Emerging Africa

In 2001 I visited a missionary in Paraguay who was doing some tremendously interesting things in a little town in Paraguay. This missionary worked as a vet and through his work made friends with local people in and around the town. He developed friendships with some and they became interested in the Bible. They started reading the Bible together on an irregular basis. After some time these new friends asked Dave if they couldn't start reading the Bible together on a more regular basis. As they read through the New Testament they started asking Dave if they couldn't start a church and what should it look like. Dave's response in every case was that they should decide based on what they read in the Bible and what they thought would be the right thing to do.

In this way, piece by piece, over a very long period of time, a church was started. This church looks nothing like the average western church, is not based on western church planting models, is not built on Rick Warren or Bill Hybels, and may even seem a little strange to the passing visitor from the west. But it is very authentic in its context. The songs they sing are their own songs, and the various ministries taking place grew not because churches 'should' have those ministries but because of genuine, experienced, need.

This particular missionary would probably never want to be classified 'emergent' but I loved the very natural, very authentic, very real way this church he was involved with emerged in this little town. There is no ten-step plan or model we can take from this except perhaps the model of submerging in a particular context and allowing things to grow and evolve through relationships in ways we may not be able to plan, control ... or even imagine.