We are excited about a new opportunity to expand our impact in the country of Kenya. Having successfully completed an initial five-year training program with Pastor Wilfred Githongo in Kijabe, we are now planning to conduct parallel programs in Kijabe and Nairobi. This will be a significant expansion of our efforts in Kenya. It is a step that we are taking deliberately and carefully, being faithfully obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading and IBL’s vision to “equip and encourage spiritual leaders.”
Our work in Kenya is not unlike the work of Paul with Timothy: equipping, encouraging, and sending his spiritual son to pastor and strengthen local churches. We too are passionate about assisting leaders to become the men, women, and ministry leaders God desires. Our ministry venues—training, coaching, consulting and counseling—give us the flexibility we need to address the full range of issues facing God’s leaders, so that the man and woman of God is fully prepared to serve faithfully, advance Kingdom work, and bring God glory.
In majority world settings we utilize a self-sustainable, multi-faceted training program. We focus on the three key challenges faced by leaders in these regions: rampant theological error due to a lack of access to sound biblical education; fleshly forms of leadership driven by money, position, power and title; and culturally-driven legalistic practices instead of Holy Spirit-led transformation. Our training curriculum (see chart below) addresses these needs with theological essentials, biblical leadership essentials, and Word-driven pastoral ministry essentials. The training program is three years in length with students receiving training twice per year.
We are seeking to enlist partnering churches in the U.S. to support this endeavor, both financially and in the delivery of the training. This will benefit our students, exposing them to the ministry experiences and insights of seasoned pastors. Our partners will provide their expertise especially to the Essentials of Pastoral Ministry, which has a strong emphasis on effective Bible study and preaching.
In addition, we will give special training to a subset of our students to enable them to train others (see the “Trainer Focus” topics chart nearby), so that leader development becomes self-reproducing in a six-year time-frame. This will allow IBL to refocus our efforts elsewhere while our graduates develop new leaders in their own regions. To be self-reproducing, the program must also be self-sustaining: not requiring vast inflows of money, materials and expertise from the U.S. To this end we are taking steps to simplify the training conferences and indigenize the program. The trainings will be held not in western-styled retreat centers, but in commonly available facilities with accommodations familiar to Kenyans (see photos below).
We will lead a training conference in Nairobi this December to lay the groundwork for what, Lord willing, will become two parallel training programs kicking off in April of next year. The training will take place each April and December with 30 to 40 students in each location. Each training team will present their material twice, once in Kijabe and once in Nairobi. The Kijabe effort will be under the leadership of Pastor Wilfred Githongo (in the photo below, Wilfred is seated between two other Kenyan pastors), a leader in whom we have developed great confidence. The Nairobi training will be coordinated by Pastor Fred Mukumbu (the red-shirted man speaking with David), a spiritually mature, enthusiastic leader-of-leaders who is burdened to train pastors.
Please pray with us, for God to bless the December training, to lead us as we move toward the April kickoff, and to connect us with partnering U.S. churches who are burdened to invest in this Kingdom building effort in Kenya.
You Can Be Involved in this Great Commission Work
First, please pray for us. Much needs to happen to be ready for the December training and official kickoff in April: material development, logistical arrangements, and identifying U.S. partners.
Second, we have two immediate financial needs. The cost of the December training in Nairobi is $8000. Also, the Kijabe training site (see the large photo) requires a few lodging and kitchen upgrades to host our students. We are seeking $8350 to help defray the cost of these upgrades. Please pray about making a donation to meet these needs.
Third, does your church have a passion for Great Commission work in Africa? We are seeking partnerships with several U.S. churches that are burdened to help train God-honoring pastors and church leaders throughout Kenya. If you desire more information, please contact David at: davidp@iblministry.org or 828-628-3100.
How to Make a Donation
• Send a check to: “IBL,” with “Kenya” in the memo section. Mail to IBL, PO Box 338, Fairview, NC 28730
• Donate online at: www.iblministry.org/donate/kenya