Is Africa Still a Missionary Continent?

Patrick Mwania

doi:10.18290/rt.2016.63.10-11

Patrick Mwania Tangaza University College

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18290/rt.2016.63.10-11

Keywords: Church in Africa; Mission; evangelization

Abstract

The concept of Mission takes three dimensions: ad Gentes, re-evangelization and finally the missionary activity of the Church, which the Church undertakes among her faithful members. The mission is a constitutive element in the nature and the life of the Church; the Church, devoid of her missionary character, is non-existent.

Theologically, therefore, Church and mission are complimentary, two sides of the same coin. As a consequence, then, the question to ask in today’s discussion is not whether Africa is still a missionary continent because, essentially, where the Church is there is the mission of God.

The Church in Africa is missionary in two fold ways: (1) as passive recipient of the deposit of faith entrusted by Jesus to the Apostles and (2) as active agent in bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

There are also areas where mission in Africa is urgent: 1) The mission of Reconciling Peoples, 2) Proclamation of the Gospel to the adherents of non-Christians through dialogue, 3) Evangelization of the society (secularism, modernism as challenges today), 4) Pastoral care of the “already baptized,” 5) Inculturation: “Continuous dialogue between the Christian faith and human cultures.”

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