African Sending

In some of my blogs, I'd like to highlight the mission-sending activity that is happening in other parts of the world. No longer should we think of the typical Christian missionary being a Westerner. More and more, God is raising up workers in the mission field from the "Majority World." Today's blog will focus on Africa and is taken from an article by Timothy Olonade, Executive Secretary of Nigeria Evangelical Missions Association, and by Jason Mandryk's article The State of the Gospel.

"When Europeans came to Africa in the mid-1800s, some wanted the economic value their newly acquired territory could generate, while others wanted the souls of Africans for God's kingdom. Passionate mission fervor characterized the missionaries that brought the gospel to Africa. But sadly, that mission passion was not passed on to the churches that emerged in Africa out of their efforts.

Beginning in the 1950s, major national initiatives crystallized which were aimed at birthing new churches that were authentically African. In the 1960s, most African countries gained independence from colonial powers. Political change inspired a corresponding change in the Church with a major surge of indigenous leadership (Africans were now leading African churches). The new sense of ownership sparked revivals in Burundi, Zululand, Zaire and Nigeria.

The 1970s were characterized by full-blown national initiatives to mobilize Africans for missions, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and Kenya. Nigeria illustrates the transfer of mission vision in a dramatic way. There were nearly 10,000 expatriate/foreign missionaries serving in Nigeria in 1986. That same year, there were just slightly over 500 indigenous/native missionaries from Nigerian churches. In just 20 years, the figures virtually reversed. The number of expatriate missionaries shrunk to some 860 by 2006 (which should happen since the Nigerians were taking control of their own mission sending), and missionaries sent by Nigerian churches increased to over 5,200. Cross-cultural missionaries from Nigeria alone now serve in 65 countries around the globe.

The gospel has found fertile soil in Africa (Daily, in Africa, there are 20,000 new believers - 2020 Vision by Bill and Amy Stearns). And Africans are now doing their part to take its life-giving message around the world with characteristic zest and passion. African missionaries are found as far east as Japan and China and as far south and west as Brazil and Bolivia. The presence of African flavor in global evangelism can also be seen in Europe, where the five largest churches are led by Africans."

"In sub-Saharan Africa, in 1900, there were 8 million Christians (3% of the population); by 2000 there were 351 million (50%)...it is now the majority religion. Despite living with economic stagnation, hardships or even decline, African evangelicals sent out an estimated 13,000 cross-cultural missionaries. Still, there is critical need for theological institutions, or curriculum appropriate to the African context and for African theologians who can immerse their own people in Scripture in a finning manner.

Lack of infrastructure, widespread disease, devastating wars and unstable or corrupt governments all contribute to keeping millions of Africans, in over a thousand people groups, largely unevangelized. The relationship between Islam and Christianity is a major challenge for the continent, and the potential for widened conflagration and confrontation between these two groups is high."

Praise God for what He is doing in Africa and through our African brothers and sisters! May we remember to lift them up in prayer. Some day we will all rejoice around God's holy throne!!!