MISSION BENEFIT OF AGREED BIBLICAL AGENDA IN JOS

This appeared in Friday's Church of England Newspaper:

The agreed biblical agenda in the diocese of Jos, Nigeria, was the most inspiring and humbling feature for a visiting English Anglican.

That is not to say that Jos Diocese does not face internal problems in addition to the constant threat to its churches from Islamist terrorism. During my visit to the diocese over the New Year, I would suggest that clergy overwork is an issue.

The ‘wholistic’ approach to mission – evangelism and church growth combined with development and community projects – is necessary but it would seem that the clergy are having to do it all. The task of developing and employing godly and effective administrators is a significant challenge for the diocese.

But, despite this particular problem, I would contend that the agreed orthodox Anglican agenda for biblical evangelism, particularly amongst young people, is under God an essential engine of growth across the diocese.

On the final day on my visit, I asked the Bishop of Jos, Dr Ben Kwashi, also Archbishop of Jos Province, about the opportunities and challenges the diocese faces. ‘The opportunities far outweigh our capacity to cope,’ he said. ‘More and more young people are looking for answers to make life meaningful. The opportunities for community service are excellent and even more than that the opportunities for development. Politicians don't have the capacity for development. They never have - they develop themselves. But a sincere God-fearing heart will seek to develop other people.”

The diocese has 6 secondary schools, run by ordained principals, each with over 1,000 students. With the Nigerian government supporting church involvement in both primary and secondary education, the diocese has the opportunity to give a growing number of young people a Christian education. Said Dr Kwashi: 'Every child in my school has to have the fear of God put into him through the Bible, the Prayer Book and the Hymn Book. I am educating them with a vision for the world.'

I asked Dr Kwashi about the deployment of clergy in the diocese. Clergy rarely stay in one church more than three years and often move after a year. English clergy minded to complain about their terms of service under Common Tenure might consider the fact that Jos clergy can be dismissed at one month’s notice.

Dr Kwashi defended the employment policy of his diocese as ‘apostolic because Paul could send anyone anywhere at any time. Titus was sent to a very difficult place called Crete. If you are going to continue in mission, there is no alternative but to adopt the apostolic pattern’.

Dr Kwashi acknowledged that clergy moving around ‘can create instability and it’s not healthy sometimes for clergy families’. But ‘this method creates a movement mentality. We are people on the move. This world is not our home, we can move anytime because we are under the command to take the gospel somewhere’.

Tempering the disruption is the fact that Jos clergy are generally not moving far and remain near their relatives and friends and clerical peers. The other aspect is that their houses do not have as much stuff in them as our English vicarages, which makes moving easier.

The irony in Dr Kwashi’s apologia for moving clergy around is that his diocese has hugely benefited from his long tenure as bishop. He has been in post since 1992. Dr Kwashi, 56, is a visionary leader and a counter-cultural one. In a culture where people are inclined to be either early or late, he is a time-keeper and a servant-hearted energiser who has the General Patton approach to leadership. He sets the goals but leaves it up to the ingenuity of others to achieve them and abhors psychological dependency on him personally.

The Revd Hassan John, a Jos incumbent and also diocesan media director, told me: ‘In Nigeria we are flamboyant and very loud and he is very humble. Ben is demanding. He wants his egg cooked yesterday and he wants it hot. He hitches up the goals and encourages us to meet those goals. When he gives us responsibility he doesn't interfere. But if you are lazy or incompetent he will fire you. You will get his wrath. He will not compromise when it comes to the work of God.’

Cynics may say that the biblical agenda in the diocese is imposed, particularly on the clergy, rather than agreed. But my sense from visiting a range of churches was that the agenda set by the bishop is owned and that frontline Jos clergy are putting their hearts and souls into implementing the vision.

And with established churches growing, new churches being planted, new Christian schools opening, and church-run development projects proceeding apace, they can see for themselves the benefits for Christ’s mission of serving in a diocese that avoids the Western Anglican revisionist agenda like the plague.

Also cc's letter in Friday's CEN:

Sir, Just in case it appears that on the Cranmer’s Curate blog (What The Blogs Say – 20 January) I was conceding Dr Peter Head’s contention that the Apostle Paul did not forbid the appointment of women presbyters, may I please include the complete
paragraph? - "Sure there is an issue as to the ways in which ecclesiastical terms in general usage correspond to the NT terminology. But if ‘presbyter’ means a person with biblical teaching responsibility over God’s church, then Paul clearly did forbid the appointment of women in that role."