Abstract:
The church in Africa, like its counterparts elsewhere in the world, is called to fulfil the mission
of God as expressed in the call ‘Missio Dei’ and influentially remains with the integrity of the
mission of Christ (Missio Christos), which is liberative and practical. For Christ was not only
concerned with the spiritual needs of the people, but also with their material well-being. The
following question therefore arises: how can the church in Africa, in general, and in Zimbabwe,
in particular, actively do God’s mission and remain with integrity in the midst of the reality of
suffering. Furthermore, how can the church for mission and reconstruction be understood in a
post-colonial Zimbabwe given the contextual realities of political crises, corruption, poverty,
moral decadence, defined or censored truth, leadership crises and no freedom of expression?
This article argues that, although the church is faced with these arduous realities, it remains
called by God to do God’s mission. While in post-colonial Zimbabwe the socio-political, socioeconomic
and socio-religious situation might seem hopeless, the church has remained vibrant
and alive for reconstruction theology. The transformation of society is possible given the
authority and mission mandate of the church. This article argues that the church is a key player
in reconstruction theology and in the transformation of society. For transformation to be
possible, the church should witness to the gospel of Christ without fear of being labelled,
castrated and persecuted. The article asserts that the spirit of the Bible should be revived in a
time of reconstruction in Zimbabwe. The assumption in this article is that Zimbabwe is ready
for reconstruction discourse. For this to happen, the researchers argue that the church as a
critical relevant player in reconstruction needs to ‘be church’ in its missional mandates.
Integrity is essential if a church wants to be relevantly missional and reconstructive. Integrity
means that the church has to embrace the risks and opportunities associated with mission.
Description:
This article represents re-worked aspects from the doctoral research of Dr Shambare, conducted under the supervision of Prof.
Dr Thias Kgatla, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria. It was presented as a paper at the Anglican Diocese of Harare
Clergy Theological Academy on 07 – 12 August 2016, Harare, Zimbabwe.
