What Three Things Concern Us Most?
Mennonite Leaders from Around the World Reflect
Editors’ Note: In the following collection of short reflections, seven leaders from around the world talk about matters of concern to them, especially about the church within their own countries or continents. They speak personally, not officially. We invite all readers to prayer and consideration of these issues.
From Ronald Lizwe Moyo, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
1. I love my church and have never considered leaving it for another, yet even so, there are some issues that concern me in its attitudes and governance.
In my country the church can boast of having some of the most skilled, professional, and gifted people in the community. Unfortunately, on Sundays these gifted people just come into the church and remain on back benches. They leave the gifts which have brought success to their workplaces in their offices. They are not willing to bring this expertise to the church. This holding back of gifts and skills has crippled the church.
Why can’t the administrators unleash their expertise in the church? This action would lessen some of the stress in the administration of the church so that more energy could go to the spiritual ministry of the church. Why can’t the financial experts who have brought prosperity to their business empires do the same for the church? Healthy church budgets would be great vehicles for promoting outreach ventures.
I do not think it is right for people to benefit from church membership and yet not be willing to serve it. I think church leadership should also step out and boldly invite them to unlock their skills and get involved. With both human and material resources in place, the ministers would be able to better service their flocks.
2. The human spirit is forever searching for a place to belong. The church has the potential to be a place of healing and rest for the hungry and searching soul. That is why on Sundays when the Christians go to church, those who do not belong to or go to any church often say, “Please pray for us, too.” It bothers me that in spite of all these ready opportunities for ministry, the church is not as warm a body as it should be. It is not friendly to those who don’t belong or hold the same views as it does. It ostracizes “the sinners.”
To the poor and less privileged in society the church is very overbearing, yet it divorces itself from social issues and is often unfriendly to the politician.
In its self-righteous stance the church does not accommodate the views of those of differing beliefs, so to the outsiders it is perceived as a body which is at war with itself. Just now we are confronted by the HIV/AIDS scourge. I think it is scandalous that the “worldly organizations” were in the forefront of reaching out to the sick and dying among us while the church was more concerned about how the victims contracted the disease and whose fault it was.
I think we Christians need to reexamine ourselves. We need to portray our joy in what we believe. We chose to be Christians. We were not forced. We have something good to share with the world, and the world wants what we have. Even company directors are happy to employ Christian workers. Let’s be warm, accommodating, and happy.
3. When Christianity was first introduced to us, we were taught and told about God. Much later, the Bibles came into our hands and we could read for ourselves. Today the Word is accessible in every household which may care enough to seek it.
It concerns me that though we have the Scriptures more readily available, there are issues which have almost brought division in the church. We are failing to resolve them because of different interpretations of the Bible. In the same church body there are differing views about understanding the person and role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Mass prayer and speaking in tongues are issues. The whole matter of a charismatic worship style is controversial. A gap has developed between young people and the older generation.
I believe the theologians need to take a stand and give us guidance from the Scriptures. What does the Word say concerning these issues? I know some dialogue has failed because of arrogance on the part of one or both partners, yet if we want to be true to what we say we believe, we need to go back to the Scriptures and let them guide us to good healthy relationships.
Ronald Lizwe Moyo is the former Director for the Brethren in Christ (BIC) Church Youth Program. He is currently employed as an officer for Emthunzini Wethemba, an institution for the rehabilitation of street kids in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. He and his wife Sukoluhle are the parents of two children. He is a member of Pumula BIC Church.
From Nicolas Largaespada Alvarez, Nicaragua
1. I have a concern about doctrines and teachings. I live in the capital of Nicaragua. The pastors in the country keep the teachings they received when the missionaries arrived: for instance, practicing wearing prayer veilings for women and long dresses, but with no jewelry, and not watching TV nor listening to music other than evangelical music.
In the capital it is difficult to observe these teachings. The pastors in the country are always questioning those in the capital about why they do not keep the principles taught by the missionaries.
In our last meeting, the pastors agreed to seek one position regarding these issues. For that purpose they are planning to analyze and discuss the matter. Pastors, Sunday school teachers, and theology instructors of the Biblical Institute will participate.
For me, this is a source of distress. If they want to adopt a single position, somebody is going to be excluded or will exclude him- or herself. Until now we have lived together in spite of these differences. I think it will be very difficult to arrive at a single position. I know that other leaders are also concerned about this.
2. I am one of eight teachers at the Biblical Institute in Nicaragua, and I am also a pastor. This August we offered a one-week seminar on Anabaptist/Mennonite history in eight different areas of the country. Between 20 and 30 pastors attended in each group. In these seminars the students are given an anthology to study and questions to answer. They also bring their reactions to discuss in class.
