Study
This is a small group study guide based on the content and purpose of the ‘Africa to the Rest’ book. These small groups are known as Ubuntu groups or U-groups. Ubuntu is a significant African contribution to the world of global mission and has abundant biblical support. It is the concept of belonging, communion, commonality and community. Ubuntu means, “I am because you are; you are because I am.”
KICK OFF | KNOWING ME, KNOWING YOU
1. Share with the group who you are, where you’re from, where your feet touch the ground right now, what you do.
2. What are you thankful for this week? What has stressed you–and what do you need for things to be better?
3. Diving in a little deeper, share with each other your life story guided by the following, your:
- Interests (enjoyment)
- Influences (people/events)
- Hopes (dreams/goals)
- Challenges (difficulties/problems)
- Purpose (impact/significance)
- Destiny (future/outcome)
4. How would you rate your current knowledge about each of the following over a maximum score of 10, with 10 being ‘terrific’ and 1 being ‘terrible’?
- Africa
- Missions
- Unreached People Groups?
5. Why have you decided to join this A2R movement? What are you hoping to gain from this 10-week study?
6. Review the following group guidelines (borrowed from Emotionally Healthy Discipleship). What do they mean to you and will you commit to these?
- 1. Come Prepared
- 2. Speak for Yourself
- 3. Respect Others
- 4. No Fixing, Saving, No Setting Other People Straight
- 5. Turn to Wonder (when tempted to judge others)
- 6. Trust and Learn from Silence
- 7. Observe Confidentiality
- 8. Be Punctual (start on time and end of time).
7. How may we pray for each other as we get inducted into the A2R movement and begin this A2R journey?
ENDORSEMENTS, TERMS, FOREWORD, PREFACE
1. Very significant global mission leaders have made various comments about Africa to the Rest. Did any of these resonate with you? If so, which one(s) and in what way?
2. From the Patrice Lumumba quote and the African proverb about the lion’s tale to Joshua Bogunjoko’s foreword and the authors’ preface, there is a strong case being made for Africans telling their own stories in their own words and in their own way. What do you say to that?
3. The authors have made no assumptions that their readers are familiar with basic terms used in the book from mission and missions to Unreached People Groups.
- Which of these terms had you never heard before?
- Can you distinguish between mission and missions?
- Did any of their definitions or explanations give you fresh insight or understanding into a particular term?
- Who do the authors’ use of “Africa” and “the Rest” to encompass?
4. Of the various heroes of Africa to the Rest cited in the foreword, past and present, who do you find most inspiring? What challenges you from these examples?
5. What is the great African breakthrough of 2018? Had you heard about it before reading this book? If yes, how? If not, why do you think this is so?
6. What have been some of the mischaracterizations of the African continent (or African peoples) over the last few hundred years (a number are mentioned in the preface)? Why do you suppose this has been so? Which of them irks you the most? Why?
7. The following are questions picked up from the preface. Do you have answers for them?
- “By 2050, there will likely be more Christians in Africa (1.25 billion) than in Latin America (705 million) and Europe (490 million) combined. What shall we say to these things?”
- “The future of the global church is African. But what sort of Christianity will Africa offer and bequeath the world?”
- “…these numbers are not adequately reflected in the number of Africans who will likely be faithful carriers of the authentic gospel abroad i.e., missionaries and missional Christians! How come there will be more missionaries from the continents with fewer Chritians than from the one with the most Christians?”
PAST PARTICIPATION (CHAPTER 1)
1. What surprises you most about the African story within the panoramic God story—biblically, historically, anthropologically, theologically and missiological?
2. What has inspired or challenged you the most in this chapter?
3. Were you curious about the use of ‘again’ in the subtitle of this book? If so, has your curiosity been satisfied?
4. Why do you think Africa(ns) have been dealt the short end of the stick and been so maligned in history in general, and missions history in particular?
5. Were you aware of the extent of Africa(n)s’ own involvement in the propagation of the gospel on the continent? If yes, how come? If not, did this surprise you? Why?
6. If you have ever taken a missions history class or course, how much of it was dedicated to the African part of the God story—and from an African perspective, for that matter? What accounts for this?
7. How important do you think Africa’s centrality in the mission of God needs to be reclaimed and retold? How might this be achieved?
PASSIONATE PRAISE (CHAPTER 2)
1. What captured your heart in the personal, denominational, national, and international testimonies of God at work in and through Africa(ns) today? Will you take a moment to praise the Lord with Africa(ns)?
