with our Catholic way of looking at the world but it is hard to explain.
3. Servant: Emphasizes the Church’s commitment to social justice. Includes the action which goes along with the words of the Herald. Doing what Jesus did – we are living our faith.
4. Herald: Church announces the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Constantly calling everyone to renewal and reform. Calls us to look to the Gospels.
5. Institution: Emphasizes the structure and order of the Church. Clear roles and guidelines for living.
6. Community of Disciples: community of people that follow Jesus, trying to be like Jesus in everything they do, say, pray, knowing that following Jesus may include suffering. A strong connection to Jesus but with this model we may lose sight of the universal church

II. Lausanne Covenant (1974)
#6. THE CHURCH AND EVANGELISM
‘We affirm that Christ sends his redeemed people into the world as the Father sent him, and that this calls for a similar deep and costly penetration of the world. [-] In the Church’s mission of sacrificial service, evangelism is primary. World evangelization requires the whole Church to take the whole gospel to the whole world. The Church is at the very centre of God’s cosmic purpose and is his appointed means of spreading the gospel. But a church which preaches the cross must itself be marked by the cross. It becomes a stumbling block to evangelism when it betrays the gospel or lacks a living faith in God, a genuine love for people, or scrupulous honesty in all things including promotion and finance. The church is the community of God’s people rather than an institution, and must not be identified with any particular culture, social or political system, or human ideology’.

III. The Manilla Manifesto (Lausanne Movement, 1989)
#8. The Local Church
• ‘Every Christian congregation is a local expression of the body of Christ and has the same responsibilities. [-] The church is thus both a worshipping and a witnessing community gathered and scattered, called and sent. Worship and witness are inseparable.
• We believe that the local church bears a primary responsibility for the spread of the gospel. [-] Each local church must evangelize the district in which it is situated, and has the resources to do so.
• [-] A church which sends out missionaries must not neglect its own locality, and a church which evangelizes its neighbourhood must not ignore the rest of the world.
• In all this each congregation and denomination should, where possible, work with others, seeking to turn any spirit of competition into one of cooperation. [-]
• The church is intended by God to be a sign of his kingdom, that is, an indication of what human community looks like when it comes under his rule of righteousness and peace. [-] It is through our love for one another that the invisible God reveals himself today, especially when our fellowship is expressed in small groups, and when it transcends the barriers of race, rank, sex, and age which divide other communities.
• We deeply regret that many of our congregations are inward-looking, organized for maintenance rather than mission, or preoccupied with church-based activities at the expense of witness’.

IV. The Cape Town Commitment (Lausanne Movement, 2010)
Part I, #9. We love the people of God
‘The people of God are those from all ages and all nations whom God in Christ has loved, chosen, called, saved and sanctified as a people for his own possession, to share in the glory of Christ as citizens of the new creation. As those, then, whom God has loved from eternity to eternity and throughout all our turbulent and rebellious history, we are commanded to love one another. [-] Such love is the first evidence of obedience to the gospel, the necessary expression of our submission to Christ’s Lordship, and a potent engine of world mission’.
Part II: For the world we serve: The Cape Town Call to Action
A. Bearing witness to the truth of Christ in a pluralistic, globalized world
B. Building the peace of Christ in our divided and broken world
C. Living the love of Christ among people of other faiths
D. Discerning the will of Christ for world evangelization
E. Calling the Church of Christ back to humility, integrity and simplicity
F. Partnering in the body of Christ for unity in mission

V. Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God’s People (2010)
Who are we and what are we here for?
It’s all about people who … (i.e. Biblical theology, not systematic)
• know the story they are part of (being part of the story of God’s mission in this world)
• care for creation
• are a blessing to the nations
• walk in God’s way (obedience)
• are redeemed for redemptive living
• respresent God to the world
• attract others to God
• know the one living God and Saviour
• bear witness to the living God
• proclaim the Gospel of Christ
• send and are sent
• live & work in the public square
• praise and pray
The church needs to ‘repent & return’, to ‘go & make disciples’, to realize the urgency that all peoples should hear the Gospel and to do all these things for the glory of God.

VI. James Kennedy, Stad op een berg (2010)
Churches in a secularised society should focus on the quality of their congregational life and the strength of their own identity. For society as a whole, it is important to have contrasting communities that challenge the status quo and offer a view of a transcendent reality (p. 135).
So what does such a contrasting community look like? It is a community…
• of care & love (inward & outward looking)
• of discipline (imitation, virtues, moral boundaries)
• that carries the rich, Christian tradition
• that can engage in critical dialogue with the world around them.

VI. Van den Brink & Van der Kooi, Christelijke Dogmatiek (2012, pp. 518-526)
The church as an eschatological community
• Addresses pneumatology: the Spirit bridges from us to the Son and the Father. Church is defined by communion with its living Lord. Access to that communion through the Holy Spirit.
– Origin lies in God’s own action. Church is a (first, visible) eschatological community around Christ already gathered as a harvest for God. Believers participate in salvation, as recipients.
– Characteristic of the church is an inward movement (communio) and an outward movement (missio). Inward: we become children of God, members of His body. The christological & pneumatological always go together. There are gifts of grace in the church. Outward: Immediately, the second, outward movement also arises. Disciples are sent out. Again, grace gifts that enable the outward movement in the form of witnessing, celebration and diaconia.

