The Impact of Ethnicity on the Missional Strategies Within the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria

THE IMPACT OF ETHNICITY ON THE MISSIONAL STRATEGIES WITHIN THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NIGERIA By Uma Agwu Onwunta (Rev.) Dissertation presented for the Degree of Doctor of Theology in Missiology at the University of Stellenbosch Promoter: Professor H. J. Hendriks December 2006 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the work in this dissertation is my own original work and that I have not previously in its entirety or in part submitted it at any university for a degree. Signature: …………………………… Date: ……………………………….. ii ABSTRACT This study and dissertation examines the “Impact of ethnicity on the missional strategies within the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria.” A historical study of the mission methods and an empirical study of current missionary practices in the church point to the need for a new missional identity of the church. This missional identity requires a reversal of and a change to missionary strategies that should result into reconciliatory missiology. In the process of making this assessment of the Presbyterian mission in Nigeria, it was necessary to re-visit the missionary ecclesiologies that shaped and contributed to the present identity. Thus, the research focused on the missionary impact of the Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church in Canada, Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Netherlands Reformed Church (NRC). Insights from these historical excursions helped in determining not only the blessings that these ecclesiologies brought to bear on Nigerian Presbyterianism but also in discovering the burdens they brought on their trails, especially, regarding the seed of racism which was a precursor to the present ethnocentrism in the PCN. The second segment of this research was the empirical study of the current mission and work of the PCN. Using a focus group approach, sixteen leaders (8 Nigerians, 7 Canadians and 1 American) were interviewed through a structured questionnaire. The responses from these leaders were analysed in this paper and details of the analysis applied in chapter 4. The assumption in the hypothesis that the bane of contemporary PCN mission is ethnocentrism was affirmed. This problem as the research showed, was compounded by lack of adequate theological response both in the educational training and the liturgical activities of the church. Combining the historical data and the empirical research carried out, it was determined that the PCN needs a new theological orientation that can move it from the present institutionalized mode to a missonal frame. It was shown that this process would require a new definition of mission and a rediscovery of missional biblical metaphors that suit a iii conflict-ridden context of the Church as we have it in Nigeria. Three important metaphors were selected: community, servant and messenger. These metaphors formed the theological foundation for subsequent discussions on a missional frame which is the focus of chapter five. Chapter six outlines the meaning of conflicts and the causes of conflicts in Nigeria arguing for a reconciliatory missiology with a theologically-driven dialogue as its strategy. A theologically –driven dialogue is a strategy that, as is presented, enables the church to be God’s counter-cultural agent in the world, holding in tension the four cardinal points of obedience, critical contextualization, discernment and the anticipation of Christ’s return. It is argued that dialogue is a credible theological option through which the PCN can engage in the process of true reconciliation in the Nigerian society – a reconciliation which is based on the biblical cornerstones of truth, justice, peace and mercy. It is a task and a challenge for reconciliatory missiology - a momentous task the PCN is called upon to pursue in the 21st century. iv OPSOMMING Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek die “Impak van etnisiteit op die missionale strategieë van die Presbiteriaanse Kerk in Nigerië”. ŉ Historiese blik op die sending metodes en ŉ studie van huidige missionêre praktyke binne die kerk dui daarop dat die kerk ŉ nuwe missionale identiteit benodig. ’n Nuwe missionale identiteit vereis ŉ transformasieproses in die huidige benadering van die Presbiteriaanse Kerk van Nigerië sodat die weg tot ŉ versoenende benadering gevind kan word. Om die huidige situasie te kan evalueer moes die missionêre ekklesiologie wat vorm gegee en bygedra het tot die huidige identiteit geëvalueer word. Gevolglik is die missionêre impak van die Kerk van Skotland, die Presbiteriaanse Kerke van Kanada en Amerika en die Nederlandse Gereformeerde Kerk nagegaan. Hulle het in baie opsigte help vorm aan die huidige identiteit van die Presbiteriaanse kerk in Nigerië. Die positiewe maar ook negatiewe gevolge van hulle werk is beskryf. Een aspek van hul werk was die invloed van die stille rassisme wat destyds geheers het en wat die voorloper was van die huidige etnosentrisme in die Presbiteriaanse Kerk van Nigerië. Die tweede deel van die navorsing ondersoek die huidige missionêre bediening en ingesteldheid van die Presbiteriaanse Kerk van Nigerië. Deur middel van ŉ fokus groep