The Church’s Mission in the Context of Change and Pluralism
in
Indonesia and East Timor
National Consultation on
Mission 2012
WCRC, CCA, PGI
Jakarta, 6-9 May 2012
I. Preface
The era
of reformation in Indonesia (since 1998), although marked by a welcome
transition toward democracy, has nonetheless failed to resolve the problems of
poverty, corruption, injustice, environmental destruction, and violations of
human rights. A similar situation is
faced by East Timor since it gained its independence from Indonesia after a
referendum in 1999.
In our present condition,
the churches of Indonesia and East Timor struggle with the following realities:
a. A
large number of citizens living below the poverty line, facing the threat of malnutrition,
unemployment, and decline in human resources
b. A
culture of corruption that is increasingly entrenched, especially among state
actors
c. Destruction of the environment: deforestation, replacement
of native forest by plantations, mining and its poisonous waste
d. Destruction of the marine ecosystem due to
overfishing and pollution
e. New industrial areas displacing people from their
traditional cultures, while at the same time attracting prostitution and a
consequent increase in the number of people with HIV/AIDS
f. A rise
in the incidence of domestic violence, in which women and children are the
chief victims
g. Weak efforts at prevention and enforcement
against the distribution of dangerous drugs
These problems present a challenge to the mission of the church to
struggle for justice, peace, and the integrity of creation as signs of the
Kingdom of God in human society.
In response to these challenges a consultation on mission was held in
Jakarta on 6-9 May 2012, under the theme “The Church’s Mission in the Context
of Change and Pluralism: Struggling for Justice and Peace for All.” The consultation was held jointly by the
Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), the Christian Conference of Asia
(CCA), and the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC). Participants included 70 persons from
Indonesia and East Timor representing 37 member institutions from the three
sponsoring organizations, as well as a number of observers from other Christian
institutions.
The participants in the consultation studied several
related documents: (1) Christian Witness in a Plural Society, issued
jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the Pontifical Council for
Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), and the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA); (2) a
draft of the WCC statement on mission, “Together Towards Life: Mission and
Evangelism in Changing Landscapes,” which was formulated by the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism
(CWME) in Manila in March 2012; (3) the results of the PGI’s 2011 Consultation
on Mission (“Gathering Community through Evangelism”); and (4) the document,
“Principles of Our Common Calling”, from the Document
on the Unity of the Church (PGI, 2009-2014). In addition, the participants took part in
Bible studies and heard presentations from a number of resource persons.
II. Context
The churches of Indonesia and
East Timor are aware that rapid and fundamental changes are taking place in
human life. These changes have some positive aspects. However, the negative
effects are deeply felt in the form of an erosion of values, norms, and human
relationships, and the ecological crisis that has resulted from human abuse of
nature.
The Mission of God must be understood and
realized within this context. The Good
News of the Gospel becomes real when the church responds to these negative
realities by acting to restore justice, peace, and the integrity of
creation. The churches of Indonesia and
East Timor have identified the following negative realities that must be
addressed:
1. Shifting Values and Behavior. The conviction that humanity is joined with
nature as part of God’s creation has been replaced by human domination over
nature, and indeed over fellow humans.
- The technological revolution has given humanity the power to dominate other living things, and even to land on the moon. Such achievements symbolize how humans have “conquered” nature.
- Domination over fellow humans is shown in the social constructs and power relations that place some groups in positions of power over others. In many cultures, for example, we find women and children marginalized by a mindset that places men at the center of civilization.
2. Power
Over Economic Resources. The logging industry, mining, and plantations
have destroyed vast areas of forest, turning much of it into wasteland that is
subject to flooding and other disasters.
Furthermore, current economic developments have resulted in: (a) concentration
of economic resources in the hands of a few; (b) rapid urbanization leading
to (c) cities that have become concrete
jungles with poor people living in crowded and polluted slums; and (d) a corresponding change in human
relationships and attitudes toward life.
- Not only is city life considered better than rural life (which encourages urbanization), but this attitude also brings about a change in human relationships when villages become cities. In villages, people know one another, but in cities people rarely know who their neighbors are.
- The pace of cultural change can be seen in the rapid loss of many traditions. For example, the traditional children’s games of takadal, gasak, and congklak, which provide experience in complex social relations, are replaced by individualistic games like play station and other computer-oriented games that alienate the child from social interaction, and also require costly resources.
