64 - Church on the Move - Africa
2023 No 64
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
—Psalm 34:18
Africa is experiencing a revival on an unprecedented scale. In 1910, when Western Christianity believed itself to be at its greatest strength, the number of Christians in the world stood at 600 million, with only 9-12 million of those believers in Africa.1 Today, in slightly over one hundred years, the number of Christians in Africa is nearing 700 million. And that number may well double in the next thirty years! It truly is incredible to behold. This growth is the testimony to early missional efforts from the West and the amazing work of the Holy Spirit.2
However, the source of this incredible growth may lie much more with the African people themselves. Africa is a religious continent. Traditional religion is a part of her foundational roots. People have a belief in a spirit world that controls everything. Despite their best efforts or historical intentions, these belief structures simply cannot do what the Lord can do. Our God is relational, one who adopts us into His family, holds our hands through difficult days and comforts us through suffering.
This kind of relationship is very attractive to a lost world, particularly in Africa. We should not be surprised that the gospel has taken hold among her people or that the church is expanding across Africa. The love of Christ is viral, and His capacity to change lives is unstoppable. The consequence of this revival is that Christ is having an impact on the movements of His people and their global capacity to engage a lost world with the gospel. In this post, we want to briefly examine the African church in the places of origin for sub-Saharan migrants. She can be described along two primary theological lines; Pentecostal and Evangelical.
Pentecostal and Evangelical Christianity represent the two largest and fastest-growing traditions of our day. Each encompasses a broad swath of Christian beliefs and is in a constant state of evolution. I urge caution with the generalizations presented below. Most of what I suggest will be true, but it may not be accurate!3
African Pentecostalism
So what is Pentecostalism? Such is a difficult question to answer. Classical Pentecostalism would assert their distinctiveness in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the evidence of speaking in tongues.5 And yet, across the years, that has changed. Today, some would state that “being Pentecostal essentially means being dependent on the Spirit’s equipping and divine intervention.”6 As you can tell, that is quite an evolution of thought. And… under the latter definition... many believers could embrace this tradition. In the end, perhaps the most distinctive sign of the Pentecostal tradition is an unapologetic focus on the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.
How did Pentecostalism arrive in Africa? Most believe it came in three waves. The first wave followed the Azuza Street revival of 1906 in the United States.7 As with other spiritual awakenings, it birthed and sent missionaries, such as John Lake, around the world. Migrations and movements during and following two world wars accentuated their efforts, planting seeds globally.8 A second wave came again in the 1960s with the proliferation of broadcast media and air travel. This allowed Pentecostal evangelists such as Oral Roberts and Jimmy Swagart to traverse the world via airwaves and in person. Their charismatic influence left historical denominational structures intact, yet created a space for a predominant focus on the Holy Spirit.9 A prime example can be found in the African Anglican church.10 She is thoroughly Pentecostal, yet liturgically Anglican. The third wave followed in the 1970s, as apostolic leaders began to leave those existing churches and establish independent neo-Charismatic or neo-Pentecostal churches.11 It was in these churches that the excesses of prosperity teaching became most evident.12 They represent a growing movement whose future is yet to be determined.
It is estimated that 45% of Africa is Christian, of whom two-thirds are Pentecostal.13 Such should not be much of a surprise. Pentecostalism strongly focuses on the Holy Spirit, through which God directly confronts the underlying struggles of African culture.14 Those with traditional backgrounds find it easy to understand and assimilate a Christian "Spirit" deity into their worldview. Remember that we tend to define theological perspectives in the West by what people believe. In Africa, they tend to define religion by what people do. Their faith spreads because it moves beyond the theoretical. It is pragmatic, meets the needs of the moment, and offers more than just eternal life in the future… it promises abundant life today.
African Pentecostal churches can be found across the continent, and their people are making a global impact.15 Large churches from Nigeria and Ghana have branches around the world. The largest is the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).16 Their stated goal is… “to plant churches within five minutes walking distance in every city and town of developing countries and within five minutes driving distance in every city and town of developed countries.”17 They claim to have nearly ten million members, in thirty-eight thousand parishes in over two hundred countries. In almost every place we have been, we have found RCCG churches led by immigrant pastors ministering to the immigrant community.
