Advocacy is at the core of the implementation of the Accra Confession which calls upon Reformed Christians around the world to engage injustices in the world as an integral part of their churches' witness and mission. Everyone has a voice but some voices are stronger and can support weaker voices, making it possible for the weaker voices to be heard. Excluding the poor, the vulnerable, and the whole of creation from the fullness of life is to defy God’s covenant.
“For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now I will arise,” says the LORD; “I will set him in the safety for which he yearns”” Psalm 12:5. The Lord Jesus in His manifesto in Luke 4:18 said ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed”. That is what He called the church to accomplish in our mission to fulfil the Great Commission, and requiring us to do so in the context of the Great Commandment to love one another as ourselves. Advocacy is to look beyond our own comfort to see the needs of others and actively seek ways to bring them relief, and doing so in a manner that is devoid of exploitation. At the heart of the Accra Confession is the call to uphold the principles of the sovereignty of God and the imperative to do justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9 tells us to "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” (NLT). The activities of the powerful has silenced the voices of the poor and vulnerable. Corruption hurts the poor most as they need to pay to access basic services like water, electricity and education; opportunities that are naturally available to the elite in society. The poor need a voice. Empowering them to be heard will make the gospel even more relevant to them. The Accra Confession affirms that we deny ‘God’s call to life for all’ when inequality, extreme poverty, marginalization, exclusion are allowed to continue, and when the global systems defend and protect the interests of the powerful.
The economic and ecological injustices of today’s global economy requires our clear understanding and appropriate strategizing to ensure that our response brings the needed results. The integrity of the church and of our Christian faith is in the type and timeliness of our response to global issues, in our management of the estate entrusted into our hands by our Father in heaven, and as we work to create a more just world economy. Our commitment to ensuring a world that is sustainable will facilitate the spread of the gospel.
Indeed, the Belhar Confession is one of the most significant confessions to have ever come from the African soil, addressing issues of unity, racism, apartheid, oppression and dehumanisation that lead to people fighting their own kind, and is a call for public pastoral care (Nthakhe, 2017). From the Belhar Confession, unity is both a gift and an obligation for the church. The Theological justification of class, racism, ethnicity, and gender injustice require a confessional and ethical response from the church.
Advocacy becomes effective where there is internal unity in the church, as a testimony to the world that we are one in Christ. We all need to stand where God is standing. That is where the church must begin its work of advocacy that translates into effective mission work. There is a lot to be done within the church systems and in our world of greed and poor regard for human life and dignity. The mission of the church is a call to advocacy and justice; it is the church’s mandate.
From issues of ‘resource-driven wars’ that are claiming the lives of millions, to galamsey (small scale illegal mining) that destroys farmland, water bodies and poses a health threat, to climate change, election challenges, corruption, injustice in our court systems and so on, the church has an important role to play in calling on individuals, institutions, and even nations to reconsider their stand and stand for what is right. The Accra Confession (10) notes that the ‘powerful’ cannot be making the false promise that it can save the world through the creation of wealth and prosperity.
ADVOCACY
Advocacy is the effort to influence public policy and legislation on behalf of the church's mission, as we all envision a more just and compassionate society. Seeing others deprived of the opportunity to flourish calls on each of us to respond, in both charity and justice. Pleading for another, whether through intercessory prayer or political advocacy, is an expression of charity, the greatest of virtues (Gottemoeller, 2015). William Faulkner is right when he said “never be afraid to raise your voice for honesty and truth and compassion against injustice and lying and greed. If people all over the world, would do this, it would change the earth.”
Justice and unity are outcomes of faith in God. One promotes the other. The Lord has called us to do justice, love kindness, and walk in God’s way (Micah 6.8). Jesus brings justice to the oppressed and gives bread to the hungry; he frees the prisoner and restores sight to the blind (Luke 4.18) (Accra Confession, 2004; 28). We need to stand where God is standing; be His voice and hands extended within the church, ecumenical bodies and in support of the growing environmental concerns. The church does not live on an island nor Christians in isolation. The world should not only hear about Christianity when we preach the gospel but through our continual involvement in the affairs of the world.
