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The Third
General Assembly: Lusaka, Zambia
Theme: Living No Longer
for Ourselves but for Christ
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
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2-24 May 1974
Speeches and
Presentations
• Rev. Dr. Richard Andriamanjato, Chair
of General Committee: Dr. Andriamanjato discussed the role
Abidjan played in structuring the AACC. He also updated the
delegates on the AACC’s activities between Assemblies,
highlighting reconciliation work in the Sudan. Boldly
proclaiming the AACC now in adulthood, Dr. Andriamanjato said
the time had come to take a bigger role in the fight against
Africa’s problems. He addressed criticisms of the AACC and
looked forward to action the AACC was prepared to take. In
conclusion, Rev. Andriamanjato challenged the AACC: “Today
Africa needs not a Church in servitude, but a servant Church,
not a Church that trembles in the face 11 of difficulties, but
a Church that knows that she has everything in Christ” (The
Struggle Continues, p.72).
• Dr. Philip Potter,
General Secretary of WCC, “Living for Christ in Justice”: The
Assembly’s theme asked Christians to act without selfish
motives, and Dr. Potter elaborated on the realities of living
for Christ. He noted that living for others means discarding
superficial judgments about our neighbors, and instead truly
loving them. Christ died for us so that we can “die to our
selfishness, our self-sufficiency, our injustice” (p. 87).
This should provide motivation to break down the divisions in
Africa and alleviate the alienation of others. Dr. Potter
noted that, “we are under orders – the orders of love” (The
Struggle Continues, p. 88). In this way he emphasized the
imperative of justice, which all delegates should practice
under God’s command.
• Canon Burgess Carr, General
Secretary of AACC (since 1972):
Recalling Abidjan’s quest
for an authentic African Christianity, General Secretary Carr
revisited the need for a relevant theology that goes past
individualism to deal with injustice. To fight against
oppression, Carr hoped that the churches would fully support
African Liberation movements. In a controversial statement on
the nature of liberation, he said, “In accepting the violence
of the Cross, God, in Jesus Christ, sanctified violence into a
redemptive instrument for bringing into being a fuller human
life” (The Struggle Continues, p. 78). However it was later
explained that for Jesus to have accepted violence on himself
showed the great degree of tolerance and forgiveness for those
who use a violence as a matter of solving disputes.
The
General Secretary concluded by calling for a moratorium on
foreign missionaries in Africa, reasoning that money spent on
mission personnel could be much better used by Africans
leading their own sustainable projects. Canon Carr’s message
was strong and clear: the selfhood of the African Church
should be the AACC’s top priority.
• Art Exhibition:
Elimo Njau
• Theatre: The Church is the Problem, by
Samuel Ayodele
Mandates from Lusaka:
• Evangelism
and Selfhood of the Church in Africa: With Christ at its
center, the church can bear witness and evangelise to others.
This committee called the African church a missionary sending
church, “evangelizing in frontier situations on this
continent.” Because spreading the gospel is essential, the
AACC needs to create a unit for training, information,
finance, co-ordination, and promotion of evangelism. The
committee also noted that when the church is sensitive to
socio-political issues it can “respond positively to the work
of the Holy Spirit among the African people, in order to
enable a truly indigenous and authentic expression of faith to
develop in that area” (The Struggle Continues, p. 34). In
regard to selfhood, the African Church itself should decide
what kind of external help it needs.
• The Church and
Cultural Renewal in Africa: The Assembly first noted that the
term “cultural renewal” suggests a disconnect between
Christianity and African cultures. Primary in creating this
disconnect are regional differences in the origin and use of
traditional customs. The main task of the renewing church is
not only to see how such customs may have been contrary to the
Gospel, but also to see how historical practices were in
harmony with the Christian spirit and fulfilled by the Gospel.
Cultural renewal also refers to the family. Lusaka
defined marriage as the union of one man and one woman for
life. The Assembly discussed the complicated nature of
polygamy, bride wealth practices and widowhood rites. They saw
the need to support the large numbers of people moving to
urban areas. Yet, the church should not encourage this
migration, due to limited resources in urban centers. The
mandate recommended partnering with government organizations
for greater access to resources for change. Finally the
Assembly stated that marriages sanctioned by an entire
community should also be sanctioned by the church.
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The Prophetic and Serving Church: The church must be informed
about current events so it can advocate effectively. To that
end, laity and clergy should be better trained, in ways that
do not perpetuate unjust systems. Lusaka resolved to support
all Liberation Movements while combating the foreign
investment and white migration that can lead to white minority
regimes. South Africa was highlighted as a region of
particular concern, and it was given top priority of AACC
resources for the next five years.
• Church Union or
Church Co-operation: Recommendations from the Assembly focused
on dissemination of information and church unity. Education
was also a focus, both within the home and in seminaries where
joint education can help unite members of the clergy. Churches
were also encouraged to exchange congregations and share
buildings, while one member of every congregation was asked to
coordinate activities for Christian unity. The group
recommended that National Councils of Churches and the AACC
open desks working to establish church unity. In conclusion,
the committee asked that the AACC develops a model of
religious unity by being in better dialogue with Christian
councils and non-member churches.
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