Editorial
Crossing OverEnson Mbilikile Lwesya, Editor. Director of ANTS
Associate Professor of Intercultural Leadership Studies
Africa preaches two messages. Politically, it is still regarded as a basket case, whose future is squandered by leaders with fickle backbones. Africa is a continent of wars. Its people are constantly on the run; scampering from wars, persecutors, famine, hunger, HIV and AIDS and many other scourges that are its everlasting masters. Africa is a pawn in the hands of the rich brothers of both the East and West. Unfortunately, this pawn appears to enjoy the heartache it goes through. This is a dim and bleak picture of Africa.
Missiologically, Africa will provide the next wave of missionaries for the worldwide Church. Statistics show that the Church is growing the fastest in the Southern Hemisphere and Africa is the epicenter of such growth. With the vast number of converts comes the challenge of turning them into disciples and eventually ministers of the gospel. Africa will provide the global Church with an enormous number of missionaries. There are a few hurdles, however, standing against Africa, resisting it from becoming what God desires. Africa faces the future like Israel faced Canaan across River Jordan.
To Israelites, crossing the river implies crossing to the pinnacle of their dreams. This dream has been with these people for 430 Years. God first articulated it to Abraham (Genesis 15). At this time, Israel wandered for forty years in the wilderness and they were now ready to enter the Promised Land. Jordan River stands as a gigantic barrier against the over 2 million Israelites as they strive to reach their promised land. Of course, these Israelites are a new breed. The earlier generation that sinned against God had already died and their bones were scattered all around the desert areas. Now a younger generation, bolder than the fathers is standing about a mile from the River Jordan. This river separates their past from their future. It is a defining moment for Israel. Similarly, Africa stands at a crossroad where its future status in politics and missions shall be forged.
It took Israel a long time to prepare for this moment. In one sense, Israel took 430 years for it to enter its future; but, it is also true to see that the 40 years in the wilderness purged and prepared them to enter the Promised Land. Israel developed two mindsets necessary to cross the barriers. First, they acknowledged that barriers to the promised state were real. The major barriers were physical such as the River Jordan and the inhabitants of the land; but there were spiritual and psychological barriers too. Second, Israel broke camp, packed, saddled ready to cross over to the other side. The analogy of breaking camp is indicative of changing ones mindset. It shows a people ready—a people grappling with reality of their status. Breaking and tearing down a campsite is a brutal activity. It sheds comfort, it disturbs routine. Furthermore, it implies uprooting and de-linking with the past failure patterns. Africa’s past leeks with failure. It is not grandiose; it is full of failure, death, defeat, and despair. Admittedly, as long as we comfortable where we are, we do not get to the best that is across the river.
Joshua’s success dependent to a certain degree on the new breed of followers or let’s say a new set of leaders. When this new leadership came on the scene new attitudes developed. They exemplified boldness and assured Joshua of strict adherence to his leadership except on two accounts: First, Joshua needed to manifest the confidence of the Lord. Second, they promised to kill everyone who disobeyed the commander’s orders. Some how, this generation realized that building a vision for the future needed boldness and great faith. Thus, they recognized that faithless people influences the rest of the community to become faithless.
There is a new wave of trusting God regarding mission work in Africa and the world at large. The Majority World Church is increasingly grasping the truth that they too are a missionary people. The Church is discerning the times, a process that includes understanding public affairs, the temper of the nations, and the tendencies of the present events. It recognizes the trends that affect our present realities. In this issue, various authors discuss different trends and their implications on the activity of mission in Africa and across the world. Like Israel standing at the banks of River Jordan, the Majority world church must acknowledge the barriers that stand against it in doing missions and also it must break with debilitating mindsets that chain it in the past. The Church must cross over and assume what God designed it to be: God’s missionary people.
