Desafíos del desempeño docente

In 1972, Bishop George D. Browne, the first indigenous Bishop of

Liberia used a metaphor when he assume the leadership role and launched a program of Rural Evangelism. He compared the Liberian

Diocese to a flower plant cutting, presented to the Liberian church in a pot. The Liberian church carefully watered and nourished the plant as prescribed by the donors (Americans). However, it had not occurred to the church to renew the soil, change the size of the pot, or to transplant it

in local soil in order to give the proper nourishment and save it from

disease, which the African climate may have inflicted on it. Since the early days, the Liberian Church has been preoccupied with maintaining the kind of inherited church structures like the parish system, traditional building, organisations and decision-making process.

An attitude of paternalism, installed in those early years of the missions has retained most of its potency in the Liberian Church and society today. For example, for more than one hundred and seventy years of

existence (1836-2007) the Liberian church continued to rely on financial assistances (subsidies) from the American church in order to help pay

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salaries of clergy and lay employees, build and repairs schools, churches; and to implement many of its programs and ministries. From

1983 through 2007, the Liberian church received close to $6.6 million from the Episcopal Church. In recent years, in accordance with the

Covenant agreement between the Episcopal Church of Liberia, the American churches contribution to Liberia has decreased. On the local level, many Liberians have not cultivated the act of giving (stewardship) for the support of their local congregations or the diocese. The natives as

well as the settlers were not taught sufficiently the obligation of self- support. Bishop George D. Browne notes that as far back as 1862,

Bishop Payne reported that he was endeavoring ―to teach the natives the obligation of self-support,‖ but he did not have a plan nor did he make any known efforts.

SELF-ASSESSMENT EXERCISE

Discuss events that caused crises in Liberia.

4.0 CONCLUSION

The Protestant Episcopal was planted in Liberia in the year 1822. It is important to say that the three groups that influenced the planting and the growth of Christianity in Liberia were the Missionaries, the Black Settlers and the Indigenous tribal people.

As a result of the overbearing attitude of the colonists, a colonist was jailed by the native Authority for stealing from a native

farm. Consequest upon his imprisonment, Colonists acted lawlessly. They broke in to the prison and released the prisoner. In every conflict with

natives, the settlers always result to using fire arms against them. Blacks race Christians were brothers in Liberia.

Between 1818 and 1821, the ACS acquired a piece of land in Cape

Mesurado. They established their first mission station on it.

The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church USA impacted Western Civilisation on the natives of

Liberia. Schools were used to evangelised both adults and children in Liberia.

Grebo Christians observed Sunday, built Western houses and

married one wife.

5.0 SUMMARY

The Episcopal Church in Liberia faced challenges, conflicts and setbacks in the planting of Christianity in Liberia.

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In 1972, Bishop George D. Browne became the first indigenous Bishop in Liberia.

Schools were used to evangelised Liberians.

6.0 TUTOR-MARKED ASSIGNMENT

1. Were natives really having freedom in Liberia between 1818 and 1821?

2. Account for the setbacks of mission work in Liberia.

3. Discuss one of the methods used to spread Christianity in Liberia.

7.0

Elwood,D. (1992). History of the Episcopal Church in Liberia 1821 to1980.

Metuchen, NJ: Scare Crow Press.

James, L. S. & Wetermenn, D. (1992). Liberia: Old and New. A Study of its Social and Economic Background with Possibilities of Development. London: James Clarke and Company LTD.

Jane, J. M. (1968). The Dual Legacy; Government Authority andMission Influence Among the Glebo of Eastern Liberia. Published

Ph.D Dissertation, Boston University.

Jeremy, I. L. (2005). The Evolution of Deadly Conflict in Liberia, from‟‟Paternalism‟‟ to State Collapse . Durham, North Caroline:

Carolina Academic Press.

Holt, D. A. (1997). ‗‘C hange Strategies Initiated by the Protestant Episcopal Church in Liberia from 1836 to 1950 and their Different Effects.” Michigan, UMI Dissertation Services.

Paul, G. (1993). Christianity and Politics in Doe‟s Liberia, Cambridge

University Press.

Tom, W. S. (1980). Behold the Promised Land. A History of Afro-African settler Society in the 19th Century Liberia. Baltimore, London: The John Hopkins University Press.

LynetteWilson, The Episcopal Lifeonline: http//www.cuac.org/ 79901 1118109 ENG HTM htm, Presiding Bishop Jefferts Schon‘s visit to the Episcopal Diocese of Liberia, January 12, June 2010.

(accessed October 10, 2011).

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An Historical Sketch of the African Mission, Protestant Episcopal 1884 Church in the USA, Foreign Committee Bible House. New York:

Online source. (Accessed October 10, 2011).

James Tetegba Yarsiah, EARLY Missionary Work of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church

in Liberia and their Differential Effects. Ph.D. dissertation.

Online (accessed October 10, 2011.)

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UNIT 5 THE PLANTING OF CHRISTIAN MISSION IN