In two weeks ReachGlobal staff from 6 African countries and the USA along with African National Partner Leaders from over 10 nations will gather at Brackenhurst Conference Center in Kenya for our ReachGlobal Africa Division Conference. It will be a week of worship, prayer, teaching, learning, interaction and fellowship all focused on how we can more effectively see the Gospel transform Africa. I am looking forward to reconnecting with friends and ministry colleagues as well as to see some essential ministry partnerships develop for ministry in the days ahead.
In 2007 we held a similar gathering at Brackenhurst that set the course for one of the most significant changes in our ministry in Africa in the past several decades. It was the first year that we invited African National Partner Leaders to be a part of our Africa Conference and God used that to launch a new missions initiative in Africa. During one of the evening sessions our Executive Director, TJ Addington, shared a vision to see 100 million people impacted by the Gospel in 10 years through the ministries and partners of ReachGlobal around the world. He went on to share that we as a mission are committed to missions being a worldwide partnership of Christ followers from all nations collaborating together to reach those unreached by the Gospel. At the end of the meeting we called our African National Partners up front and prayed over them as our partners together in ministry on the continent.
When the meeting ended my wife and I went to our room to get some much needed rest. Our African brothers gathered together in one of their rooms for a different reason. They spent most of the evening in prayer, worship and discussion as they wrestled with the part God was calling them to in reaching the more than 260 million unreached Africans. One of them said, "If these American missionaries are this committed to reaching Africa what is our part in seeing 100 million touched with the Gospel? We're African and it is our responsibility to reach the unreached on our continent!"
The next morning they asked to meet with TJ, me and other ReachGlobal leaders. During the meeting they shared about their discussions during the night and told us they had come to the conclusion that God was calling them as leaders of African Evangelical Free Churches to form an alliance to raise up, equip and send African church planting missionaries to the unreached in Africa. Their request to us was simple, "We believe God is calling us to do this, but we've never done something like this before. Will you come alongside us and help us figure out how to make it a reality?" It took less than a second for us to say "YES!" At that time they chose Pastor Nubako Selenga to be the Director of the movement and Pastor David Kiamu to be their Church Planting Director. They settled on the name "ReachAfrica" and a new indigenous African missions movement had been born.
Since that time Pastor Selenga and Pastor Kiamu have come on staff with ReachGlobal as African missionary movement leaders. They serve with me on the ReachGlobal Africa Division LeadTeam and continue to develop the ministries of ReachAfrica. Pastor Kiamu wrote a Multiplication Church Planting training course that has been given to over 1,100 potential African church planting missionaries in 9 countries over the past 12 months. Second and third generation church planter trainings are beginning to be launched in numerous locations. Hundreds of churches have already been planted as a result of this training and more are being planted every month. David has just recently completed a Church Planting Master Trainer and Coaching training manual and they will begin to train the first master trainers and coaches later this spring. God is beginning to launch an incredible indigenous missions movement through ReachAfrica.
In 2007 we held a similar gathering at Brackenhurst that set the course for one of the most significant changes in our ministry in Africa in the past several decades. It was the first year that we invited African National Partner Leaders to be a part of our Africa Conference and God used that to launch a new missions initiative in Africa. During one of the evening sessions our Executive Director, TJ Addington, shared a vision to see 100 million people impacted by the Gospel in 10 years through the ministries and partners of ReachGlobal around the world. He went on to share that we as a mission are committed to missions being a worldwide partnership of Christ followers from all nations collaborating together to reach those unreached by the Gospel. At the end of the meeting we called our African National Partners up front and prayed over them as our partners together in ministry on the continent.
When the meeting ended my wife and I went to our room to get some much needed rest. Our African brothers gathered together in one of their rooms for a different reason. They spent most of the evening in prayer, worship and discussion as they wrestled with the part God was calling them to in reaching the more than 260 million unreached Africans. One of them said, "If these American missionaries are this committed to reaching Africa what is our part in seeing 100 million touched with the Gospel? We're African and it is our responsibility to reach the unreached on our continent!"
The next morning they asked to meet with TJ, me and other ReachGlobal leaders. During the meeting they shared about their discussions during the night and told us they had come to the conclusion that God was calling them as leaders of African Evangelical Free Churches to form an alliance to raise up, equip and send African church planting missionaries to the unreached in Africa. Their request to us was simple, "We believe God is calling us to do this, but we've never done something like this before. Will you come alongside us and help us figure out how to make it a reality?" It took less than a second for us to say "YES!" At that time they chose Pastor Nubako Selenga to be the Director of the movement and Pastor David Kiamu to be their Church Planting Director. They settled on the name "ReachAfrica" and a new indigenous African missions movement had been born.
Since that time Pastor Selenga and Pastor Kiamu have come on staff with ReachGlobal as African missionary movement leaders. They serve with me on the ReachGlobal Africa Division LeadTeam and continue to develop the ministries of ReachAfrica. Pastor Kiamu wrote a Multiplication Church Planting training course that has been given to over 1,100 potential African church planting missionaries in 9 countries over the past 12 months. Second and third generation church planter trainings are beginning to be launched in numerous locations. Hundreds of churches have already been planted as a result of this training and more are being planted every month. David has just recently completed a Church Planting Master Trainer and Coaching training manual and they will begin to train the first master trainers and coaches later this spring. God is beginning to launch an incredible indigenous missions movement through ReachAfrica.
Over the next decade our desire is to find the healthiest ways to develop, empower, and release
ReachAfrica as a sustainable African mission movement. This may well be one of the most important legacies that we can leave the church in Africa. I would appreciate your prayers both for our upcoming conference and for our efforts in the years to come as we seek the best ways to come alongside ReachAfrica.
No comments:
Post a Comment