Complexity, part 2
One of the most important decisions facing missionaries is where to worship. For those in a remote location there may be only one option (maybe their own church plant!) But for those of us in more populated areas with multiple churches, it is more difficult.
Here in the capital city there are numerous Cameroonian churches. There is also a church attended largely by expatriots (many or most of whom are missionaries.) It meets in a rented conference room at a hotel downtown. So where should we worship?
Well obviously we should worship in a Cameroonian church, right? We need to be affirming and investing in the local churches! Isn't that why we're here? Well, yes, but is it that simple?
Cameroonian worship of God is exuberant and joyful, unfettered praise. For most churches this translates to worshiping both loud (really loud!) and long. A pair of ear plugs surreptitiously inserted can help with the former; the latter is something one just works at getting used to. (Some missionaries cope by arriving at services quite late; remember that "African time" makes actual lateness almost impossible here.) Even so, services that are loud and long, with no such thing as a nursery, can make Sunday deeply exhausting for many, especially families with young children. Another consideration for those of us who comprehend only a tiny amount of French is that the majority of Cameroonian church services here are all in French.
Many missionaries are capable of jumping into Cameroonian worship with two feet (often literally!) But for others it is depleting to have to work so hard to offer worship that is profoundly "other" in music, in language, in volume, in preaching style. In order to be able to offer their best to both the Lord and Cameroonians, numerous missionaries want to feed weekly on worship fare that is a bit more familiar.
Curiously, the central priority of Wycliffe is to translate the Bible into the "heart language" of every people group. They follow up each translation with scripture-use teams that nurture literacy and encourage use of the translation in worship. This even includes ethnomusicologists that equip local musicians to write worship music in their own musical traditions. Missionaries definitely need to convey a resounding affirmation of their host culture and the local church! Yet it would be a tremendous irony if missionaries themselves were frowned upon for worshiping the Lord in their own "heart languages." So perhaps choosing to frequently worship in familiar ways is a reasonable decision for at least a portion of kingdom-laborers here.
Our Cameroonian worship team at RFIS gives me a joyful dose (every Tuesday) of triplet-clapping-on-the-off-beats. And Heidi and I definitely have a priority on worshipping with Cameroonian brothers and sisters as well. (In fact tomorrow is one of the weeks we are attending a Cameroonian service.) But we have found ourselves investing primarily in the expat church. In part this is because the need is so obvious, so many missionaries desperate for feeding and rest. It is also a place where I can preach and both Heidi and I can serve musically. These wouldn't be ministries we could undertake in a French context. But admittedly too, it sometimes helps put a bit more sabbath into our Sabbath.
--David
