Training Anabaptist Leaders in West African Congregations

Training Anabaptist Leaders in West African Congregations (Draft)

Thru the work of Eastern Mennonite Missions in Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal since the early 2000’s there has been evidence of a desire on the part of African believers for the establishment of communities of faith with an Anabaptist perspective. During this time period Anabaptist faith communities have been emerging in two contexts: thru the establishment of communities related to and identified with the worldwide Mennonite church and secondly on the part of leaders within evangelical congregations affiliated with other Protestant traditions. 

A desire for more understanding of Anabaptist theological perspectives comes out of a context of the believer’s quest for growth in one’s relation with Christ and how that relationship is lived and witnessed to by a community of disciples who are daily following after Christ.  

Some of the indicators of the current level of Christian discipleship in congregations include: 

1. Many new believers have difficulty moving into a maturing, Spirit empowered faith that takes them beyond an initial commitment of faith in Christ and baptism.
2. The weakness of Christians in their confrontation and overcoming of the strongholds of evil in our society and culture.
3. Top-heavy authoritarian and hierarchical leadership patterns that inhibit the Lordship of Christ in the community and keep believers in spiritual infancy.
4. The ease which false teachers have in disrupting and dividing congregations with their confusing and unbiblical teachings. 
5. The competition between congregations for members and the intentional demeaning of other faith communities.
6. ‘Church’ easily becomes a guise for a business enterprise that in the end is for the financial and social benefit of those in leadership.
7. ‘Flat Bible’ theology that limits the Messiahship of Jesus Christ and the reliance on Old Covenant precepts that support conduct and relationships contrary to the teachings of Christ. (Example: Jesus’ confrontation with the Pharisees in Matthew 6)

Many individual believers and church leaders are asking for help in moving beyond this way of doing church. Deep in the hearts of true believers there is that firm conviction the God has something far better than this for us in West Africa.

The Anabaptist tradition, the radical left wing of the 16^th century reformation, offers us some significant help as we move beyond these struggles and inadequacies our current ways of doing church.  

Out of these realities church leaders from Eastern Mennonite Missions are offering to join with any who are driven by a sincere desire to be disciples of Jesus by creating a curriculum of Bible study to move the church forward in its mission and to authentically become partners in Christ’s Kingdom, dedicated to bringing God’s will being done on earth as it is in heaven.

The three year curriculum will have three major concentrations of study:

1. Christology: Understanding, in its broadest sense, the person, the work and the mission of Jesus Christ as the one who embodies God’s perfect design for mankind and who inaugurated God’s reign on earth. Jesus’ example and teaching is the power of God’s love to bring mankind and all of God’s creation back into right relationship. Christ is portrayed as our model, teacher and final and complete revelation of God’s desire.
2. Ecclesiology: How the church, the body of Christ functions to be the agent of God’s salvation from a posture of servant leadership; that following the example of Christ, lays down its life so that the new life of Christ becomes the clearly visible way of salvation. The 1^st century church of Christ and his apostles is our foundation and model.
3. Missiology: How the community of Christ communicates God’s incarnational loving purposes of salvation and invites all to walk with us in a spirit of redeeming love and transformation into Christlikeness.

The curriculum is designed to enable and empower believers to bring new vision and new life to their congregations. It encourages people to remain with their congregations rather than establishing a new ‘denomination’. All students will be encouraged to become faithful disciples of Christ where they are already planted. Anabaptism is not a denomination; it is a way understanding the Word and how one follows after Christ in the realization of God’s reign.

How the teaching will happen:

1. The study year will be November thru May for three years with certification upon completion. If further studies are desired, the curriculum will prepare students for the next level of theological education which will be available on internet.
2. The class will assemble one Saturday per month for a 6 hour session.
3. Between class sessions the students will be committed to studying biblical passages and handouts and they will come to the class with well prepared homework.
4. Instructors will guide the study but students will be expected to share their learnings and exhibit a spirit of openness, submission, humility and brotherhood towards each other.  The class itself becomes a model of an Anabaptist faith community.