The Christian church in Africa is undeniably flourishing, with statistics showing a significant increase in the number of Christians across the continent. There were an estimated 734 million Christians in Africa in 2024, a significant increase from the 10 million Christians in 1900. This growth brings not only a sense of rejoicing but also a heavy responsibility, positioning the African church as a major representative of Christianity worldwide.
However, according to Prof Nupanga Weanzana, the President of Bangui Evangelical School of Theology in the Central Africa Republic, this rapid growth exists in paradoxical tension with persistent societal challenges like poverty, tribalism, and civil war. In an interview with Christian Daily International on the sidelines of the 13th Africa Evangelical Association (AEA) General Assembly in Nairobi on May 20 - 23, 2025, Prof Weanzana raised a critical question of how these two realities - a booming church and widespread problems - can be reconciled.
Prof Weanzana suggested the need for the African church to first address its internal health and integrity before fully stepping into its global potential. Using a striking analogy of an airplane safety instruction, he advised that the African Church needs to “put on its oxygen mask” before assisting others.
“We need a Christianity that is really transformational. Changed individuals, who change their families, changing their communities, changing their country and also changing their continent. How can we speak to other people (in other continents) when we still have challenges in our own country?” Prof Weanzana posed.
He further explained that “putting on our own mask” means setting a clear example. This example must embody qualities such as “integrity, faithfulness, love, and purity.” Displaying these virtues is seen as essential for the Church (in Africa) to be taken seriously by the rest of the world. Without demonstrating these qualities, people "cannot trust us," and the Church's message "cannot be received effectively." This is because, as he notes, they "are not doing what we are telling people to do.”
Prof Weanzana draws on the stark reality of his home country, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as a case in point. Despite being a country where the majority of people are Christians, the DRC remains among the eight poorest countries in the world. He describes the situation as "scandalous" given the nation's mineral wealth. Furthermore, the DRC, a predominantly Christian nation, struggles with "a very high level of corruption, very high level of prostitution and so on.”
He argued that there's a need to find ways to "measure the level of our faith and how our people are bringing together the Christian faith and daily life." The ultimate goal, according to Prof Weanzana, is for the "kingdom of God (to) be clearly perceived in our own time and in our continent.”
Potential influence of the African Church
In Africa, expounds Prof Weanzana, the internal transformation is crucial because there is a high level of public expectation placed upon the Church. He notes that most people are not confident in politicians but are confident in the Church and are "expecting more from the Church.” But unfortunately, in his view, "most of our churches are not taking this responsibility seriously to respond to the expectation and to the needs of the people.”
The potential influence of the African Church spans across politics, the economy, and the social sphere. A clear illustration of the current disconnect is seen in leaders from government and politics who attend church but whose faith does not visibly impact "the way that they are serving all the people."
Prof Weanzana believes the Church needs to find a way to "talk to these leaders in the government, that the faith must be revealed in the action from the standpoint of the responsibility that we are assuming in the community."
He contrasts the African Union's goal of "Africa that we want" with the perspective of what "Africa that God wants," emphasizing that the latter provides a clear reference point based on God's will and purpose, enabling the Church to "act accordingly.”
Regarding the relationship with the West, Prof Weanzana sees a dynamic shifting that is yet to make a complete cycle. Historically, during the colonial period, the West "was really the leader of the Church" in Africa. After independence, responsibility began shifting to Africans.
Now, given the statistical reality of the African Church's size, there is a call to "take the full advantage because we are now free and we need really to take our responsibility into our hands to lead our Church, but also to give some direction (to the global Church)."
While the relationship with the West should continue, the African Church, being the majority, needs to demonstrate its leadership not just through words but through "taking some action, taking some steps to show that really the future of Christianity is in our hands.”
Despite this compelling vision for transformation and leadership, Prof Weanzana candidly admits that in his extensive travels within Africa, he has "not yet" widely seen examples of churches driving such significant transformation. One critical area where, according to Prof Weanzana, the Church is currently "not really taking the advantage" is the youth demographic.
Africa possesses a large population of young people who are "very well educated" and "very, very skilled," particularly in the use of social media and technology. He suggests the Church's traditional structures, where one needs to be older to be taken seriously, might be a hindrance.
Being in contact with many people through their work, they can have a "greater impact" by bringing the gospel into the "marketplace, in the office, in the university, in the schools and everywhere." This approach is presented as a powerful way to "really transform our" continent.
Prof Weanzana urges the flourishing African Church to truly fulfill its calling and leverage its influence by first addressing the internal challenges of integrity, corruption, and lack of tangible impact on societal problems.
By "putting on its own mask" of demonstrable faith and action, the African Church can build the credibility and strength needed to effectively lead and transform both its continent and contribute meaningfully to the global Christian landscape.
