I’m writing this from Tanzania after spending the past week in Malawi.
Malawi is the sixth poorest country in the world, with a per capita income of about $600 per year. Yet approximately 82% of its people identify as Christian.
The timing of my visit to Malawi this week was striking.
The United Kingdom, Malawi’s former colonial power, recently announced that it will reduce its aid to Malawi by 90% by 2029. The reason? To increase defense spending in response to growing global security threats and shifting geopolitical alliances.
The cuts begin this year with £50.2 million less in assistance, affecting healthcare, education, and economic development.
This comes on the heels of the abrupt termination of USAID funding last year. With virtually no warning, thousands lost their jobs, while many others suddenly found themselves without access to essential medications and medical services.
The ripple effects don’t stop there.
Global conflicts also reach Malawi’s borders. Higher fuel prices, inflation, and shortages of U.S. dollars have made life increasingly difficult in a country that depends heavily on imports.
Everything is connected.
One decision made in Washington, London, or elsewhere sends ripples across the world, eventually reaching villages, towns, and cities in Malawi.
That reality shaped our conversations last week.
Rather than focusing on what Malawi has lost, we asked a different question: What is the role of the Church in this moment?
Our discussions centered on innovation, creativity, excellence in work, integrity, and collaboration. If external support is decreasing, then local capacity must increase.
One observation stood out to me.
In many places, Muslim business leaders intentionally gather to discuss economic opportunities. They identify gaps in the market, determine who can meet those needs, and work together to build value chains that benefit entire communities.
Too often, Christians do the opposite. We work in isolation, viewing one another as competitors rather than partners.
What if churches became places where business owners, educators, farmers, government leaders, and entrepreneurs gathered not only to pray together but also to think together? What if Christians intentionally developed economic strategies that strengthened households, communities, churches, and the nation?
After all, God is not only the God of salvation. He is also the God of work, creativity, and economics.
I believe Malawi can flourish.
Its greatest resource is not foreign aid. It is its 23 million people, each created in the image of a creative, innovative, working God.
As painful as these reductions in aid will be, they may also become the catalyst for renewed creativity and innovation.
During the week, we reflected on an important progression:
- Give someone something once, and it creates appreciation.
- Give it a second time, and it creates anticipation.
- Give it a third time, and it creates expectation.
- Give it a fourth time, and it creates entitlement.
- Give it a fifth time, and it can create dependency.
It’s a surprisingly short journey from appreciation to dependency.
The journey back is much longer.
Recovering independence requires curiosity. Curiosity leads to creativity. Creativity fuels innovation. But that process often requires unlearning old patterns before new ones can take root.
For the Church, this also requires a theological shift. We must recognize that the economy is not secular territory. It, too, belongs to God. Our work, businesses, investments, and economic decisions are all places where God’s Kingdom can be expressed.
Perhaps the wrong question has been, Am I creative?
As image bearers of a creative God, creativity is already part of who we are.
The better question is, How am I creative?
Creativity is not limited to artists, musicians, or inventors. It is expressed in improving systems, solving problems, increasing quality, serving customers well, organizing teams, building businesses, creating jobs, and strengthening communities.
The challenges facing Malawi are real.
But so is the God who equips His people to flourish.
May He awaken His Church to create, collaborate, and build.
This week in Tanzania, I am joining our partner to work with the Council of Pentecostal Churches of Tanzania (CPCT). This group is incorporating a theology of work across their denominations and are seeing great results. Please continue to pray!
And to those who gave for the Ngozi market in Burundi, which burned down, destroying over 1,000 businesses, we are grateful. If you would still like to give to this, there is still time. Please go here and put “Burundi market” in the comment line.