2. What excites you the most about the unique flavour that Africans bring to the kingdom of God and His mission in the world? Why?
3. How differently do you see the presence of Africans outside the continent after reading this chapter?
4. Are you familiar with any Africa to the Rest stories of the good, the bad, and the ugly? If your answer is no, where, and how do you think you can access some for your learning and encouragement? If yes, how do these stories make you feel about this global missions era that we live in today? You may send your stories to engage@africatotherest.com to be shared.
5. There is this notion that “Africans cannot lead well.” Discuss.
6. Compare and contrast Africa(ns) as a mission force in the past (chapter 1) and Africa(ns) as a mission force today (chapter 2). What are the similarities and differences you see? How significant could these be?
PRESENT POTENTIAL (CHAPTER 3)
1. Africa’s mission potential has been expressed in terms of numbers, youth, women, prayer, rising economic power, the African personality, power in weakness, mission from the margins and diaspora. Which of these do you find most compelling? Elaborate on it.
2. Are there any other considerations of African mission potentials left out of this chapter that you would want to share? Why do you think the writers might have omitted them?
3. Nearly every people group has a diaspora. What do you find particularly striking about the African diaspora that uniquely positions them well for global gospel movements at this particular point in history?
4. God has used international students to shape Africa—from the colonial days through to the independence movements till today. Many heads of state and significant leaders on the continent are former international students. How do you think Africa can more strategically ride on that tidal wave of the international student phenomenon for global mission?
5. “Africa to the rest of the world” has significant financial implications, with Africa being the so-called “developing world.” What are the most fruitful partner/fund development innovations you have come across that are making African missions to the unreached happen? How can they be replicated or even scaled? What could we be doing together cross-continentally in resourcing global missions?
PERSISTENT PROBLEMS (CHAPTER 4)
1. There are several questions raised within the body of this chapter that are worth repeating and pondering:
- How is it that African Christians double in numbers by 2050 and at least not double in missionary-sending numbers?
- How come the most Christian continent isn’t the most missionary sending?
- What is the persistent problem gnawing away at the African missionary edge?
- How does the continent with the most Christians (by far) contribute so little to the global missionary enterprise in terms of projected vocational missionaries?
2. Of all the paradigms that need to shift in order for a ‘further and better’ gospel movement from Africa/Africans to the unreached of the world, which ones have you encountered the most in your interaction with Africans? Why do you suppose this is so? How can they be overcome?
3. What problematic paradigms have you significantly experienced personally? In what ways have they impacted your mission journey, and how have you sought to address them?
4. Then there are all these other problems—nominalism and shallow discipleship, another gospel, low or no global and cross-cultural awareness, visa woes, worries of this world, the deceitfulness of wealth, disorganized diaspora, foreign exchange matters, research, writing and integrity issues—plaguing the movement of Africa to the Rest. Without using chapter six as a ‘cheat sheet,’ what potent solutions to these have you come across? Which others would you proffer?
5. How can you be sure that the gospel you have received and want to pass on is the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ? How is it different from the ‘different gospel’ the authors speak of ? What is the way out of this ‘other gospel’ phenomenon for the African church?
6. Are there other problematic paradigms and problems that impact negatively on the mission of God in and through Africa to the Rest but not mentioned here that you would like to add to the list? Do any smart, Spirit-led solutions come to mind?
PRINCIPAL PRINCIPLES (CHAPTER 5)
1. There are twenty principal principles touched on in this chapter as follows: 1) The Mission is God’s. 2) The Motive is God’s glory. 3) Mission is Warfare. 4) We Are All Called. 5) Think Nations. 6) Worship, Pray and Fast. 7) Mission from the Margins, Witness from Weakness. 8) Clarity of the Harvest. 9) Simultaneously Local and Global. 10) From Inward to Outward. 11) We Are Called to Make Disciples. 12) Respond to Spirit Movements. 13) Plant Missional Churches. 14) Ride on People Movements. 15) Friendship and Fellowship First. 16) Hospitality in Missions. 17) Accountability is Vital. 18) Local Churches and Mission Agencies Working Together. 19) Member Care in Mission Practice. 20) The Key is Total Mobilization.
- Which were new to you? Why do you think this has been missing from your missiology menu?
- Are there any you would like to add that are timeless, biblical, universal truths (principles, not just practices) that should undergird the Africa to the Rest movement? Why do you suppose the writers might have omitted that?
