The first non-European general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches was honoured at General Assembly with the E. H. Johnson award. Ghanaian Rev. Dr. Setri Nyomi made it clear why he is on the cutting edge of mission. "We must respond to others in the midst of suffering and engage with them in mission and cooperation," he said. "Never again should the church be silent or inactive when things around us lead to suffering and death.
"God called us to be agents of transformation," he continued. "Christian commitment entails moving beyond words to action. Together, we can be part of the community God has called us to be."
WARC represents 75 million Christians in 107 countries. Amidst this massive global context, Nyomi's challenge to Christians is to engage themselves fully in the struggle for justice and peace. "The church family must reject any system that negates the fullness of life Christ intended," he said.
Seeking to find ways to be witness to Christ in the modern world, Nyomi presented several ideas. First, mission must be done with respect for others, while not being ashamed of who we are as Christians. "Often, the first thing people do is deny themselves. This is not necessary," Nyomi told the Record. "We must remember to respect others, and not be afraid of them." He said evangelism through the use of threats, economic or political power, manipulation, or disrespect is not constant with the call of Christ. "Evangelism is different from indoctrination," he said.
Nyomi also spoke of the need to heal divisions among Christians. "Our calling is to model our message. How can we be the salt and the light of our communities, and make disciples who themselves participate in being the salt and the light? How can we be engaged in our mission of being agents of transformation?"
He said although pluralistic contexts pose challenges, they can also be seen as opportunities. They can lead Christians to dialogue with other faiths, helping to build bridges for peace and healing.
"The calling to share the good news is part of the Christian commitment. To simply share your faith with others is not imposing. We should be excited to share our faith. It's not a bad thing."
