Uongozi wa Kichungaji na Misheni ya Ulimwengu ya Kipentekoste — Sehemu ya 3: Kanuni za Kanisa Asilia (Melvin Hodges, The Indigenous Church, 1953)Pentecostal Pastoral Leadership and Global Missions — Unit 3: Indigenous Church Principles (Melvin Hodges, The Indigenous Church, 1953)

Mstari MkuuKey Verse

"Mimi nalipanda, Apolo akatia maji; lakini Mungu ndiye aliyekuza." (1 Wakorintho 3:6, SUV)"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." (1 Corinthians 3:6, NKJV)

Malengo ya KujifunzaLearning Objectives

Utakapomaliza kipindi hiki, unapaswa kuweza:When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

1. Kueleza "kanisa asilia" (indigenous church) ni nini na kutaja alama zake tatu: kujitawala, kujitegemea kifedha na kujieneza.1. Explain what an "indigenous church" is and name its three marks: self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating.

2. Kueleza chanzo cha wazo la "mambo matatu ya kujitegemea" na mchango wa Melvin Hodges katika misheni za Kipentekoste.2. Describe the origin of the three-self idea and the contribution of Melvin Hodges to Pentecostal missions.

3. Kuonyesha kutoka kitabu cha Matendo na nyaraka za Paulo jinsi Agano Jipya linavyounga mkono kanuni za kanisa asilia.3. Show from the book of Acts and the letters of Paul how the New Testament supports indigenous church principles.

4. Kueleza kwa haki pingamizi kuu dhidi ya kanuni hizi na kutoa jibu la Kipentekoste.4. State fairly the main objections to these principles and give the Pentecostal answer.

5. Kutumia kanuni hizo katika kanisa la mahali linalopewa fedha za kigeni au uongozi wa kigeni.5. Apply the principles to a local church that is offered foreign money or foreign leadership.

Sauti ya Kozi HiiThe Voice of This Unit

Kipindi hiki kimeandikwa kutoka ndani ya mapokeo ya Kipentekoste ya asili, kwa ajili ya wachungaji wanaoyahusu. Kinamkiri Mungu mmoja katika Utatu na ni cha kihafidhina. Katika Kipindi cha 2 tuliona ujasiri na makosa ya wamisionari wa kwanza. Hapa tunatazama mojawapo ya mafunzo muhimu zaidi ambayo misheni za Kipentekoste zimejifunza: kanisa linalopandwa lazima liwe la watu wanaoishi mahali hapo. Wasomaji wetu wengi ni wachungaji katika Amerika ya Kusini, Afrika na Asia, na kwa wengi wenu hili si nadharia bali ni hadithi ya kanisa lenu wenyewe.This unit is written from inside the classical Pentecostal tradition, for pastors who belong to it. It is Trinitarian and conservative. In Unit 2 we saw the courage and the mistakes of the early missionaries. Here we look at one of the most important lessons Pentecostal missions has learned: the church that is planted must belong to the people who live there. Most of our readers are pastors in Latin America, Africa and Asia, and for many of you this is not a theory but the story of your own church.

Tatizo Ambalo Kanuni Hii InalijibuThe Problem the Principle Answers

Misheni siku zote imekabiliwa na hatari. Mmisionari anakuja na Injili na kuanzisha kanisa. Kwa sababu mmisionari ana fedha, mafunzo na uzoefu, anaongoza kila kitu. Waumini wa mahali wanajifunza kumtegemea. Kanisa linajenga kwa mtindo wa kigeni, linawalipa wafanyakazi wake kwa fedha za kigeni, na linangoja maamuzi ya mgeni. Mmisionari anapoondoka, kanisa linaweza kudhoofika au kuanguka. Hata linapoendelea kuwepo, watu wa nje wanaweza kuliita "kanisa la wageni," na Injili inaweza kuonekana kama kitu cha kigeni.Mission has always faced a danger. A missionary comes with the gospel and starts a church. Because the missionary has the money, the training and the experience, he leads everything. The local believers learn to depend on him. The church builds in the foreign style, pays its workers with foreign funds, and waits for the foreigner's decisions. When the missionary leaves, the church may weaken or collapse. Even when it survives, outsiders may call it "the foreigners' church," and the gospel may seem to be a foreign thing.

