Southern Cross explores how the shape of global mission is changing and what the new wave of non-Western missionaries can teach Sydney Christians.
African evangelists have Sydney firmly in their sights as a location to plant new churches. A three-way mission partnership between Christians in Kenya, Indianapolis and Sydney came to fruition last month with St Paul's, Castle Hill bringing Oscar Muriu from the slums of Nairobi to be their key mission speaker and complete local ministry leadership training.
But what could Anglicans in suburban Sydney learn from someone ministering in such a different cultural context?
"The Africans can say things to our culture that we cannot see or we are not game enough to say," says St Paul's rector John Gray. "The biggest problem in Western churches is that we think we have all the answers."
Oscar, the pastor of Nairobi Chapel, has planted 25 congregations in Nairobi, with thousands of members. He has a big vision. He plans to plant another 300 churches " 10 per cent of these will be in the "gateway' cities of the West that pull in migrants from all over the globe. This is where a church plant in Sydney fits into Oscar's vision.
Rapid church growth in Africa, Asia and South America is changing the face of global mission. Missionaries are now sent from anywhere to everywhere, including the West. Most church planters being trained today are not white Westerners. This has led a number of traditional Western mission agencies to rethink how they can partner with majority world evangelists.
For many years, CMS has sponsored theological students from various countries to study in Australia. Now CMS international ministry partners will provide them with seed funding as they return to underfunded ministries. In this way, CMS are supporting Peter and Lidija Novak in Slovenia, Maiko Watanabe in Japan, and Pato and Dagmar Oyarzún in Chile.
"As nationals, [they] do not face the hurdle that many western missionaries face " of navigating the complex culture and learning often difficult foreign languages," says John Bales from CMS.
However, we are far from the end of the western missionary era.
"Jesus commands His church to be His witnesses locally, cross-culturally and globally, simultaneously" says Dr Omar Djoeandy, head of SIM Australia. "Participating in global mission is an important antidote to the materialism and self-absorption of the West. The Western church will grow when she humbly learns from non-Western churches and intentionally prays, gives generously and goes beyond herself."
So even though African churches are sending missionaries to Europe, North America and Australia, western missionaries are still needed in Africa. "You must come as listeners and as learners, though," Oscar Muriu says.
Yet, as the majority of the world church grows in maturity, the missionary work Westerners are engaged in is changing. African, Asian and Latin American churches are no longer looking to the West to provide church planters.
Dr Djoeandy has found that his National partners are now asking the West for assistance in such areas as business and management training. Medical expertise is also in high demand, especially helping local churches respond to the AIDS pandemic.
However Oscar Muriu says Westerners must resist their natural temptation to come as Messiah figures with all the answers to fix everything.
"This century must be the century of genuine partnerships," he concludes.
Cases in point…
Strategy: Sydney churches partnering with African evangelist
Name: Venantie Uwishyaka.
Where: Rwanda
What: Ministry to Muslims
Agency: CNEC Partners International
Mrs Venantie Uwishyaka heads up APRID, a ministry of outreach to Muslims in Rwanda. Under her leadership over 3,000 Muslims have come to Christ. Women converts are often rejected by their husbands and so a ministry of care and shelter, along with small business development, has been initiated out of necessity.
Recently Venantie completed a remarkable five weeks of speaking engagements around Australia.
CNEC Partners International believes this is the future of Christian mission around the world. They encourage churches in different parts of the world to build partnerships based on direct relationships, believing the blessings will flow in both directions.
Within one week of Venantie's departure, a team of 15 people from Melbourne and Sydney traveled to Rwanda to learn from her and serve with her team.
Four people from Penshurst Anglican Church were privileged to participate and found the experience life-changing.
A highlight for the rector, Bart Vanden Hengel, was preaching to 3,000 people in a local stadium. "Preaching in 360 degrees at an open air outreach meeting was unforgettable," he said.
Strategy: Provide technical training in Australia
Name: Surendra Shrestha
Where: Nepal
What: gospel recordings
Agency: GRN
Nepalese Christian Surendra Shrestha will be in Australia next month to receive more advanced technical training as he takes on a global role training other recordists. Last year he helped train African recordists and over the next two years he will play a major role in the training of Indians.
Born into a strict Hindu family, Surendra's father was a holy man who spent most of his time at the temple, neglecting his family. His brother, Barnabas was the first to encounter Jesus, and such was the change in his life that Surendra soon felt God working in his own life. Barnabas saw the potential for reaching the many non-literate people of his country through oral recordings. He soon drew Surendra into the work. They were trained to become field recordists and have recorded in dozens of Nepali languages.
