This weekend, I have the privilege of leading worship at our seminary’s annual women’s retreat. I can not tell you how thrilled I am over this opportunity. Why am I so excited? I found out last night that we will have 50+ women from 4 generations, 6 countries and 4 continents attending this retreat. I’m being stretched to find a variety of songs that will match the varied backgrounds of these women, but I’m having a BLAST preparing! I never thought I’d be this excited about singing “I Exalt Thee” ever again…
Living here, I’m learning more and more about global Christianity. This exposure has been the most impacting element of my time here at seminary. I’m learning about the lives and cultures and struggles of those around the world. I’m realizing that we are citizens of a much larger Kingdom… A Kingdom that reaches beyond borders and oceans and armies.
We have a responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Bible tells us to take care of one another… But, how are we supposed to care for them if we don’t know anything about them?
Tell me something you know about the Christian church in a country outside your own. If you don’t know much, you can check one of these sites, then come back with a fact.
This was written in answer to Ed’s question from”Showin’ some bloglovin’“
In southern Ireland (where Steph and I visited missionaries our church body supports), most folks are baptized as an infant – Roman Catholic style. If a person converts to Christianity, it is typically a looong (multiple years) process. Because taking the ‘final’ step of getting baptized pretty much means you reject the Roman Catholic church and your society/culture that goes with it. Which means your family too. Some families are accepting of that decision… most times, however, not so much.
rather – if a person converts to*Protestantism* …oi, didn’t mean to open that can of worms. (( Shuts can of aforementioned worms ))
Here in Scotland there is a very extreme version of Calvinism still floating about (hyper-Calvinism) in which the individual does not actually believe they can be a Christian unless they have had an ‘experience’ allowing them to be one and confirming to them that they are indeed saved . Something outside of themselves bringing them to Christ – like Paul’s conversion experience. I know some of these people are still hopefully waiting for their conversion experience, as they genuinely want to be a part of Christ’s body. These same people are not interested in evangelism in any way, as anyone who is going to be saved will be saved through the aforementioned predestined ‘experience’ and not God’s use of human means. It is very heart-breaking.. Most of the churches where we live are quite small and limited in many aspects, but the Christians within our church that we have befriended are very committed and encouraging.
I don’t think that covers the Christian church in the whole of Scotland, but it’s from my experience anyway
Yay for this post!!! Did you know that there are more Christians outside of the West than are in the West? We are in the minority! If one was to describe a “typical” Christian it would be a young African woman!!!
See my blog for the story of a Saudi woman martyred in August for her faith in Jesus.
In some ways, most of the missions majors at my school are looking to go into the 10/40 window (a term for the least reached places on earth. If you look on the map coordinates that covers the top half of Africa straight through the entire middle east and perhaps even part of eastern Europe). But South Africa is seen as a “churched” area already.
And in many ways, it is. There are churches there. Lots of them. But the church is is an inch deep even though it may be a mile wide. The need for discipleship is bigger than some think. The need for sound doctrinal teaching, and not Christianity with a side of animism is astonishing.
And when you find an African who loves Jesus, despite their mud (or poo)-walled house, corregated tin house, what little Rand exists in their pockets and they have joy flowing through them, it’s wonderful to be in the company of such a Disciple.
And when you gather a group of Africans that love Jesus, it is a glimpse of what the international party of Heaven will sound like. It’s magnificent. Music to my ears… I can’t imagine what their utters do to His.
YAY for what y’all are adding to this!
And y’all go check out Megan Schell’s posts on the Saudi woman martyred. It’s eye-opening and heart-breaking and inspiring.
mmm… good stuff, manders.
random note about the song “i exalt thee”. as a child did you know about psalty the singing songbook? i did. and i was enthralled with him. when we’d sing “i exalt thee” in church, i really and truly thought we were singing “i and psalty”. i was so thrilled that we were singing about this wonderful “friend” of mine, that i apparently didn’t notice how odd (and grammatically incorrect) it actually was!
I’ve spent time in Central America, working missions and youth retreats with small churches down there. There is something very raw and powerful about a village church. There is a complete dependency on God, a knowledge that provision comes from him. There is also, in a place of poverty and economic oppression, such a powerful sense of hope.
I had a pastor there once tell me what it meant to him to be a pastor… to guide, to lead, to encourage, to protect and to feed. The humility and earnestness with which he explained it to me stays with me to this day, and permeates my own ministry.
There is such a hunger for souls as well. Evangelism isn’t something you do, it’s who you are.
The church we go to is an English speaking church and feeds the needs of the English christian community here. It is a small and faithful congregation and always fluctuating due to the Expatriate community that feeds it.
We now have a full time Pastor and can see the effect they (he and his wife) are having by offering needed care to those who are hurting, sick and the outreach opportunities they have begun.
The local churches are Catholic or Protestant Reform (we are in the home of Zwingli’s Reformation movement) and the population on a whole is not inclined to talk about ‘religious’ things. They think it is a private issue and do not react well to outreach measures.
Like many other countries in Europe, the spread of the Gospel takes time, through relationship building and faithful, even if seemingly discouraging, service. Most missionaries are here long term – they will live, work and serve for many years before seeing fruits of their labor. But the joy they get when they do see progress is amazing to behold!
I have never gotten to really interact in other countries at a church except in the Bahamas….where most pastors and staff are volunteer and sort of “fall into” their role because they are needed. No training, etc.
I read in Christianity Today that about half of the home churches in China are led by women, 40% of whom are age 18-23….isn’t that remarkable. It made me wonder what I could do to encourage them….