2. Which of these mission principles resonates with you the most? Can you share examples of how you’ve witnessed this principle illustrated in contemporary missions either experientially or something you’ve come across through some medium?
3. Think of situations in which any of these principal principles have been violated. What have been the consequences? Who has borne the brunt for it? How could this be averted in the future?
4. In a sense, this chapter has been a compressed course in basic missiology. How would you rate its helpfulness to you from 1 to 10, with 1 being not helpful at all and 10 being extremely helpful to the point of being life-changing and ministry-altering? In what way?
5. How best do you suppose the average African Christian can be educated in basic missiology so that there isn’t zeal without knowledge (Proverbs 19:2)?
PROGRESSIVE PREPARATION (CHAPTER 6)
1. If you are an African Christian, you are certainly a part of the numbers that make Africa the most Christian continent now and doubling, come 2050. However, are you going to be part of those who increase the projected 10% of global missionaries who will be Africans by 2050? How so? If not, why not?
2. Which of the many creative solutions and objective preparations listed and elaborated on in this chapter appeals to you the most? Why? What do you see as your role in that?
3. Which of these progressive preparations do you find rather far fetched or impracticable? How would you augment it/them?
4. Do you know any African Christians in the diaspora? How are they being mobilized for global mission? What’s your part in that?
5. If there were special orientation and training (including missional cross-cultural competencies) conducted for Christians about to travel out of Africa for school, work, refuge, permanent relocation etc. would you be interested? Why/why not? What issues would you like to be covered?
6. Are you missionally mentoring any younger African person right now in a deep and personal way? What have been the joys and challenges if you are? If you’re not, do you now see why you should— will you? Note that even youth can peer-mentor other youth, so age is no excuse.
PRACTICAL PARTICIPATION (CHAPTER 7 & CONCLUSION)
1. The five questions at the beginning of the chapter deserve repeating. Answer them now and compare your answers to those you had before you read the chapter:
- How do you feel the body of Christ is doing in fulfilling the Great Commission?
- What do you see as your role in fulfilling the Great Commission?
- Do you have any goals this year specifically related to fulfilling the Great Commission?
- What barriers have you run against in fulfilling the Great Commission?
- What rewards have you seen or experienced in fulfilling the Great Commission?
2. Which of these dozen practical mission actions are new to you? How many have you been engaged in in the past? Which of them are you practising right now?
3. Does any other way to be practically engaged in mission come to mind which doesn’t fit under these dozen broad categories? What are they? Write to the authors (engage@africatotherest.com) and share.
4. There is a difference between getting involved in global mission and being committed to global mission. Discuss.
5. Is there any one of the practical dozen that the Holy Spirit is really pressing on your heart, convicting you about? What are you going to do about it? How might God be practically inviting you into His mission right now?
6. What are your personal conclusions regarding the missio Dei and the missio Africana after completing your reading and studying of Africa to the Rest? Who are you going to share this with? What is your next step?
NEXT STEPS | NOW WHAT?
1. Describe this 10-week A2R journey in one word. Why?
2. Is there anything about your life story you shared 10 weeks ago that you missed out on or has been altered that you would like to share regarding your:
- Interests (enjoyment)
- Influences (people/events)
- Hopes (dreams/goals)
- Challenges (difficulties/problems)
- Purpose (impact/significance)
- Destiny (future/outcome)?
3. Have you familiarize yourself with the information and resources in the appendices of ‘Africa to the Rest?’ Is there a Lausanne Movement issue network you need to connect with? How about an indigenous African missions agency?
4. What is going to change in your life as a result of this 10-week journey? Who are you going to share this with?
5. What are your next action steps? Why? What is the time frame? How would you feel when they are accomplished? Who do you need as an ally to make these happen?
6. Who among ‘the Rest’ do you sense a call towards? Contemplate the following and fill out the table below:
| ACTIONS: | ACTIVITY: |
1) Identify the “target groups” the Lord is laying on your heart.
2) Identify each group’s need and “access point.”
3) Pray for God to open doors into these “target groups” (to reveal ‘Persons of Peace’/seekers).
| 1) List your local “target groups” (affinity groups).
2) List each group’s need and “access point.”
3) Identify a potential “Person of Peace” in each target group.
|
7. As you go from Africa to the Rest, recite aloud and strong over each other the prayer on page 179 of the book.
