Utumishi wa Neno book coming soon!

This is an excerpt from the first chapter of the forthcoming Utumishi wa Neno book (working title: Let the Bible Speak) which will accompany the course:

There is no shortage of sermons in our African context. There are sermons everywhere. Sermons in church, sermons on TV, sermons on the radio, sermons on street corners and buses. There is a lot of preaching going on. But what is being said?

There is a lot of preaching going on but at the same time there doesn’t seem to be a corresponding amount of life change – repentance and faith and obedience. In countries with high percentages of professing Christians and church goers there are still very high rates of corruption, immorality and, sadly, even genocide. Churches are often infected with the cancers of division, unforgiveness, discrimination, power struggles and pride. The lives of Christians and their non-Christian contemporaries are often indistinguishable.

While the church in Africa is growing at a high rate compared to many other parts of the world, that rate is slowing and as a proportion of the total population (taking population increase into account) it may actually be declining in some places. Church attendance is certainly reducing in large cities and a new generation open to atheism and other religions is emerging.

So is it time to give up on preaching? Is there something else that we need to grow churches and change lives? Certainly many are turning to other things:

• Perhaps it is good music and lighting that will draw people in, bring us into the presence of God and to a place of anointing?
• Perhaps it is signs and wonders and ‘deliverance ministry’ that will draw people to Christ and be the greatest manifestation of the Spirit’s power in our gatherings?
• Perhaps it is social transformation, serving the physical needs of our community and ‘being Christ to people’ that should be the main thing for the church?
• Perhaps it is having the right structures and business plans and church growth strategies that will make things really take off?

At iServe Africa, we don’t think it is time to give up on preaching and Word ministry. Why? The Bible makes clear that this has always been the primary means of God revealing himself, the primary means of His gathering and growing His people, that it was the primary work of Jesus and the apostles, and that it is the primary work of the pastor. 

To bring the course to your church or network contact the iServe Africa office.