Emerging Africa

You've drawn me out of my sloth, Nic, to post a comment - good for you! Allow me an overused analogy: there are 2 types of people on this website: those who are doing "church as usual" and who are interested in what this conversation might open up for them, and those who are missionaries to their own culture - and who want that missionary stance to shape how their church community grows.

Most people on this site are in the first category. They're not church planters or church leavers or missionaries or house church people or new monastics or alt.worshippers or whatever. In 10 years time they'll still be part of...Anglican/Methodist/Baptist/whatever churches, slowly changing their Christendom-mode churches.

And there's nothing wrong with that! I'm not anti-Christendom, and I'm not anti-attractional church (much though I do enjoy kicking it in the pants!). I see, in the West at least, a huge decline in attractional church and although we'll probably have mega churches with us in 20 years time, Christians will begin to understand that that's not where it's at, and that the culture around them will have simply moved on, and asking someone to come to a mega church (without having a huge conversion experience beforehand) will be a lot like asking a rugby player to visit the local old age home and take up knitting with the oldies.

Africa, however, is a slightly different story. We tend to follow the West with a time delay of 5 years (for the recent stuff, at least). The fact that a church isn't valid until it has more than 500 is a lie which many pastors (and people) still need to learn. That being a pastor of a 50-strong church does not mean you're a failure. There are many people who still like to be a part of big church services, with big stage ministry and lights and sound and worship teams and singers and actors and preachers...and that's fine, but it's not the only way of doing community and being the church. Perhaps, locally, in the next few years, we're going to see an increase in the amount of mega-churches forming in this country. *sigh*

Then we get the 2nd category of people on this site, the much smaller category. These are those who are not interested in "church as usual" - for good or for bad. They want to shape their church, they want to engage the culture around them in radical ways. They are excited by the possibility of what church could look like 10 years/5 years/1 year in the future...and sometimes this keeps them up at night. They are explorers and as such, are often frustrated explorers, because the nature of the job is that there are no maps, and there is the constant doubt formed in the voices of others: "Why do you need to go elsewhere? Why do you think you need to find out "more"? Why leave what we have? Are you sure you're not going wrong?" And, some of the time, we agree with these voices, and doubt ourselves too.

Especially when we hear about churches who are living together as a community and who are doing worship and mission in ways we can only envy, and we say, "But you're doing it the old way!" And then hear the echo of our voices..."So what? That's good, isn't it?"

There are many people involved in this conversation, and they're a part of it for different reasons. Some enjoy the theological engagement. Some enjoy talking about church - what it could do and be and look like. Some enjoy the missional aspect.

But back to the 2 categories: some of these people will slowly bring these insights back into their normal church and allow that to shape it a bit, but will still be a part of a community which meets once a week to "do church" in their own building, hoping that others will join them (and again, there's nothing wrong with that - please don't get me wrong!).

And then there is the smaller group, who really believe Pete Rollins when he talks about the potential the emerging church conversation has for altering the very architecture of Western Christianity. Who aren't just asking questions about theology and cultural engagement, but are actually doing it - and doing it in a time where there are no maps for doing it. This is why there has been so little feedback! There aren't people who've gone before you who are looking back on your journey and saying, "Well done, you're staying faithful to the call!"

Equally you won't have those from attractional church modes looking on something like Afrika Burns and saying, "Well done, you 'get' mission and how that looks like to your own people - count us in next year!"

And so there's a sense in which the only thing you can expect is silence, puzzled silence from the one side and void from the other. And this is encouraging - because it means you're precisely where you want to - and need to - be: on the very edge of what it means to be the church in South Africa at this time.

So, be fed by your frustration and be nourished by your hunger :)