As most of you who receive my newsletters know, this summer I began a new part-time ministry with The Outreach Foundation focused on equipping global Christian leaders in Africa. My official title is “Mission Associate for Africa—Leadership Coach and Consultant.”
Today I’m sharing the exciting details about plans for my 2020 trip to Africa.
I leave the US January 4, spending three weeks in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and another three weeks in Lusaka, Zambia, with a few days in Cairo, Egypt sandwiched in between. I’ll return around February 19, thus away from home 6½ weeks altogether.
In 2018 and 2019, I spent 3 weeks each year in Africa. In 2020, I will be able to double my ministry time, thanks to the opportunities God has provided and also generous gifts through the Outreach Foundation from supporters like you. 100% of donations to my ministry reimburse my expenses, which I otherwise pay from my own pocket. I volunteer all my time and take no salary.
My ministry focuses involves to inter-related leadership equipping disciplines: teaching and coaching/consulting
Today I’ll share how I am impacting African Christian leaders through teaching.
Teaching is important everywhere in the Christian world, but particularly so in developing countries where church growth is far outpacing resources. This is particularly true in Africa.
Christianity Today reports: In 1900 there were fewer than 9 million Christians in Africa. Now there are more than 541 million. In the last 15 years alone, the Church in Africa has seen a 51% increase, which works out on average to around 33,000 people either becoming Christians or being born into Christian families each day in Africa.
Part of my volunteer ministry with the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology (EGST) is supervising students preparing theses or dissertations as part of their master’s degree requirements. Here are two of my current students who put a human face on these statistics
Rev. Yisak’s Story
Rev. Yisak is a Synod President in the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY), one of the two largest Ethiopian Protestant denominations founded in 1958 that had over 8.7 million members in 2017.
- 543 congregations
- 233 preaching places
- 60 pastors (may have Bible school degree, or, if fortunate, a 4-year Bachelor of Theology degree from EECMY seminary)
- 275 evangelists (typically have minimal theological training, but do the vast majority of the outreach)
- 171,124 adult or communicant members
- 338,999 baptized members including children
You can easily do the math.
- The best-trained leaders (60 pastors) are responsible for 776 separate congregations and preaching places, or one pastor for every 13 churches or venues where people meet regularly.
- When adding the assistance of the 275 evangelists, this means one leader to pastor every 510 adult members, or one leader to care for every 1,011 baptized members. (Unlike US churches, where typically only 30-40% of members actually actively attend, in Africa this number is 90% or above).
These numbers tell the story. Numerical growth is racing far beyond the church’s ability to provide enough qualified leaders offering biblical teaching and discipleship. Thus, the often-heard phrase that the church in Africa is a “mile wide but only an inch deep.”
Rev. Yisak’s thesis, “An Investigation of the Sale of Anointed Materials in Healing Ministry,” will study how nefarious agents make money selling “anointed” articles with promises of healing to desperate people who have no understanding of true biblical healing.
It is a supremely relevant issue! I’m honored to work with this Synod President seeking solutions to better care for his rapidly growing flock.
Kebebush’s Story
I’m also honored to be advising one of my former students when I taught at EGST from 2010-2014. Kebebush (shown above standing four people to my right in this photo of my former students who welcomed me back to EGST last January) is the national leader of her denomination’s women’s ministry. She represents the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC), the other major Protestant denomination with over 8 million members along with Rev. Yisak’s EECMY. She regularly travels across Ethiopia leading conferences to equip women’s ministry leaders at the Synod and local levels.
Kebebush is a success story for persevering to overcome barriers women still face to earn an MA in Biblical and Theological Studies. She is now working on a second, more advanced Master of Theology degree focused on her passion for Christian discipleship beginning at home. Her thesis title is “The Challenges of Making Christian Homes a Center of Holistic Life Development.”
In her national leadership role within her denomination, Kebebush realizes that rapid church growth can have a detrimental impact on Christian families: “Church leaders, pastors, ministers, seem to give much emphasis on outside of one’s household life. Consequently, families, churches, community as a whole are facing confusions and conflicts.”
I have such deep respect for Kebebush seeking to improve literally millions of Ethiopian households as centers of spiritual life and holistic human development through her leadership.
Rev. Yisak and Kebebush are two examples of how my one-to-one relationships with key leaders can have a multiplied impact across the two largest denominations in Ethiopia. Their thesis projects will give much-needed insight into critical issues for entire denominations!
Through investing in leaders like them, I can (in a small way) help advance God’s Kingdom in one of the most pivotal areas for global Christianity.
Teaching this coming January and February
In January at EGST I’ll teach “Pastoral Theology and Leadership,” a MA level intensive course meeting from 9:00am-12:00 noon Monday-Friday for three weeks. I taught this course regularly while on the faculty in 2010-2014.
This course has always been a great learning experience for me to better understand cultural issues Ethiopian pastors uniquely face, while at the same time hopefully offering students key leadership principles that transcend all cultures.
I’ll then move on to Justo Mwale University in Lusaka, Zambia for my third year of teaching an intensive ‘Preaching 2” course (photo of my 2019 students above).
These Bachelor of Theology students spend four years preparing to be parish pastors in a variety of Reformed denominations in Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. My opportunity to help them grow in this critical skill is a great joy and includes offering practical tips after each one preaches to the class.
Finally, in addition to the classroom, my standard discipline (for many years now) is inviting every student to have an hour-long personal conversation with me outside of class, usually over tea or lunch. These conversations offer significant opportunities for life-on-life impact and they are immensely rewarding. I learn so much from every student and I believe they enjoy them as well.
Next time I’ll share the other half of my ministry: equipping leaders through coaching and consulting.
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I Seek to Equip the Next Generation of Leaders for the Global Church. Will You Help Me?
My annual expense budget for 2020 is $10,000. I volunteer my time and take no salary. 100% of your support underwrites my travel and overhead costs.
Just $5-10 a month would be a great help ($60 or $120 annually). Others have given $250 annually.
I am seeking both partner congregations and individual or family partners.
Through October, I’ve received $2,500 (or only 25% of my annual need). If would like to partner with me, now is an excellent time to do so!!
Your tax deductible gift to support my work can be offered via check, credit card, or automated giving. Go to the Outreach Foundation website. (If giving online, enter my name in the “other” field when prompted.)
THANK YOU for joining others who are supporting my ministry!