Hatari hii ni ya kweli katika kila mapokeo, ikiwemo yetu wenyewe. Si ugunduzi mpya. Swali ni jinsi ya kupanda kanisa linalosimama kwa miguu yake lenyewe katika utamaduni wake na linaloongozwa kweli na Roho Mtakatifu kupitia watu wake mwenyewe.This danger is real in every tradition, including our own. It is not a new discovery. The question is how to plant a church that stands on its own feet in its own culture and is truly led by the Holy Spirit through its own people.

Wazo la Mambo Matatu ya KujitegemeaThe Three-Self Idea

Katikati ya karne ya kumi na tisa, viongozi wawili wa misheni, Henry Venn wa Church Missionary Society huko Uingereza na Rufus Anderson wa American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, walihoji kwamba lengo la misheni ni kanisa ambalo ni linalojitawala, linalojitegemea kifedha na linalojieneza. Alama hizi tatu ziliitwa fomula ya "kujitegemea mambo matatu" (three-self), na misheni nyingi za mapokeo mbalimbali zimeitumia.In the middle of the nineteenth century, two mission leaders, Henry Venn of the Church Missionary Society in England and Rufus Anderson of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, argued that the aim of mission is a church that is self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating. These three marks came to be called the "three-self" formula, and many missions of different traditions have used them.

• Kujitawala (self-governing) maana yake ni kwamba kanisa la mahali huchagua viongozi wake mwenyewe na kufanya maamuzi yake mwenyewe chini ya Kristo na Maandiko.• Self-governing means that the local church chooses its own leaders and makes its own decisions under Christ and Scripture.

• Kujitegemea kifedha (self-supporting) maana yake ni kwamba kanisa la mahali huwalipa wachungaji wake, majengo yake na kazi yake kutokana na sadaka zake mwenyewe.• Self-supporting means that the local church pays for its own pastors, buildings and work from its own giving.

• Kujieneza (self-propagating) maana yake ni kwamba kanisa la mahali hubeba Injili kwa majirani zake na kuanzisha makanisa mapya kwa juhudi za washiriki wake mwenyewe.• Self-propagating means that the local church carries the gospel to its neighbors and starts new churches by its own members' efforts.

Melvin Hodges na The Indigenous ChurchMelvin Hodges and The Indigenous Church

Melvin Hodges alikuwa mmisionari wa Assemblies of God katika Amerika ya Kusini aliyekuwa mwanafikra mkuu wa Kipentekoste kuhusu misheni. Mwaka 1953 alichapisha The Indigenous Church (Kanisa Asilia). Ndani yake alilichukua wazo la mambo matatu ya kujitegemea na kulitumia katika kazi ya Kipentekoste. Kitabu chake kilisomwa sana na wamisionari wa Kipentekoste na kimeathiri fikra za Assemblies of God kuhusu misheni. Hodges na wanafikra wengine wa kimisionari wa Kipentekoste walihoji, kwa ujumla, kwamba:Melvin Hodges was a missionary of the Assemblies of God in Latin America who became a leading Pentecostal thinker about mission. In 1953 he published The Indigenous Church. In it he took the three-self idea and applied it to Pentecostal work. His book was widely read by Pentecostal missionaries and has influenced Assemblies of God thinking about missions. Hodges and other Pentecostal missionary thinkers argued, in broad terms, that:

• lengo la mmisionari ni kupanda makanisa yanayoweza kujitawala, kujitegemea na kujieneza, na si kujenga shirika la misheni la kudumu;• the aim of the missionary is to plant churches that can govern, support and extend themselves, and not to build a permanent mission organization;

• waumini wa mahali wanapaswa kupewa uongozi halisi mapema, na si baada ya miaka mingi tu;• local believers should be given real leadership early, and not only after many years;

• kanisa halipaswi kutegemea fedha za kigeni kwa wachungaji wake na kazi zake za kawaida;• the church should not depend on foreign money for its pastors and ordinary work;

• mmisionari anapaswa kuwa mtumishi na mshauri anayejiandaa kujiondoa; na• the missionary should be a servant and an advisor who prepares to step back; and

• Roho Mtakatifu hufanya kazi ndani ya waumini wa mahali, kwa hiyo kazi ni yake na yao.• the Holy Spirit works in the local believers, so the work belongs to Him and to them.

