A goal of interdependence

In December of 2006, Matt went to the Urbana international conference on missions.

At that conference, he saw a pastor from Kenya named Oscar Muriu give a speech called "The Global Church". The speech is striking in its clarity about the current state of Christianity in regards to the global church. Before I carry on about how I am so in love with this speech, here's an excerpt so you can read it for yourself:

"But the world has changed. And the church in the two-thirds world is alive and robust. And the Spirit of God is blowing in a new direction. How will this change the way the Western church conceptualizes missions today? As you today sense a call of God into missions, what is he calling you to? Are Western missionaries needed around the world anymore?

"Paul answers that question for us, in I Corinthians 12:14-27. And I read:

"Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the American church should say,
‘Because I am not African, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the Canadian church should say, ‘Because I am not Asian, I do not belong to the body’, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were European, where would the sense of joy be? And if the whole body were African, where would the sense of order be?

"But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The Canadian church cannot say to the Asian church, I don’t need you. And the American church cannot say to the African church, I don’t need you. On the contrary, the Asian parts that seem to be weaker are indispensable. And the African parts that we think are less honorable, should be treated with special honor. And the Latin American parts, that seem unpresentable, are [to be] treated with special modesty.

"While the presentable parts, like the big wealthy American church, need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it."

If you'd like to see a video of the speech or read the transcript, it's available online at: http://www.urbana.org/u2006.mediaplayer.pop.cfm?clip=132

I've watched and read this speech several times since Matt first showed it to me. I like it because it keeps me humble. I am reminded that if I go into the next year thinking that I'll be helping poor folks get better lives, I will miss the mark of what God really intends for his global church. Instead, I must take a stance of partnership and be willing to learn from the Honduran church and share what I've learned with the North American church, building the bridge for a healthy interdependence between the two. As the speech goes on, Muriu explains his question, "Are Western missionaries needed around the world anymore?". Yes, but let's rethink how missionaries work in what he calls a "new paradigm" of missions. Exchanges of people and ideas need to go both ways. "Our ultimate goal is interdependence, not independence," Muriu states.

That's a goal I can aim for.

--Katie