VII. Samuel Waje Kunhiyop, African Christian Theology (2012, pp. 145-170)
• The Church as the community of God: ‘it includes all believers worldwide and each local community (church) and is also connected to the past [-] and the future…’.
• Biblical metaphors for the church: people of God, body of Christ, bride of Christ, temple of God, family of God, flock of God. They show that the church has a communal nature which is absolutely essential to its true being.
• Four key features of the Church: one, holy, catholic & apostolic.
• Functions of the church: worship, evangelism, discipling, prayer.
• In reaching out to the world, the church must be prophetic, speaking out against evil structures, living examplary lives, and gettting involved in both human and social development.

VIII. Michael W. Goheen, Introducing Christian Mission Today (2014)
The mission of God and the missional nature of the church (p. 73)
Mission is not simply a task of the church but it defines the very identity of the church. One of the problems with the old model of mission: mission societies were doing missions and the church supported it. Mission and church were separated.
The mission of the church is rooted in the mission of the tri-une God. The church takes its role in the loving mission of the Father to restore the creation as it is accomplished in the kingdom mission of the Son and realized to the ends of the earth in the power of the Spirit.

Ecclesiology (p. 101): we are not only receivers of salvation but also channels. If we only talk about the institution and the pastoral role of the church, we will become an introverted church. So (1) the communal life of the church is important to empower its members to be missional and (2) they are as much the church throughout the week (as they work in all sectors of society) as when they gather for worship on Sunday.

IX. Stefan Paas, Vreemdelingen en priesters (2015, pp. 217-243)
The image of the church as a priestly community has the following features:
1. It is by definition a minority community. That is its ‘natural state’. Fits in post-Christian context. Church is called out of the world, but is not opposed to it. More emphasis on centre, than outer limits.
2. This model has rich biblical content and is ecumenically sensitive (in touch with the church worldwide)
3. Church as community prioritises deep human relationships. Vision of God’s mission grows (not imposed) from ‘dwelling in the Word’ & ‘dwelling in the World’.
4. Mission is linked to our vocation as priests. We are priests on behalf of the residents of our street. The concept of ‘representation’ has eluded us (because of individualisation). Community thinking needs to regain its place in our theology. Praise & intercession in the church service are always also for the benefit of the world. This model of priestly church is much more responsive to mission in culture where Christians are no longer morally or otherwise superior. It is not so much about quantitative growth as it is about the multi-coloured nature of the community. Evangelisation is about diversity because in it the fullness of Christ becomes visible. Motivation for evangelisation is primarily doxological.
5. The church is on earth to glorify God, in every tone. This becomes especially visible in the liturgy, the eucharistic heart: that is looking back to remember the Lord’s death, looking around to become aware of one another and looking ahead to expect the Lord.

X. Ecclesiology: Imagining a theology of youth ministry for the church (Fuller Theological Seminary, USA)
Anderson & Guernsey suggest a helpful paradigm for a theology of church using the metaphor of ‘the family of God.’ Two foundational notions:
• First: God’s covenant with humanity, beginning with Israel, establishes a precedent of covenant relationship for all of God’s people. God is committed to God’s people, even when they do not live up to their end of the deal. Our relationships as Christians are covenantal; we are called to remain completely committed to God and other Christians.
Yet as we think of the church as a family, the notion of covenant defies the idea that we have simply chosen to become family to one another. Simply put, God has chosen us to be his children.
• Second: the parent-child relationship. Our human, parent-child relationships image the Fatherhood of God. Our calling as a church family is rooted in the family God has established.
So at the crux of it, we’re invited to think of the church as a ‘family of families.’

XI. The Five Marks of Mission (Anglican Communion)
The mission of the Church is the mission of Christ:
1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom
2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers
3. To respond to human need by loving service
4. To transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and pursue peace and reconciliation
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation, and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Een halfvol Evangelie

De meest aparte tekst die ik ooit kreeg om over te preken, was Handelingen 12:20-24. Dit was in een internationale kerk in Kampala, Oeganda. Deze verzen gaan over koning Herodes die door de Engel van de Here wordt gedood. Ik vroeg m’n contactpersoon nog of het geen foutje was, die tekst, maar nee, het klopte; ze waren bezig met een prekenserie over het boek Handelingen. Uiteindelijk werd het een preek met als thema ‘Does God do politics?’ in de context van opkomende presidentsverkiezingen in Oeganda.

Predikant bepaalt
Ik woon nu alweer bijna 2 jaar in Nederland, maar nog steeds zijn er zaken die moeilijk wennen in ons kerkelijke leven (ik heb het nu over de de meer behoudende kant van de PKN). Ik denk dan bijvoorbeeld aan de voorganger die heel veel doet in de kerkdienst, aan het zitten tijdens het zingen en vooral het feit dat de (gast)predikant meestal het onderwerp van de dienst bepaalt. Over dat laatste wil ik het nu hebben. (Ik kan ook allerlei positieve zaken noemen over onze diensten, maar dat doe ik een andere keer weer).

Het resultaat hiervan is dat alleen het kerkelijke jaar enig inhoudelijk verband aanbrengt tussen de diensten, maar verder schiet het alle kanten op. De ene dienst gaat over gaven van de Geest en de volgende over bekering. De week erop luisteren we naar de gelijkenis van ‘de verloren zoon’ en ’s middags staat een Psalm centraal. Veel kerkleden vinden daar niet zoveel van, want ze zijn het gewend, maar ik heb gezien dat het anders kan, en wat mij betreft beter.