3. A
Culture of Consumption and Corruption. The development of a consumer
lifestyle brings with it a temptation to corruption in certain parts of
society, in particular among public officials and civil servants. Corruption has taken root in our culture and
destroyed the bonds of common life, eroded the credibility of government, and
stolen the people’s right to social welfare.
- People compete for political positions and government office, for example as legislators or regional executives, by condoning any means, including violence and bribery. A consumptive and materialistic mentality is also evident in lower-level civil servants, as evidenced by a number of tax officials who have been found to accumulate vast fortunes.
4. Religious
Intolerance. Among religious groups, an attitude of mutual
suspicion, intolerance, hatred, and violence has developed in several areas of
the country, and this has been condoned by law enforcement officials. This situation has been further complicated
by: (a) a lack of significant interfaith dialogue at the local level, which would
have the potential for developing a sense of common humanity; (b) a pattern of
communication through formal, institutional channels that has created a gap
between what happens among the elite and what happens in daily life; (c) post-conflict situations that make
communication difficult between religious leaders and their respective
communities; (d) inter-religious forums that tend to have no roots among the
local people. It often appears that local councils on religious harmony (FKUB)
serve more to legitimate the discriminative decisions of an elite than to
foster real dialogue.
5. Privatization
of the Public Sphere. The
post-Suharto euphoria of freedom to express individual, ethnic, and religious
identity has given way to a radicalization that has taken over the public
sphere, suppressing what ought to be a common home for all citizens. This is apparent in efforts to establish
regional regulations that give preference to a particular religion and in the radicalization
of the schools by propaganda based on religious ideologies.
6. Alienation
from Local Culture. In
some areas of the country there continues to be an attitude of animosity toward
traditional culture. This attitude
impedes the church from engaging in productive dialogue with local traditional
wisdom, and in turn prevents better relationships among churches and their
members. At the same time, the tradition
of tolerance and mutual respect has been replaced by a culture of violence that
leaves no place for differences. Indeed
this culture of violence has often been institutionalized in the form of
organized groups who terrorize the people into conformity.
7. Internal Challenges. Weak leadership, internal conflict, and competition among
denominations form the internal context that inhibits cooperation among the
churches. This situation is further
complicated by: (a) a weakening commitment to Christian unity and (b) a loss of
local roots among ecumenical institutions (PGI and regional ecumenical bodies).
This reality makes it more difficult for the churches to develop better
cooperation with various parties. At the same time, the churches continue to
struggle with the faith development of their members, beginning with Sunday
School, youth and adult ministries.
III. The Churches’ Calling
In this context of social, political, and
economic change, and in the face of a growing environmental crisis, the
churches are called to:
1. Work
to Restore God’s Creation. The churches as people of God are called to work
together in bringing God’s work of salvation to all creatures (Mat 5:13-16).
The presence of the church must be as a living witness to the reconciliation of
all peoples with one another and with all of God’s creation (Eph 1:10), and, as
the Church with Others, to be a sign of God’s solidarity with creation.
2. Practice
the Law of Love. The word of Jesus Christ concerning the
commandment to love (Mat 22:34-40) is the church’s guide in its witness and
work in the world. The Holy Spirit
empowers the churches to understand and realize the commandment to love in the
midst of the many threats to life.
- The church, as an agent of change, carries on the work of God in giving direction to the future development of human life.
- From the missionary era, the churches have inherited important forms of ministry—in the fields of education, health care, and social work—that must be continued and improved. The churches also need to give attention to the specific needs of urban-industrial society as well as rural life. Diaconal ministry must be not only charitable, but also reforming and transforming.
- An emphasis on the Law of Love does not reject the aspect of church growth; however, the call of the church is to proclaim the good news, the Gospel of the Kingdom of God concerning justice, peace, and the integrity of creation. The witness of the Gospel changes human life by directing it toward the love of God, fellowship with all people, and the responsibility to care for the environment (Gen 2:15).
3. Fellowship
in a Common Home. In carrying out their
calling, the churches are required to work together, including with those who
are outside the church, in the formation of the family of God, which sees earth
as the common home of all God’s creation (Eph 2:19-22).
4. Justice
and Peace. The call of the church is inseparable from its
identity as a sign and instrument of the Triune God to bring peace to all
creation by reconciling it to God (Col 1:20).
