Conference of the Anglican Churches in the Americas

CONFERENCE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCHES IN THE AMERICAS

Costa Rica - 23-27 April 2009

Theme: Mutual Responsibility and Mission

I speak about this theme from the perspective of my current work in the Mission Office and how I understand mission in the Anglican Communion today. This will no doubt be informed by my own context and local background, which, is the Province of Central Africa.

We have before us a well chosen and important theme for this conference - Mutual Responsibility and Mission – but also, I dare say, a pertinent and well fitting theme for the Anglican Communion.

Let me start by talking a little bit about Mission and then about the whole Mutual Responsibility and how this impacts on our relationships in our calling to God’s mission.

The first point is that Mission is God’s initiative to create and save the world, or as was articulated at the 1998 Lambeth Conference, that mission is “God’s way of loving and saving world”.1

It is very essential to understand mission as God’s initiative, and that God is the ultimate source of mission. This is so that we do not lose sight of the origin and purpose of mission, or indeed put anything other than God at the centre of Mission. In this paper I talk about God in the true sense the Triune God (Father, Son and the Holy Spirit).

The second point is that the object of mission is God’s creation, that is both humans and non- human. God indeed created non-humans and humans, and God loved (and loves) them both – “and God saw that it was good” (Gen. 1&2). From the very beginning mission is seen and presented as being holistic or/and integrated. In fact by definition, Mission is holistic.

The third point is that Christ is the fulfilment of God’s mission in the world. In his life and ministry, Jesus showed and expressed the holistic, transformational and incarnational nature of God’s mission – he preached repentance and many people turned their lives around, he proclaimed the good news and many people were filled with hope, he healed the sick and gave life to many, he sided with the marginalised and the poor, he spoke against those who abused power and authority, and he also fed the hungry.

The forth point, as echoed by the bishops at 2008 Lambeth Conference is that the “Church exists as an instrument for that mission [God‘s mission]. There is Church because there is mission, not vice versa.” In other words the Church exists to participate in God’s mission, that is, “to participate in the movement of God’s love towards the people, since God is the fountain of sending love.”2

Therefore, Mission is at the very heart of the life and being of the Church, and that means “All Christians are called to witness to Christ and to share in his mission and ministry”.3 Mission “is for

1 The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference 1998, Morehouse: Pennsylvania, 1999, p.121. Bold is not part of the original text but introduced by this author for emphasis. 2 Lambeth Indaba – equipping Bishops for Mission and Strengthening Anglican Identity, Lambeth Conference 2008 (p. 8). 3 Communion in Mission – Travelling Together in Mission, London: ACC, 2006 (p. 188)

1 every Christian person and for every office in the church.” It is not for the ‘specialised’ few or indeed the ordained, but mission is in fact “the task for all the baptised.”4

To put it another way, mission is the responsibility of the whole people of God - the church - to and for the whole world.

In fact, the bishops at the 1998 Lambeth Conference resolved to commit themselves “to transform the dioceses we serve into communities that share fully at every level in the mission of God”.5

This commitment by the bishops speaks nothing less than ‘the priority’ for mission. If indeed we believe as we say that “Mission is at the heart of the Church”, then, it goes without saying that, provinces, dioceses, parishes and congregations ought to organise themselves, in such a way that the structures and budgets, personnel placements and appointments reflect “the priority of mission”.6 Mission is not an added on to what we normally do but the very priority of the Church.

At one time many people believed (and some still do) that mission is that which we do overseas – that funds are raised and missionaries are sent, more often than not from the North to South or West to East (depending on where you are). Yes, that fulfilled an important purpose and some of us are Christians today because of the many who undertook and supported those missionary ventures, and we are grateful for that.

Within the Anglican Communion today we believe that mission happens primarily at local level but also at global level. We also believe that mission is from everywhere to everywhere (also called interchange)!

