Church leaders have much to contribute to African unity

"Promoting church and ecumenical leadership is an essential part of reconstructing Africa... African leaders themselves recognize that the unity of the churches is an essential part of the search for African unity," says World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser.

The planners of a pan-African conference called "Journey of Hope in Africa Continued", are in full agreement. "Our churches potentially have much to contribute to building a just, sustainable and creative future for Africa," says Rev. Dr Nyambura Njoroge of the WCC Education and Ecumenical Formation team. "The development of new ecumenical leadership is vital for the continent as well as for its churches".

Meeting in Johannesburg 16-23 September for a "a critical evaluation of theological education and ecumenical formation", nearly one hundred church educators, church and ecumenical leaders from over 25 countries will try to answer questions like: "What have we done in the past 50 years to prepare and equip youth, women and men for leadership?" "How have we erred, and how can we correct our past mistakes?" "What resources did we use, and what resources can we use today?"

This is the first pan-African conference of its kind. As such, it responds to a call at the WCC's eighth Assembly (Harare, 1998) to member churches to place a special focus on Africa. It is being hosted by the South African Council of Churches in close cooperation with the WCC.

"Leadership formation must use new approaches to break through the religious and cultural barriers between people and enable them to learn with and from each other. Theological education must engage with poverty, HIV/AIDS, and all the related issues," says Njoroge.

Referring to his travels in Africa over the past six years, "Assistance in the formation of ecumenical leadership probably tops African church leaders' agendas," Raiser says. "We are now dealing with a generation of church leaders for whom the former mission partners are more familiar than the WCC, and who have had minimal ecumenical exposure," he notes.

The conference, to be held in the Kempton Park Conference Centre in Johannesburg, will draw up a plan of action for the next ten years.