New approaches to the Third World Church

Abstract

This topic seems straightforward. Many would translate it simply: What can we (Western churches) do for the churches on the mission field? Such an attitude would betray our ignorance of the real issues involved in relating to the churches of the Third World. Actually this is an ex­tremely complicated and very sensitive issue which has kept pens and tongues moving for decades already and many missionaries have felt in body and soul the difficulty of this relationship. Missionaries sent out by a western church in order to convert the “heathen” when arriving on the “ field” find that there is a church there, capable of evangelizing its own people. The missionary must work under the control and direc­tion of the Third Church or, should he not be prepared to do so, he will be ignored and join the large number of the frustrated!