A brief overview of some of the problems facing the church in Africa today will, I think, help make this point clear. One of the greatest difficulties in African churches has been the lack of trained leaders. In Kenya, where Kim and I will be ministering, most pastors are responsible for several churches, and very few of these pastors have formal Bible training. Several African leaders have acquired their theological education abroad, but this is expensive and may not adequately prepare them for their situation in Africa. In addition, some African leaders trained at liberal seminaries in the West have returned with a faulty understanding of God's word.
Nominalism is another serious problem among second generation African churches.
Kim and I hope that by both words and deeds we can demonstrate to our Kenyan patients, trainees and neighbors what it means to truly know Christ Jesus. A third challenge for the African church are unreached people groups. In Kenya alone there are 117 distinct ethno-linguistic groups and 58 different languages spoken. Islam is also expanding southward into sub-Saharan Africa. In order for these peoples to be reached for Christ, African believers must catch a vision for missions and receive training in cross-cultural evangelism.