Role of Church Leaders in South Sudan

The church leaders definitely have a big role to play in the unfolding events in the Sudan. Just the fact they are leaders in a certain sphere of life, it means that they are influencers in their own right and they cannot be ignored when it comes to the development of the people of Sudan. There are a number of reasons which make the Church leaders an integral part of the development of Sudan and its people.. First, the Church in South Sudan has a big following considering that majority of the people in the South consider themselves to be Christians. Therefore, the Church is in a position to influence a great number of people. Though this contact with the people, they are able to teach people, counsel them and even touch their lives spiritually. Secondly, the Church is in control of resources at the grassroots. These are schools, health facilities and other physical and material resources that are dearly needed by the people in the South. The Church leaders are in a position to direct the use of these resources and to be good stewards on behalf of the people they lead. Thirdly, Church leaders in the South have credibility in the eyes of the people. During the times of the war, it is the Church leaders who remained behind to give people hope when the political leaders ran away. I remember one of them, Abel Alier in Nimule, talking to the New Sudan Christian Newspaper and saying, “I could not leave my people?” They identified with the suffering of the people and therefore, the people still respect them. This gives them the opportunity to guide the people, especially at this time when they need direction as they look forward to the forthcoming referendum in January 2011. Fourthly, the Church in the South is not isolated from the rest of the world. It is connected to other Churches in Europe, Asia and the Americas. As such, the Church leaders are able to mobilize support and prayers from the rest of the world. Through these connections, they can lead their people to gain from the expertise and the resources that they can solicit from their friends. Fifthly, the focus of the Church is the development of people and not only physical development. This is the kind of development that will spur development among people. When the lives of people have been transformed, it will have given them a solid foundation for moving into other areas of development. The late President of Tanzania Julius Nyerere, while he was still alive, emphasised the development of people and not the building of roads, bridges and hospitals. Sixthly, the fact that the Church is an independent entity, not under the control of the government, gives it a platform to speak for the people, when they are under oppression by institutional forces. This vantage position allows the Church leaders to either affirm or condemn what other institutions may propagate. This is because the Church is above earthly institutions since it speaks on behalf of God, and is above government in moral issues. Finally, the nature of the message that the Church leaders churn out is holistic in the sense that it speaks to all people at all times. It speaks to both the poor and the rich, it speaks to people from all tribes, clans and races. It deals with all aspects of life and therefore the Church leaders can easily interact with all people because they have the advantage of a platform to reach all kinds of people. All these shows that the Church cannot afford to be a passive player in the happenings in South Sudan. The word of God addresses all aspects of life, – political, social, economic and spiritual. It is now upon the Church leaders to realize the advantages that they have over other leaders, rise up to the occasion and take their place in the development of a new Sudan. At this time when there is uncertainty and anxiety with regards to the upcoming referendum, the prophetic voice of the Church should rise above all other voices and give hope to the people. Where there is darkness and hopelessness, the Church should bring light and encouragement. If the political leadership in the Sudan and in the whole world will not believe what the political leaders in the South are saying, then they should believe what the spiritual leaders are saying because they have a higher calling and are accountable not to earthly rulers, but to the God of all the Universe. The Church leads have a big responsibility because they are supposed to be above the partisan and selfish political games that the politicians sometimes engage in. They are the only hope that the people have because they have stood by them even during the tough years of the war. They can be trusted to lead their flock in the right direction. The onus is now upon them to deliver what they have been called upon to deliver. Even from the Biblical point of view, the Church leaders, just like the political leaders, were called to lead the people. This was not only in terms of spiritual matters but also in terms of social and political matters. We see in many places in the Bible where after the political leaders had failed, the spiritual leaders were called upon to take the leadership of the people and return them back to God. A good example is when King Saul failed and the prophet Samuel was asked by God to go out and anoint a king to take the place of King Saul. This is how King David came onto the scene. I see the Church leaders playing the same role in Southern Sudan.