Malawi (MNN) — A decade changes a lot in ministry,
especially in one developing nation known as "The Warm Heart of
Africa."
The innate friendliness of the people was a perfect fit for
outreach says Sam Vinton with Grace Ministries International. "We began going
into villages and holding crusades. In the process of coming to the Lord, we
also would find Christian people who are maybe schoolteachers, and then we
began discipling."
Training involves module programs for the leadership of the
churches. Through this method, preaching
points eventually became church plants. "Our missionary in Malawi, Kennedy Simtowe, took them out doing
evangelism. He taught them in the morning, and in the afternoon, he takes them
out, witnessing."
Vinton says these new church ministries are becoming more
independent. "They have chosen now
what we would call the first church full board. They represent these churches
then. We continue to train men–we do
not have a Bible school in that country yet, but these are men who are being
trained through literature and special seminars."
The most recent leadership conference was last September. 58
elders/pastors, 10 other church leaders, and five wives attended. Their numbers marked 70 churches in Malawi that are being led by
elders who are being trained through these seminars.
Vinton says they're geared to teach these leaders how to
assume pastoral responsibilities of church plants. A national council of the Grace Churches in
Malawi was chosen and the commitment of the new leaders is to have 120 churches
by the end of 2010.