In the Anglican Communion we also believe that the Communion we have is both a gift but also an instrument for God’s mission. That collaborative work and partnerships are not simply vital but are at the heart of the integrity and credibility of God’s mission in the world. Thus the saying, ‘It takes the whole church to reach the whole world.’

This then brings me to mutual responsibility.

Mutual can be described in terms of shared interest, values, purpose, and vision; or something that is common to or shared by two or more people, thus “a mutual friend.”7 Mutual can also mean reciprocal – something expressed by two or more people about each other.

Meanwhile, Responsibility can be described as “the state or position of being responsible” or “a person or thing for which one is responsible.”8 Both mutual and responsibility are relational terms.

For the purpose of our discussion mutual responsibility and mission can be summed up as a shared purposeful relationship to participate in God’s mission made present in the world by Christ Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Mutual Responsibility and Mission can also be described by such terms as, communion in mission, partnership in mission, interdependence in mission, and reciprocity in mission. All these terms are 4 Communion in Mission, p. 68 5 The Official Report of the Lambeth Conference 1998, Morehouse: Pennsylvania, 1999, p. Bold and italics have been added by this author. 6 Communion in Mission, p. 189 7 The Collins English Dictionary, London & Glasgow: Collins, 1979 8 The Collins English Dictionary, London & Glasgow: Collins, 1979

2 often used to express a shift of emphasis away from the descriptions of the inequality relationships between churches in the West and those in non-western regions, often associated by such categories as ‘sending & receiving churches‘, ‘older & younger churches,’ ‘mother & child churches’, etc.

The theme for the 1963 Anglican Congress in Toronto, Canada, which created a new way of understanding of partnership relationships within the Communion was “Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence”.9

‘Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence’ also known as MRI has had and continue to make impact in our understanding and expression of relationships within the Communion. This is particularly the case for us at the Mission Office on how we encourage and wish to see mission relationships at various levels in the Communion.

In presenting the MRI report to the Congress, the then Archbishop of York, Donald Coggan (who later became the Abp of Canterbury) said, ‘It is a platitude to say that in our time, areas of the world which have been thought of as dependant and secondary are suddenly striding to the centre of the stage, in a new and breath-taking independence and self reliance. Equally has this happened to the Church…….all but ten of the 350 dioceses are now included in the self-governing churches…..It is now irrelevant to talk “giving” and “receiving” churches. The keynotes of our time are equality, interdependence, mutual responsibility.’10 Here emerged mutual responsibility.

It is important to remember that the Toronto Congress was being held at a time when many countries (during the late fifties and early sixties) under European colonial administration (at least in Africa) were gaining political independence. The church however was still under the leadership of the Europeans.

The Report called for a new approach to the relationships in the Communion in the light of “Mutual Responsibility and Interdependence”, stating that “The time has come when this unity and interdependence must find a complete new level of expression and corporate obedience.”11

The report also argued that “Our need is not….simply to be expressed in greater generosity by those who have the money and men to spare” but rather “Our need is….to understand how God has led us…..to see the gifts of freedom and communion in their greater terms, and live up to them.”12

The report and indeed the gathering in Toronto had appropriately recognised the fact that “Mission is not only a giving to others but equally a receiving” as well, and that “Every Church has both resources and needs.”13

Highlighting the inherent significance of mutual responsibility to the churches of the Communion, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey used Roman 14, during the Toronto Congress, to coin a statement “A church which lives to itself will die by itself”.14 In other words, no one church can live and survive by itself without co-operating or relating to another church.

9 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings – August 13-23), Toronto-Canada: Editorial Committee Anglican Congress, 1963, p.117. 10 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.118. Bold do not appear in original quote but simply for emphasis by the this author. 11 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.118. 12 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.118. 13 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.121. 14 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.125 & 122

3 Here lied the key meaning of mutual responsibility, and the catch word of this congress was “bearing one another’s burdens” and thereby “fulfilling the law of Christ”15

So, this week, we have come to consider, to discuss and to share something that is really not that new, and yet it sounds new and fresh! The fact that we have as a theme for this conference a term and vision which was considered 45 years ago is a clear indication of how relevant this is today in our Communion. It is also an indication I believe, that, while a lot has happened in deepening our purposeful relationships for God’s mission, as a Communion we have probably not achieved as much of the aspirations of the people who met in Toronto almost half a century ago!

