Sharing Mission: UEM from 8 Viewpoints

Currently, a significant portion of the UEM budget is funded by churches in Germany. At the same time, churches in Africa and Asia have become increasingly aware of the need to take on more responsibility for financing the joint budget.

Since UEM’s internationalization in 1996, UEM Sundays in Asia have been an integral part of its journey. Over the past three decades, they have played a key role in shaping UEM’s identity and strengthening its global, cross-border mission across cultural and denominational boundaries.

Financial flexibility is often limited by challenging economic conditions. However, since the internationalization of UEM, targeted strategies have been developed to strengthen the economic resilience of member churches.

After almost three decades in leadership within the UEM, as an elected Vice Moderator several times and long-serving chair of the International Finance Committee, I do not answer the question of resources first of all with: money. Anyone who thinks only of money in the UEM does not go far enough.

„Dear Sisters and Brothers,“
Every Prayer Alert begins with this salutation. Perhaps this is not surprising for a call to prayer within a Christian community. And yet, so much is already contained within it: relationship, familiarity, and a spiritual, brotherly bond that transcends languages, countries, and continents.

These emergencies and others call for reflection on a persistent dilemma: how do we, as a Mission Organization, respond courageously and compassionately to human suffering without reinforcing stereotypes of dependency, helplessness, or unilateral aid—particularly between churches and communities in the Global North and South.

As a young college graduate full of enthusiasm, I traveled to Germany to work as a volunteer. The first few months were very challenging. Coming from the Southern Hemisphere, I experienced culture shock: a different language, a different climate, different food, and a different way of life—all of which required me to adapt.

West Papua remains largely underrepresented in international political debates. While geopolitical interests, the exploitation of economic resources, and security considerations dominate the political agenda, the perspectives of the people in the region receive little attention.

For me, anti-racism work is not just an “add-on” program separate from our history. It is a concrete way to take our international identity seriously. In this way, we learn to live out what our constitution already states: that, as the body of Christ, we belong together across regions, histories, and unequal privileges.

And from the very beginning, the question of power has also been raised within this movement. Can people be partners when one comes from the wealthy Global North and the other from the impoverished Global South? What can our shared future look like when the question of power is not always resolved?

The relationship between power and mission during the colonial era is complex and fraught with tension. Power and mission were often seen as two sides of the same coin: colonial rule made use of missionary activities to legitimize political, economic, and cultural expansion.

If United Evangelical Mission (UEM) did not exist, we would have to invent it: As a church community spanning three continents, the UEM serves as a vital gateway for the Evangelical Church in the Rhineland (EKiR) to the international sphere and the issues associated with it. 

Do you have a message for UEM?
Yes, please interpret history correctly and take the necessary steps to help all churches remain more faithful to their calling in this new era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

For many, UEM is simply an organization from which they receive funding and through which they carry out projects—that’s all. They see no difference between UEM and other donor organizations with which they collaborate. That is why UEM’s institutional memory must be rewritten so that future leaders in Africa, Asia, and Germany can carry on its mission.