Leesrooster of prekenserie
De kerken waar ik in het buitenland bij betrokken ben geweest gebruikten allemaal óf een leesrooster, óf een prekenserie (door een bijbelboek heen of thematisch). Daar is natuurlijk ook van alles over te zeggen, maar het brengt in ieder geval enige structuur. Nog veel belangrijker is dat het je als predikant ‘dwingt’ om ook over gedeelten te preken die je liever uit de weg gaat of die je in eerste instantie weinig zeggen (zie het voorbeeld waarmee ik begon).

Dunne Bijbel
En dat brengt me bij mijn stelling dat ‘wij’ in de meer behoudende kant van de PKN een zelfbeeld hebben dat niet strookt met de werkelijkheid. We praten over ‘van kaft tot kaft’ en ‘het Woord moet centraal staan’, maar de realiteit is dat er via de preekstoel maar weinig Bijbel voorbijkomt. Het zijn vaak dezelfde thema’s en Schriftgedeelten.

Vorige jaar preekte ik ergens in een Hervormde gemeente over de derde Johannesbrief. Na de dienst zei een 90+-jarige emeritus-predikant tegen me: ‘Daar heb ik nu nog nooit een preek over gehoord en ik heb er zelf ook nooit over gepreekt!’ Een predikant kan natuurlijk niet de hele Bijbel bepreken, maar deze uitspraak is toch symptomatisch. Ik kan dat met cijfers onderbouwen.

Onderzoek vrije tekstkeuze
Ds. B. Jongeneel deed in 2005 onderzoek naar de ‘vrije tekstkeuze’ in een middelgrote gemeente van Hervormd-gereformeerde signatuur. Hij inventariseerde de tekstkeuze voor de preek over een periode van 25 jaar in die gemeente. Dit is het resultaat: ‘Over het geheel van de Bijbel komt dat er op neer dat er bij 1526 lezingen, slechts uit 38,8% van de hoofdstukken in de Bijbel werd gelezen! Uit ieder gelezen hoofdstuk is gemiddeld 3,3 keer gelezen, terwijl 728 hoofdstukken geheel niet zijn gelezen’ (p. 9). Hij vermeldt ook dat slechts 27,3% van de lezingen uit het OT komen en 79,6% van de lezingen uit het NT zijn. Het gehele onderzoek is hier in te zien. Volgens mij gelden deze uitkomsten ook voor andere gemeenten met een ‘vrije tekstkeuze’.

Ds. Jongeneel zegt terecht dat het ’tota Scriptura’ nogal tekort schiet (p. 14). Tegelijk relativeert hij de uitkomsten als hij zegt: ‘Veel blijft onder- of onbelicht. Dat hoeft niet erg te zijn, als de kernzaken maar voortdurend duidelijk blijven worden, namelijk Jezus Christus Die Zichzelven voor ons gegeven heeft, opdat Hij ons zou verlossen van alle ongerechtigheid, en Zichzelven een eigen volk zou reinigen, ijverig in goede werken . Titus 2:14′ (p. 16).

Blinde vlekken
Ik vind het wel erg. Er zijn zoveel onderwerpen die nooit of amper voorbij komen in de zondagse dienst: armoede, onrecht, dagelijks werk, omgaan met welvaart, conflicten in de gemeente, seks, relaties, de dood, klimaat & milieu en ga zo maar door. Allemaal thema’s die wel degelijk in de Bijbel aan de orde komen. Als discipelschap niet wordt verbonden met dit soort onderwerpen, dan gaan we als christenen ‘gewoon’ verder in het spoor van onze cultuur, net alsof het christelijke geloof daar geen vat op heeft.

Worsteling
En daarom is die dunne Bijbel zo dramatisch. Ik ken alle (praktische) bezwaren tegen het leesrooster en/of prekenseries, maar het resultaat telt, lijkt me. En dus moet er iets veranderen. Ik preek ook met enige regelmaat in de Anglicaanse kerk en dan word ik geacht me aan het leesrooster te houden (zonder daar weer ‘wettisch’ over te doen). Regelmatig heb ik geworsteld met zo’n Schriftgedeelte uit het leesrooster, maar dat lijkt me geen reden om het leesrooster aan de kant te zetten. Gelukkig heb ik ook meegemaakt dat juist zo’n tekst waar ik zelf ‘niet zo veel mee had’, voor iemand anders tot zegen werd.

Een dunne Bijbel op de kansel leidt tot een halfvol Evangelie. Dat kan toch echt niet de bedoeling zijn!

Links:
* Ds. M.J. Schuurmans pleidooi voor Lectio continua
* Onderzoek naar tekstkeuzes in de CGK

Van elkaar leren in de wereldkerk

[Uit onze laatste nieuwsbrief van mei 2019] We kijken terug op goede jaren in Zuid-Soedan (theologisch onderwijs van 2010 tot en met 2015) en in Kampala (van 2016 tot april 2019, Mirjam als leerkracht op een internationale school en Jaap als regiocoördinator).

De vraag die is ons al die jaren heeft beziggehouden is: Hoe kunnen we als christenen (en als mensen) in Oost-Afrika en Nederland echt met elkaar verbonden zijn en met en van elkaar leren? Wij in Nederland hebben de neiging te denken dat we niet zoveel meer hoeven te leren en we hebben vaak weinig verwachting dat we iets kunnen leren van Afrikaanse christenen. De realiteit is echter anders.