The question is, why? I am not going to labour on the reasons but suffice it to say that people who have expressed wary about the use of such terms as partnership or mutual responsibility say that what is expressed as good and well intended vision, is not often matched by practical application. Here I think lays the challenge!

I believe that as we meet this week to consider Mutual Responsibility and Mission, we ought to ask ourselves, ‘what does this mean in practical terms, what are the consequences, and how do we ensure we apply this vision?’ Another equally important question we ought to ask is, ‘Is this about us or about God’s mission?’

It has been argued that although the Anglican Congress had such a powerful vision, which no doubt has had far reaching implications in our understanding of mission relationships in the Communion, mutual responsibility and interdependence has not fully reflected in practice within the relationships of the Communion. We still continued very much with the idea of those who “give” Vs those who “receive”, the “mother church” and “daughter church” kind of relationships.

We are definitely at the level in our Communion when we know and understand that every part of the Anglican Communion is endowed with various gifts and resources to participate in God’s mission in the world.

Yes, we need to recognise the realities of our Communion and the world today, which include the fact that parts of the Communion are ‘gifted differently’, but that there is not part of the Communion that cannot give or indeed receive from the other - every part of the Communion has enough to offer as much as can receive from any other part of the Communion - for God’s mission.

Mutual Responsibility and Mission (MRM) is certainly not about independence but rather about interdependence, it is not about the “giving” churches and “receiving” churches, it is rather about churches in Communion committed to sharing resources for God’s mission in God’s world.

In the Anglican Communion we understand the meaning of mission resources to include prayer, training, theologies, strategies, cases studies, stories, knowledge, experience, personnel, & finances. Sadly, much emphasis is often placed on finances when people talk about resources for mission. I say ‘sadly’ because the other resources are just as important as finances. It’s true this conference cannot happen without money but as organisers may say, money is one part of the sum total of the resources we needed for this Conference to happen – the same applies with mission.

This broad understanding of mission resources means that there is no church in the Anglican Communion which has no resource for both local and global mission. It also means that all churches of the communion can and should receive mission resource as well as give resources for mission.

15 Anglican Congress (Report of the proceedings), p.125

4 This understanding of the mission reality puts to rest any wittingly or unwittingly attitude that may claim that some parts of the communion have everything they need and therefore can never receive from the other! Such an attitude goes against the vision of mutual responsibility and mission.

Similarly, this broad understanding of mission resource dispels the notion that some parts of communion have nothing to give to others but that they are perpetual recipients. Most churches in this category have not only been told that they have nothing to give but they have believed and accepted this false notion.

These two notions illustrate the danger of undue emphasis we have placed on money as the major, and at times, as the only resource available for mission. This of course has the potential to undermine the vision inherent in “mutual responsibility and mission”!

Therefore Mutual responsibility and mission is not about a relationship of the rich north and poor south but it is about a relationship of partners in God’s mission. It is not about a relationship of “younger” and “older” churches but about a Communion committed to God’s mission – indeed a communion in mission: God’s mission.

Mutual Responsibility and Mission entails a mission relationship that involves mutual accountability, mutual respect and mutual support. For me this involves listening to each other and therefore appreciating where the other person is in order that we may support each other well in mission. It also involves being able to speak faithfully and even challenging each other with respect, as part of a healthy relationship.

In our Communion, Mutual Responsibility and Mission entails that we affirm and celebrate diversity as a given, which in humility we believe is God’s gift to the Christian community.

Diversity, one would argue, is part of the very character of the Triune God! In terms of mission, diversity in the Anglican Communion entails that there are diverse ways we articulate and participate in God’s mission.

