open again so that he can return to help the Congolese pastors. Perhaps he will do some things differently than before. The Mission has had the foresight to develop along strong in digenous lines, refusing help from overseas to subsidize pastors’ sala ries. The result of this is that pas tors are often underpaid. Perhaps the Mission has been weak in in struction of stewardship. Perhaps /the Mission organization has been slow to integrate with the church organism, failing to see the African point of view. Perhaps, as he has preached and practiced against a racial barrier in Christ, unconscious ly he has helped to set up a social and cultural barrier. The missionary would be the first to admit some of these mistakes made unwittingly. N otwithstanding these deficits, the Mission Movement has far more on its credit side. The A.I.M: Church in Congo of more than 30,000 members and several times that number of unbaptized believers is left with a . THE strong leadership of over 60 ordained pastors and 56 licensed preachers. These men have spent two years in the Bible School, and most of them an additional two years in the Pas tors’ School. The Church has the whole Bible translated into each of its major languages which have been reduced to writing by the mission aries, and which they have taught the people to read and write. The Mission has engaged in an extensive education program, as well as medi cal. Skeptics often ask: “ How long after the missionary leaves will the church carry on?” The answer is simply: “Until the Rapture.” There no doubt will be a sifting, but there are those who are willing to lay down their lives for their faith in Christ. The Mission may be expendable, but the strong virile church has taken root and no man or system is able to pluck it up. III. HOW IS THE CHURCH CARRYING ON AT THE PRESENT TIME? Authentic reports inform us that the Bible Schools are in session, and that church services are being held regularly. A large Girls’ Conference has been held since the retreat of missionaries, which brought untold blessing. The Congo pastor is hated as a stooge for the Americans. His movements are restricted and his witness is in many ways proscribed. He is in danger of death, and is al
lationship with the Church. With lowering, ominous clouds of political storm, the Church/Mission agree ment has become more amicable. But it is time to rethink the whole Move ment of Missions. The Home Church has shown a strong personal interest in the foreign missionary, but often an indifference to the M is s io n Church. Is it not time for the mis sionary-minded church to see how it can best help the African pastor and his Church? Has the Mission organi zation been too jealous over its au tonomy and entity, and failed to face up to the inevitable outcome that the organization is expendable? When the Mission has accomplished its purpose in a given area, must there not be that ultimate withdrawal? Missions such as the A.I.M., which have been born and blessed of God, certainly have a continued sphere of ministry, but should it not be in the discovery of new fields? Is there not a place in Europe to which the French-speaking missionary can be rent and used? The Mission Era is by no means over, but a re-shuffling of policies and personnel is necessary if the Mission is to survive. And let not the Home Church feel that its missionary obligation has been met. The Church in Congo needs overseas help more than ever before. The young secondary school gradu ate, who feels the call to the minis try, might well be brought to Ameri ca for Bible College and Seminary training. While the political climate may not tolerate Missions in the traditional sense in some areas, there is still the urgent need for doctors, teachers, nurses, Bible School teach ers and general workers. Government aid programs send out ungodly pro fessional personnel. Why cannot the Mission continue to recruit such Christian personnel to send to the African Church for them to place and control? Too, while the Congo is closed temporarily, there is still a great need for missionaries in other ■African fields. The Congo picture leaves us be wildered, but we refuse to recognize current developments as the devil’s victory. In them can be seen the sovereign planning and purpose of God. This is God’s doing, and while as yet it may not seem marvelous in our myopic eyes, it does fit into His perfect plan. Pray for the Congolese Church and its pastors. Pray for the missionary and the Mission, as well as the Home Church, that ready and right adjustments may be made to these changing situations.
ways under strict surveillance. But he is doing his job, and his pastoral and evangelistic efforts will be far more effective than in the past. Pri mary schools are being taught by Mission-trained Christian teachers on most stations. Hertofore t h e teacher’s job has been one of pres tige with a lucrative salary. Now he receives no salary and he is not al lowed to charge fees. His complaint is no longer against the Mission but against the State, and if he expresses it, he does so in jeopardy of his life. His confidence is no longer in his cash, but in his Christ. He is a bet ter teacher than before. The church has more physical limitation. The missionary’s liberal contributions are missed. His means of transportation to carry the pas tor to church meetings is missed. His technical knowledge in educa tional and medical fields is sorely lacking. But it is our firm conviction that, should the door permanently close upon the expatriate missionary, A prognosis here is extremely diffi cult. Every evacuated missionary cherishes the hope, and prays per sistently, that God will open the door to all of Congo again. He feels there is still much to do. However, his position not only in Congo, but also in all of Africa, is indeed precarious. The Missionary Movement, in the nostrils of Nationalist Africa, reeks of Colonialism. The missionary has tried hard to keep abreast of the mad pace for Africanization, but has been falling behind. The elabor ate mission station where the mis sionary in charge is still the big “ Bwana” must be Africanized. The foreign Field Director, who by vir tue of his office has a place on every church meeting and committee, must assume a far more obscure role. Situations such as this have been acceptable to the church only because the church still feels a real need for the missionary. But to hot-blooded Nationalists the Mission Movement is looked upon as one of the last vestiges of Colonialism that must go at all costs. The missionary feels gratified that, if he must leave Congo permanently, it’s not because of a recalcitrant re the church will march militantly along in its God-given role until Jesus comes. IV. IS THE MISSION ERA CLOSING FINALLY?
C O N G O ?
FEBRUARY, 1965
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