"The strength of a church is not in its sitting capacity but in its sending capacity"
The Revd Canon Stephen Tirwomwe writes about the mission of All Saints Cathedral
Mission is about bringing all into the body of Christ through a personal knowledge of Jesus. Mobilising the church to mission isn’t always easy. Here in Uganda, rampant wrong teachings and cultic tendencies, as well as a lack of moral integrity amongst some Christian leaders have hampered church growth. We find it hard to strike a right balance between ‘traditional’ and ‘charismatic’ styles of worship, which can create tension. There is also a perception that mission should be left to the ‘full-time workers’.
Our journey towards becoming a more mission focussed church began with an acknowledgement that nominalism and complacency in our own midst needed to be challenged. We developed a vision to incorporate everyone – laity, clergy, children and youth, in the call to mission. Recognising that people need to be inspired and empowered to share the Gospel, we set up regular training events, supportive fellowship groups and an on-going programme of discipleship since, for disciples, mission becomes a lifestyle. Prayer and intercession would ensure that our mission was guided by God, so we set about transforming ourselves into a praying church. We also identified creativity as being key to mission. It was essential for us to adapt to the changing needs of society, tapping into the creativity of our children and young people, exchanging experiences, ideas and resources with other churches, and taking advantage of advancing technology. At heart, mission is Love in Action and must always address physical and material needs as well as spiritual ones. At All Saints, we have begun to rediscover that mission is not only our corporate responsibility, but also in fact, our strength.
The Rev. Canon Stephen W. Tirwomwe is Provost of All Saints Cathedral, Kampala, Uganda