This calling reveals the role of the church in God’s work of salvation
(2 Cor 5:18-20), as a life directed toward the Kingdom of God in the struggle
for justice and peace.
5. Solidarity
with Those Who Suffer. The
call of the church takes form within the realities of poverty, injustice,
conflict, violence, and destruction of the environment. The Gospel is the gift
of abundant life (John 10.10), the peace of God in Jesus Christ for all those
who suffer (Luke 4:18-19), and the power of God that brings people together to
live in the fellowship of love (Rom 1:16).
6. Striving
for Life. The churches are called
to strive for a culture of life and to oppose a culture of death that leads all
creation toward destruction (Luke 1:78-79).
The Holy Spirit empowers the churches to establish peace in communities
based on love and mutual acceptance (Eph 4: 3-5). To this end, the churches of
Indonesia and East Timor must set priorities such as the following:
a. To
allocate church budgets, according to what each can afford, to support
institutions and community efforts that aid victims, both of natural disasters,
communal violence, and public health crises such as HIV/AIDS;
b. To
work actively against the degradation of our humanity by upholding justice and
human rights;
c. To
work actively against the destruction of the ecosystem through programs of public
awareness and rehabilitation of the environment;
d. To
join in designing and implementing economic policies that are more just and
conducive to social welfare, such as cooperatives and economic empowerment of
the poor in a way that strengthens self reliance, solidarity, and critical
awareness;
e. To
reject all forms of corruption, including those that are disguised as aid to
the churches, and to reject the mentality that leads the church to be dependent
on handouts from the government.
IV. Principles of Implementation
As servants and partners of God, the churches
respect and support one another, and dedicate themselves to the following moral
principles in carrying out their calling from God:
1. All
people and all of nature are partners with God. The call of the church to be an agent of God’s work of salvation
means that we must place humans in a relationship of equality with all other
living things as fellow creatures of God who support one another for the
fulfillment of life.
2. Mutual
Support. God’s call requires the
churches to refrain from all desires to exercise power and domination over
other people and over nature. On the
contrary, the churches accept and support one another and work to protect
fellow creatures as partners with God.
In this context, the churches are reminded to avoid enmity, slander,
coercion, and any other behavior that is not in keeping with their call to
proclaim the Gospel.
3. The
Partnership of Women and Men. The churches are called to nurture the
empowerment of women as equal partners with men, both in ministry and in the
various professions. The church can no
longer carry out its calling to establish peace and well-being without the
partnerships of women and men. As a part of this calling, the church must give
special attention to the many ways in which women are exploited, as in the case
of human trafficking, the conditions of women laborers and domestic servants
both in Indonesia and abroad, and in the prevalence of domestic violence.
4. Accepting
one another as members of one body.
The churches are called to strive for unity amidst their diversity for the sake
of the Good News that has been entrusted to them (Rom 12: 4,5; John 17: 20-21).
The tendency of some churches to increase their membership by “taking in”
members of other churches has damaged the fellowship among the churches and is
not in accord with the nature of the church. Among the membership of the
Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), the churches are urged to strengthen
their commitment to mutual respect and acceptance, as expressed in the document
“Covenant on Mutual Recognition and Acceptance.” The churches must improve their cooperative
efforts in the areas of: (a) promoting life-values that transcend institutional
and doctrinal divides; (b) developing a common vision; and (c) sharing of
resources and information relating to our common calling. In this regard, the
use of information and communication technology must be improved as a tool for
ministry and effective witness.
5. Respect
for religious freedom. The
mission of the church in these times calls into question various approaches to
proselytization of members of other religious communities, which has had a
negative impact on social relationships and has in fact hampered the witness of
the church (see Mat 23:15). Changing one’s religious convictions is a personal
decision that is only possible through the work of the Holy Spirit in each
person’s heart (I Cor 2:4; I Thes 1:5).
6. Building a common home. The churches are urged to take an active role
in developing frameworks for interchurch and interfaith relationships in their
local contexts. Such religious networks
will also serve to strengthen civil society and help to prevent the public
space from being swallowed up by the fanaticism of identity politics. By contrast, the public space must be
preserved as a common home for all people.
Jakarta, 25 May 2012
National Consultation on the Mission of the
Churches in Indonesia and East Timor