Er gaat veel fout in de kerk in Zuid-Soedan, DR Congo en op andere plekken in oostelijk Afrika. Soms zijn de preken heel moralistisch, soms kijkt men alleen om naar mensen van de eigen groep en soms is christen-zijn vooral een etiket met weinig inhoud. Naar onze bescheiden mening kunnen we hetzelfde zeggen van Nederland: soms zijn de preken heel oppervlakkig en naar binnen gericht, soms heeft de kerk geen enkele uitstraling naar buiten toe en soms is christen-zijn vooral een etiket met weinig inhoud. Daarom hebben we elkaar nodig in de wereldkerk en daarom moeten we elkaar scherp houden en van elkaar leren!

Wat hebben wij geleerd van de kerk en van christenen in oostelijk Afrika? We noemen een aantal punten.

• We leerden van Zuid-Soedanese christenen wat het is om in afhankelijkheid van God te leven. Als je alles achter je moet laten en op de vlucht moet slaan, dan wordt pas echt duidelijk Wie de bron van je hoop is.

• Familie en gemeenschap is belangrijk. Je kunt niet zonder. Onze Afrikaanse broeders en zusters baden regelmatig voor onze kinderen en familie in Nederland. Ze wisten ook dat we hen misten.

• Meer dan ooit zochten we naar een manier om ons geloof te verbinden met het onrecht dat je om je heen ziet en hoort. Dat was vooral in Zuid-Soedan aan de orde. De woorden van de profeten in het Oude Testament pasten goed in die context. Daar wordt ook gesproken over een God die recht zal doen. Je kunt niet zomaar ongestraft je gang gaan. Eens zul je je moeten verantwoorden.

• We ontdekten opnieuw dat blijdschap en levensvreugde niet vast zit aan rijkdom en het hebben van spullen. Soms heb je de indruk dat het omgekeerde ook waar is: als je veel hebt, ben je vooral dáár mee bezig en vergeet je te genieten van het goede dat God geeft.

Mission @ the heart of the Church

I preached on Mission last Sunday from 1 Peter 2:9-12 and presented 2 models on how to go about mission(s) in the local church. I think these 2 models are helpful in thinking about missions and church life.

(1) Missions in one of the many activities

In model 1 ‘missions’ is one activity out of many. Traditionally missions then means: supporting missionaries (either abroad or closer to home). Some churches spend more time and resources on missions than others. It all depends where you put the focus.

(2) Misson is the foundation of everything else

In model 2 Mission becomes the foundation for everything. All the activities of the church are motivated by the mission to win people for Christ. In this model mission is not just an activity but it is the identity of the church and it has an impact on all other areas of church life.

Mission @ the heart
It is clear that model 2 is the preferred model. Sharing the love of Christ with those who don’t know Him yet should be the motivation for everything we do in the church. Why? Because our God is a missional God. He wants to put this world right and therefore He sent His Son to save us and we as a church need to continue His mission until Jesus returns.

Holy Communion in Africa

Some time ago I used the article ‘Rediscovering the Eucharist as Communal Meal’ written by Matthew Kustenbauder in my course on African Christian Worship. The article gives some good insights on how Holy Communion is understood in Africa. Here is a summary.

African Meal
A meal is perhaps the most basic and most ancient symbol of friendship, love, and unity; food and drink taken in common are signs that life is shared. In Africa it is rare for people to eat alone — meals are communal activities. Eating a meal together is the most basic way of sharing common life; it restores what has been lost and gives strength for what lies ahead.

(1) A Meal of Covenant
Perhaps the greatest problem of the church in respect to its mission has been its endless fragmentation. The desired unity among Christians has become an illusion. By sharing in a final meal with his disciples, Jesus united them in a covenant relationship with himself and with one another. Sharing in the sacred meal establishes unity and communion with the one Lord. Africans think of relationship in covenantal terms as well. When two or more persons eat or drink together from the same bowl they have entered into a covenant.
In the Eucharist, we affirm our covenant with Jesus Christ and with others. Practices that exclude Christian members of other denominations from partaking in the Eucharist are a serious hindrance to establishing authentic Christian community.

(2) A Meal of Unity and Peace
African Christianity insists that the Eucharist must be understood communally, not just in terms of Christ and the individual.
In his book, Christianity Rediscovered, Vincent Donovan relates how he “rediscovered” the gospel message among the Masai in Tanzania. Their faithful observance of the Mass moved him deeply. Donovan recalls how he never knew if the Eucharist would be done during his visits to the villages. The elders were the ones to decide. “If life in the village had been less than human or holy, then there was no Mass. If there had been selfishness and forgetfulness and hatefulness and lack of forgiveness in the work that had been done and in the life that had been led, there would be no Eucharist. More often than not, however, there was the will to overcome the community’s weaknesses. By the power of the Holy Spirit they could say together, “This — not just the bread and wine, but the whole life of the village, its work, play, joy, sorrow, the homes, the grazing fields, the flocks, the people — all this is my Body.”

(3) A Meal of Reconciliation
Another aspect of the African celebration of the Eucharist is the way in which sin is understood communally. Western definitions of sin are often focusing on self, salvation, and one’s own relationship to God. African notions of sin are focused on relationships with others in the community.
In the Zion Apostolic Church in Zimbabwe people are not allowed to participate in the Eucharist until they confess their sins to the elders. The belief is that those who do not confess their sins will be enemies of God for an entire year.
In African traditional understandings, the public naming, condemning, and breaking of sin emphasises the relational aspect of human moral behaviour. Broken relationships are made whole again, a concrete symbol of people’s daily struggle against sin within the community.