Tunapaswa kusema wazi kwamba Hodges alikuwa sauti moja kati ya nyingi, na kwamba viongozi wengine wa misheni walishikilia maoni yanayofanana. Umuhimu wake kwetu ni kwamba aliunganisha kanuni hiyo na imani ya Kipentekoste. Ikiwa Roho amemwagwa juu ya wote wenye mwili, waumini wa mahali hawahitaji kumngoja mgeni awasemee.We should state plainly that Hodges was one voice among several, and that other mission leaders held similar views. His importance for us is that he joined the principle to Pentecostal conviction. If the Spirit has been poured out on all flesh, the local believers do not need to wait for the foreigner to speak for them.

Waandishi wa baadaye kuhusu misheni wakati mwingine wameongeza alama ya nne, kujitheolojia (self-theologizing): kanisa la mahali hujifunza kusoma Maandiko na kujibu maswali yake mwenyewe, kwa lugha yake mwenyewe, badala ya kuazima kila jibu kutoka utamaduni mwingine. Wapentekoste kwa kawaida wameukaribisha nyongeza hii pale Maandiko yanapobaki mamlaka ya mwisho.Later writers on mission have sometimes added a fourth mark, self-theologizing: the local church learns to read Scripture and answer its own questions, in its own language, instead of borrowing every answer from another culture. Pentecostals have usually welcomed this addition when Scripture remains the final authority.

Agano Jipya Linaonyesha NiniWhat the New Testament Shows

Wazo la mambo matatu ya kujitegemea si uvumbuzi wa kibinadamu ulioongezwa kwa Biblia. Kanuni zake zinaweza kuonekana katika mfano wa mitume.The three-self idea is not a human invention added to the Bible. Its principles can be seen in the pattern of the apostles.

Paulo alipanda, alifundisha na akaendelea mbele. Katika safari ya kwanza, Paulo na Barnaba walihubiri katika miji ya Galatia, na waliporudi "walikwisha kuwawekea wazee katika kila kanisa, na kuomba kwa kufunga, wakawaweka katika mikono ya Bwana, ambaye wamemwamini" (Matendo 14:23). Makanisa yalikuwa machanga, lakini yalipewa viongozi wake wenyewe. Paulo hakukaa miaka mingi kuyaendesha. Aliandika barua, akatembelea tena, na kutuma wafanyakazi wenzake. Mstari mkuu wa kipindi hiki unalieleza vizuri: Paulo alipanda, Apolo alitia maji, "lakini Mungu ndiye aliyekuza" (1 Wakorintho 3:6). Wafanyakazi wana sehemu yao, lakini ukuaji ni wa Mungu.Paul planted, taught and moved on. On the first journey, Paul and Barnabas preached in the cities of Galatia, and on the return trip they "appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting" and "commended them to the Lord" (Acts 14:23). The churches were young, yet they were given their own leaders. Paul did not stay for years to run them. He wrote letters, revisited, and sent coworkers. The key verse of this unit puts it well: Paul planted, Apollos watered, "but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6). Workers have their part, but the growth belongs to God.

Paulo aliwaandaa wengine kufundisha. Alimwambia Timotheo awakabidhi watu waaminifu mambo aliyoyasikia, watakaoweza kuwafundisha na wengine (2 Timotheo 2:2). Vizazi vinne vinaonekana katika mstari huo: Paulo, Timotheo, watu waaminifu, na wengine. Huku ni kujieneza katika Agano Jipya.Paul prepared others to teach. He told Timothy to commit what he had heard to faithful men who could teach others also (2 Timothy 2:2). Four generations are seen in that verse: Paul, Timothy, faithful men, and others. This is self-propagating in the New Testament.

Makanisa yenyewe yalibeba Injili. Injili ilifika Antiokia kupitia waumini waliotawanyika, walioongea na Wayunani huko (Matendo 11:19-21). Baadaye Paulo alihojiana huko Efeso kwa miaka miwili, "hata watu wote waliokaa Asia wakalisikia neno la Bwana Yesu" (Matendo 19:10). Ujumbe ulienea kutoka kituo cha mji hadi eneo linalozunguka, kupitia wasikilizaji wa mahali.The churches carried the gospel themselves. The gospel came to Antioch through believers who had been scattered, who spoke to Greeks there (Acts 11:19-21). Later Paul reasoned in Ephesus for two years, "so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:10). The message spread through a city center to the surrounding region, through local hearers.

