"what would you say to the church in the US?"

I was looking through some old college stuff the other night and ran across a bunch of essays and assignments of mine and my classmates who did the HNGR program (6 month internship with a non-profit in the developing world) at the same time as I did. One of our assignments was to interview a local pastor using prescribed personal and theological questions. The question asked that stuck out to me the most upon rereading some of them was "What would you say to the church in the US?"

This is significant because I think that most often, "the Church" in the US (and by that I mean mostly Protestant and Evangelical churches and sometimes Catholic and Pentecostal churches) sees itself as a leader in Evangelizing, in teaching, in missionizing and in works of compassion. We have seminars, we have bookstores, we have formal networks and colleges and schools and social organizations and political organizations and clubs and retreat centers and radio stations and tv channels and coffee houses and music and I could go on and on...and then we proceed to spread those thing overseas so that other may have the type of resources and the "Christianity" that we have. We have all of these things at our disposal that we are freely and sometimes aggressively spreading all over the world, and yet I don't think that anyone would deny that we are really not a Christian nation. However, when other countries (especially in the developing world) look at the US, they see us as a "Christian nation".

But the ironic thing is that America is no longer the captain of the team (so to speak) insofar as leading the world in having a Christian following or being concerned with the Kingdom of God. Europe has already been "secularized" and much of America is already falling suit. The new Christian "epicenter" so to speak no longer resides in the global north but has (and is) shifting to the global south...to Africa and Asia and Latin America. So how ironic is it that we, with all of the resources, at times continue to send, send, send to other places that may just be stronger in terms of Christian leadership than we, and we don't do a whole lot of receiving?

More attention has to be paid to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters overseas in the developing world because they are the new and future leaders of Christianity and we need to listen to them. We just happen to still hold the microphone. We need to give them a mic on the world stage and not just show up in their countries armed with "Evangecubes". We need to receive from them as much as we give. We need to recognize that maybe the American church is not only no longer the "captain" of the team, but that we are also on the sidelines more than we realize.

Here are some snapshots of their answers to the question, "What would you say to the church in the US?"

Pastor Smucker (Prophet/Pastor) of Bethel World Outreach International – Buduburam in a refugee camp of Liberians in Ghana

"I would want to say personally to the West that it is time to help the church take responsibility, moral responsibility, for ourselves, and not be dependent upon the West…Like before we had to receive Bibles, we had to receive food, we had to receive clothes, but this word of God is able, the power of this word of God is able, to supply our need.
My own message to the West would be to get encouraged, get involved in the sending aspect, the sending aspect of missionaries where people have not been reached, where the Gospel has not reached. Get acquainted with Africans. Let them do the job and let them do the job themselves. Before they sent missionaries, and missionaries came and went back, and missionaries had to stay for 45 years, but rather train the Africans. Let Africans get trained and discipled to do the work themselves. Let them take responsibility, I believe that will be really meaningful to the church in Africa.”

Assistant Pastor of Kumi Pentecostal Assemblies of God Church in the Teso Region, Uganda

“There is so much happening in the West that doesn’t please God, and these things should not happen. Things like homosexuality, manufacturing weapons, sponsoring wars, the enormous drug trade, which is illegal, but began in the West. Let people focus instead on God’s Word: Why did Jesus die for us? What are the dos and don’ts of the kingdom? Instead, the West is promoting very bad things. Although they condemn many things, they also do them.”

Pastor Maow of TLC Church (Assemblies of God), Chiang Mai, Thailand

“I would tell them that we need to make a partnership. We need to support one another in prayer. It’s not about money, but networking.
I know what works in Thailand (in the church). I trust that people in other churches in other countries know their own way. Some ways of doing things we disagree on because the deeper way is not understood. Some believe (arrogantly) that they know what we should do. For example, Koreans bring to Thailand their own way of doing things. People here see that and say, ‘That is not our way, not our lifestyle.’
When this church was started, there were problems because an American missionary did things the American way. After some significant leadership problems between myself and him, he came to talk to me and apologized. Now there are a lot of things to fix in the church. The original people coming at that time saw everything being done the American way and didn’t look at me as the leader.

Things are better now as new people have come in. Before, the congregation did not listen to me. I felt like people in the church just came to have fun. (At this time, the church was heavily involved in YWAM English outreaches.) Now new people are coming and the church is growing."

Pastor Sameh Maguib of an Evangelical Church in Cairo, Egypt

“We are in need of the prayers and help of the Western church, in a variety of ways and methods. We appreciate their support. Pray also for us as we are seeking to address the social problems around us such as drug use. We also need more ministers and pastors. People these days don’t desire to become a pastor."

Christine Matemu (lay leader of congregation Charismatic movement) of Majengo Catholic Church in Arusha, Tanzania

“Repent of sins, share the gospel, and come be with us. Africa loves you and wants you to know the joy of Christ”

Santos Isidro Jejurge Acosta “Chiro” of a small church in El Naranjo, Honduras

He asks for prayer and aid/help for the Honduran church. He also expressed that he wants to thank the American church as it has been very helpful to Honduras.

Pastor Romilton of the church in Kalyanpuri, India

“Let people come from there, let them see and have more burden. Let them pray for North India and if God gives them a burden, let them support the church. We want their prayers.”

Pastor John Mastern of Capital City Baptist Church in Lilongwe, Malawi

“Churches in the west have to understand the African church in its context. Our churches came out of cultural background. Christianity came around the eighteen hundreds. People are being transformed to leave this culture to a new culture that is why it is a process. Roman Catholic couldn’t allow people to sing in their own cultural way, with drums and so forth, they believed it to be demonic. In this culture we have a chief, and so much reverence is given to the chief, you kneel down before him. And the message speaks of another one more powerful that the Chief. We kneel and give respect not just for sake of fear but reverence. And so you see when Americans come to church putting on shorts they are not giving respect because they see him as my Father. In western culture it is so easy to understand that. But in Malawi when a son addresses his Father he looks down—there is so much respect...
The media is somehow biased in their portrayal of Africa, especially in Malawi. They don’t believe that anyone can make it. When I was in the States people were so surprised to see me wearing nice clothes, preaching in a big church, and pursuing my Mastors. Misconceptions are there...
The Western Church has a lot of resources; some are just misusing them. When I was in the US I went to a church that had cost 65 million USD to build. It had a gym for the young people and for the old people. The carpet matched the ceiling. Capacity building of the local people is important. Because they are able to identify-when they see me a Malawian is equipped and trained they begin to believe they can do it too. Several of us should be equipped and empowered.”

Pastor Lester of El Shaddai Baptist Church in Granada, Nicaragua

“Two things: One, that they be praying for us, and, two, that they continue obeying the Lord.”

Pastor Nirand Dtamee (native of Burma) of Eternal Life Church (Bible Presbyterian) in Chiang Mai, Thailand

“Revive yourselves! As a church that was one of those that first brought Christianity to many parts of the world you need to continue to show a good example. The best and the worst come from America. There are good churches there and strong Christians but there are also strange things that come out of that country. Go back to the Bible and follow it. Come back to the right road. I do not really want to comment too much on specific issues but I want to say that as a former leader you have to set a good example for the many people who look to you. Even now, if people here want to further their Christian education most still have to go to the USA because we can only get primary Christian education in the East. So you have to continue to be grounded in the Bible so that those who need to learn from you can learn the kind of Christianity that honors God.”