African Evangelicalism
The second theological perspective found across Africa can be called Evangelicalism. As with Pentecostalism, it is a broad term that does not come without controversy.18 David Bebington has offered a definition of classical evangelicalism.19 In essence, evangelicals are defined as those who hold a high regard for Scripture, stress the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, believe that people need to be saved from their sins and that their function is to proclaim the gospel. Most place the number of African evangelicals at nearly 170 million.20
A surprising number of pastors and congregations across the African continent would theologically identify as Evangelical. And… not all of them are consistent within their denominational practice. For example, many Anglican churches oppose their liberal counterparts in the Church of England.21 One could sit in many Catholic fellowships and hear a clear gospel presentation, preached from a Bible cherished as inspired, and encouraged to carry that message into a lost world. I have met with many pastors under the banner of independent neo-Pentecostal churches. Yet, in their fellowships, one will find that their theology and practice are quite Evangelical.22 Such serves to remind us that we must be careful not to make assumptions about any individual church.
As with Pentecostals, mainline Evangelical churches across Africa are doing a tremendous job of engaging their communities for Christ. I have sat in Baptist, Assembly of God, Christian Missionary Alliance, Anglican, Catholic, and a host of other churches, led by Godly members, serving their communities in incredible ways. They often have bi-vocational pastors who sacrifice much to fulfill their callings. Some are part of large denominations from Ghana, Togo, Zambia, Tanzania, and South Africa. Others are much more isolated, serving in rural West Africa or the Islamic Sahel. I have been blessed in every one of these churches, have experienced the presence of our Lord, and have witnessed His hand as He changes the lives of those who follow Him.
Missional Capacity of the African Church
From a migration perspective, the African churches of this post are those stationed at the points of origin. They are the birthplace of sub-Saharan migration. That puts them in an excellent position to prepare and send missionaries worldwide. We have often noted that migratory routes service a diverse array of people. We know that when Christians migrate, they take their faith with them. The quality of that faith often depends upon the local church from which they come. Those churches that have done well to disciple their youth and young adults are sending, even if unintentionally, believers who will live and share their faith along the way.
Now... imagine the effectiveness of churches who recognize their potential to send missionaries intentionally. Many immigrant pastors in the zones of transition and destination were sent by their churches to establish points of light in dark places. Many were either explicitly trained for the task or were supported in their efforts once they arrived. There is a movement in Africa today… it is one to take up the mantle of the Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
Conclusion
As we started this post, we celebrate the great revival that is happening in Africa today. Short of the first century and the reformation, it may be one of the most significant movements in all of church history. Let us remember that the African church is still in her infancy. For the most part, she is less than one hundred years old. And in that century, she has seen millions come to faith and is beginning to send her children as ambassadors of Christ around the world. Her potential is beyond measure.
There are those who may be critical of some of the directions the African church has moved in recent years. (In particular, her neo-pentecostal leanings.) That criticism is well founded. It will take steady hands, solid leadership, and a clear commitment from African leaders to keep the African church on a healthy pathway. But before we become too critical, let us remember that it took the early church (our forefathers) almost three hundred years before she could get her theology on Christ straight! I am sure that during those days, many feared the worst. But the church is the bride of Christ, and He has a way of caring for her. If He could do the same for the early church, I have confidence He will do so for the African church. My prayer is that it does not take 300 years!
In the meantime, let us celebrate her victories, pray for her growth, and stand beside her as God works through His church to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth.
1 See Brian Stanley, The World Missionary Conference, Edinburgh 1910 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 1-2. 2 See also Bruce Drake, Number of Christians Rises, but Their Share of World Population Stays Stable (Washington DC: Pew Research Center, 2013). And Pew Research Center, Global Christianity - a Report on the Size and Distribution of the World’s Christian Population (Washington, 2011).
2 Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2011), 10.
3 Famous quotation of Dr. Chuck Kelley, president of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
4 Daewon Moon, "Pentecostalism in African Christianity: The Formation and Scope of a Distinctive Spirituality," Lausanne Glogal Analysis 10, no. 1 (2021).
5 See Gary B. McGee, Initial Evidence: Historical and Biblical Perspectives on Pentecostal Doctrine of Spirit Baptism (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers, 1991). See also Daniel Castelo, Pentecostalism as a Christian Mystical Tradition (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2017), 132-148.
6 Randy Hurst, "The Spirit in the World", Assemblies of God https://news.ag.org/en/Features/The-Spirit-in-the-World (accessed May 22, 2022). Interestingly enough, this perspective of Pentecostalism allowed one church pastor to acknowledge that speaking in tongues was not required to be a Pentecostal, and that “characteristic” was beginning to fade in many circles.
