We, the representatives of two Christian families, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches (Warc) and the Organization of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), have met together in Lagos, Nigeria, as the guests of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim and of OAIC Nigeria. Our theme has been "Reconciling identities: Learning from and challenging each other (The prophetic role of the church, the free movement of the Holy Spirit)".

We have heard from our Nigerian hosts the challenges Christians face as sharia law is enforced in certain states in this country, and we affirm a common desire to work towards relations with our Muslim brothers and sisters that will permit the full practice of both faiths. In this connection, we are agreed that killing people in the name of God is foreign to African tradition and can never be justified.

Building on our previous meetings in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1998, and Kigali, Rwanda, in 1999, we celebrate our growth towards mutual understanding and unity in the Christian faith, and our common desire to address the crises on our continent. In this connection, we affirm the Kigali Statement of 1999 as presenting an analysis that continues to be relevant of the problems and challenges facing Africa. We commend it again to our member churches, together with its recommendations for action. We note with regret the lack of response to the statement, and commit ourselves to ensure its wider circulation among our respective constituencies and urge our churches at national and local levels to engage in dialogues in the spirit of this statement.

Moving towards reconciliation of our identities: In this meeting in Lagos we have further identified beliefs and standpoints that we share in common:

Both our families are committed to practising the Christian faith in its Trinitarian fullness, although with different emphases.
Our continent has a profound spirituality and a belief in mysticism that is deeply rooted in our tradition cultures, and we share a commitment to developing and practising a Christian faith that addresses these spiritual realities. We acknowledge the long experience of the African Instituted Churches (AICs), and the increasing involvement of the Reformed Churches, in this ministry. In the difficult matter of discerning the spirits, we affirm two principles common to our families: that we test the spirits against the word of Scripture, and that we do so in the context of the praying community (the local and universal church).
Our families show a common concern for providing appropriate education at all levels and for all members of our churches, an education that must have its roots in African culture and values. We acknowledge the great contributions the Reformed Churches have made to education at all levels in Africa. With regard to training our ministers and others who serve the church, we recognize the importance of providing theological education in an ecumenical context, and of providing a theological education that will enable our ministers and workers to engage with social issues of the day, for example, with issues of governance and HIV/AIDS. To this end we commit ourselves to sharing resources - financial, intellectual, and spiritual.
We celebrate the diversity of our peoples as God-given, and we recognize the right of every person to self-respect and human dignity. For this reason we affirm again the necessity of encouraging full participation in decision-making in church and society and we seek to empower our peoples to address the crises that surround them on this continent. As we engage with the fullness of African diversity we do so from an understanding of our identity as open and inclusive. We draw from the model of the incarnation a willingness to take risks in order to achieve a new identity characterized by integration and the harmonization of differences. It is in this spirit that we are committed to our continuing dialogue. As we move towards unity in the church we seek the unity of humankind.

Moving ahead

We have agreed to meet again for the final consultation of this present dialogue in Nairobi in 2002, in order to decide concrete steps that we can take together as part of our common witness on this continent. As a preliminary step we will address the gaps in our conversations (eg, the interpretation of the Bible, the role of the sacraments, and the ministry of women).

For the OAIC:
His Eminence Baba Aladura Dr GIM Otubu, OAIC international chairman (co-chair of the dialogue)
Most Rev. Njeru Wambugu, OAIC general secretary

For Warc:
Rev. Dr André Karamaga, Warc vice-president (co-chair of the dialogue)
Rev. Dr Setri Nyomi, Warc general secretary