In the News

 In the News

WORLD METHODIST CONFERENCE AND ORGANISATION OF AFRICAN INSTITUTED CHURCHES DIALOGUE (25^th – 28^th Sept 2019).

The Institute for Religion, Governance and Environment in Southern Africa at the University of Kwazulu-Natal has from 25^th – 28^th September 2019 hosted a consultative dialogue between the World Methodist Conference (WMC) and the Organization of African Initiated Churches (OAIC). The conference has brought together leaders, scholars and practitioners to interrogate the role of theological education in the formation of African leaders for both the Church and Nations whilst also assessing the current trajectories of the quest of decolonization in Africa.

The overview theme of this conference was: “Theological Education and Decolonization”. The delegates engaged the theme by critically paying attention to the following questions among others:

• What is the role of theological education in the formation of leaders for both the church and the nations in Africa?
• What is the role of religious leaders in the decolonization of theological education?
• How do scholars and religious leaders of the two traditions WMC and OAIC assess the legacy of Christian missions, the quest for ecumenical collaborations and the growth of African Christianities.
• What is the role of African churches and decolonization on the continent today, as opposed to the past, and to what degree are religious leaders aware of these issues.
• To what extent have these church traditions shaped and directed and or controlled forms of theological education on the continent, as opposed to state or other colonial authorities?
• What are the emerging themes in the theological education in Africa today in which these traditions and leaders are playing a significant role?

The objectives of this conference were highlighted as follows,

• To Explore the critical genealogies of theological education and focusing on how the two traditions, from colonial times to present-day Africa, have framed and reframed the uses and misuses of ministerial training or formation.
• To Interrogate the current of theological education on the continent in relation to Christianity and church leaders’ actions in relation to the challenges such as governance, migration, HIV, gender and human sexuality in the continent of Africa.
• To assess the extent to which Methodism and its mission agencies differs or is similar to the mission organizations of the past, in terms of assisting or undermining African churches and institutions.
• In general, to assess the role of Methodism and religious leaders in determining the decolonization of theological education in Africa and enabling collaboration.

The conference was organized to involve first of all, point-paper presentations. These paper presentations raised various subthemes for interrogation, transformation and further engagement. These included among others, areas of commonality and divergences between Methodism and African initiated Churches, Theological education, Cultural identity, Christianity and African culture and traditions, poverty and governance, environmental degradation and Global Warming. Further, the conference included a public lecture, on “The African Church’s Response towards   Environmental Crisis” which was delivered by Rev. Mike Vorster the director of ecumenical affairs in the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.  On the last day of the conference, delegates were joined with a group of local leaders from the African Initiated Churches in South Africa, who also had an opportunity to have a closed-door meeting with conference delegates representing the Organization of the African Initiated Churches. The conference then adjourned with having two excursions, one at Nelson Mandela capture site and the other at Inanda heritage trail. These two sites are very important in the history of South Africa, and have a lot to reveal to the rest of the world regarding liberation struggles in South Africa.