Introduction 

I was in Nigeria Bible Translation Trust (NBTT) Jos; last year 2021; working on our Bible translation project. We were translating the Old Testament from English as a source text to Dikaka (Cham) our heart language, exactly reading from the story of Esau and Jacob in Genesis; uncontrollable drops of tears began to flow down my cheeks. I have been hearing and reading from that verse for over two decades, but the voice that spoke to my heart that day, was quite clearere and startling; it spur my heart towards recommitment of  my life to Jesus.

All of the project translators present: Pastor Morris Audu, Mr. Saleh Ma’aji, Mr. Emmanuel Cham, Mr. Emmanuel Lamurde, Mr. Moses Haruna, Mrs. Jimane and Pastor Daniel Bala had to wait and think over it again, we had a better understanding of what it takes and what it means for an older brother to sell his birthright to a younger brother; we understood what it means to be hungry when returning from farm or hunting, we understood what it means to lose the blessing the belong to an elder brother. The elderly men among us were in tears and we felt sorry for Esau; we were able to understand this when the story was translated into our heart language, we felt God speaking directly to our hearts; it was a moment of soberness, a moment of reflection and a moment refreshment to our souls.

            One day I decided to be part of a Sunday service program we normally observe in our dialect, we play traditional drums, we eat traditionally cooked food, everything was done in our local context. The songs were sung in our dialect, and the sermon was presented in our dialect as well. I discovered that our people have the best form of music ever, we don’t need western music for our worship services, we don’t need western liturgy to guide our service before the Lord. We don’t need to read and interpret the scripture in English to make it effective. The service was lively, it was a moment of refreshment to my soul.

Learning from the Demise of the Church in North Africa

Back to the Church in North Africa, as Gilliland attested that the greatest gift a missionary or a mission agency can give to a young church is the right to think out and act out the Christian life their way,  self-image is the first mark of a truly indigenous church. This is a church that sees itself as "mediating the work, the mind, the word, and the ministry of Christ in its environment. The inability of church planters in North Africa to grant the indigenous people the ability to own the Church was the main reason for the demise of the Church in North Africa.

Those who are missionaries in the local context are the persons best suited to have known what the shape of the church shall be in that place. Since there was no emphasis placed on Bible translation, language Hymns, and other God-honoring traditional practices by leaders from within the indigenous Christian group, the liturgy was developed and that could not fit the people’s context, therefore, the Church died because forms are alien and irrelevant because they have been instituted by a foreigner who refused to acknowledge their unique identity.

In conclusion, as the missionaries and believers consider the reason for the demise of the Church in North Africa,  it would be incredible if we will repeat the failures of the past.  

                                                           WORK CITED

Gilliland, Dean S. Pauline Theology and Mission Practices. F Baker Book House Grand Rapids, Michigan 1983,p.11