"Africa's Time Is Now"

The bold declaration "Africa's Time Is Now" as repeated often during a March 2016 gathering of several hundred Christian mission leaders I attended in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Rather than empty bravado, this assertion of African Christianity’s kairos is an insightful recognition of the trajectory of World Christianity. It is also a clarion call to the Church in Africa to exercise leadership within the worldwide Christian movement.

   Skeptics may hear an unsupportable pep talk that cannot face the undeniable reality of Africa’s lack of economic, political, military, and cultural influence – at least in comparison to that of the world’s "genuine" power brokers. What such skeptics overlook, however, is that Africa is in fact part of the world. And despite limited senses of world history some of us have inherited, African history is as substantial and ancient as any other part of the world’s history. Also, no matter if some psychological instincts say otherwise, Africans are full members of the human race – even if the only African news some of us notice is either bad or inconsequential for financial markets, political realities, vacation destinations, military concerns, or New Year’s fireworks celebrations.

   In Christian terms, no other continent has experienced the degree of growth over the past century as has Africa. Along with what the Argentine Pope Francis demonstrates, the worldwide Anglican Communion is as representative as any ecclesiastical tradition of the global demographic shift southward that has occurred. Moreover, such demographics are bearing fruit theologically, socially, and otherwise, as the January 2016 Anglican Primates’ meeting exemplifies in its landmark Communiqué on sexuality and related matters (http://www.anglicancommunion.org/media/206035/Communiqu%C3%A9_from_the_Primates_Meeting_2016.pdf). “Africa’s Time is Now” could have well served as the subtitle of that meeting officially entitled, “Walking Together in the Service of God in the World.”

   The March gathering in Addis Ababa was for further mobilizing churches in Africa for world mission and evangelization. The meeting's spirit and consensus was that the organizational, spiritual, financial, experiential, and human resources that God has given African churches have them well on their way in playing their roles for reaching the unreached still in Africa, as well as beyond Africa. National sub-meetings for prayer, strategy, research, networking, and otherwise participating in God’s mission were filled with determination and expectation for what lies immediately ahead. African ways of prayer, worship, and cooperating with Chinese Christians, for example, are at the forefront of African Christian mission leaders’ mission plans and resource allocation.

   “Africa’s Time Is Now.” God leads and works as he will, as well according to his time schedule. May we all trust him, praise him, pray, and follow him accordingly.