Makanisa yalitoa. Paulo aliandika kwamba makanisa ya Makedonia yalitoa kwa ukarimu kutoka katika umaskini mkubwa (2 Wakorintho 8:1-5). Makanisa maskini si maskini mno kutoa. Kanisa la Antiokia liliposikia njaa huko Uyahudi, wanafunzi waliamua kutuma msaada, kila mmoja kulingana na uwezo wake (Matendo 11:29-30). Kutoa kulikuwa alama ya makanisa machanga.The churches gave. Paul wrote that the churches of Macedonia gave generously out of deep poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Poor churches are not too poor to give. When the church in Antioch heard of famine in Judea, the disciples decided to send relief, each according to his ability (Acts 11:29-30). Giving was a mark of the young churches.

Injili haikufungwa kwa utamaduni mmoja. Katika Matendo 15 baraza la Yerusalemu liliamua kwamba waumini wa Mataifa hawakuhitaji kuwa Wayahudi ili wawe wa Kristo. Kanisa liliwaondolea waumini wa Mataifa mzigo wa kiutamaduni ambao Injili haikuudai. Hii ni mzizi wa kanuni ya kanisa asilia: Kristo lazima apokelewe, lakini utamaduni wa kigeni si lazima.The gospel was not tied to one culture. In Acts 15 the council at Jerusalem decided that Gentile believers did not have to become Jews to belong to Christ. The church freed the Gentile believers from a cultural burden that was not required by the gospel. This is a root of the indigenous principle: Christ must be received, but a foreign culture does not.

Kwa Nini Kanuni Hizi Zinafaa Makanisa ya KipentekosteWhy These Principles Fit Pentecostal Churches

Makanisa ya Kipentekoste mara nyingi yamekua kwa haraka katika ulimwengu wa maskini. Sehemu ya sababu ni kwamba mafundisho yetu yanafaa kanuni ya kanisa asilia.Pentecostal churches have often grown quickly in the poor world. Part of the reason is that our teaching suits the indigenous principle.

Kwanza, tunaamini kwamba Roho hupewa waumini wote. Mkulima, muuzaji sokoni au kijana anaweza kujazwa Roho, kuwaombea wagonjwa na kuhubiri. Uongozi hautegemei shahada ya kigeni.First, we believe that the Spirit is given to all believers. A farmer, a market seller or a young person can be filled with the Spirit, pray for the sick and preach. Leadership does not depend on a foreign degree.

Pili, ibada ya Kipentekoste hushirikisha watu wote, kwa maombi, kuimba, ushuhuda na karama. Inaweza kuonyeshwa kwa lugha na muziki wa watu.Second, Pentecostal worship is participatory, with prayer, singing, testimony and gifts. It can be expressed in the language and music of the people.

Tatu, Wapentekoste huombea uponyaji na ukombozi, na watu wengi katika Afrika, Asia na Amerika ya Kusini huchukulia ulimwengu usioonekana kwa uzito. Injili inayosema juu ya nguvu za Roho inakutana na maswali halisi. Wasomi kama J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu wameandika kuhusu hili, na Allan Anderson ameeleza jinsi Upentekoste ulivyoota mizizi kwa viongozi wa mahali.Third, Pentecostals pray for healing and deliverance, and many people in Africa, Asia and Latin America take the unseen world seriously. A gospel that speaks of the Spirit's power meets real questions. Scholars such as J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu have written about this, and Allan Anderson has described how Pentecostalism took root among local leaders.

Nne, makanisa mengi ya Kipentekoste yalianza na fedha kidogo. Umaskini ulilazimisha kutegemea sadaka za mahali tangu mwanzo, na hili likawa nguvu.Fourth, many Pentecostal churches began with little money. Poverty forced early reliance on local giving, and this became a strength.

Kutumia Mambo Matatu ya KujitegemeaApplying the Three Selves

Kujitawala. Kanisa changa linapaswa kuwa na wazee au viongozi wake tangu mwanzo, wanaoamua jinsi linavyoendeshwa. Wamisionari wa nje ni washauri na washirika, si watawala. Viongozi wanapaswa kuchaguliwa kwa tabia yao na mwito wao (tazama Kipindi cha 5), si kwa sababu wanaongea lugha ya mmisionari.Self-governing. A young church should have its own elders or leaders from the start, who decide how it is run. Outside missionaries are advisers and partners, not rulers. Leaders should be chosen by their character and calling (see Unit 5), not because they speak the missionary's language.