(4) A Meal of Mystical Power: Experiencing the Real Presence of Christ
The African tradition offers the West an new sense of the real presence of Christ as mystical power. Africans tend to find spiritual forces actively at work in the world for good and ill.
The Eucharist, however, is not to be considered a thing endowed with mystical power on its own. Instead, its significance lies in the action of an assembly filled with the presence of Jesus. What the assembly does with the elements representing Christ’s body and blood conveys the deepest meaning of the Eucharist. This is because, in the African consciousness, a strong sense of mystical power is attached to the human action of sharing a meal together.
The Eucharist is a communal meal in which Christ is celebrated, and in which Christ gives himself in the form of food and drink. The Eucharist is not just a meal, but a communal act of joyfully celebrating the Risen Christ in our midst and giving thanks to God the Father.

(5) A Meal of Participation
The African church may also enrich world Christianity’s notions of who participates in worship.
During the Eucharist, members of the assembly often bring the elements to the table with celebration, dancing, and rejoicing. The Eucharist meal is not something that the priest or minister prepares alone. The Eucharist is centered on the active participation of the entire community. The real presence of Christ – “This is the Body of Christ” – becomes true only through full participation. African Eucharistic celebrations have a way of preserving individual distinctions while maximizing the participation of all in common worship of God.

(6) A Meal of Hope: Proclaiming Christ’s Resurrection until He Comes
The African church celebrates the Eucharist as a communal meal of hope. A bold proclamation of Christ’s resurrection and firm hope in his return may be found in The Anglican Church of Kenya’s A Kenyan Service of Holy Communion (1989).
Excerpts demonstrate creativity and freedom in adapting the Anglican prayer book using traditional African forms of communal address and tribal prayer.

Is the Father with us?                         He is.
Is Christ among us?                            He is.
Is the Spirit here?                                He is.
This is our God. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We are his people. We are redeemed.
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

[Blessing]
All our problems We send to the cross of Christ.
All our difficulties We send to the cross of Christ.
All the devil’s works We send to the cross of Christ.
All our hopes We set on the risen Christ.

Christ the Sun of Righteousness shine upon you and scatter the darkness from before your path and the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always. Amen.

The Masai of East Africa express their Christian hope in even more concrete terms. In their African Creed the Masai speak of a journey of faith and hope in God. They speak of how they once knew the High God in darkness but now “know him in the light […] of his word.”
The creed continues with God’s promise in Jesus, “A man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God,” until finally “he was rejected by his people, tortured and nailed hands and feet to a cross, and died. He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day, he rose from the grave.”
The creed concludes on a note of joy and hope, “We are waiting for Him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe. Amen.”

Holy Communion in South Sudan

(7) A Meal of Transforming Love: Serving the Poor and Oppressed
A final important component of the African communal meal is the way in which God’s love compels Christians everywhere to help the poor and oppressed. No one should go hungry while others feast. From the provision of Christ’s common table, the African church delivers a wide range of social services where crumbling government institutions are incapable of addressing people’s most basic needs.
The fact that world Christianity’s vitality is inversely proportional to material affluence is provocative and convicting. Bishop Joseph Ukpo (Nigeria) reminds Western Christians that Christ’s love in the Eucharist must make a difference. He asks, “You who have received Holy Communion… what have you done and what will you do as a result of your participation? Remember, the Eucharistic Imperative is simply LOVE.”
The communal meal of love means that we cannot tolerate poverty, injustice, suffering, religious bigotry, ethnicism, immorality, and hatred in our midst.

Radicaal discipelschap

In het theologische tijdschrift Soteria van december 2017 schreef Sake Stoppels een boeiend en uitdagend artikel over ‘Radicaal discipelschap’, met als ondertitel ‘Vruchtbaar kerk zijn in de eenentwintigste eeuw’ (pp. 49-61).
Ik denk dat veel in dit artikel niet alleen toepasbaar is in de Nederlandse context, maar ook in de context van de wereldwijde kerk. Ik geef de gedachten die mij raakten in dit artikel hier door. Mijn reflectie hierop volgt een andere keer.

Stoppels voert in dit stuk een pleidooi voor gezonde radicaliteit. Zijn stelling is “…dat enkel kerken die hun leden actief oproepen en ‘verleiden’ tot een grote mate van toewijding aan het evangelie van Jezus Christus toekomst hebben in onze multireligieuze, seculiere samenleving” (49). Dat gaat in tegen de tijdgeest waarin ook kerken iets aantrekkelijks moeten bieden.

De auteur neemt ons dan mee naar de vroege kerk via het boek The Rise of Christianity van Rodney Stark. De vroege kerk gaat op bepaalde punten tegen de heersende cultuur in (bv. geen abortus, geen homo-seks, wel zorg voor zieken en wel gastvrijheid) en wordt door haar exclusiviteit juist aantrekkelijk. Stark zegt dat stigma en sacrifice de dynamo vormden achter de sterk groei van het christendom toen (51).
Bij stigma gaat het volgens Stark om een manier van leven die afwijkt van de omgeving. Stoppels zegt: “Er is in mijn ogen echter alle reden om dat ‘vreemdeling zijn’ verder en dieper te doordenken. [-] …het is [-] een expressie van een fundamenteel andere levensoriëntatie. En daar lijkt het wel eens aan te ontbreken in onze kerken.” (51).
Bij sacrifice gaat het erom dat we in Nederland nog steeds probleemloos christen kunnen zijn. Het kost ons maar weinig. Dat is in andere delen van de wereld wel anders. Stoppels: “Wat blijft er van ons geloof over als we dat niet in alle vrijheid en vrijblijvendheid kunnen beleven?” (53).

