courier
A Quarterly Publication of Mennonite World Conference
Fourth Quarter 2000, Volume 15, Number 4
Discovering the Ethiopian Church in Weierhof, Germany
by Andrea Lange
In the fall we had the opportunity in the Weierhof Mennonite Church in Germany to personally meet two leadership couples from the Meserete Kristos Church (MKC) in Ethiopia. Meserete Kristos means "Christ is the foundation" (I Corinthians 3:11). It is the name the Mennonite Church in Ethiopia has chosen for itself.
At the beginning of the evening meeting with our congregation, Mulugeta Zewdie, the MKC general secretary, briefly described the Ethiopian church's current situation. The MKC congregations worshiped underground during the dictatorship in Ethiopia, which came to an end in 1992. During this time of persecution the MKC churches experienced phenomenal growth. The rapid rise in its membership is continuing even now. Church members contribute a lot of their time and money to the church.
Ethiopia is the third poorest country in the world. Its large debt load is hindering the development of the country's economy. Mulugeta named five challenges which MKC is facing:
- To get qualified leadership people for the churches (to meet this challenge MKC has developed a theological education program which includes six-week courses and a two-year Bible school). To construct places of worship for the growing churches (for example, 2,500 people come to the worship services of the congregation to which Mulugeta belongs).
- To unmask the false teachings in the country (following the dictatorship many religious sects invaded Ethiopia).
- To overcome the persecution which they are experiencing from the traditional religions in the country.
- To do evangelism in a country in which the people speak 80 different dialects.
We had the opportunity to ask our guests many questions, such as about the involvement and training of women in the church, and the reasons for the rapid growth of the churches. In their responses they underscored the importance of prayer, education, and spiritual nurture.
Our guests asked us questions, too. They wanted to know about our approach to pastoral leadership, the involvement of young people in our churches, and the importance of prayer in our lives. They asked us to pray for them and to send them more co-workers to work with the missions committee in Ethiopia.
I was impressed by the high level of our guests' personal commitment, and also by their sense of humor and their desire to learn.
The situation of the churches in our two lands is very different. Our churches in Germany have a long history and well-established structures; they, on the other hand, are a young church in the early stages of development. The cultures in which our two churches exist
are also different: we live in a modern, industrial context; they in a more agrarian, primitive type of setting. But in spite of this diversity we feel it is important for us to pursue the idea of developing a close partnership between the churches in our two countries.
Prompted by the challenges which Mulugeta listed as facing the church in Ethiopia, I would like to name five challenges which the Mennonite churches in Germany are facing.
- To be a peace church in a rich land, and to keep renewing our commitment to this goal.
- To bring our Anabaptist/Mennonite identity to the ecumenical dialogues in which we are engaged.
- To encourage solid theological training.
- To work at achieving unity and commitment among and within our churches.
- To encourage within our churches a variety of forms of community which are open and inviting.
Andrea Lange is the pastor of the Mennonite Church in Weierhof, Germany. From the March/April 2000 issue of Die Brücke, used by permission, translated by MWC staff.
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