The Right Rev Pamela Tankersley will be contributing a regular column to sPanzwill be contributing a regular column to sPanz.
It’s been my privilege to meet with Christians in other Churches in the past couple of months. In March I attended the 50th celebrations of the Christian Conference of Asia in Prapat, Indonesia and in April, the 52nd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan in Taipei. Later this year, several representatives of our Pacific Island Synod and Te Aka Puaho will attend the Pacific Conference of Churches in Pago Pago in American Samoa.
Is there any value in belonging to international ecumenical groups, such as the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia, other than giving a few select Presbyterians a great experience?
The voices of New Zealanders are greatly respected in international ecumenical circles, partly because we stand on the shoulders of great people like the Very Rev Dr Alan Brash, and Dr John and Rita England. These are people who have stood tall internationally, serving in the name of Christ with wisdom and courage in partnership with leaders of other churches. They understood that to be ecumenical means recognising that we are all part of the Body of Christ.
We are also trusted because Kiwis are globe trotters with a reputation for being open to other world views. As a small nation, we have hit above our weight in contributing to international assemblies, standing at times with the marginalised and in solidarity with smaller nations. Our current Global Mission partnerships in Vanuatu and Myanmar exemplify this.
The bicultural journey of the ecumenical movement in New Zealand is much respected by Asian churches. How to establish an equitable partnership between the first peoples and later arrivals is an issue that most are struggling with. And, as I found in Taiwan, the role women play in leadership in the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand is an encouragement to Asian churches seeking greater gender equity.
We can learn much too: I find it exciting and inspiring to hear how Asian theologies are developed in response to Asian contexts. Te Aka Puaho is working significantly and inspiringly on this in Amorangi training. As well, it is good for us to appreciate what it means to be faithful in a country where those who are Christian are in the minority and often among the poorest in the land.
The struggle for those of us of European descent, with our predilection for Western Christianity, is that we still assume (perhaps because we “brought” Christianity here) that our version is the “proper” one. My experience in visiting churches in other countries and experiencing other people’s journeys with Christ reminds me that this is simply arrogant nonsense. Watching (and trying to keep up with) the indigenous Taiwanese, who set the whole Assembly alight with their singing and dancing, and worshipping in a Muslim country, with 150,000 Indonesian Christians in a religious rally (in a Sports stadium) keeps me humble.
As a missional church, endeavouring to be Christ-centred and community-facing, we need as few boundaries as possible to allow the richness of connecting with all of God’s people. For as we read in Ephesians, “Christ came and proclaimed peace to you who were far o. and peace to those who were near, for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father.” We belong together, for we belong to Christ as “citizens of the household of God.”