De kerk is niet grenzeloos. Er is ruimte nodig in de kerk als het gaat om wel of niet meedoen en om geloofsbeleving, maar die ruimte is niet eindeloos. Stoppels: “Om Paulus te variëren: ‘Waar de Geest des Heren is, is vrijheid, maar geen vrijblijvendheid'” (54). We mogen geen elitekerk worden, maar er zouden wel uitnodigende regels of verwachtingen mogen zijn die ons helpen tot een dieper geloofsleven te komen. Het gaat om een profiel dat primair insluit, maar zo nodig ook uitsluit, zegt de auteur.

Voor geluk is een fles port beter dan het christendom, heeft C.S. Lewis ooit gezegd. Vaak probeert de kerk zich als aantrekkelijk te presenteren, maar het is anders. Stoppels: “Wezenlijk leren in het spoor van Christus heeft heel vervelende kanten…” (56). Een gezonde gemeente heeft altijd iets onaantrekkelijks. Zouden we het tegendraadse en hinderlijke van het evangelie weer moeten herontdekken?

Daarbij is ook van belang dat de kerk principieel een minderheid is, ook als ze zich in een minderheidssituatie bevindt. “Kerken zouden zich in geval van inhoudelijke spanningen met de omringende cultuur een kunnen buigen over de vraag hoe ze zonder verbetenheid, maar juist positief, lichtvoetig en met humor kunnen reageren op datgene waar ze moeite mee hebben in de samenleving” (59).

Pasen vieren in een vluchtelingenkamp?

Afgelopen week was ik 10 dagen lang in Noord-Oeganda om daar de broeders en zusters van de Anglicaanse kerk van Kajo-Keji in Zuid-Soedan te bezoeken. Vanwege het geweld en de onzekere situatie in het gebied van Kajo-Keji zijn veel mensen naar Oeganda gevlucht. De vluchtelingenkampen daar zitten overvol met Zuid-Soedanezen. De kerk heeft haar hoofdkantoor naar Moyo in Noord-Oeganda verplaatst en ook Kajo-Keji Christian College is daar nu gevestigd. Ik vertel wat meer over mijn ervaringen de afgelopen weken en we krijgen ook een antwoord op de vraag in de titel.

Jaap geeft les op KCC

Lesgeven
Ik heb aan een groep van 16 studenten het vak African Christian Theology gegeven. Bij dit vak gaat het erom de boodschap van het Evangelie te verbinden met de eigen context en de cultuur in Afrika (of nog specifieker: de lokale cultuur). We bespraken onder andere de volgende onderwerpen: hoe ga je om met diversiteit (etniciteit) als christelijke kerk?, hoe kijken we naar polygamie en het huwelijk? en: is het welvaartsevangelie wel bijbels? Als blanke docent vanuit het Westen stel ik vooral vragen en geef aan wat volgens mij de bijbelse lijn is. We hadden boeiende gesprekken. Bemoedigend was ook dat we het onderwerp etniciteit konden bespreken in een groep met Nuer, Dinka en Bari studenten. Op het Kajo-Keji Christian College kunnen studenten van verschillende etnische groepen wél in harmonie met elkaar leven en werken!

Kinderen in het vluchtelingenkamp

Wij zijn als het verloren schaap
Op een middag bezocht ik samen met bisschop Emmanuel Murye en enkele anderen een ‘refugee settlement’ ten zuiden van Moyo, niet ver bij de Nijl vandaan. Daar ontmoetten we honderden kinderen. De ouders hadden samen al een basisschool opgezet en er hadden zich al meer dan 2000 kinderen geregistreerd! Maar er was verder helemaal niets. De klassen zitten in de schaduw van een boom en er zijn wat schoolborden en een paar schoolboeken voor de vrijwillige leerkrachten. Temidden van alle ellende was het hoopgevend dat deze mensen de moed niet hebben opgegeven en willen investeren in hun kinderen.
Ik vertelde de kinderen het verhaal van de herder die de 99 schapen achterliet om dat ene verloren schaap te zoeken. Wie is dat verloren schaap, vroeg ik? Dat zijn wij…, zeiden veel kinderen. Dat was een emotioneel moment. Ik zei toen: God rust niet voordat Hij het verloren schaap gevonden heeft en weer thuis brengt!

Preken in een settlement

Troost, troost mijn volk…
Op zondag mocht ik twee keer preken in een ander vluchtelingenkamp. Mensen komen bijeen onder een boom en vormen weer ‘lokale gemeenten’. Ze zitten met andere mensen in de ‘kerk’ dan voorheen en hebben ook een andere voorganger, maar het belangrijkste is dat ze elkaar weer vinden en kunnen bemoedigen.
Ik wilde de zusters en broeders daar hoop geven met woorden uit Jesaja 40:1-11. Troost, troost mijn volk. Deze ‘ballingschap’ zal niet voor altijd zijn. God kent jullie lijden. Hij heeft alle macht en Hij is de Herder die voor zijn schapen zorgt. Nu zien we daar nog weinig van, maar we blijven geloven dat God deze wereld herstelt en recht zal doen. Hij is Zuid-Soedan niet vergeten.

