Perhaps you read the article about DRC in my previous entry. The article might seem a bit harsh to our North American ears. The article quotes a supposedly typical Congolese response: “No one cares about us anymore, not even those we used to consider our friends and even those who brought us the message of the Gospel and peace.” Pakisa seems to be assuming that the way missionaries operated in Congo in the past should still be practiced today. But should missionaries go to Congo ‘the same way’ as in former years? Times have changed. The gospel message is being preached, people are receiving Christ, and the vast numbers of Christians are the evidence. However, this is not the big picture, nor is this the end of the line for North American missionary influence in Congo. Our role in North America is changing. No longer are we the ones evangelizing the unreached or planting new churches. The Congolese can be on the “front lines” and reach their country for Christ. To keep it simple, our role in North America is to empower the Congolese Church. We are not to be depended upon in a patronizing manner, but rather in a role that serves the developmental needs of the Church. Support in the development areas of leadership, medicine, and education come to my mind as vital to the empowerment of the Church in Congo. Pakisa criticizes his own MB denomination in North America by their lack of interest in the ‘decline of Congo.’ He points to the possibility that racism or a faulty worldview is the cause. I’m not so sure. But we do have a challenging task: When we know the needs of Congo, we must search for ways to empower and support our Congolese Church, and not be sucked into the hole of dependency again.
Any thoughts of how to empower and support the African Church from North America??