Welcoming Africa's children: The nature and implications of being a missional church

Johannes J Knoetze

doi:10.4102/ve.v37i1.1600

Abstract

�This article presents a brief overview of the historical development of the missional church from the understanding of the missio Dei. From this perspective, it attends to the African context. With regard to African children, the African independent churches are looked at from a missional church perspective. The nature of the missional church is described as being a Biblical, Trinitarian, discerning, evangelistic, hermeneutic and agogic community. The implication of being missional in accordance with the mentioned characteristics is then linked to the five solas of the Reformed tradition. It is concluded that the African independent churches and the mainline missionary churches need each other in order to be truly missional in Africa and to reach the children of Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: Children and Youth Ministry is challenged by the context of Africa, when some relevant characteristics of the African independent or initiated churches (AICs) are described and related to the Reformed tradition. The (missional) ecclesiology of the AICs and the Reformed tradition is challenged by children�s ministry

Highlights

This article explores the nature and implications of being a missional church with a focus on Africa’s children
In the second half of the 20th century, ecclesiology and missiology were profoundly influenced by the Trinitarian foundation of the missio Dei
The missional church must be clear in its ministry that the Sunday school and sacraments are not just rituals of the faith community, but are about Soli Deo Gloria, true identity and belonging, because rituals in Africa are in many instances clear http://www.ve.org.za demarcations between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’

Summary

Introduction

This article explores the nature and implications of being a missional church with a focus on Africa’s children. According to Wright (2013:ix), the term ‘missional’ means ‘to be characterised by mission’. The term ‘missional’ has a theological meaning in the sense that it refers to God’s calling of the congregation in its local context, irrespective of the culture or conditions found in that context. ‘Missional church’ is something of a tautology, almost like ‘female woman’; if a church is not missional, it is not church (Wright 2013:ix). This article starts with an overview of the development of the ‘missional church’ concept before discussing the nature and implications of the missional church with reference to Africa’s children

Background

Conclusion