Kujitegemea kifedha. Kanisa la mahali linapaswa kuwalipa wachungaji wake, hata kwa kiasi kidogo, na kutunza jengo lake kutokana na sadaka zake mwenyewe. Linapaswa kujenga kwa ukubwa na mtindo linaoweza kuutunza. Msaada wa kigeni waweza kutolewa kwa mahitaji maalum, lakini haupaswi kuwa mshahara wa kudumu wa mchungaji wa mahali.Self-supporting. The local church should pay its pastors, even if modestly, and care for its building from its own giving. It should build in a size and style it can maintain. Foreign help may be given for particular needs, but it should not become a permanent salary for the local pastor.

Kujieneza. Tangu mwanzo, waliogeuka wanapaswa kufundishwa kuwaambia wengine na kuanzisha vikundi vipya. Kanisa lisilofikia nje bado halijapandwa kikamilifu. Maombi, uinjilisti na kupanda makanisa kwa washiriki wa mahali ni matunda ya nguvu za Roho (tazama Kipindi cha 1).Self-propagating. From the start, converts should be taught to tell others and to start new groups. A church that does not reach out is not yet fully planted. Prayer, evangelism, and church planting by local members are the fruit of the Spirit's power (see Unit 1).

Kujitheolojia na kujieleza. Kanisa linapaswa kuabudu kwa lugha na muziki wake mwenyewe na kuyasoma Maandiko ili kujibu maswali yake mwenyewe, kwa mfano kuhusu wafu, kuhusu uchawi, kuhusu familia na ndoa, na kuhusu mateso. Maandiko, yakisomwa pamoja na kanisa lote la vizazi vyote, lazima yawe kipimo.Self-theologizing and self-expressing. The church should worship in its own language and music and should study the Bible to answer its own questions, for example about the dead, about witchcraft, about family and marriage, and about suffering. Scripture, read with the whole church of all ages, must be the test.

Pingamizi za Haki na Majibu ya KipentekosteFair Objections and Pentecostal Answers

Pingamizi la 1: Kanuni hizi huviacha makanisa maskini bila msaada.Objection 1: These principles leave poor churches without help.

Wakosoaji wanasema kwamba kudai kujitegemea kifedha ni ukatili kwa makanisa katika maeneo maskini sana, na kwamba makanisa tajiri yana wajibu wa kushiriki.Critics say that demanding self-support is cruel to churches in very poor places, and that rich churches have a duty to share.

Jibu letu. Biblia inaamuru kushiriki. Paulo alikusanya sadaka kutoka makanisa ya Mataifa kwa ajili ya waumini maskini wa Yerusalemu (Warumi 15:26), na Matendo 11:29-30 inaonyesha waumini wakituma msaada. Hatupingi msaada. Kanuni inatofautisha kati ya msaada unaotumikia na msaada unaotawala au kuleta utegemezi wa kudumu. Zahanati, mfuko wa njaa au zawadi ya mara moja ya jengo, inayotolewa kupitia ushirikiano ulioandikwa na viongozi wa mahali, inaweza kulijenga kanisa. Mshahara wa kudumu unaolipwa kutoka nje, pamoja na maamuzi yanayofanywa nje, kwa kawaida huliudhoofisha.Our answer. The Bible does command sharing. Paul gathered an offering from Gentile churches for the poor believers in Jerusalem (Romans 15:26), and Acts 11:29-30 shows believers sending relief. We do not oppose help. The principle distinguishes between help that serves and help that controls or creates permanent dependence. A clinic, a famine fund or a one-time building gift, given through a written partnership with local leaders, can build up the church. A permanent salary paid from abroad, with decisions made abroad, usually weakens it.

Pingamizi la 2: Kuruhusu utamaduni wa mahali uumbe kanisa husababisha mchanganyiko wa imani (syncretism).Objection 2: Letting the local culture shape the church leads to syncretism.

Wakosoaji wanaogopa kwamba kupokea muziki, desturi na mifumo ya mahali kunaweza kuchanganya Injili na imani za kipagani au desturi za mababu.Critics fear that adopting local music, customs and forms may mix the gospel with pagan beliefs or ancestor practices.

