Towards the middle of October I decided to visit Calvary Chapel Nairobi. I have attended Calvary Chapels in the States, so I wanted see what the African context had to offer. To my surprise the service was similar to most Calvary Chapels I had previously attended. The main difference was the length of the service. After three and half hours the service was finally over. Customary to most African services tea and fellowship followed the benediction. After the service I was tired and exhausted; however I decided to stay around for some chi. As I continued to fellowship and sip my chi I met a brother named Benedict (pictured with his family).
Benedict is the only Kenyan fulltime staff member at Calvary Chapel Nairobi. He’s served at CCN since the church’s beginning, nearly five years ago. As we continued to talk I soon discovered we shared a similar interest; to take the gospel to Muslims. Benedict shared how he desires to plant a church amongst the least reach Muslims in Kenya.I must say it’s extremely rare for a Kenyan to have a passion to reach Muslims for Christ. The three months I have lived in Kenya I have met few Christians who desiring to minister amongst Muslims. I do not believe the issue is directly related to Islam but rather a fundamental misunderstanding of the grand narrative of God, or their understanding of missions and evangelism. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of Kenyans who wish to be pastors. However I have observed a disconnect between what it means to be a pastor compared to a minister of the gospel. The majority of Christians want to be given the title of pastor, but few exhibit the need to perform ministry, at least the breadth of ministry found in the gospel. I believe the biblical requirements of the pastorate have been overlooked in light of the title of the position. The result entails pastors ‘ministering’ in Nairobi who never recognize or address the <1million people in dire poverty; and for this context never recognize the people in their own country who have never heard the gospel. It’s a reality check for all of us. We call ourselves pastors or Christians but who is defining our title?
However I am thankful for Benedict because he is a brother not consumed by a title, but rather concerned for a lost and dying world. Since our original meeting, Benedict and I have met several times and discussed how God might use our similar passions. We have decided to move forward and pursue a church plant along the coast of Kenya. Benedict will be traveling to Mombasa on the 16 of December to gain a better understanding of where and how we might start. He will be connecting and strategizing with local Christain leaders in order to understand where the greatest need might be. Please pray for him as he is in Mombasa from the 16-27 of December. While he’s away in Mombasa I will be working here in the States on some ethnographic research (or should I say researching people groups online). Eventually we hope to develop a strategic plan of how we envision the church plant.
I am excited for what God is doing, I hope you are too. In the coming months I’ll be working more behind the scenes, mainly because I‘ll be in Nairobi busy with school. However where I am studying presents great opportunities for researching and preparing for a church plant along the coast. In fact, two of the professors at NEGST did their PhD’s among Muslim people groups along the coast.
I would also like to ask you to join me in ministry by praying for the church plant. We are looking for more people to physically join the church planting effort. We want to find like ‘minded people’ (preferably Kenyans) who share our desire to see Muslims come to Christ. You can also be praying for Benedict’s financial situation. Traveling to and from Mombasa can be expensive, may God’s blessings rest upon his service. Thank you for the prayers you are going to offer, they are truly needed and felt.
In His Grip,
Aaron
