Zambia Hunt

Guest Contributor: Sandala Mwanje – smwanje@cabuniversity.com

By 2050, missiologists predict that Africa and East Asia will be the center of global Christianity and missions. This view is extensively articulated by Zan Pratt, the associate professor of Christian missions at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in an article submitted to Desiring God [link reference]. If the missiologists are right, then the most urgent question is, “Is the Church in Africa and East Asia positioned to export a God-glorifying theology?” What type of Christianity will Africa and East Asia export to the rest of the world? In my previous posting, I lamented the widespread cancer of the pervasive prosperity gospel, at least in Africa. If the prediction by missions experts is true, then the need to fix theology in the African church is urgent!

How will this be fixed? To do this well, the Church needs to embrace Paul’s exhortation in Romans 10:15-30, but do so with a deeper corporate introspection. We must evaluate ourselves at every stage of the responsibilities outlined therein. Here’s how Romans 10:15-30 reads:

1. “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” At this stage, we need to interrogate if what Paul intends for people to hear in order to believe in Jesus is the same message that our churches believe and preach. Do we have Paul’s gospel? The majority of churches in Africa do not have the message to give to the dying world. They don’t have Paul’s gospel. This must be fixed for us to be the next church that God will use to reach the world. Next he says:
2. “And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Again, we ask some questions about the preachers: Do we have the preachers Paul has in mind? Do the preachers that have flooded the African airwaves pass Paul’s test for true preachers? Are they sound in the faith? Are they biblically qualified after the pattern of 1 Timothy 3? Can they be entrusted with the gospel? In other words, are they sendable? This must be fixed if we are going to be the church that God uses to reach the world. Next he says:
3. “And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” In this section, we want to know if the continent has competent senders! What church qualifies to plant another church by sending missionaries? Are we to assume that God is more interested in the number of churches planted than the quality of churches planted? What kind of faith does God want us to spread? Beloved, unhealthy churches don’t solve the problem of unreached people. Unhealthy churches are part of the problem! We must fix the senders to reach the world.

In order for Africa to maximize the coming opportunity to be the center of global Christianity in 2050, we need to fix the theology of the church in Africa, and one way to do so is by investing in robust theological training! Churches must own theological training and take full interest in furthering its success. Once again, I call upon the few gospel-preaching churches on the continent to take this battle personally. It’s urgent! Invest in training men and women for ministry!