Jibu letu. Hatari ni ya kweli. Tunajibu kwamba Maandiko, si utamaduni na si mmisionari, ndiyo kipimo cha mwisho. Tunatenganisha umbo na maana. Ngoma au wimbo wa mahali ni umbo, na unaweza kutumiwa kumsifu Kristo. Desturi inayomheshimu roho nyingine au inayomkana Kristo lazima ikataliwe, kama waumini wapya wa Efeso walivyofanya walipochoma vitabu vyao vya uchawi (Matendo 19:18-19). Kanisa lazima lifundishwe Neno ili liweze kuhukumu utamaduni wake na ule wa mmisionari.Our answer. The danger is real. We answer that Scripture, not culture and not the missionary, is the final test. We separate form from meaning. A drum or a local song is a form, and may be used to praise Christ. A practice that honors another spirit or denies Christ must be refused, as the new believers at Ephesus did when they burned their books of magic (Acts 19:18-19). The church must be taught the Word so that it can judge both its own culture and the missionary's.

Pingamizi la 3: Kanuni ya kanisa asilia ni wazo la kimisionari la Magharibi, na makanisa mengi yakawa asilia bila hiyo.Objection 3: The indigenous church principle is a Western missionary idea, and many churches became indigenous without it.

Baadhi ya wanahistoria wanaonyesha kwamba katika Afrika, Asia na Amerika ya Kusini, makanisa mengi ya Kipentekoste yalianzishwa na kuongozwa na waanzilishi wa mahali, bila msaada wowote wa misheni za kigeni.Some historians point out that in Africa, Asia and Latin America, many Pentecostal churches were started and led by local founders, with no help from foreign missions at all.

Jibu letu. Tunakubali, na tunafurahi. Kanuni haikuunda makanisa haya. Roho Mtakatifu aliyaunda, akifanya kazi kupitia waumini wa mahali. Wamisionari walipokuja, kanuni iliwapa njia ya kutumikia kile Roho alichokuwa akifanya badala ya kukidhibiti. Viongozi wa mahali walipoanza makanisa wenyewe, kanuni inaeleza walichokuwa tayari wanafanya.Our answer. We agree, and we are glad. The principle did not create these churches. The Holy Spirit did, working through local believers. Where missionaries came, the principle gave them a way to serve what the Spirit was doing and not to control it. Where local leaders began churches themselves, the principle describes what they were already doing.

Pingamizi la 4: Mmisionari anayejiondoa huliacha kanisa likikabili matatizo yake peke yake.Objection 4: The missionary who steps back leaves the church to face its troubles alone.

Wakosoaji wanasema kujiondoa kunaweza kuwa kuacha kabisa.Critics say that withdrawal can be abandonment.

Jibu letu. Lengo si kuacha. Paulo alitembelea tena makanisa, aliyaandikia, alituma Timotheo na Tito, na aliyaombea. Mmisionari anayejiondoa katika uongozi anaweza kubaki kama rafiki, mwalimu na mshirika kwa miaka mingi. Kinachobadilika ni nani anayeshikilia mamlaka, si kama upendo unaendelea.Our answer. The aim is not abandonment. Paul revisited the churches, wrote to them, sent Timothy and Titus, and prayed for them. The missionary who steps back from leadership may remain as a friend, teacher and partner for years. What changes is who holds authority, not whether love continues.

Matumizi ya KichungajiPastoral Application

Mchungaji Samuel analiongoza kanisa la watu wapatao themanini katika mji mdogo kusini mwa Meksiko. Kanisa la nchi nyingine linampa ofa ya kumjengea jengo kubwa jipya na kumlipa mshahara kwa miaka mitano. Ofa ni ya ukarimu na ya dhati, na baadhi ya washiriki wanataka kuikubali mara moja. Samuel hana uhakika.Pastor Samuel leads a church of about eighty people in a small town in southern Mexico. A church in another country offers to build him a large new building and to pay his salary for five years. The offer is generous and sincere, and some members want to accept at once. Samuel is not sure.

Kwanza, anashukuru kanisa lile lingine na kuwaambia atalisali kuhusu jambo hilo.First, he thanks the other church and tells them he will pray about it.

Pili, anawakusanya wazee na kuliuliza kanisa linaweza kufanya nini lenyewe. Anawaonyesha makanisa ya Makedonia yakitoa kutoka umaskini (2 Wakorintho 8:1-5). Kanisa linaanza mfuko wa kawaida wa ujenzi, na kila familia inaamua inachoweza kutoa.Second, he gathers the elders and asks the church what it can do for itself. He shows them the Macedonian churches giving from poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). The church begins a regular building fund, and each family decides what it can give.

