The Missio Dei in Africa

This is the fourth and last posting for the Africa paper. Through this paper I have explored the possibilities of thinking missionaly in a global context such as Africa. I am sure that those who know Africa best will give me good feedback as we discuss this on the 8th. The following is the conclusion to this paper. I would love to hear any feedback that you may have.

CONCLUSION

In a globalizing world it is becoming more and more common for any of us to live very near people of other cultures, other religions or other languages who are separated from the Gospel. These neighbors are not separated because there is an ocean between them and people who can share the Gospel. They are separated from the Gospel because of barriers such as culture, religion, language, etc. The mission field in a globalized world is both across the street from where we live and is also across the world. It is the whole church which must find strategies and means to work out our own salvation as we live into God’s mission.
For us to be a missional community we should:
 Affirm that our primary vocation is to be Christian. God is the source of mission and God is the source of our life.
 Be incarnational as we develop means in which the messenger is the message of the Gospel. The means and methods which we employ should be means and methods which are used in incarnational ways.
 Affirm that the whole church is sent to make Christ-like disciples. Instead of missions being an additional program for a few people, we should work toward strategies which move the church to being a sent church which makes Christ-like disciples.
 It means that mission is the nature of the church wherever it may exist. As soon as new churches are formed, and people come into the fellowship of the church, they share the DNA of a sent people. Strategies must include ways to mentor new believers in this vein.
 Be interdependent with other Christians as we devise strategies and plans which build the Kingdom of God through collaboration.
Missiologist Andrew Kirk said it well: “The Church is by nature missionary to the extent that, if it ceases to be missionary, it has not just failed in one of its tasks, it has ceased being Church” (30). We live in a time of incredible opportunity in which the triune God calls the whole Church to be the missionary in the whole earth and to join in His mission of seeking and saving that which is lost. The Church of the Nazarene has a great history of missions. Today, however, is our day. Today, God has given you and me life and He has told us, “as the Father sent me, so send I you.” As we work toward strategies for the missionary church, we must focus with intensity on God’s mission to incarnate his message in the sent church until that day that we gather around the Lamb of God as a community which comes from every nation, language and people and proclaim:

"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!"