MODELS OF MISSION AND MINISTRY: THE COUNCIL OF AFRICAN AND CARIBBEAN CHURCHES (UK)

Abstract

MANY AS WE ARE, TOGETHER WE MAKE UP ONE BODY The first African church in Britain, the Church of the Lord Aladura, began in 1966. By 1980, many more of these churches existed, mainly in London but also in Manchester and Birmingham. These churches, most of them branches of churches already operating in Africa (mainly Ghana and Nigeria) acted more or less like chaplaincies and served the pastoral needs of their members. Some of the issues they dealt with were such that it became increasingly necessary for the churches to pool their meagre resources so that they could be more effective. Their main problem was isolation and lack of contact and cooperation among the churches. Parents were confronted with culture shock as they brought up their children -- some of who had been born in Britain -- in a culture quite different from what they had known as children themselves. Other problems, such as employment in low-paid jobs of well-educated Africans who then would have to work excessively long hours or take on more than one job, poor accommodation and immigration difficulties had devastating effects on family life. At a more profound level, the churches felt that they and their pastors did not enjoy the same recognition as the older churches. Those African churches that sought membership of the then British Council of Churches were refused on grounds, among others, that they did not have the necessary fifty congregations or more. These considerations focussed attention on the need for an association of African churches, initially for mutual support. In 1979, Father Olu Abiola, leader of the Aladura International Church, called together a few ministers from different churches to consider the necessity of creating a formal grouping of African churches. The outcome was the formation of the Council of African and Allied Churches, later known as the Council of African and Afro-Caribbean Churches. Its current title is the Council of African and Caribbean Churches. The Council has a membership of some forty denominations, mostly predominantly African churches, but also some predominantly Caribbean churches. Programme The Council operates in three main areas: pastoral services, social concern, and ecumenical cooperation. Pastoral services: A key aspect of the work of the Council is pastoral services to members of its constituent churches. This has largely been in the form of enabling, equipping, and coordinating pastoral care and counselling. To this end, the Council runs counselling courses for pastoral and community workers in the churches through one of its community initiatives, the African-Caribbean Social Action Project (ACSAP). While the individual churches are better equipped and skilled in offering culture-sensitive pastoral counselling, the Council for a time operated a base at its office premises that was open to the general public and provided counselling, legal and welfare benefits advice, and a referral service. The project ceased following the burning of the office premises in May 1999. Social concern: The African and Caribbean churches in the United Kingdom have largely been worshipping communities, but invariably the church is drawn into areas of social and political concern. To improve this situation, the Council has been pursuing programmes aimed at creating a fairer and more just society for everyone. This it has done through joint activities with other churches and church bodies in Britain and Europe. On their own the African and Caribbean churches held public meetings and seminars on issues, such as poverty and development, anti-racism, and on topics directed at the churches themselves, e.g. social responsibility and the position of women in the churches. Ecumenical cooperation: The Council of African and Caribbean Churches is a member of Churches Together in England, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland, and the Conference of European Churches. …