Several years ago I met with John Stott, one of the founders of the Lausanne movement.  I shared with him my concerns about French speaking Africa in the following terms: “please, do not forget French-speaking Africa.” He always remembers this statement each time we meet.

Indeed, French-speaking Africa was often regarded as the poor man of the evangelical world, because of its colonial past characterized by a low vitality of Protestantism in France and Belgium, the colonizing countries. Missiologically, French-speaking Africa was often neglected, because this part of the world is culturally difficult and little known by the evangelical world dominated by the American and Anglo-Saxon culture. 

French-speaking Africa during these last decades has been through times of unprecedented violence. Almost every French-speaking country in the sub Sahara experienced a political and/or military crisis causing displacement of populations and deaths amounting sometimes to thousands, as in Rwanda and in D.R. Congo. One also observes a great expansion of Islam as well as a resurgence of the African traditional religions.

But God, in his sovereignty, and in spite of these crises is doing great things in this part of Africa. Sometimes, God in his sovereignty used the war to facilitate the propagation of the Gospel beyond the borders, through refugees and migrants and to accelerate the missionary movement. French-speaking Africa gradually became a provider of missionaries to the other parts of the continent and to the rest of the world.

Today, I believe firmly that the future of the church in the French-speaking world depends mainly on the French-speaking churches of Africa which are increasingly becoming strong and expressing a remarkable vitality. The churches in French-speaking Africa must resolutely take on the challenge of the evangelization of the French-speaking countries in the rest of the world often very secularized and difficult to evangelize. They must continue to be aware of their missionary responsibility towards the other French-speaking countries in the world with which they share the language but also the francophone culture which is often not understood by non French-speaking people.

To fulfill this mission, the French-speaking Church of Africa must be put in battle order. It should move together in unity. It is important for its Christian leaders to regularly consult on issues related to the life of the Church, to evangelism and mission. It is also urgent and vital to prepare the new generation of leaders by cultivating in them a spirit of unity and sacrifice for the gospel, and a true missionary spirit. 

The Lausanne Movement gives us an unequalled opportunity to be well connected to the evangelical world, in order to share the infinite richness of the Gospel. We must rejoice and celebrate the organization of Cape Town 2010: The 3rd Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization, coming for the first time to Africa, our continent. We must prepare ourselves in prayer for the Congress and mobilize resources and people from our countries to attend the 2010 Congress in Cape Town in order to give and also to receive from God's people the blessings the Lord has already prepared for us.

 

Daniel K. Bourdanné
LCWE International Deputy Director for Francophone Africa
 

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