SOUTH ASIAN COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
6th – 8th January, 2010, YMCA, Kolkata

Seventy Heads of Churches and Church leaders from South Asia met at YMCA Kolkata, to discuss and deliberate on a Relevant Missiological Vision for a pluralistic South Asia. Such a Consultation gains importance in the historic year of the Edinburgh Centenary Celebrations, as it brings together Church leaders from the region, to review Christianity and Christian Mission through the years, assess it in terms of relevance to existing ground realities, and to look towards the future with hope and preparation.  This also gains impetus from the belief that Religion and Mission have a definitive role to play in a world that is ridden with fascism of all kinds, terrorism, moral decadence and deterioration in the basic human values that promote fullness of life.

Eminent theologians and personalities actively involved in ecumenical Mission shared their insights and experiences that set the tone and content for discussion. The two day consultation conducted by the South Asian Council of Churches, ended with a clarion call for a ‘Change’ which would revitalize and revive Mission with the vibrancy of a new definition of ‘Mission’ that is rooted in South Asian realities. It affirmed that our God is a generous God who is not interested in power, numbers or wealth, but is One who loves and cares without prejudice, is “Emmanuel”- a God who walks with us.

COMMUNIQUÉ
1. South Asia is a complex region. While India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were colonized countries, Nepal and Bhutan were free countries. Christianity introduced in India (including Pakistan and Bangladesh) and Sri Lanka in the pre-colonial era was non-militant. However with the ‘discovery’ of India in 1492, European powers captured India and Sri Lanka. Western Missionary agencies brought a different type of Christianity and further a divided church. K M Panikkar says, ‘the colonial powers not only colonized the land, but also the mind’. Even after the end of the colonial era, the colonial attitudes and approaches continue in South Asia, in general. Christians and churches who are sensitive to this colonial legacy, do affirm the positive and important role played by foreign Missionaries, but at the same time are of the opinion that it is essential to revisit this approach and take necessary steps to de-colonize our minds in order to engage in a meaningful and relevant mission in pluralistic South Asia.

2. Christianity in Nepal and Bhutan did not come with colonial powers. It was a spontaneous act by Nepalese and Bhutanese who became Christians when they encountered the Gospel mainly outside their countries. The Gospel is being presented to the people in their countries by them. However, since late many mission agencies from the Global North and some from the Global South have entered these countries to evangelize. This is true of the countries mentioned in Para one as well.

3. The Ecumenical movement emerged to unite Mission efforts and work towards a United Church. Although the Western agenda was to fight ‘other religions’ and Marxism, the South Asian concern was to root Christianity in South Asian soil. Unfortunately, the Mission agencies mentioned in Para 2 seem to have done much damage to the Christians and Churches who are committed to incarnate the Gospel and to remove the Western garb in all its forms. There is a ‘suspicion’, as the church is seen as a western tool to promote a Western agenda, of destabilizing the South Asian cultures and religions. There seems to be greed manifest in different forms of power, authority and church growth, at the expense of servant hood and qualitative growth. Hence we strongly feel that we need to engage in self – examination in order to participate in a meaningful and relevant mission in South Asia, first among the Christian community and then amidst the South Asian people. We recognize the need to redefine ‘Mission’ within the context of South Asian realities and go beyond the traditional Western models of initiatives in healthcare and education.

4. We celebrate the diversity of South Asia from which her people have drawn strength and sustenance, and call on the churches to consider a Christianity rooted in our cultures and ancient philosophies.

5. (a) We believe in a generous God, who loves and cares for all people irrespective of gender, race, caste, religion etc…. This generous God is working among all people and using them as well to usher a new creation where people’s identities are recognized, without any prejudice. We believe that people should not be used as pawns. We believe all hegemony is against God who is a community. God is not greedy for numbers, power, authority and wealth. We recognize that all the resources need to be used to serve the people in our countries as Jesus, God incarnate served the people.

(b)  We believe that greed and competition should be renounced and it is only then we can make an influence on our states to serve the poor, victims including Dalits, women, youth, children and the oppressed in our countries.

(c)  Church is God’s mission. We believe that there should be transparency and accountability in all our relationships, in Christian communities, life and activities of the church, including worship, administration of the sacraments.

(d)  We believe that Christians need to take the scriptures as a whole and not some exclusive texts, in order to understand our relationship towards God and humanity. We also believe that through God’s generosity God is using people of sister-faiths, no-faiths and ideologies and we need to work in solidarity with them.

(e)  We believe that conversion is not change from one religion to another but shifting allegiance to Christ in God. St. Paul has called us to have the same mind that was in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). He also calls us to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to God. (Roman 12: 1-2)

(f)  We believe in Co-operation and Partnership at local, national and regional levels, among all the churches and within, with and in all the work that we are called to perform in obedience to God. We recommend the promotion of the Three Self- movement: - Self-propagation, Self-sufficiency and Self-governance.

(g) We advocate constant inter-faith dialogue and an endeavor to appreciate the   wisdom of the great religions of South Asia.

(h) We call upon the Churches to be instruments of peace and reconciliation, which ease tensions between South Asian countries that are in conflict situations.

(i)  We call upon all mission agencies to respect the Comity Rules which has been agreed upon in 1872 at the First Decennial Conference held in Allahabad from 1872 to 1873. We also remind all that this had been accepted and implemented in the 19th century in England and America.

(j)  We call upon the State and political leadership in all the South Asian countries to promote life in fullness so that all could live with dignity, self-respect, justice and peace.

(k)  We affirm that Emmanuel - God with us - travels with us in all our situations leading us to dialogue with the silent omnipresent who will lead us to new experiences.

- Participants