By Garry Sanossian
Every four years, representatives from across the globe converge at the International Churches of Christ conference known as Global Christian Connection. Last year marked 20 years of the event, with 350 leaders and delegates gathering in rural Kenya for the August conference. It was a historic moment, marking the first time the gathering had been hosted by an African nation.
Dr. Mark Riessen from South Australia attended on behalf of Churches of Christ in Australia and Global Mission Partners. As he joined this cohort of leaders, he was struck by their desire for unity in the global Church.
The gathering centered around the theme: Pamoja, a Swahili word meaning “coming together in unity.”
Dr. Mark Riessen with fellow attendees at the International Churches of Christ Conference.
“For some of these leaders, this was actually the first time they had come together for a conference like this,” Mark said, noting that the previous meeting had been cancelled due to COVID.
Alongside keynote speakers from the United States and African churches, the formal sessions focused on unity, evangelism, church planting, community empowerment, and sharing testimonies from across the global Church. Yet some of the most meaningful moments took place outside these sessions, as leaders gathered to share stories of what God was doing in their communities.
Attendees in discussion at the International Churches of Christ Conference.
Pastor Paulino Malou, founder of Christian Mercy International South Sudan, reflected on how these conversations encouraged him.
“We share the experience of love and unity by listening to all the nations’ presentations and getting to know their achievements and blessings that God has done for us and challenges that need prayers and God’s provision in their home countries,” he said.
Pastor Paulino Malou, founder of Christian Mercy International South Sudan (CMISS) in Aweil and national member of the South Sudan Council of Churches, representing Churches of Christ in Juba.
“Personally, it means that we are one in the Spirit of God and we are the body of Christ. We are the family, we are in one faith, we are in friendship with Jesus Christ and we are in fellowship with him,” he said.
“It also means we are in deep prayers with each other.”
One of the most powerful moments of the conference came when seven delegates from South Sudan, supported by Global Mission Partners, were introduced. Their leader, Paulino Bol, was invited to address the gathering.
South Sudan is the newest national conference of Churches of Christ in the world. This formal connection point opens doors for churches to not only be connected and supported in their local region but to be welcomed into a global family of churches who support each other in many ways.
South Sudan remains one of the world’s poorest nations and continues to carry the scars of conflict. Paulino’s father was executed during the war. The churches he leads now minister to refugees from North Sudan, people often associated with the violence that devastated their country. To serve them well, they have even learned Arabic.
“In order to be hospitable people, we need to learn the language of those who have been our aggressors. This is what Christ calls us to do,” he said.
Churches of Christ in South Sudan has its foundation built on hospitality, forgiveness and reconciliation. This is all underpinned by a deep sense of unity – the same value shared across churches of Christ worldwide.
Anne Simpson, CCNSWACT’s Interim Executive Leader is also chair of the National Council of Churches of Christ in Australia, which represents around 300 churches nationwide. She believes Australia’s role within the wider Churches of Christ family arises from both our identity and our responsibility.
“In our DNA, in our history, there’s always been something of collegiality,” she said. “We aren’t held together by hierarchy, we’re held together by the Lordship of Christ.”
Historically, Churches of Christ in Australia have worked nationally to support global mission and to raise up leaders for ministry. Today, that continues through our local partnerships such as Global Mission Partners and the Australian College Of Ministries (ACOM).
“All of those things are about taking the gospel outward into our communities,” Anne said. “That’s what’s achievable when you have unity, to be able to do that together.”
Anne believes that unity at state, national, and international levels requires maturity and intention, including being in community at events like Global Christian Connection.
“The work of unity is the work of being able to hold difference and diversity while finding the common path or language that allows us to still be together under the Lordship of Jesus,” she said.
Attendees at the International Churches of Christ Conference.
In a cultural climate where difference can quickly lead to division, she believes unity is something deeper than agreement.
“Unity is the miraculous,” Anne said. “When Jesus prays for unity in John’s Gospel, he prays for it because it requires the miraculous.”
Reflecting on the global mission, Dr Mark Riessen, who works for ACOM and is a Global Mission Partners Board member, offers an important perspective on our Australian context. Conversations at home often focus on declining attendance, limited resources and the challenge of reaching people with the gospel.
In Kenya, Mark encountered a different reality.
“What I found in Africa is that evangelism and church planting is genuinely flourishing,” he said.
“The main resource they have is prayer.”
“Our lament about trying to reach people for Christ in our Western context is sometimes a pretty poor excuse; maybe the question is whether I have the personal resource to actually be faithful to the call,” he said.
As the global churches of Christ continues to connect across cultures and contexts, the invitation is the same: To pursue a unity that reflects the heart of Christ.
Let us continue to pray for our global churches, for the leaders, the communities across every nation and for a deepening sense of unity that enables the gospel to flourish in every context.