Included in the anthology is a document that said that Menno Simons believed that Jesus Christ was only divine. Menno interpreted that Jesus did not take from Mary any human nature. The students wondered whether Menno’s idea was the inspiration of the anti-Christ (I John 4:3). This position was also upheld by some other Christians of Menno’s time.
The uneasy question from the students was, if we come to the conclusion that Menno was heretical, should we continue to be called Mennonites?
I am certain there is a satisfactory answer, and I am getting ready to help our students to grapple with this matter and to arrive at our own conclusions.
3. How can the Anabaptist/Mennonite principles be kept today? The context in which the Anabaptists of the sixteenth century lived was very different from ours.
There are technological advances, the little time our busy people have to pay attention to history when they have to overwork to make ends meet, the attraction of consumerism. . .
I feel it is not possible to live in the past. Neither should we forget the past.
How can modern people put into practice in their lives those historical paradigms that have to do with the way the Anabaptists struggled, lived, and died?
Nicolas Largaespada Alvarez is a pastor in Managua, Nicaragua. He is a member of the Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee representing Latin America.
From Lydia Penner, Den Haag, The Netherlands
1. The first concern I have has to do with our commitment to God and Jesus, for I think we are distracted too much from our love for God. We have become very concerned about many things — things in the structure of the church, in the organization of activities, in dealing with the problems in the society around us, also in the logistics of our personal lives.
I’m sure we do many good things in all those areas, but we are in danger of losing sight of what it is all about; of losing contact with the central issue, which is our love for God. This concern includes me and all church people. I’m not thinking of any church in particular, for I’ve noticed it when I talked to people on buses, trains, airplanes. I’ve seen it in Canada, in Taize; it is a universal church issue.
This neglect is a bad thing, for if the love for God is not central in your life anymore you lose the warmth, the joy, the fulfillment that relationship with God gives us. We then also become less concerned about our commitment to the people around us.
You need inspiration for that commitment, and for me that inspiration comes from God in Jesus. If we are not careful to maintain a relationship with God, we are in greater danger of becoming islands of egoism.
2. I am concerned that the church can become too self-absorbed. There is a tendency to be so concerned about the survival of the church as we now know it, at least in the Netherlands, that we are sometimes in danger of ignoring the needs of the world around us. I’m not saying we don’t do anything, but this concern with survival can go too far. Globally people are more concerned with their personal salvation, or that their personal needs are met in church. We can so easily lose spiritual strength that is necessary if we are to be meaningful to society. We should be there for everybody who comes our way, including, for instance, the Moslim or Hindu people who live in our city. We have to bring love to them; that is the essence of the Gospel. That love may address physical and spiritual needs. We have to be open to the fact that many people have spiritual needs.
3. I am also concerned about women in the church, about the balance between women and men in the church. As we understand from Genesis, God made humanity male and female, and both have to reflect the image of God and do that together. A church can never become the full image of God if the Spirit is limited in the use of the talents that are available.
If a church has rules that exclude women from leadership or from being a preacher, those rules limit the Holy Spirit. Women have the same responsibility to reflect the image of God as men. A church that does not permit that leadership is handicapped.
In essence we are the image of God. But in us this image has become tarnished. We have to regain it. For that recovery we have to turn to Jesus. He has both male and female qualities, which is why women feel attracted to him, as we see in the New Testament.
This concern is true for the men and women in leadership, but there should also be a balance in membership. In the Dutch Mennonite churches men are under-represented, and that is not good.
Lydia Penner is pastor at Den Haag (Netherlands) Mennonite Church. She was born in Steinbach, Manitoba, worked for MCC in Germany, and studied theology in The Netherlands.
From Ambrocio L. Porincula, the Philippines
1. My foremost concern has to do with missions. The goal of every church should be to be a church-planting church, a soulwinning church. I hope in the next 10-20 years, the Philippine Mennonite Church will be a self-supporting and sending church. We have sent one woman missionary to Hong Kong in cooperation with the Hong Kong Mennonite Church, with some support from Eastern Mennonite Missions (U.S.). We are looking at the possibility of developing a program for youth, ages 18-30, in partnership with Global Disciples of the Lancaster (PA) Mennonite Conference (U.S.), that would allow the young people to do both evangelism and service. Fifty percent of the youth would come from the Philippines; 50 percent would come from other countries. They would be trained and then sent out together.
