The image of African mission work is that of walking dusty, impassable roads to get to villages with a dozen mud or thatch huts, no electricity, no running water, sometimes no well, working with illiterate people whose religion is animistic , pagan, and highly superstitious. And, in fact, much–maybe most–of the mission work done by American churches of Christ probably fits generally into this framework, even though specific works might not.
Read this paragraph from Wikipedia, which documents a major upheaval in African demographics since 1950. It is this extraordinary shift that causes me to wonder if our paradigm for African missions has shifted along with it:
“It is estimated that in 1900 about 95% of Africa’s inhabitants south of Sahara lived from the primary occupations of farming, hunting & gathering, cattle nomadism, and fishing (Aase, 2003:1) meaning that less than 5% were urban. In 1950 (the start of the independence period) 14.7% of Africa’s inhabitants were urban, in 2000 it had risen to 37.2% and it is expected to rise to 45.3% in 2015, in effect 3.76% –3.35% per year (UN, 2002). The Nigerian city of Lagos that in 1963 had 665 000 inhabitants (Rakodi, 1997) and 8.7 million in 2000 is expected to become the worlds 11th biggest city by 2015 with 16 million inhabitants (UN, 2002). The urbanization of most of Africa is moving fast forward, especially south of the Sahara.”
My questions revolve around this growing urbanization of Africans and whether we Christians might be stuck in a strategy for missions in Africa based on the pre-1950 realities.
1. Are we training new workers for urban settings or is working in the “bush” still the primary assumption for preparations ? At a recent mission workshop, African missions was simulated so that students discovered experientially how missions were done and/or perhaps their own affinity for working in Africa. Nowhere, though, was there an opportunity for talking about working with professional Africans in urban settings. The entire experience was rural, fairly primitive Africa.
2. Do potential workers even want to go to cities, or is the African bush image that which draws them? We mission types don’t often admit that the exotic nature of our work is attractive to us—but it usually is. If a potential missionary is thinking about Africa, are they attracted more to a picture of themselves holding Bible studies for office workers in a downtown Nairobi high-rise , or would they rather see themselves preaching under African acacia trees to goat herders?
3. Are we defaulting to bush missions because it is perceived as easier or more receptive? Is the assumption that urbanized Africans might be more educated, more sophisticated, wealthier, and less superstitious a reason to head for the bush? We mission-types often consider all of the above to be barriers to reception of the gospel message.
Even these assumptions about urbanized Africans are only true for a very limited part of the population, since so many of the Africans in cities are very poor refugees from the rural environs.
4. We know what to do for rural poverty. We drill wells and teach them to fish. We introduce drip irrigation and provide basic education. Do we, however, have a theology to share for urban missions in Africa that will address the wealth/poverty issues in urban settings where the two are in much closer proximity to each other? What is the word of the Lord for affluent and/or educated Africans? And can a foreigner speak this word to them or should it preferably come from their own prophets?
I will be the first to admit that I know very little about African missions, so please forgive me if my questions are somehow offensive. These are, however, my questions.
I would love to hear your response.
Thanks for your reflections, Ben. Well said. In both the Kiswahili and Kipsigis languages people say “I stay in Nairobi (or some other city)” [Nakaa Nairobi; Atebyei Nairobi] but “I live in (name of their home village)” [Naishi Nairobi; Amenye Nairobi]. People consider themselves rooted in their home villiage. This is changing for 3-4th generation urbanites who loose their tribal languages and speak in only Kiswahili and English.
West Africa is much more urbanized than East Africa and more people define themselves as urbanites, thus the large urban churches in places like Ghana and Nigeria.
Gailyn
These are good questions. What you might fails to note, which would actually could help your argument, is that those who live in the cities still have village homes. There is always home to go back to and they do. This may not last another generation but for now, no one “is from” Nairobi although millions live there. I have heard the argument made that we should focus on towns because those who hear the gospel in towns will then take it back to the village. It has some merit. One thing I think that missionaries should know and have experience with is life in the village because as the saying goes, “you can to take the boy out of the village, but you cannot take the village out of the boy”. This is still true. Many Africans who appear western because they live in town and have taken up many western ways are often misunderstood because this phrase rings true to some extent. Stratigically, your view may be a very good option. However, the majority of Africans are still living in the village. My experience was that Jinja had three or four times (I may be wrong) the population in the day time than at night. There is more and more interaction between town and village for economic reasons, however, people still go back to the village. That was my experience where I lived. However, towns and cities will only grow over time because of economic reasons primarily. You comments and questions need more attention and consideration for the future. Especially with regards to your question about how we train missionaries to Africa.
Thanks for great insights, Ben. Your personal experience is a valuable resource!!
Mark, these are great questions! I understood your orientation as raising questions with how we in America are making assumptions about missions in Africa based on reality vs the 1950’s model.
It’s a troubling dilemma to consider that perhaps we have gained confidence from our finances and knowledge of technology and techniques to depend on success in missions instead of depending on a vibrant relationship with God and walking in the power of the Spirit. Perhaps we give technology because that’s what we have, instead of giving of the Spirit which we may be lacking. Perhaps we give cash to build buildings because it’s costs too much to give up our nice American life to live in Africa. Forgive me if I’m coming across as harsh, I’m just trying to acknowledge reality.
As one who as a young man took on the challenge of going into a large city (Moscow in 1991 with 13 million people is big, right?) with no previous existing church, I found that people are people. They all need Jesus like I do and are trying to find peace and joy. They know authenticity and love–even when they don’t speak your language. They, like me, were looking for a fellowship to encourage their pursuit of grace and truth–even if they didn’t know it.
I agree with you Mark, the cities are ripe brother! The cities are ripe! Now it’s time to pray for workers!
Mark,
There is some truth in what you are saying. Churches of Christ in Africa have been very similar to those in the USA. We have been strong strong for many years in small rural communities but have had to make major changes as the cultures have urbanized. You are, nonetheless, making generalizations that are exaggerated and distort the many changes taking place in the African church. For example, in the Kipsigis area of Kenya where I ministered as one of the first church planters, there have been church plantings in every major city (Kericho, Sotik, Litein, Bomet) and as new cities start churches are almost immediately being planted. The city a Accra, Ghana, has 45 Churches of Christ, almost all over 500 members, and the Nswam Road Church of Christ (http://ghanabible.org/0-AccraChurch.htm) has many services each Sunday and about 1,500 members. Your statements are perhaps right but could also be said of Churches of Christ in the USA 25-30 years ago. Africa is changing. Reflect on the article about “Modernity Sweeping Africa” at http://www.missiology.org/new/?p=183.
Thanks for your blog . . . which needs a little more grace and historical nuancing.
Gailyn
It takes an old roommate to straighten me out! Thanks, Gailyn. I know about some of the large urban African churches. My questions are really more about how WE are preparing people in the US to do missions than about how Africans are doing it themselves.