EDITORIAL:The Road Ahead

If, in the will of God, the Lord Jesus stays away any longer, Consider the following simple fact:

In order to get a more accurate picture, we need to consider the membership of the Christadelphians in the traditional heartlands of the UK, Australasia and North America. The figures we are dealing with are statistically valid; my figures may not be exactly right, but I am certain that the general trend and conclusion is correct. I have been involved in Christadelphian preaching work since my baptism in 1951 and can now look back over 50 years and marvel at what God has done. I dislike applying such statistical analysis to God's Truth, but we must look at the trends and be realistic about the possible road ahead.

Overall, Anglo Saxon Christadelphia is stable - sharply decreasing in England, but stable in Australia and North America. But the growth in the mission field is enormous. What the above figure indicate is not the success of a handful of enthusiasts, but the hand of God at work. Who would have thought even in 1990 that the true Gospel would be being preached in Russian throughout the (then) USSR? Who would have even dreamed of Bible Schools attended by hundreds of brethren and sisters in Russia? Who would have imagined 20 years ago Brethren and Sisters in China, Iran, Turkey, Vietnam etc.

It may well be that in 20 years? time we will be thinking: "Who would have thought, 20 years ago, that now only a fifth of our fellowship are Anglo-Saxons, that only a fifth of us speak English as our mother tongue...". And the differences may be even greater in my native England -  when you consider the age structure of UK Christadelphians (mainly elderly) compared to the generally younger age structure of those outside the UK. The implications of what seems likely to happen need to be soberly considered by all of us, wherever we are in the world.

The Financial Implications

There has been an assumption by some that Western Christadelphians are under an obligation to constantly finance the mission areas. A consideration of the above facts indicates the impossibility of this. Substantial sums of money - in addition to the CBM expenditure - are spent from the UK in all aspects of the Mission areas? work. Assuming the number of converts doubles in fifteen years, it could mean that double the present amount of expenditure, plus inflation, would be needed if the present system continues, which clearly is unrealistic ? especially if you think of the implications for, say, the next 60 years, consequently plans to make the mission areas more independent are urgently required.

Spiritual guidance

Not only will the supply of financial resources dry up, but Christadelphians of, say, Nigeria, or Latvia, or Jamaica, will have to look more to themselves for spiritual leadership rather than to the West. Imagine, for example, that our preaching in Cuba is blessed and a group of Cuban Christadelphians develops. Cuban Christadelphians will have to be Cuban Christadelphians, not a satellite of English speaking Christadelphians. They will probably have literature in their own language, their own ways of doing things, their own perspectives - but all bound together with the rest of us world-wide in that we have the same basic standards of doctrine, practice and a common Statement of Faith. Likewise Russian Christadelphians must be Russian Christadelphians, Ugandan Christadelphians must be Ugandan Christadelphians... not satellites of Anglo-Saxon Christadelphianism.

All this places a serious obligation upon those who first preach the Gospel in a country to ensure that they give much emphasis to teaching sound doctrine, that they encourage the first converts to really love God's word for themselves and that the correct concept of fellowship is understood by all of us, wherever we may be. We are one body ? arms, legs and feet of the same glorious whole. As a world-wide community we must be inclusive, truly aware of each other in thought and prayer; and it is my desire  that for each country where the Truth is believed, some in the West will dedicate themselves to learning that language and entering into the culture of that nation. Those in the West with years of Bible study and generations of Christadelphianism behind them have so much to give by way of experience , exposition and the running of Ecclesias.

Funding

With so much work to be done there is a marvellous opportunity for true service. If our aim is to develop self-supporting communities of believers throughout the world, there should not be the need for long-term financial support for each country in which the Truth is pioneered. However, there is no doubt that money is needed for the pioneering work itself, and that the genuine need of brethren in crisis in, say, a Moslem country, drought, war,disease or disaster stricken areas, cannot be ignored by their comfortably-off brethren. I suggest God has made it that way because there are many with the potential to give of their God-given wealth (although they may not see themselves as being wealthy). God wants us in His Kingdom and we are told that it is hard for the rich to enter the Kingdom without shedding their wealth. Yet Western Christadelphians have undoubtedly moved socially upward. The average working class Christadelphian convert of the 1920s now has grandchildren often in the professions or with their own businesses. Or just consider the geographical location of most Western ecclesias: not now in the rough inner cities, but tucked away in some of the nicest corners of comfortable suburbia.

The contribution of new converts

There is without doubt a difference between an ecclesia comprised of zealous new converts and one mainly composed of third generation Christadelphians. Both need each other, the development of both depends upon both becoming inclusive of each other. The depth of knowledge of long-standing brethren needs to be shared with those new to the Truth, and the enthusiasm and lack of inhibition and crotchets of new converts need to feed back to the West. Our Western brotherhood, rent as it has been by materialism and internal schism, can learn a lot from the far greater appreciation of the basic doctrines manifested in many overseas believers. The lack of inhibition in preaching amongst new converts is something quite alien to Western Christadelphians, who seem hopelessly shy at telling the man next to them the good news of the Gospel of Christ  and his cross, and ought to put the West to shame. I sense, too, a greater humility in them. 

Familiarity has bred contempt in the West, and we are reaping what we have sown over the last generation. Perhaps a way of escape, God is offering for us is to become more inclusive of our overseas brethren, to recognize that we need to be re-converted by their example - rather as attending a baptism usually has a sobering effect upon us. Some of you overseas may be shocked at what you read, but this is how I personally feel about this ? and I am being open with you so that you realize something very clearly: the brotherhood in the West really needs you; there are many of us who look up to your examples and gain inspiration from you;, who see in you what we would love to be. I know this is true, from the many comments which are made to me by appreciative Western readers of Gospel News.

Brave New World?

I am painting a picture of a 'Brave New World' for Christadelphia, where over 60% of us are Africans (given present trends) and the majority don't speak English as their mother tongue; a 'Brave New World' where we all write to and read regularly about brethren of different colours and languages; where we all enthusiastically believe and teach the same doctrines and where in love we have learnt to live with each other?s differing perspectives and backgrounds. It has been estimated by the researcher David Barrett that by the end of the first century, the ethnic composition of Christianity was 32% white, 68% non-white, and that nearly a third of all Christians were African. It is evident that the situation at that time has similarities with that in the last days (passages like Matthew 24 show that the situation in AD70 was a type of that in the last days) and it seems that within the next few years, God willing, the ethnic composition of Christadelphians could be very similar.

Sometimes I see this as a real, exciting possibility and there is real evidence, that we are really on the road towards it. It may well be that once we reach this stage we will, as a community, have developed to that necessary point for our Lord to return. At other times I realize how far we have to go in our attitudes, in our need for unity and true mutual acceptance of each other, in our self-sacrifice, in our giving (in various ways), in our need to avoid needless sub-division, in our devotion to the ideal. I know there is resistance, on the part of some, consciously and unconsciously, to this 'Brave New World'. There always has been.  Some don't want to stand alone; others aren't prepared to let go. All I can say is that if we analyse again the trends, there is no doubt that God is at work. "We can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth", in this I have always taken untold comfort and I trust we all will in the new challenges which without doubt lie ahead.

Marcus Heaster