Pasen in het vluchtelingenkamp?
Het is bijna Pasen. Kun je dat wel vieren in een settlement? Het feest van de vernieuwing van alle dingen in een situatie van triestigheid? Hoe doe je dat? Ik stelde deze vraag aan 3 leiders in de Anglicaanse kerk. Dit is wat zij zeiden:
• Bisschop Emmanuel: ‘We schakelen onze jeugd in om op een aantal plekken in de kampen diensten te organiseren. We zingen dan liederen van vrede en hoop en dat geeft mensen weer hoop in hun hart. Daarom vieren we toch Pasen!’.
• Rev. Jonathan Soro: ‘Het zal geen normale viering worden in deze omstandigheden. Maar met Pasen vieren we dat er hoop is na het lijden. Dat is relevant voor ons en dát is onze christelijke hoop’.
• Golda Poni (medewerker Development): ‘Met Pasen vieren we dat in Christus een nieuw begin mogelijk is. Dat geeft ons hoop en dit is het begin van een proces van genezing’.

Een ‘onderkomen’ in het kamp

Bijbelstudie-training Zuid-Soedan

In het laatste kwartaal van 2015 gingen we met een team (in wisselende samenstelling) naar acht plaatsen in de Kajo-Keji Diocese (classis) om daar een seminar te geven voor toekomstige bijbelstudiegroepleiders. Jaap had een Engelstalig boekje gemaakt met 52 bijbelstudies en dit boekje is in de lokale Bari-taal vertaald. De groepleiders werden heel specifiek getraind om met dit boekje aan de slag te gaan.

Het enthousiasme bij de deelnemers was groot en dat maakte het een plezierige en dankbare onderneming. We hebben wel heel veel uren in de auto gezeten op slechte tot zeer slechte wegen, dat was natuurlijk wat minder. Hieronder een foto-verslag.

Eerst Bijbelstudie-seminar in Leikor. Levendige discussie.

Jaap geeft les in Liwolo. Rev. Emmanuel is vertaler.

Aandachtige studie in Kiri

Een groep jongeren in Logu doet ook mee

Bijbelstudie in Bori

Concentratie in Lire

Mirjam houdt baby vast van een moeder die meedoet met de bijbelstudiegroep

Om in Kala te komen, moesten we eigenlijk deze rivier door met de auto. Dat gaat natuurlijk niet lukken. Dan maar een hele lange omweg nemen!

Chidi Moses (l) & Sanya David (r) geven les in Kala

De laatste training in Gaderu!

Towards Intentional Disciple Making

Report on the African Church Leaders Discipleship Congress
Addis Abeba, Ethiopia, 27-28 February 2015
(Rev. Jacob Haasnoot, Kajo-Keji, South Sudan)

In this report I want to share with you what I learned and observed at the Disciple Conference I attended in Addis Abeba. After some general impressions, I will share the main points of the teaching at the conference.

General Impressions
It was in many ways a good conference. The teaching and fellowship were good and there was also time for worship (in a typical lively Ethiopian style). I was impressed with the main speaker: his experience, the content of his teaching but also his humility and spiritual focus. I had some good conversations with brothers and sisters from Sierra Leone, Uganda, Madagascar, Kenya, Egypt, Lebanon(!) and of course from Ethiopia. I met several people I knew from the time that I lived in Ethiopia myself.
It was a large conference with 2,500 people attending. The venue of the conference was very special. We met in the plenary (Nelson Mandela) meeting hall of the African Union building.
The conference was organized by the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church and sponsored by churches in Singapore, South Korea and the US.

African Union Conference Centre, Plenary Hall

I was disappointed about two things. First, the conference attendants were not really representing the Church in Africa. There were 2,200 Ethiopians and 300 people from outside Ethiopia, mostly Africans. Of the international delegates the majority was Kenyan. There were hardly any Nigerians, which is strange. I discovered only two Anglicans! Many denominations were not represented. Also almost all of the Ethiopians were from the organizing Kale Heywet church. There were no people from the other big protestant Mekane Yesus Church in Ethiopia and from other denominations, which is very awkward.
The other things is that there were no group discussions at the conference or the chance to ask questions. Of course that is very difficult with so many participants but it meant that we left with a number unanswered questions.

Towards Intentional Disciple Making
The main speaker was pastor Edmund Chan from Singapore. He set up an organization to envision churches all over the world in the area of Intentional Disciple making.

Chan started with the spiritual foundation for leaders who want to focus on disciple making. From Gal. 2:20 we learn 2 things:
1. Being committed as a leader is not enough. Paul talks about being crucified, which means total surrender to the Lordship of Christ.
2. Our focus needs to be on God: not what we can do for Him but what He is doing for us!

Our relationship with Christ is more important than the discipleship programs we are running.
Definition of Discipleship according to Chan:
“Disciplemaking is the process of bringing people into right relationship with God, and developing them to full maturity in Christ through intentional growth strategies, that they might multiply the process in others also”.

Four main topics were discussed:
1. See the critical need
2. Understand the Biblical strategy
3. Determine the End product
4. Accomplish the Mission

1. See the critical need: Returning the Church to its disciplemaking Roots
A. What is the situation now in many churches? Five Cries of the Church:
1. There are too many programs.
2. There are too few volunteers.
3. The leadership direction is not clear.
4. Leaders are not united.
5. Members are not discipled.

