10/17/2019 Rwanda Mid-Week Update

Today is hump-day for us here in Kigali, Rwanda.  After today it will be all downhill to our finish on Friday afternoon for graduation.  This year we will have held four separate classes (two in July and two this week) in Kigali for the pastors who are progressing rapidly.  Everything is changing very rapidly in this central African nation.  President Paul Kagame, who is known for being relentless in his pursuit of progress, is leading the nation forward at a pace that is mind-boggling to many of his other African counterparts.  One of these changes, whether we like it or not, is the demand that clergy in the state be able to demonstrate academic preparation and certain credentials for being fit for ministry.  This is highly arbitrary yet now a reality.  There are also very high building standards being established for all churches of every denomination.  This is imposing some significant hardship upon the poorer church groups and especially the village churches in the rural and bush areas.  I’m not sure they have it all figured out yet, but change has arrived.  You can certainly add these Rwanan pastors and churches to your prayer list.

This week Dr. Larry Bazer and I are pouring heavy content-rich courses into the pastors as they labor in the second level of training.  It is a blessing to have men like Larry laboring on behalf of this ministry.  I have also met with the ten Rwandan regional leaders who are tasked with establishing training centers in each of their geographical areas.  We are working on the logistics of this program with them.  Our ultimate plan is to see these pastors take the training into their own hands in the future.

Global Baptist Training Foundation is receiving requests from many African states, and we need both wisdom and the necessary resources for moving forward.  Please pray that God would lead us as we fulfill the vision of equipping and empowering indigenous leaders all over the world for His glory.