On a quiet Sunday morning in Kenya, I stepped into a rural church that had been struggling to grow. The sermon I heard was a muddled mess, with the preacher’s message failing to connect or resonate. It was clear that the church was in stagnation, plagued by incidents of syncretism and a lack of direction.
As Mesa Global's Theological Education Consultant, I was in town to facilitate a workshop on the Bible and ministry using the Africa Study Bible we developed. Seeing an opportunity to support this preacher, I invited him to join the session. He accepted, and over the course of that one-day workshop, he learned how to effectively use the Bible in his sermons. Months later, when I returned for a facilitators' training, I revisited the same church.
This time, the change was remarkable. The preacher’s delivery had transformed; his sermons were now clear, engaging, and deeply rooted in biblical truth, enriched with local illustrations that resonated with his congregation. Not only had he improved his own preaching, but he had also been trained to train others, and his training had impacted 600+ leaders in various ministry tasks.
Mesa Global is dedicated to addressing this challenge by pursuing a comprehensive approach to training church leaders across Africa and beyond. Yet, this mission is often constrained by the scarcity of resources, particularly in rural areas.
The publication of the Africa Study Bible marked a significant milestone in Mesa Global’s efforts. Through the Theological Education Consultants in Anglophone Africa, Mesa Global has distributed 2,000 Bibles to rural pastors and provided them with training on how to effectively use these Bibles in their ministry. The testimonies from these trained pastors are numerous and affirm the profound impact of this initiative.
The work of a Theological Education Consultant involves more than just training pastors; it encompasses improving formal institutions, supporting leaders, and offering a shoulder to lean on. From visiting institutions and praying with leaders to organizing capacity-building workshops and providing critical faculty training, our work is transformative. It is deeply gratifying to witness how the Holy Spirit takes our modest efforts and turns them into powerful, lasting change.
Witnessing this dramatic shift was nothing short of inspiring. The preacher, once struggling with biblical exegesis, was now delivering sermons that were both authentic and uplifting, and he was committed to empowering others. This transformation highlighted a broader issue: many pastors are undertrained and under-resourced.
Stories from the Field