benadering en ’n vraelys, is onderhoude gevoer met 16 kerkleiers (8 Nigeriërs, 7 Kanadese en 1 Amerikaner). Die antwoorde van hierdie kerkleiers is geanaliseer en in hoofstuk 4 bespreek. Die voorveronderstelling in die hipotese dat die PKN etnosentrisme openbaar, is bevestig. Hierdie probleem, soos aangetoon in die navorsing, is versterk deur ŉ gebrek aan voldoende teologiese refleksie in die teologiese onderrig en in die liturgiese aktiwiteite van die kerk. Die historiese data en die empiriese navorsing toon aan dat die PKN ŉ nuwe teologiese oriëntasie benodig en dat dit slegs kan geskied as daar wegbeweeg word vanaf die huidige geïnstitusionaliseerde bedieningspraktyk na ŉ missionale raamwerk. Verder het dit duidelik geword dat ŉ nuwe verstaan van sending en ŉ herontdekking van missionale v bybelse metafore nodig is om te spreek tot die konflik geteisterde konteks van die kerk in Nigerië. Drie belangrike metafore is voorgestel: gemeenskap, dienaar en boodskapper. Hierdie metafore voorsien die teologiese fundering vir die bespreking van ’n missionale verwysingsraamwerk vir die kerk se bediening. Hoofstuk 6 lig die betekenis van konflik asook die oorsake van konflik in Nigerië uit en argumenteer vir ŉ versoenende missiologie met ŉ teologies-gemotiveerde dialoog as strategie. ŉ Teologies-gemotiveerde dialoog is ŉ strategie wat, soos voorgelê in die navorsing, die kerk bemagtig om te reageer op die heersende kultuur, waar die vier kardinale aspekte van gehoorsaamheid, kritiese kontekstualisasie, onderskeiding en die afwagting van Christus se wederkoms byeen gebring word. Daar word geargumenteer dat dialoog ŉ waardige teologiese opsie is waardeur die Presbiteriaanse Kerk van Nigerië binne die Nigeriese samelewing kan opereer in ŉ proses van ware versoening – ŉ versoening wat gebaseer is op die bybelse hoekstene van waarheid, geregtigheid, vrede en genade. Die uitdaging van ŉ versoenende missiologie is die uitdaging waartoe die Presbiteriaanse Kerk van Nigerië in die 21ste eeu geroepe is. vi DEDICATION This dissertation is posthumously dedicated to the loving memory of my grandmother- late Madam Hannah Omu Osonwa Eke (nee Acha) who taught me that “To be is to be human and to be human is to be humane!” vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To start with, I thank the Almighty God for giving me the undying determination, priceless health and the immeasurable grace to undertake and complete this work. Secondly, I would like to register my profound gratitude to the following officers of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria: The Very Rev. Dr. Mba Idika (immediate past Moderator of the General Assembly with whom I spent my last four years in office as the Principal Clerk), the Rev. Dr. Benebo Fubara Fubara-Manuel (my successor in office), and the Rt. Rev. Dr. Ubon B Usung (incumbent Moderator of the Church) for their interests and encouragement which made this study a realised dream. My profound gratitude also goes to the mission partners of the Presbyterian Church of Nigeria: The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC), Presbyterian Church (USA), and Church of Scotland for providing the scholarship and funding for the Masters and Doctoral programmes at the University of Stellenbosch from September 2002 to December 2006. I want to thank particularly The Rev. Richard W. Fee and Ron Wallace of the PCC who consistently gave me the unwavering support and constantly renewed my confidence in the whole process when events wanted to prove otherwise. To both of them, the archivists (Kim Arnold and Bob Anger) and all the staff in the General Assembly Office in Toronto, I say thank you and God bless you all! Professor H. Jurgens Hendriks, Chair: Department of Practical Theology and Missiology who supervised this dissertation deserves thanks that words cannot adequately express. He was more of a senior brother than an academic supervisor to me during the course of the study. His astute academic mind, unreserved commitment to scholarship as a vocation coupled with his extravagant compliments when the academic journey got tougher, all helped in guiding, shaping and inspiring me to this point. All I can say is a big THANK YOU! The Faculty of Theology was a conducive environment in doing my studies and an appropriate theological laboratory in experimenting my work all because there were people who provided the needed leadership. In this connection, I salute the immediate viii past Dean (Prof. Daniel Louw) and the incumbent (Prof. Elna Mouton) for their sterling leadership qualities that have made the faculty a challenging and an exciting academic community. I am also grateful to all the tutorial and non-tutorial staff of the Faculty of Theology for the various ways they supported me in this academic journey. Together with them is the team of workers in the International Office who, under the leadership of Mr. Robert Kotze, immensely encouraged my entire family during our academic sojourning here in Stellenbosch. I also wish to name a few people who have been essential in my overall intellectual development throughout the past 20 years. Their work and thinking are, in many ways, but under my exclusive responsibility, present in the pages of this dissertation.

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