Tatu, analiomba kanisa mshirika lisaidie kwa njia tofauti. Wanakubali kutoa kuelekea gharama ya ardhi na paa kama zawadi ya mara moja, chini ya makubaliano yaliyoandikwa kwamba wazee wa mahali watamiliki na kuendesha kanisa.Third, he asks the partner church to help in a different way. They agree to give toward the cost of the land and the roof as a one-time gift, under a written agreement that the local elders will own and run the church.

Nne, anaomba mshahara wa kigeni usilipwe. Badala yake, kanisa linaweka mshahara mdogo kutokana na zaka na sadaka zake, na kanisa mshirika linatuma mwalimu mgeni mara mbili kwa mwaka kuwafundisha wazee.Fourth, he asks that no foreign salary be paid. Instead, the church sets a modest salary from its tithes and offerings, and the partner church sends a visiting teacher twice a year to train the elders.

Tano, anaanza kuwafundisha vijana wawili kupanda kusanyiko katika kijiji cha jirani, akiwafundisha 2 Timotheo 2:2.Fifth, he begins to train two young men to plant a congregation in a nearby village, teaching them 2 Timothy 2:2.

Jengo ni dogo kuliko ofa ya kwanza, na linachukua muda mrefu zaidi. Lakini kanisa linalimiliki, linalilipia na linapanda vikundi vipya kutoka humo. Samuel amejifunza tofauti kati ya zawadi na utegemezi.The building is smaller than the first offer, and it takes longer. But the church owns it, pays for it and plants new groups from it. Samuel has learned the difference between a gift and a dependence.

MuhtasariSummary

Kanisa asilia ni linalojitawala, linalojitegemea kifedha na linalojieneza, na wengi huongeza kujitheolojia. Henry Venn na Rufus Anderson walieleza wazo la mambo matatu ya kujitegemea katika karne ya kumi na tisa, na Melvin Hodges alilitumia katika misheni za Kipentekoste katika The Indigenous Church (1953). Agano Jipya linaliunga mkono: Paulo alipanda makanisa, aliweka wazee, aliwafundisha watu waaminifu, na aliona makanisa yakitoa na kueneza Injili, na baraza la Matendo 15 halikuifunga Injili kwa utamaduni mmoja. Mafundisho ya Kipentekoste yanafaa kanuni hii kwa sababu Roho hupewa waumini wote. Wakosoaji wanasema kwamba kanuni hii inawapuuza maskini, inahatarisha mchanganyiko wa imani, ni wazo la Magharibi, au inayaacha makanisa machanga. Tunajibu kwamba msaada wa kweli unakaribishwa pale usipotawala wala kuleta utegemezi wa kudumu, kwamba Maandiko ni kipimo cha utamaduni, kwamba Roho mara nyingi ameinua makanisa ya mahali bila fomula yoyote, na kwamba kujiondoa katika mamlaka si kujiondoa katika upendo. Mwishowe, "Mungu ndiye aliyekuza."An indigenous church is self-governing, self-supporting and self-propagating, and many add self-theologizing. Henry Venn and Rufus Anderson stated the three-self idea in the nineteenth century, and Melvin Hodges applied it to Pentecostal missions in The Indigenous Church (1953). The New Testament supports it: Paul planted churches, appointed elders, trained faithful men, and saw the churches give and spread the gospel, and the council of Acts 15 did not tie the gospel to one culture. Pentecostal teaching suits the principle because the Spirit is given to all believers. Critics say that the principle neglects the poor, risks syncretism, is a Western idea, or abandons young churches. We answer that real help is welcome when it does not control or create permanent dependence, that Scripture is the test of culture, that the Spirit has often raised local churches without any formula, and that stepping back from authority is not stepping out of love. In the end, "God gave the increase."

Usomaji ZaidiFurther Reading

• Melvin Hodges, The Indigenous Church (1953) (Kanisa Asilia).• Melvin Hodges, The Indigenous Church (1953).

• Donald E. Miller na Tetsunao Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism (2007) (Upentekoste wa Ulimwengu).• Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism (2007).

• Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism (2nd ed., 2014) (Utangulizi wa Upentekoste, toleo la 2).• Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism (2nd ed., 2014).

• J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity (2013) (Ukristo wa Kipentekoste wa Leo).• J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity (2013).

• Douglas Petersen, Not by Might nor by Power (1996) (Si kwa Nguvu wala kwa Uwezo).• Douglas Petersen, Not by Might nor by Power (1996).

• Pew Forum, Spirit and Power (2006) (Roho na Nguvu).• Pew Forum, Spirit and Power (2006).

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