7 I recognize that this is a hotly debated topic. Not everyone, including many African scholars, would disagree with this premise. See Ogbu Kalu, African Pentecostalism: An Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), 10.
8 Cecil M. Robeck, "Pentecostal Origins from a Global Perspective," in All Together in One Place: Theological Papers from the Brighton Conference on World Evangelism, ed. Harold Hunter and Peter Hocken (Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1993), 170. See also Denzil Miller, From Azusa to Africa to the Nations (Springfield: AIA Publications, 2015), 28, 48.
9 J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, "Your Miracle Is on the Way: Oral Roberts and Mediated Pentecostalism in Africa," Spiritus 3, no. 1 (2018): 5.
10 Randy Arnett was a renowned IMB missionary in West Africa, considered by most to be one of the foremost scholars on African neo-Pentecostalism. See Randy Arnett, “Pentecostalization: The Changing Face of Baptists in West Africa” (The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012), 56.
11 J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, "Pentecostalism and the Transformation of the African Christian Landscape," in Pentecostalism in Africa: Presence and Impact of Pneumatic Christianity in Postcolonial Societies, ed. Martin Lindhardt (Leiden: Brill Academic, 2015), 100. See also "Pentecostalism in Nigeria", Harvard Divinity School https://rpl.hds.harvard.edu/faq/pentecostalism-nigeria (accessed April 15, 2023).
12 See "Historical Overview of Pentecostalism in Nigeria", Pew Research Center https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2006/10/05/historical-overview-of-pentecostalism-in-nigeria/ (accessed April 15, 2023). See also Luis Lugo and Andrew Kohut, Spirit and Power: A 10-Country Survey of Pentecostals (Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center, 2006).
13 Douglas G. Jacobsen, The World's Christians: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Got There, Second edition. ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2020), 35.
14 Asamoah-Gyadu, Pentecostalism and the Transformation of the African Christian Landscape, 100.
15 Ibid.
16 Adedamola Osinulu, "A Transnational History of Pentecostalism in West Africa," History Compass 15 (2017): 9.
17 RCCG, "Rccg: Mission and Vision", Redeemed Christian Church of God https://www.rccg.org/mission-and-vision/ (accessed April 15, 2023).
18 Terminology plays a key here. Capital “E”vangelicals are defined based upon a theological definition. See D. W. Bebbington, The Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age of Spurgeon and Moody (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 23. The core of Bebbingtons quadrilateral is that four qualities have been the special marks of evangelical religion. 1) Conversionism is the belief that lives need to be changed; 2) activism is the expression of gospel effort; 3) Biblicism is a particular regard for the Bible; and 4) crucicentrism is a stress on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Lowercase “e”vangelicals also tend to be called Great Commission Christians (GCC), who are members of a church and believe, embrace the following seven things. 1)Believers centered on the person of Jesus. 2) Believers obedient to Christ’s Great Commission. 3) Believers committed to the gospel as set forth in the Bible. 4) Day-to-day personal witness to Christ. 5)Involved in organized methods of evangelism. 6) Involved in Christ’s mission in the world. 7) Working towards Christ’s second coming and final Advent. Based upon this definition, being evangelical has more pragmatic, having to do with action than belief. See Lausanne, "Number of Evangelicals Worldwide", Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization https://lausanne.org/lgc-transfer/number-of-evangelicals-worldwide (accessed April 15, 2023).
19 Bebbington, The Dominance of Evangelicalism: The Age of Spurgeon and Moody, 23.
20 Operation World puts the number at around 166 million, while the World Christian Encyclopedia puts the number at a similar 168 million. See Operation World, "Pray for Africa", Operation World https://operationworld.org/locations/africa/ (accessed April 15, 2023). See also Todd M. Johnson, "Evangelicals Worldwide", Gordon Cromwell Seminary https://www.gordonconwell.edu/blog/evangelicals-worldwide/ (accessed April 15, 2022).
21 David Roach, "To Whom Shall We Go? Global South Anglicans Reject Canterbury’s Leadership", Christianity Today https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2023/march/anglican-conservative-gafcon-england-same-sex-blessings-bis.html (accessed April 15, 2023).
22 We must be careful not to make assumptions about any individual church. In the same way that there are Catholic priests who preach a clear gospel, there are Baptist ministers who deny the resurrection of Christ.