Turning the Tables on Mission: Stories of Christians from the Global South in the UK

Turning the Tables on Mission : Stories of Christians from the Global South in the UK

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Would it be fair to say that churches and church leaders seem not to recognize this? Among many, there is still a colonial mentality that pervades the church. It could still be argued that the attitude is often that the British church does mission to other places, and it is not having people come from other places to help us in the UK.

Olofinaja suggests that the UK church needs to learn humility and recognize that we need to learn from one another. Traditional English theology does not answer questions that are being posed by society. Theologies from the global south are in a far better place to respond in contemporary Britain as they are theologies developed from a place of weakness and marginalization. Theology done from the centre of power cannot speak into the new situation that the UK church finds itself in.

This presents a challenge to All Nations, which we are well-placed to respond to.

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All Nations has been teaching students to challenge the Western hegemony on theology since the s. All Nations library - the biggest mission library in Europe, has stocked books by Latin American theologians and others around the world since the mid nineteen seventies. Students from around the world regularly share their views in lesson times as they learn to consider different perspectives. All Nations finds Rev. Here at All Nations we are committed to envision and equip the UK church for its mission. All Nations is an independent, evangelical, interdenominational mission training Bible College.

The purpose of All Nations is to train students in cross-cultural mission. Skip to main content.

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You are here Home. Turning the Tables on Mission. Latest News All Nations News. Partnerships and Links Local Churches. It was approaching Christmas when a young Nigerian entered the church I pastor in south east London. Little did I realise the impact this man would have on our church and my ministry. Israel impressed us with his humility, his Bible knowledge, his willingness to learn and his ability to teach.

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By we were pastoring the church together. Israel brought a confidence in the gospel that challenged us and moved us on. We changed the structures of our house groups, we became bolder in our sharing of the gospel, we became excited about digging deep into the Old Testament and applying the lessons to our lives. Israel and I learned to work together, to see things from each others perspective and respect other ways of doing church. As I have read the stories contained in this book I have again been humbled and challenged. The stories of these modern missionaries are inspiring.

Here are stories of men and women who had to combat racism and discouragement, and did so with humility, perseverance and a sure confidence in their God.

These stories of God at work and faith in action should spur us all on, as together we pray, Your kingdom come, Your will be done here as it is in heaven. Reverse mission, as missionaries from other parts of the world pursue their vocation to re-evangelise Britain and plant new kinds of churches, is a hugely significant development that indigenous British Christians will be wise to welcome, interact with and learn from. This collection of stories and reflections is an excellent resource for such interaction and learning.

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Turning the Tables on Mission: Stories of Christians from the global south in the UK is an important contribution to the growing body of literature exploring the changing face of Christianity in contemporary Britain. The influential role of Christians from the global south is proving to be one of the most significant and transformative elements in the British religious landscape.

Review: Turning the Tables on Mission, edited by Israel Olofinjana

Yet while many studies treat world Christianity in isolation from British Christian networks, one of the great strengths of Turning the Tables on Mission is that it points to the increasing connections and shared identities between diasporic Christians in this country and British indigenes, demonstrating that we are increasingly observing a transformation within British Christianity rather than merely a foreign addition to it. Additionally, the volumes focus on the autobiographical stories of individual church leaders and planters offers readers rich and nuanced accounts of the motivations, desires and challenges that prompt this remarkable group of individuals.

There can be no greater need in an increasingly complex society than for the Christian Church to rediscover and renew its mission in the world.

Being God's light, salt and leaven bespeaks an incarnational existence that does not settle for mere coexistence, but one that transforms its context. Any initiative that helps in this task is to be welcomed, and I particularly welcome Rev Olofinjanas bringing together of experts and practitioners from south and north to reflect upon the Church's mission and what one part of the body of Christ can learn from another as together we seek to bring the good news of God's salvation to our world.

Men and women were on their knees responding to God and recognising His challenge to find a fresh expression of unity which crossed all ethnic divides. This was a call to unity in the midst of our diversity. A unity for a purpose, expressed in the great prayer of John The Evangelical Alliance, I trust, will never be the same. A One People Commission is now working to see this reflected in every area of our work. This book tells some of the stories of a God movement which is impacting the church right across the UK.

I thank God for the gift He is giving to us at this time. These stories make fascinating yet challenging reading. The common thread is the certainty of a plea from the authors for the recognition of their calling, including culture, personality and difference.

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Their primary and genuine desire is to be obedient to God. There is also a call to partake in the work that God is doing and a recognition that both black- and white-majority churches and their leaders need to cast aside scepticism and learn from each other. As I read these stories, it was as if I was reading my own story, and no doubt countless people will feel the same.

Importantly, Olofinjana uses the book to criticise what he regards as a failing in reverse mission to the UK so far, in that a lot of it is not actually evangelising to the majority of the British people, but instead serving diaspora communities.

Olofinjana bemoans the fact that if you ask about Spring Harvest in many black majority churches, they will say "Spring what? There is a lot of give and take to be had in this book, as both the missionaries and the community receiving them seek to adapt, and that perhaps is the most important lesson to take away from it. It's clear the contributors to the book want readers to understand that Christianity is not a culture, but something far deeper than that, and that consequently, we should not get too bound up with issues like worship style, service ordering or prayer format.

Essentially, we need to understand that the way we do things in our church is not the only way to do things. Helpfully, the book speaks to anyone from abroad thinking about coming to the UK as a missionary - they should not underestimate the challenge! The overarching message is that missionaries shouldn't go to far flung places because they think they will be comfortable there, as both the missionaries and the Christian communities receiving them will not be initially comfortable, or even comfortable in the long term. It can take years to assimilate. Some of the accounts read better than others but people who have a specific interest in the subject will find this book nonetheless a totemic work of great usefulness.

Others who simply want to know more of what God is doing right now in the British Church should read this to get a better understanding and become atuned to the big changes that may be coming if reverse mission continues to grow.

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