Memo to American Evangelicals

Engage the Global Church
Karin Zylstra, Institute for Global Engagement 

This article provided by the Engstrom Institute

"Why should I care about people halfway around the world who I've never met? They're not related to me, and we're not friends: I don't feel called to love them." Hearing statements like these from my evangelical friends has saddened me on many occasions. Such conversations have made me increasingly aware that evangelicals in America are often not only uninformed, but also unconcerned about the lives of fellow believers in other parts of the world.

According to Philip Jenkins, a leading religious scholar, the majority of the world's Christians now reside in the Global South — regions such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America — and the growth of Christianity in those regions is significantly greater than in America or Europe. [1] Despite this increasingly globalized church, American evangelicals, including myself, often do not comprehend the full diversity of the church. I believe this narrow view can lead to a limited practice of faith and a sense of disunity among brothers and sisters in Christ. Fortunately, there are many practical ways that evangelicals in America can become engaged in this global church and promote unity among believers. Local church congregations can provide information about ongoing ministry efforts in other countries and opportunities to offer assistance. At the same time, American evangelicals can learn to present a less arrogant global image.

American evangelicals are mostly conservative Protestants, but some Catholics and Orthodox adherents also define themselves as evangelical. As a Protestant, I am best qualified to address other evangelical Protestants and to encourage greater global activism. In my experience growing up in a Protestant church, global awareness was something that was featured only once or twice a year. This unfortunate lack of awareness and concern for others in the global church results in fragmentation and an incomplete vision of the church.

Historically, in most Christian traditions the "church" has been understood as much more than a building with a steeple, and even more than a group of people sitting in pews on Sunday morning. A truly global concept of the "church" includes every believer throughout the world.

This belief has been affirmed by Christians since the beginning of Christianity and continues today through both the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, which confirm belief in the Holy, catholic (i.e. universal) Church. Too many American evangelical Protestants now indulge an exclusive loyalty to their own local church and pastor. Instead, they should reengage the original global concept of the church. Though disagreements often arise, and sometimes lead to serious schisms, Christians of all traditions and denominations can still respect each other based on their common hope in Christ. More specifically, American evangelicals can engage in the global church through unity, community, service, knowledge, and humility.

Unity

Jesus prayed that all who believed in him would be "brought into complete unity to let the world know that [God] sent me" (John 17:23). [2] Seeking unity within the church involves being engaged in the lives of Christians around the world and seeking to understand how an individual's faith is affected by the unique context in which they live. By building a "global" church, Christians testify to the power of a God who can create community that transcends cultural or political differences. Furthermore, the call to unity does not apply only to people committed to full-time Christian service; it also applies to lawyers, housekeepers, construction workers, bankers, and all other vocations. A truly global church is a witness to the world of the power of the gospel to unify people who may be different in every respect except their common faith. A good example of this is the Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, which has made a point of partnering with four un-reached people groups. Now, people in Knoxville are engaged with fellow believers in China, India, Siberia and Eritrea.[3]

Community

A global church is a community that is marked by care and respect. As a community, all members are brothers and sisters in Christ, which involves love and concern for the welfare of others. Actions within that community will necessarily reflect either a living faith or an incomplete faith. The apostle John says that the love of God in a person's life will lead to the exhibition of that love to his or her fellow believers: "Dear children, let's not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions" (1 John 3:18). A full expression of community involves love and service for others within that community, regardless of whether they live down the street from us or on another continent. An example of the practical application of love is the Anglican Church in Rwanda, which is establishing a theological college which they hope will continue the process of reconciliation after the genocide that occurred in the previous decade. [4]

Service

A practical way to serve others is through physical and material assistance. This is inextricably linked to the full practice of faith and life with God. John again explicitly makes the connection between love and sacrifice in 1 John 3:16-17 when he states: "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" Effective service within the community of a unified church necessitates being informed about specific situations and events around the world. And despite being geographically distant, evangelicals in America can provide valuable and timely assistance to missionaries through organizations such as Global Economic Outreach. This organization receives questions from people involved in ministry abroad, and then connects these workers with people in the U.S. who can provide information and advice about the question or problem. [5]

Knowledge

There are numerous ways to learn about the church worldwide, including many international news sources. Organizations such as International Christian Concern provide information about the church in many different regions. Individual church congregations are natural places for Christians to become informed and engaged with the church worldwide. Many churches sponsor conferences and host missionary speakers to report on their work around the world. These conferences provide excellent opportunities to learn more about how God is working in other countries and to be challenged and inspired to become involved with that work. Churches that directly send missionaries abroad can communicate to their members current updates on the work being done, allowing them "real time" opportunities to provide needed support. Missionary support is more than just financial; full support also involves encouragement and validation for missionaries in their work, including writing letters or emails, offering a place to stay when missionaries are on sabbatical, and most importantly, remembering missionaries in prayer. A commitment to regular prayer is an effective way to engage the global church, and resources exist specifically for this purpose. Patrick Johnstone has written a book called Operation World, which functions as an informative prayer guide for all regions of the world. [6]

Humility

A greater awareness of the church worldwide will lead to a sense of awe and humility before the full expression of God's work. For American evangelicals an attitude of humility is especially important, not only in private life, but also in public life. Unfortunately, in the non-Western world, Americans are increasingly described as strident, political, and unforgiving people — people who need evangelizing themselves.[7] In what might be seen as a reversal of the roles of the past century, the Anglican Church in Rwanda has recently established a program for evangelism in America, called Anglican Mission in America (AMiA). [8] Additionally, humility is important when voicing opinions on moral or political issues. The reputation of the common Christian community is tainted when one person decides to speak out of ignorance or promote their opinion without first considering the concerns of others. American evangelicals in particular should take care to avoid appearing imperialistic or arrogant. No government has an agenda that is wholly biblical, so it is unwise to support any government's policies indiscriminately, but rather examine each issue in the light of scripture. Disagreements among fellow believers may occur but should be tempered with the knowledge of the unity shared in Christ.

Ultimately, the objective for Christian engagement in the global church is to fulfill Christ's mandates of love and unity, thereby bringing glory to God. The truth of the gospel and the witness of a unified church can transcend all national and cultural boundaries, providing a powerful witness to the world of God's love.

ENDNOTES

1. Philip Jenkins, "A New Christendom," The Chronicle Review, 29 March 2002.
2. All scripture citations are from the New International Version.
3. Dave Geisler, "From Tennessee to the Tuvin in Southern Siberia," Missions Frontiers, 17 July 2006.
4. Anglican Mission in America, "Classes Begin At Kigali Anglican Theological College," 29 March 2006 .
5. Global Economic Outreach 19 July 2006.
6. Patrick Johnstone, Operation World: When We Pray God Works (Gabriel Resources, 2001).
7. Chris Seiple, "American Evangelicalism, Peril and Promise (Part I). http://www.globalengage.org/issues/2004/03/ftp.htm.
8. Anglican Mission in America 13 July, 2006.

Karin Zylstra served as a Research Associate at the Institute for Global Engagement during the summer 2006 term. This article can be found at the Institute for Global Engagement website. Specifically, http://www.globalengage.org/media/article.aspx?id=2038.