The Church Africa Needs: Between Evangelization and Transformation
On April 10, 1994, at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, a solemn, festive, and rich in African culture, opening of the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Africa took place on the theme "The Church in Africa and her evangelizing mission towards the Year 2000 You will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8). During the subsequent month, the Synod Fathers deliberated on the issues of proclamation of the message, inculturation, dialogue, justice and peace, social media. In September 1995, the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation
& Ecclesia in Africa" was made public during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Africa.
On 15 th September 1995, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Victories in Yaounde, Cameroon, amidst the colorful mosaic of ethnic groups, divisions, and challenges that characterize Africa, the Pope, in his homily, launched an appeal saying, "Do not let the differences and distances between you crystallize into walls that can divide you, but make sure that they become occasions and appeals to discover and share the extraordinary richness of Christ’s heart.
This year, the Church commemorates the profound 30 th anniversary of the 1st SpecialAssembly of the Synod of African Bishops. Hekima University College marked this significant event on September 16 with a Public Lecture by Prof. Dieudonne Mbiribindi, SJ,
under the theme: The Church Africa Needs: Between Evangelization and Transformation. According to an Article published in Acta Theologica, under the title The African Social Question: A Challenge to the African church in Light of the Two Synods on Africa, the
author V. U. Iheanacho talks about the African continent being in constant flux, where its fluidity and difficulty put the African Church to the test in a determinate historical context, in which she has no choice but to respond actively and positively to the concrete realities of Africans.
In light of this, Prof Mbiribindi, in his lecture, outlined eight possible ecclesiological models. These include the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church as a Community of Disciples, the Church as a servant, the Triumphant Church, the Church as an
Institution, the Church as the New People of God, and the Church as a Sacrament. Coincidentally, 30 years ago, when the 1 st African Synod took place, the Catholic Church in Rwanda was put to the test following the tragedy of the genocide against the Tutsi. The
members of the Synod issued an "urgent appeal" for peace negotiations and reconciliation in Rwanda. Thirty years later, Africa is still struggling with realities that affect people daily. These range from politics to economics, culture, and religion, as well as issues including border conflicts and ethnicity, justice and peace, greed, and corruption. With these realities, Prof Mbiribindi’s lecture sought to answer the critical question as to whether Africa still needs a church that evangelizes – or something else. The lecture also explored whether we can say we are genuinely evangelized because there should be a strong connection
between evangelization and transformation.
“So, if we receive the Gospel, it is not enough that we become a better person but also that we improve the lives of others. This is in connection to the mission of Jesus Christ, who came not only to proclaim the Kingdom of God but also to realize that this Kingdom of God means bringing change to people's lives because he felt the crisis of people,” Prof Mbiribindi explained, adding that Christ did not just speak but also acted through healing, forgiving sins, feeding the masses, and trying to change people's hearts; Christ was indeed concerned about transformation and was not disconnected from realities.
The dramatic Model “So I sat back and said we in Africa also need to look at the challenges of our societies
today, the challenges in Kenya, Congo, Cameroon, Sudan, and South Sudan— lots of challenges. Therefore, we cannot just import an idea of a church given to us. Instead, we need to see if we can have a model of the Church that can respond to our needs, a model
that is not disconnected from our reality. It is not just a matter of inculturation but of what we need as a church in Africa. It is like finding a relevant church,” He explained. Prof Mbiribindi proposes a Dramatic Church Model, which focuses on transformation and
brings to the fore the question of evaluating the impact of evangelization. “If evangelization that is happening today does not bring a change in one's personal life and the life of the society, then this kind of evangelization is not relevant because the aim of evangelization is the conversion of the heart; this is what Christ proclaimed in the Gospel, the conversion which is related to transformation.” He indicated that drama as a theological model considers the existence of cries, conflicts, and tensions and the possibility of reconciliation and transformation. Thus, the dramatic model must acknowledge and not ignore the current crises in Africa. “This model suggests that the Church in Africa itself is affected by the cries that impact African society, as it is an incarnate Church that transforms the world and Africa: a church capable of changing and transforming Africa; a dramatic ecclesiology seeks to confront these crises and find paths towards reconciliation.”
He further explained that as a theological model, drama emphasizes the importance of interaction, dialogue, and engagement, which are necessary to construct and reconstruct Africa. It highlights the dynamic, interactive nature of faith, where everything unfolds as a
journey to be discovered; therefore, faith becomes an experience uncovered amidst life dramas and gradually transforms, a path not known in advance but revealed as one walks. “Personal conversion is paramount and should also impact society such that if I am
transformed, I should work for the transformation of others. My position is that there is a connection between the Gospel and development; this is where we, the Catholic Church, differ from other faith groups. People proclaim the Gospel but don’t help improve other people’s lives. It is essential to think about what can be done other than preaching the Gospel to enhance people's lives. Salvation is integral; you don’t just save the soul; you save the integrality of human beings.”
He emphasized that in this dramatic ecclesiological model, every person needs to play a significant role in the transformation work because the drama happens to all of us. Prof Mbiribindi said this is another paradigm of synodality because synodality means we
cooperate in the work of salvation, but now we are working together towards our transformation. As a way forward, Prof Mbiribindi proposed that the Church in Africa ought to transform the world.
He pointed out that the Church in Africa has the following concrete mission from a dramatic perspective: becoming an agent of social change, where Christian Communities should be engaged in change, growth, and development. “They must not forget the poor and should work to transform lives, addressing community needs. Make the Gospel's transformative power effective in the peoples lives, bringing about positive changes across Africa and the world, solving social problems, and targeting integral development.”
By Pamela Adinda, HUC Communications Coordinator