It is part of the mission of the church to speak out against injustice, defend people living in poverty, hold those in power to account, and empower people to speak out for themselves (Tearfund, 2022). They added that advocacy does not just raise awareness of a problem, it seeks to change the policies, practices, systems, structures and attitudes that are at the root of poverty and injustice. Communities can be supported to build a better future for themselves.
Advocacy is the vehicle on which mission initiatives become successful. It increases our visibility and relevance in communities, and prepares the ground for increased acceptance of the gospel. Mission should be the natural outcome of advocacy.
Our understanding of advocacy drives ecumenical interactions and helps us form strong partnerships to speak with a united voice on issues that cause pain, poverty and human misery. The church has a responsibility hear the hearts of people, and act.
Effective advocacy places a demand on the church to live out its culture of integrity, credibility and the demonstration of high moral standards.
APPROACHES TO ADVOCACY
Advocacy leads to success in missions for a several reasons. The link between advocacy, missions and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is quite unique and interesting. Christians around the world need to lead that crusade as custodians of the creation of God and as caretakers of human life, nature and healthy world systems.
Let us now look at some approaches to advocacy.
Missions: Missions is a way of breaking through into society to speak forth the Word of God. We have been sent forth to go everywhere across the world and represent the Lord. The outcome of missions is to bring change and shed God’s light darkness. Mission as advocacy is a difficult task that requires courage, collaboration, and resources to accomplish.
Prayer: Prayer is an important avenue for advocacy as it silently invites the intervention of the Creator of the universe into the situations of the world. All churches need to be actively involved in this activity, focusing on different countries at different times.
Research and Publications: The power of the pen. The church can carry out research that is based on reliable data from the field, and which leads to publications that are shared widely using diverse means. This can carry our message of advocacy and justice even to places we are not able to visit. Knowledge appropriately shared can produce the needed results. COVID-19 has taught the church to reach out beyond its borders to have a greater global impact.
Churches and their Relevance in their Local Context: The relevance of a church within the community within which it operates is determined by the impact it is making on that community. At a training session for the leaders of a church I once pastored, I asked them the question “if for some reason, we relocate to another geographic area, will the community where we are currently situated miss us?” I used the opportunity to explain the need for our relevance in that community to them. Together we carried out a major outreach activity there. Churches can be empowered through appropriate training to become effective in advocacy and missions, and see themselves as agents of change in their local communities. The spread of the gospel becomes easier when our advocacy is effective. The church (the ecclesia) is empowered to reach the world through effective discipleship. One person at a time, one community at a time with love in action and empowering people around the world to become agents of transformation in their various communities.
Direct and Active Support to the Disadvantaged: The establishment of support for prisons, schools, hospitals, response in time of war and displacement, and community development initiatives are avenues for advocacy. Provision of grants to member churches that can enable them run programs in missions and advocacy are other powerful avenues, especially if we are convinced of the sustainability of such programs. We need global ecumenical bodies to work together to empower churches and local communities.
No intervention is better than the ones that the beneficiaries themselves consider as priority and in which they actively participate. We need to empower those who make a difference in their societies and enable them to participate in processes designed to improve their lives.
CONCLUSION
Indeed, our world is plagued with selfishness, violence and injustice. We have challenges of good governance in various places. The pandemic brought a lot of human suffering, pain and loss of lives. Churches are quite destabilized and many have not recovered financially and numerically. At the heart of all this human suffering is the need for timely intervention from the local levels, which, in some cases, cannot be possible without support, especially in very poor and deprived communities. New strategies including advanced technological support for mission work are needed to effectively address the complex and dynamic challenges of today and restore hope.
Truth cannot fall in the street, else, equity will elude us (see Isaiah 59:14). Truth brings equity and ensures justice. Unity brings peace, which is a bond that binds us (see Ephesians 4:3). The answer to disunity and violence lies within the confines of the church, if we “stand where God is standing”.
The world is looking for the voice of the church and the church, in our efforts to reach them for Jesus, cannot be silent on the real issues that confront society. Standing in truth and justice, the church can affect the world through mission and advocacy.
