wfn.org | ACNS: Nairobi Anglican Consultation confirms Mission at Heart of Church

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ACNS 2993 - ACO - 23 May 2002

Mission at the heart of the church

Mission is at the heart of the life and calling of the Church. Gods
mission of love and life is universal in scope - to all people in all
situations (John 3:16)

This was the central affirmation of the first-ever Consultation of
Co-ordinators of Mission and Evangelism within the Anglican Communion
meeting in Nairobi, Kenya from 6-13 May.

Representatives from Anglican provinces in Asia, the Pacific, Australasia,
the Middle East, Central, East, West and Southern Africa, North America, the
Caribbean and Britain and Ireland met for the first major gathering on
mission and evangelism in the Anglican Communion since the end of the Decade
of Evangelism.

They were joined by representatives from the world mission agencies - the
Mothers Union, Church Army (Africa), CMS and USPG.

Mr John Clark, Chief Secretary for Mission of the Church of England and
chair of the Consultation commented, This has been an invigorating and
spiritually refreshing experience. I sense a great energy and vitality
amongst those present and within the Communion, and a renewed commitment to
make evangelism and mission a priority within the life of our church. The
Consultation has helped us appreciate the rich variety of the Communion and
to be deeply challenged by those amongst us who are seeking to forward the
gospel in situations of great suffering and hardship.

The majority of those attending had never participated in an international
Anglican Communion gathering before. So there was much sharing of accounts
about how the churches from which they had come were carrying out Gods call
to mission. Churches are growing often in situations of conflict and
poverty, among displaced people, in many cases threatened by HIV/AIDS. The
challenge of life and witness in Islamic contexts and under Shariah law was
identified as a major concern. Co-ordinators also shared from experience on
how best to carry out their jobs and began to prepare a list of guidelines
for new co-ordinators.

There was a particular focus on church planting, evangelism in the context
of affluent nations, like the USA, co-operation between provincial
structures and mission agencies and work with other denominations. Dr Carlos
Ham, Executive Secretary for Evangelism in the World Council of Churches
challenged the consultation with insights drawn from beyond the world of
Anglicanism.

Archbishop David Gitari, Primate of the Anglican Church of Kenya, spoke
about the role of a bishop in mission and evangelism, drawing from his years
of experience in Kenya and emphasising the bishops role as a missionary,
called to lead in the work of evangelism.

Particular attention was given to the importance of the witness of lay
people and the provision of training for evangelism. Clergy and Bishops in
particular were challenged to exercise their role of leadership and
encouragement in mission and evangelism.

Co-ordinators exchanged details of how they carried out their work and
agreed to form an email network as an initial step in continuing to support,
challenge and stimulate each other.

Daily worship beginning with a Eucharist and including mid-day, evening and
night prayers drawn from liturgies across the world, enriched the meeting
and provided a framework for discussion. A half night prayer vigil was held
during which all Churches within the Communion were prayed for.

Bishop Mano Rumalshah, former Bishop of Peshawar, Pakistan, and now General
Secretary of the United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel (USPG)
presented daily Bible studies on encounters that Jesus had with people
during his ministry and the lessons they provided for mission and evangelism
today.

The Rt Rev Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester (England) provided a
theological and historical framework for the Conference with a presentation
on Evangelism and the Wholeness of Mission.

Much of the work of the Consultation took place in group discussion.
Conclusions laid stress on the importance of prayer and worship and the
Christian community in mission and evangelism. The importance of local
contexts leading to a diversity of approaches to mission and evangelism was
emphasised but attention was also drawn to the influence of global trends
such as globalisation, urbanisation, HIV/AIDS and the growth of Islam.

Training in mission and evangelism was identified as a priority .The role of
bishops and clergy, not just in setting a lead but also in encouraging
others, was stressed. There was a call for greater sharing of ideas,
experiences, people and finance across the Communion and for all provinces
and dioceses to appoint a mission and evangelism co-ordinator.

The Conference, hosted by the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), concluded with
Sunday visits to parishes and congregations in and around Nairobi to give
participants an inspiring experience of the Church in Kenya at worship.

The Consultation was an initiative of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission
on Mission and Evangelism (IASCOME), which will hold its second meeting in
St Andrews, Scotland from 16- 25 June. There is to be a similar consultation
for mission agencies of the Communion in Cyprus in February 2003.

For further information please contact Marjorie Murphy, Executive Assistant:
Mission and Evangelism, Anglican Communion Office:
marjorie.murphy@anglicancommunon.org

Provincial Co-ordinators
Mission and Evangelism Consultation
Resurrection Gardens - Nairobi - Kenya

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