January 17, 2008
The launch of a continental movement
by Jonathan Lamb, Langham Preaching International Director
‘For the first time, it looks as though the vision of a Preaching movement is being realised’, said Jonathan Lamb, following the Africa Preaching Consultation hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, in mid-December last year. Country coordinators of the Langham Preaching programmes from 13 countries met for 3 days of fellowship, discussion and prayer. They came from Zambia and Zimbabwe in the South to Ethiopia in the East, from Francophone countries in Central Africa to some of the largest as well as the poorest of countries in the continent.
To host the event, Langham Preaching joined forces with the Philip Project, a UK ministry that provides Bible training for Africans who are pursuing post-graduate study in the UK, so that they can return home better equipped to serve their churches. The Consultation gathered leaders of considerable stature and experience, and provided the opportunity to hear of new initiatives in training, growing evidence of indigenous local movements for pastors and lay preachers, and the ripple effect of the training as it impacts churches and communities. Muhindo Isesomo, the country coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, explained how the 3-level Langham programme has been running for some 40 or 50 participants from across the DRC, but as a result of the establishment of small preachers clubs, 157 pastors and evangelists are already involved in the training ministry, with plans for extending the work during 2008.
The Africa Preaching movement is encouraging the exchange of trainers who cross borders to support each others programmes, the development of regional networks, and the planning for publishing in local languages.
In Tanzania some 280 pastors and lay preachers will gather in Mwanza and Morogoro for the next stage of training in February. And in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, a new programme launches designed to equip local facilitators, who will in turn train pastors and lay preachers in their own towns and regions. New initiatives are being planned for other African countries, including Rwanda, Liberia, Benin, Togo and Zambia.
Step by step, the African preaching movement is making progress. By God’s grace there is now the potential for a continent-wide network to encourage Biblical preaching.