I am always encouraging our churches to have their own livelihood projects, from their own initiatives. Churches that have their own sources of income can help support church-planting. I pray that God will give a person to lead in that kind of ministry, to help the financial needs of our churches.
2. Another concern I have is to develop education among Filipino church leaders so we can be identified as true Mennonite-Anabaptists. Most of our pastors come from different independent churches. Most are poor farmers living in modest areas who don’t have money to go to school. We have district Bible schools that go to the pastors. The instructors are trained in Anabaptist theology, and they are training the pastors. And we have a small Bible school in the northern Philippines supported by Eastern Mennonite Missions. I have a vision to make it a good facility in 10 years.
My training was in the military. I experienced the kind of politics in the Philippines that I consider the dirtiest politics in the world. In my army training base, bold letters in front of the door said, “Kill your enemy.” When I came to know Jesus, I was shocked to learn from the Bible, “Love your enemies.” I had to dig deep. I had to ask my pastor for books. I learned about Anabaptist theology. Now I urge my pastors to practice nonviolence. I tell them, “First be loyal to God, and second to the church where you belong — an Anabaptist church.”
3. Another concern I have is helping the needs of the community; cooperating with social and economic agencies. The church is not practicing this enough. We give more importance to our own needs. I tell my pastors, “Practice what you preach. Be a good example.”
Churches can create jobs, not only for themselves, but also for nonbelievers. Nonbelievers work in my small factory. When I am home, we have 10 to 30 minutes of Bible study and prayer in the factory first thing in the morning. It is a way for them to hear the Gospel. Ninety percent of the workers have been converted.
Ambrocio L. Porcincula is one of four Mennonite bishops in the Philippines and moderator of the four districts. He is a rice farmer and business man and the grandfather of three little girls.
From John Lapp, the United States
1. My first concern is the Biblical literacy of the church. Nearly all North American Mennonites and Brethren in Christ know how to read, but they appear to know less and less about the Bible. Many of us do not read the Bible regularly and study it far less.
Understanding the Bible doesn’t just happen — it is not the result of merely knowing the words. Biblical literacy requires an understanding of what the writer was saying, the context in which it was said, listening to the Spirit as we translate the original text for the 21st century church situation.
The traditional ways in which we learned to understand the Bible no longer appear to be working very well. Sunday School today often substitutes other readings for the Bible. Sermons are usually limited to 15 to 20 minutes and are expected to capture the attention rather than teach. Families are too preoccupied to study the scriptures together. Only a few gain a depth of understanding in the scriptures in our schools, colleges, and seminaries.
The church thrives best when the Bible is central to its life, when members are familiar with the great stories of the Bible and discern their meaning in the context of the church. The Bible as sourcebook of the church requires Biblical literacy.
2. My second concern has to do with the nature of the Christian life which is frequently given the label spirituality. Contemporary consciousness of the nonphysical dimensions of existence and the influence of Pentecostalism within the Christian movement have pushed spirit and spirituality to the forefront. A fully developed spirituality focuses on the embodiment of the character of God in the flesh. It is lived experience, a disciplined life of prayer, Bible study, and action committed to loving God and one’s neighbor.
An emphasis on spirituality in the church is always necessary. The recent emphasis on spirituality has been a healthy corrective to a theology that sometimes becomes too scientific and intellectual. Spirituality, however, sometimes focuses on the interior and the subjective qualities of the faith at the expense of the objective, worldly character of the incarnate gospel. Spirituality ought to connect Biblical themes with the nittygritty business of life.
The Mennonite and Brethren in Christ calling within the Christian family is to accentuate the ethical character of spirituality which we have called discipleship. This spirituality means following the path of Jesus as a covenant community. Spirituality requires moral discernment in the church and expression by the living body of Christ.
3. My third concern for the church has to do with the practice of mission.
How do we practice world mission now when there are churches on location in almost all countries? Now that Mennonites and Brethren in Christ have become a truly global body, is it time for American mission agencies to decrease — John-the-Baptist style — so that the global body of Christ can assume its rightful place as the centerpiece of continuing world mission?
Today there are more Mennonites in the Congo than in Canada, more Brethren in Christ in Zimbabwe than in the United States, more Mennonites in Andra Pradesh, India, than in Pennsylvania. Churches are growing conspicuously without specialized mission agencies. It would be inappropriate to take the mission society model into an environment which is more akin to the growth patterns of the early church.
The global church expects us to do mission differently. Workers, administrators, and boards will want to accept the initiative of the church on location. This is not easy for North Americans who have been accustomed to asserting leadership and providing direction.
