Lausanne World Pulse – LAUSANNE REPORTS – Theological Trends in Africa: Implications for Missions and Evangelism

By Gideon Para-Mallam
March 2008

A blossoming Christianity devoid of discipleship suggests a weak doctrinal grounding. This approach lacks depth, will hurt our commitment to evangelism, and could scuttle the mission of the African Church.

The Rev. Billy Graham once observed, “If you lose your health you have lost something, but you have not lost everything. If you lose your wealth you have lost nothing. If you lose your character you have lost everything.” The Church in Africa will do well to heed this word of wisdom. The absence of Christian integrity is a key trend that marks church growth and activity on the continent. This article elaborates certain critical trends and their implications for the mission of the Church in Africa.

Negative Trends

1. An Emphasis on Numerical Growth rather than Spiritual Growth
Success in ministry is measured by quantity rather then quality. Numbers are celebrated and quality is compromised in the process. Several theologians and missiologists, including the Rev. Dr. John Stott, observe the numerical growth of Christianity in Africa as being “an inch deep and a mile wide.”

Indeed, the foundations of Christian discipleship are weak in many churches experiencing explosive numerical growth across sub-Saharan Africa. This is the case from Lagos to Lusaka, Kinshasa to Kumasi, Accra to Addis Ababa, Abuja to Yaoundé, Nairobi to Kampala, Harare to Blantyre, Cape Town to Dare Salaam. Churches need to refocus on their character and how this impacts their commitment to completing the task of world evangelization.

Revelation 2-3 reveals the importance of character and the consequences of a church without moral identity. Since 1988, there has been a growth of mass conversions and a resurgence of church planting in my native country of Nigeria. Because of this, I began asking myself questions concerning the character of the emerging Nigerian Church (which includes churches with strong neo-Pentecostal roots). Some of these Charismatic churches boast having some of the largest church attendances in Africa; one congregation in Lagos records a weekly attendance of fifty thousand people. Prayer meetings attract up to two million attendees.

Yet the impact of the gospel on society is diminished by the disjuncture of belief and practice. During the Langham Nigeria Preaching Seminar ’08, Rt. Rev. Dr. Cyril Okorocha, Anglican Bishop of Owerri Diocese, observed that Nigerians are tired of hearing ministers preach about Jesus. They want to see Jesus lived out by preachers through lives of personal integrity.

One major result of the disjuncture between belief and practice is the lack of depth found in many Christians. Religiosity is widespread; however, godliness is scarce. People from all walks of life profess faith in God; however, this is not displayed in everyday life practices. Is it any wonder that Christians going into government are unprepared to withstand temptations of the office? They fail to be true ambassadors of Christ in government. Many have instead brought shame to Christ’s name.