B. What symptoms of our problem do we see in churches?
1. Workers are tired.
2. There is a lack of leaders.
3. There is a lack of growth by conversion.
4. Cell groups are struggling.
5. Marriages are struggling.
6. We see broken relationships.
7. We see church members living in sin.

C. Satan’s scheme in attacking the Church: deception, division, discouragement, defilement.

The underlying problem is that Christians don’t disciple!
D. Five misconceptions of Discipleship:
1. Discipleship just happens.
2. Discipleship takes place when people attend church programs.
3. Discipleship is only for new Christians.
4. Discipleship is for spiritual people only.
5. Discipleship is a program.

E. If discipleship is so important, why is it so neglected?
1. A lack of time.
2. A lack of interest.
3. A lack of confidence. You can not pass on what you don’t have.
4. A lack of disciples. People don’t want to be discipled.
5. A lack of conviction.

2. Understand the Biblical strategy: Authentic and Intentional
A. Seven misconceptions of the Great Commission (Matth. 28:18-20)
1. Missing the main Focus: It is about us but about Christ who has the power!
2. Missing the main Essence: It it not a message to broadcast but a ‘life to live’.
3. Missing the main Agent: Not ‘some missionaries’ but all members!
4. Missing the main Product: Not ‘making converts’ but: making disciples!
5. Missing the main Emphasis: You must go and make disciples! It is not about the manner but about the mission.
6. Missing the main Yardstick: Not the numbers but obedience!
7. Missing the main Concern: Not just ‘disciple’ but ‘disciple the Nations’! Do we have a vision for the world?

B. Four convictions from Matthew 28:18-20
1. The source of the Great Commission: All authority…
2. The scope of the Great Commission: All nations…
3. The strategy of the Great Commission: Obey all things…
4. The season of the Great Commission: Always…

C. Eight marks (indicators) of a Disciplemaking Church
1. Purpose-driven: Disciplemaking is the core mission of the Church.
2. Responsible Evangelism: People are being led to Christ and followed-up.
3. Intentional Growth Strategies: People are being developed. There is something for everyone. Ministry according to spiritual gifts.
4. Leadership Commitment: Leaders are committed to model disciplemaking.
5. The Church has a clear disciplemaking Vision.
6. There are training programs for discipleship in place.
7. There is a small group infrastructure for intentional disciplemaking.
8. We see spiritual multiplication: People’s lives are transformed and multiplication is taking place.

3. Determine the End product: Reproduce Disciples of a certain kind
A. Question is: What kind of disciples does God call us to reproduce? It helps to distinguish between conventional church values and ‘intentional disciplemaking church values’.

# Conventional values versus Disciplemaking values
1 Making converts vs. Making disciples
2 Successful programs are valued vs. Spiritual maturity is valued
3 20% does 80% of the work vs. 20% equips 80% to minister
4 Laity-led, Clergy driven vs. Clergy-led, Laity driven
5 Disciples are maid within the church vs. Disciples are made in every sphere of life
6 Church dispenses information vs. Church transforms lives
7 Asks: How many attended church? vs. Asks: What kind attended church?
8 Looks for change in outward behaviour vs. Looks for change from inside out
9 Low expectations of Christians vs. Believes in the potential of one person and the power of multiplication

B. Philosophy of Disciplemaking
Disciplemaking is all about a certain kind of person who is radically committed to a certain kind of purpose, who thru a certain kind of process reproduces a certain kind of product.
1. A certain kind of person who is Abiding in Christ.
2. A certain kind of purpose: a Kingdom purpose.
3. A certain kind of process: Life investment in disciple making.
4. A certain kind of product: a Transformed life.

C. Discipling the inner life: not the outward life but transformation of the inner life
Focus on outward life versus Focus on inner life/transformation
1 Values accomplishments vs. Values authenticity
2 Values performance results vs. Values growth and learning
3 Competence (gifts) first vs. Character (fruits) first
4 Doing good as to be looking good vs. Doing good flows out of being good
5 Esteems status and stature vs. Esteems substance
6 Competitive and boastful vs. Genuinely celebrates others
7 Reacts to criticisms vs. Responds to criticisms
8 Cannot let go of control vs. Empowers others
9 Default way of the world vs. Discipleship way of God

4. Accomplish the Mission
Five steps towards building an Intentional Disciplemaking Church
1. Establish Biblical foundations
2. Champion the Disciplemaking vision (both top-down and bottom-up)
3. Launch a prototype (start a group)
4. Put structures into place
5. Establish the infrastructure

We were then presented with three models of an Intentional Disciplemaking Church. Those were of the Covenant Ev. Free Church in Singapore, the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church and ‘Christ is the Answer Ministries’ (Citam) from Kenya. To be honest, the presentations on these models were not very clear and/or practical. I am here only giving the 5 parts of the program that Citam is using:
1. Enter: come and know, God’s special family
2. Encounter: come and grow, rooted and built up
3. Embrace: come and bond, living in love
4. Enlist: come and serve, equipped for service
5. Engage, come and go, engaged witnesses

It was made clear that you need to develop your own contextualised model for intentional disciplemaking.

See also: ‘Thinking about Discipleship in Changing Contexts: Perceptions of Church Leaders of an Episcopal Diocese in South Sudan‘, Cairo Journal of Theology, volume 2, 2015, p. 121-131.

World without end

Over het leven, de Bijbel & zending wereldwijd