However, within the Anglican Communion we articulate the nature of God’s Mission in the Five Marks of Mission, which continue to be a very helpful tool in trying to define and understand mission in the Communion.

The Five Marks of Mission not only express a holistic, integrated and inclusive nature of understanding and expressing mission but also show that God's mission is bigger and wider than we sometimes understand it.

In this sense the Five Marks of mission give a diverse vision for mission, which is contextual, local, national, international and global.

Although the Five Marks of mission are not a perfect or a complete definition of mission, they however are an important basis for a holistic and integrated approach to mission.

When in a particular church context emphasis is put on one or only some of the marks of mission, it does not mean (I hope) that the Church in that particular location has a narrow view of mission, but rather (I believe) that the particular mark (or marks) of mission being emphasised are the priority for that context, at that particular time.

5 It is however important to ensure that none of the Five aspects of mission are left out in our planning and budgeting, and indeed in our mission priorities!

Three of the daily themes of the 2008 Lambeth Conference were drawn from the Five Marks of Mission. The overall theme of "Equipping Bishops for mission" was in itself a clear indication of the importance and centrality of mission in the Anglican Communion, and the bishops as leaders in God‘s mission.

Yes, while mission must be a concern for every baptised Christian, our bishops must be vision bearers and enablers of all church members to participate in God’s transforming mission. There is a recognition in our Communion that “Bishops have a particularly important role in affirming the priority of mission…..through their leadership, example and encouragement of others”.16

The other important reality in the Anglican Communion today is that there is an increasing yearning for collaborative relationships for the purpose of mission, in a new and fresh way. In spite of what people and the media wish to portray the Communion (and I am not pretending these are hard times), it is clear that there is a growing sense of wanting to work in a more collaborative and co- ordinated way in addressing challenges and opportunities of mission. This certainly was echoed at the last year’s Lambeth Conference through the bishops reflections captured in the Lambeth Indaba document.

The two recently held Communion consultations in London on social development, and Evangelism and Church Growth, (both of which were recommendations from the Lambeth Conference), clearly show how much Anglicans want to find ways of networking and collaborating on mission issues - through sharing of various kinds of resources and experiences for mission.

The Anglican Communion networks seek to encourage the sharing of experiences, best practices, and advocacy to enhance mission - they are an indication and an expression of Mutual Responsibility and Mission in action.

When I visited Canada I was asked what I thought from a mission perspective about the problems in the Communion; I remember saying something like ‘any kind of struggle or divisions in a Christian family puts questions on and jeopardises the credibility of mission.’

The opposite is to say that Mutual Responsibility by definition entails and restores the credibility of mission. To put it another way, Mutual Responsibility and our Communion or indeed the unity we share are essential for the credibility of God’s mission. For “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples”.17

If as a Communion we have no shared purposeful relationship the credibility for our participation in God’s mission is compromised and affected.

God’s mission is not dependent on the Anglican Communion to go on, or any particular denomination for that matter! But what is equally true is that God has used and continues to use the Anglican Communion to fulfil his purposes in the world - often in local parishes and dioceses.

Mutual Responsibility and Mission also entails that we engage in intentional ecumenical

16 Communion in Mission, p. 188 17 John 13: 35

6 collaboration and co-operation in sharing resources for mission. It certainly takes the whole church to reach the whole world.

Meanwhile, we need to take seriously the concerns often expressed about lack of applicability of important statements and visions, if mutual responsibility is to be as an effective tool for the Anglican churches in the Americas (and in the Communion) as was expressed 45 years, and indeed as we participate in God’s mission.

There is need for us to really walk the talk and talk the walk! Otherwise it all ends up simply as a beautiful idealistic concept which may find fulfilment in far future.

I sense in our Communion today both the need and a yearning, probably more than ever before, for relationships of mutual responsibility based on respect and integrity with a clear and genuine focus on God’s mission.

Muchos Gracias!

John K. Kafwanka (Revd) Anglican Communion Mission and Evangelism Research/Project Officer