John A. Lapp, Akron, Pennsylvania, USA, is Mennonite Central Committee Executive Secretary Emeritus and director of MWC’s Global History Project.
From Hugo Moreira, Uruguay
What is going on in Latin America urges us to advocate for an integrated gospel for the whole person.
Globalization should have had beneficial consequences for all the peoples of the world. Far from that, it is having a disastrous effect on many people’s wellbeing. The Latin American church is witnessing people’s suffering from lack of food, of healthcare, of education.
The 16th century Anabaptists reflected life realities of their times and contexts. Their biblical theology in general and the interpretation of the Anabaptist vision in particular came to us in Latin America from North American and European sources. It is time for Latin American Anabaptists to seek to be a church with more Latin American color and shape. I would like to see the church, North and South, contextualizing the message of the gospel and incarnating the Good News of Jesus Christ.
I am concerned about the quality of leaders we are helping to form. There are those that do not allow their sheep to become leaders because they are afraid to lose their prerogatives. In that way they frustrate the possibility of choosing David, the little shepherd, with his potential.
The way leaders should be formed is by modeling. This method has to do with our concept of church. We don’t go to church; we are the church. If we are the church, we are like Christ. If we are like Christ, we are models.
Jesus warned us, “I did not come to be served, but to serve.” Jesus is the leader par excellence, the servant leader. When leaders have that quality, we have a servant church. A servant leader is one who speaks with persons about the things that really hurt them. Many people come to church seeking what the church can do for them, what God can do for them. As soon as possible, they leave with their miracle. We wonder, then, where we failed.
The good leader should seek to help each member to become a servant leader, functioning in the body in the particular way that has been given to him or her.
Hugo Moreira is a pastor in Montevideo, Uruguay. He is a member of the Mennonite World Conference Executive Committee representing Latin America.
From Enock Shampani, Zambia
1. If you had asked me this question some time ago, the order of my priorities might have been different. As of now, I am inclined to place the need for peace in the world as a priority. It is at the top of my list for world affairs as well as continental ones.
War has brought untold suffering to humanity. My own continent has no peace to talk of. It is dogged by civil wars and displacement of people. This situation wreaks havoc on families and the whole fabric of society. It is not only the disturbance of wars, but the pain and suffering endured by the many innocent people, which bothers me.
Many countries in Africa are the homes of refugees from neighboring countries. In Zambia alone, we have about 180,000 refugees. Most of these come from Angola and the Congo. They need shelter, food, clothing, medical care, and love.
2. Another of my concerns is the relevance of the church in this day and age. What we preach in the church is not what we live. There are some areas where we are not changing people’s lives. We are not making a difference. Our continent is clouded with poverty, crime, and disease, which go hand in hand. They are related. For this reason I say we should be “my brother’s keeper.” When I know that my brother has indulged in crime because of poverty I feel certain responsibility. I believe when God created the earth he placed enough natural resources to meet the needs of all of us. No one should lack, because there is enough to sustain us all. The problem is in an unwillingness to share by those who have been blessed with more or who have had a way of tapping into those resources.
3. The issue of HIV/AIDS, and the church’s involvement in the fight against it, is something I feel strongly about. The church should be the salt of the world. It should be the light. Everyone should learn from the church. For a long time we have been silent when it comes to confronting HIV/AIDS. We can’t turn a blind eye to what we see around us. Neither can we turn a deaf ear to the plight of the orphans crying for love and care. We should adopt a holistic approach to dealing with HIV/AIDS because it challenges the whole Christian fabric.
I have challenged the preachers to speak about HIV/AIDS from the pulpit. We need to break the silence. I have said to my dear wife, “If I should die of AIDS, I do not expect you to lie to the people. I would want you to tell the truth because that is the only way we can hope to destroy the fear which is gripping all people.”
In the Zambian church we make use of every major gathering to talk about HIV/AIDS. We are strengthening existing community, home-based care initiatives and moving towards training more peer educators, especially among the youth. We are making a special effort to reach the children in our boarding schools, as well as those who leave school and are at home and vulnerable. We have a challenge. We can make a difference.
Enock Shamapani is a bishop in the Brethren in Christ Church in Zambia, and a member of the MWC General Council.
Members of the MWC communication team interviewed most of the persons included in the preceding articles: Doris Dube interviewed Enock Shamapani and Lizwe Moyo; Ed van Straten interviewed Lydia Penner; Ferne Burkhardt interviewed Ambrocio Porcincula; and Milka Rindzinski interviewed Hugo Moreira and Nicolas Largaespada Alvarez.
