Transforming Mission: Missions is always Personal (PART TWO)

Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo

Missions is always personal. This statement does not deny the corporate and collective responsibility and involvement of the Church, but it serves to stress the necessary personal dimension of Christian missions. As we saw in our last blog post, "missions is personal" in how the various expressions of Christian mission are so often connected with the passions and sense of calling in the lives of individual people. 

Secondly, missions is personal in respect to how missions touches and changes the lives of individuals who experience new hope, healing and restoration. 

But thirdly, missions is personal because Christian missions flows from the personal mission of God. What many Christians refer to as the Missio Dei. We see God's passion and desire for the redemption of all things throughout the Scriptures, but most clearly in the life and ministry of Jesus. As pastor  and author Erwin McManus put so powerfully:

“Jesus did not come into this world and live His life on a mountaintop isolated from human suffering. He walked among us, ate with us, and shared in our humanity. He did not heal lepers form a distance, but touched them into wholeness. He pressed His disciples and prayed for them to be in the world but not of the world. The focus of their three years together was not the salvation of the Twelve, but their ministry to the entire planet.”  (Uprising A Revolution of the Soul, 2003, p. 111)

We believe that same great movement is alive today. Joining God in God's great redemptive story is what missions is all about. We are happy to share with you the second part in our conversation with leaders from Canadian Baptist Ministries partner church in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). We hope you will be encouraged by the shape missions is taking in these communities.

Christian Kambale

Kambale is a lawyer who has served as the assistant to the president of the CBCA and coordinates peace and justice initiatives for the denomination. During our time together in September, Kambale shared about the impact of these ministries in the life of people in his church and community.

"I work with a team of two other lawyers to give legal advice and to serve as advocates for the members of the church," shares Kambale. "We call this our judicial clinic. Whenever possible we seek reconciliation outside of the courts, but there are times when we must go to the tribunal court, but this always takes so long and we must spend much money. So, we try to help people find solutions to their problems under the umbrella of the church first."

Legal disputes are deeply personal issues for people who struggle with problems such as land ownership, and domestic disagreements. One of the big areas that Kambale and the church are helping people is in the area of sexual violence and assault.

"With the women's department, we come along side the rape survivors ministry. We provide training for them on sexual violence in Congolese law. As we receive them we hear their story, gather evidence and seek justice. Because of this ministry more than ten rapists have been arrest by the police in the past three years. This means so much to the women and families affected, and sends an important message through the community."

Canadian Baptist Ministries has come along side the CBCA in supporting this important work. The primary project that we are working with together is a peace and reconciliation program that Kambale is overseeing in his area. As Kambale shares:

"We are committed to prevention of crisis and participation of youth in peace for Eastern DRC. To this end we are training young people in peace skills... Conflicts are ongoing in our area, and young people are highly affected. So often rebel groups target these young people and these groups create a bad situation and violent behaviours.  

The project is designed to train them in peace skills to face challenges of war and violence. It is our hope that these young people will be peace makers and train others for the future of this country. And that is exactly what has been happening!

We now have 27 peace clubs, each with 30 young people, with boys and girls. They have been trained in leadership, mobilization, peace skills and conflict management. And over the past two years they have organized on their own outreach through drama, poetry, sports, and tree planting. And of course music, which is a great gift from God to the Congolese people. They have gone to 12 parishes and 15 schools. 

We have been surprised by what the youth are doing. Now they have created ten more peace clubs in locations beyond Goma, some are even 27 kilometres away. Some have even crossed over to Rwanda and created 3 new peace clubs in the town of Gesenyi. 
It may be a small project, but it has had a big impact. These groups of young people are fighting false rumours and prejudice. They are arranging exchanges between the Rwandan and Congolese young people.  

This is important because people are not well informed. There are myths and rumours that can destroy the mindsets of our young people. That is why we have trained them to get good information. To confront negative messages between Rwandan and Congolese people. They are breaking down the walls of distrust."

Jonas Kambale Musamba

Jonas is one of the coordinators of evangelism for the CBCA,  in addition he is also working with the CBCA Bible Schools and School of Theology. Jonas is also a student in the Canadian Baptist ministries Certificate of Integral Mission program and a doctoral candidate in the CBM/Carey Theological College Doctor of Ministry program in Africa.

Through Jonas' leadership, the Church is changing the way it understands and practices evangelism.

"Through evangelism, I am passionate about helping pastors to accomplish their mission according to their context. This happens in the class room, in seminars, and in pastoral exchanges. I am supervising pastoral ministry in 18 districts... I want pastors to find what approach is best in a place of long time war and conflict. This is what I have been studying with CBM and what I have trying to do with our church...

This means that we must listen and care about what people are feeling and thinking. Preaching in the church is not enough. People need individual care. They must be listened to. This happens both one on one and through group support. The small group of care and empowerment is important. It is there that we want to see pastors knowing the real problem and to shepherd people as they find effective solutions."

For the CBCA, evangelism is about bringing the Whole Gospel in word and deed into the the beauty and brokenness of the lives of people. For Jonas, evangelism is also about compassionate christians moving within a community for the good of the people. As he shares:

"Most people in Congo think of evangelism as a big crusade to increase church membership, but our strategies must not only be quantitative but qualitative. It is not either/or, but BOTH!  

In the past the church has focused on quantity. It was like people shared the message of John the Baptist "Repent and come to Jesus!" 

...But today we are more focused on quality, as we send missionaries with a small group that grows a chapel in a community. They go with a Bible and a hoe. They take a business and the Bible. And they join a community and seek ways to make it better for the people who live there. Today we have more than 100 of these chapels. They are bringing change in the lives of people."