Regional Snapshot
From James and Shirley Henderson, Africa
Is God opening
a
door for us?
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—New opportunities are facing the Worldwide Church of God.
For example, in Africa independent unaffiliated churches are growing at an unprecedented rate. Researchers speculate as to why, but the simplest explanation is that God is at work.
Lamin Sanneh, Gambian writer and theologian, talks of “the worldwide Christian resurgence … that seems to proceed without Western organizational structures, including academic recognition, and is occurring amidst widespread political instability” (Whose Religion Is Christianity? The Gospel beyond the West, page 3, Eerdmans, 2003). We have seen this, no doubt, in Africa.
 CHIRIRI, CONGO—[Photos by James Henderson] |
Some of these churches, or groups of churches, contact us for help. They want to affiliate with us, to be taught by us. Denominational growth is growth in accountability. Accountability is a good thing—it can prevent irresponsible individualism and protect churches from heresy. In this case these groups want to place themselves willingly under the accountability of our church.
As we talk with such groups who have their own structures and leaders in place, we have a need for new thinking. Sometimes these situations are much more open-ended than we have been used to or comfortable with in the past. But is God opening a door for us? Should we go through it? Or should we close the door and hope it will still be there later when we feel more prepared? What is the response of faith?
Bukavu in the eastern Congo
 CHIRIRI, CONGO, CONGREGATION |
About a year ago, our main contact in Rwanda, Jacques Muzalia, met a man named Luta Butochima while attending a Christian Leadership class in Kigali.
Mr. Butochima had become disillusioned with the charismatic church with which he had been associated, and was looking for a more balanced denomination to which he could affiliate the four independent churches (about 450 adults) under his general pastorate in Bukavu, Congo. Jacques introduced him to our denomination, and Mr. Butochima got in touch with me to ask if his churches could become part of us.
I went to see these new contacts in early February. Bukavu is one of the conflict areas you may have heard of in the international news. Many people spoke of what they would do “if peace comes.” A strong military presence is there. Just a few days before I arrived, a few skirmishes took place in the outskirts of town. [In June, fighting once again broke out in the Bukavu area. Your prayers for the groups there are much appreciated.]
God is at work in these battle zones. Luta Butochima, his wife and other members
 BUKAVU, CONGO—Luta Butochima |
actively help those most in need. I was able to visit a clinic they run. They nurse people suffering from malnutrition. Also among those regularly treated are rape victims, often in need of surgery and treatment for infection as a result of brutal attacks, typically from rebel soldiers. Mr. Butochima also provides trauma counseling. The clinic has been looted on a number of occasions, mattresses and medicine have been stolen, and it is now badly under-equipped. I gave them a donation that I had received from a woman in the United States.
Later there were discussions, mainly on points of doctrine, with various pastoral teams. It seems possible that these churches are coming into our fold.
 BUKAVU, CONGO—Sewing project |
One Sunday I visited two of the churches that are seeking affiliation—Bukavu, where attendance was 150, and Chiriri with an attendance of 95. There was much singing and laughter and excitement.
In early May, Kimani Ndungu, East African area pastor, made a follow-up visit. Kimani commented: “I found no issues of a doctrinal nature that I had to deal with. They had already read our statement of beliefs before we ever got to them and Butochima told me that they agreed with our teachings fully.
“In fact, he was concerned that we might teach in person something different from what was on paper. I will cheerfully go back to Bukavu! They are wonderful people and very committed. I was highly encouraged by their commitment to God in the face of hard times.”
Rwanda
We lost contact with most of our members and groups in Rwanda during the horrific fighting over the past decade or so, and also in some cases after the disastrous volcanic eruption near Goma. We are still out of contact with them, but there remains a small house church in Kigali, the capital city.
Earlier this year I asked that we would pray for this situation, that some contact would be re-established.
 Luta Butochima and Jacques Muzalia |
In April an independent group of 26 churches from the Goma area got in touch with us through the WCG’s Canadian web site. Since then I have sent them our statement of beliefs and added them to our African Update list, a mechanism for informing and training leaders. It seems that they agree with us and want be accountable to us philosophically and doctrinally.
What next? Sanneh observes in his book, in discussing such groups, that in the final analysis “religious vocations, formation, and apostolic structures will be needed to avert disarray and disenchantment.”
 BUKAVU, CONGO, CONGREGATION |
The Worldwide Church of God already has some of those ideas in place. We have people called to the ministry, we provide pastoral formation through seminars and conferences, and we have ecclesiastical structures that offer theological accountability. So perhaps we have the basis of a response.
Often, regrettably, we don’t have the finances to do what we are already doing—how can we finance the bringing of these groups into the safety of accountability and yet preserve what is good in their own structures? We need to be creative as we encourage local diversity and yet maintain the soundness of good doctrine. And we need to be on our knees—God cares for these people whether we get involved or not, but maybe he wants to use us. What should we do?
Please pray about these things. The Worldwide Church of God is one of God’s gifts not only to Africa, but also to every continent. We are part of it. The church is dynamic, moving, an event in process. Let’s press on with the gospel of Jesus, the king.
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2004