5 lessons from the African Church

1) Humility
What has surprised me about the African church is the willingness to work in partnership. I come from a group of highly autonomous churches, mostly based in the western world. Looking back, I always felt we had lots to give, and little to learn from other churches around the world. Having worked with predominantly African leaders over the last 17 years, I have witnessed an openness to learn and to receive from others. There is a certain ‘neediness’ in them. I hesitate to describe it like that, because in my western mind, that sounds negative. I’m sure most westerners reading this will agree. Because to be needy is demeaning, it’s degrading (to the westerner), but isn’t it also a fundamental part of the Christian gospel. The bible is jam packed with these themes. Mary’s song of praise as she begins to grasp the plans of God for her life includes the line ‘He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty’ (Luke 1:53) Paul’s reflections on his own journey from strength to weakness conclude with his revelation from God ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’

2) Prayer
I’m sure this is directly linked to my first lesson. The Africans pray like no other people I’ve met. I remember one gentleman humbly enquiring as to when our all night prayer meetings were, as he hadn’t been able to find out any information from the church. It never occurred to him that we didn’t in fact have one! My friends in one part of Tanzania will spend the whole month of February in prayer and fasting, just to prepare them to take the gospel into the villages nearby that are ruled by witch doctors.

3) Courage
These are people who don’t look at their outward circumstances or what’s in their bank accounts before making decisions based on faith that God has sent them. They travel to places with no Christian witness, knowing that it could cost them their lives, just to share the life changing message of Jesus to people who have never heard it. Some of them relocate to start churches in these areas. They haven’t done their risk assessments, their five year plans or taken out their insurance policies. They just go. Simple faith and obedience.

4) Suffering
As you can imagine, these are people who know how to suffer. Suffering is seen as part of the calling. As I reflect on my experiences in the western church, I somehow managed to miss this part! We seem to have lost a major strand of biblical teaching. Our gospel message is about more comfort and peace and we seem to have raised a generation of timid, compromised believers. Suffering, of course, is part of the calling. My friends in Africa don’t seem to spend lots of energy wondering why God has allowed such hardship or tragedy into their lives. Neither do they make decisions based on avoiding such difficulties in the future. Indeed, those who have suffered the most seem to be the kindest, the most humble, even the most joyful, with the deepest faith. I am in awe of them.

5) Fruitfulfulness
As I contrast my experiences in the western and African churches, I must conclude that our African friends have much to teach us in the west. I’m not sure that putting them in the limelight at one of our conferences would teach us much. But visiting their homes, hearing their stories, watching their lives, will teach us lessons we wouldn’t learn at a conference. We will see people who live in dependence on God, gladly embracing God’s ways in every area of their lives, and bearing fruit. They may have planted tens of churches personally, or leading networks of hundreds of churches, or they may be spending their lives reaching a few unreached people, with no resources and very few responses. What I can say is that they have much to teach us. I wonder if we’re ready to learn.