Church: The Good, the Bad, and the Robbins'

We came to Malawi for a few reasons; investigating our own aptitude for mission work and types of mission possibilities, to join with Jay and Laura Stoms, and to continue the partnership of the NW PCA (unofficially) with the CCAP. This last motive has really been the consuming impetus for missions in the first place. Rather than paternalism, missions in already evangelized areas is about fellowship (partnership) between churches. Or at least that is the best I can make out of it for only being out here two years.

Our friend Rev. Maxjoy Chilendeni and I

Rev. Mike Kelly, myself and 15 CCAP Ministers (including Maxjoy, two to the left from me)

Anyway, that last motive has been the most difficult and disappointing. Most of the let down has come from my high expectations; that we would have ample opportunity for involvement. Nevermind the effects or result of our involvement, I just assumed that we would be able to be involved in our local CCAP congregation.

It has been just the opposite. After attending Bwaila CCAP for about 6 months we were still no more than observers. And really there was no hope of ever becoming more than that. There may be many legitimate reasons for our inability to truly join the congregation:
- We don't speak chichewa (prayer meetings, communion and church life are all conducted in chichewa),
- I am not ordained nor do I have a high degree (these things earn you automatic respect/fear),
- At least one of us missed a good handful of sundays because Eli happened to be sleeping at the exact time, and lastly
- I don't dress spectacularly for church (it is a very appearance centered culture at times, to the point that someone might have a nice cell phone but no food, or a nice waxed car but no gas).
The other part of the equation that makes it hard is that we are only here for two years, no more. I would guess that if we continued at that congregation for 5 years things would change, as would our chichewa skills. Nonetheless we aren't long-term folks.

Beth and I in our typical Sunday outfits.... (just kidding)

Bwaila CCAP

As well, the preaching and worship has been fairly deadly. I can usually pick something worthwhile out of even a droll sermon (at least on good days). The sad thing was that the preaching was not just boring, it was heretical (health wealth to syncretistic).

The list goes on of things that were just too difficult for us. At the end of the day we looked at it all and acknowledged that we weren't going to be here forever and so might consider a different church, a non-CCAP church.

This led us to Flood, a non-denominational church plant from a church in San Diego by the same name. If you know me very well, you will know that I am fairly prickly when it comes to non-denom churches. On top of that, the parent church in San Diego is one I would rather forget exists. (All I can think of when I look at their website and hear their story is phrases like 'radical' and velcro walls....I don't know, maybe its just me.) Lastly the congregation is largely made up of expats, with a good minority of Africans. All these things combined made me hesitate.

However, after visiting a few sundays we decided we ought to meet with the pastor, Sean Kampondeni. He is an ABC graduate, and we found out, fairly reformed in his understanding of salvation and the makeup of the church. Studying Church History has done me good, teaching me of the broad makeup of believers throughout the centuries; my doctrinal positions are not the criteria (thank the Lord!!). So I felt that it was a good place for us until we leave. Beth, in her honesty and to her credit, was ready to join from the beginning. She wanted to at least be with a body of believers we can know and hear preaching that is actually biblical! So in February, we joined Flood Malawi as members.

It has been a good thing for us. The preaching week by week has been a great boon to us. Fellowship has been great. And our gardener, Happy, attends there as well which has been very cool. I am not sure how much of a blessing we have been, but it surely has for us.

That said, the church I pray for the most in Malawi is the CCAP. I long for her renewal. The other day I got a chance to look at the list of confessions and creeds they hold to, all of them are Reformed and the same ones the PCA holds to. I was deeply, deeply saddened. The CCAP has all the potential to be a powerful, rejuvenating, evangelizing, ministry force in Malawi and all of Southern Africa. Yet, it is bogged down with legitimate concerns and needs (over worked pastors, no money) as well as sad temptations and failures (unbelieving elders in almost every church, flirtation with liberal presbyterian denominations in the US in hopes of receiving funding). Really, I pray for a Johnathan Edwards-esque revival; at least on a brief survey there seems to be a great similarity between the church in his day and our beloved CCAP. If we were ever to return indefinitely, I would see to it that we were in some direct involvement/relationship with our sister church.

Nonetheless, we return home in 3 weeks. We will be visiting two CCAP congregations of our friends, and the Flood the last week. Yet we will continue to pray for the CCAP for a long time to come.

Please join with us in prayer for renewal in the CCAP, and for the ministers laboring for just that (Rev. Sam McDonald, Rev. Jay Stoms and many others).