Projects Malawi Partnering in the Field
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Partnering in the Field Print E-mail
Tuesday, 13 December 2011 19:49

By Manuel Kamnkhwani
On February 18, 2011 when the Logos Ministries lay training program clocked five years, I took out my calculator and tried to count the number of people that we have reached with our training programs, both the laity and the clergy, and I came up with 7800 church leaders. Honestly, I was disappointed with the number, considering the period that we have been operating as a ministry. I believe in the North American context, where numbers matter, that would be considered a total flop.
LOGOSBUILDING
Logos Building
Recently I was encouraged by a statement that one of the pastors made to a visiting facilitator, David Hopkins, at the end of an in-service training seminar that we had jointly organized with African Bible College. He said, “David, we may be only fifteen participants here, but you should know that your teaching has already reached more than 65,000 people already.” The figure that the pastor mentioned, was a quick calculation that he did based on the 4000 average membership of a typical CCAP church in Malawi. In essence, the pastor meant that the effects of our small efforts are far reaching because we target shepherds that are responsible for thousands of souls in their flock. 
PastorChristoHeibergManuelKamnkhwanirightwithseveralpastors
Pastor Christo Heiberg(center), Manuel Kamnkhwani (right) withseveral other pastors.
Besides being encouraged by the observation made by this pastor, I was equally appalled by the realization that a good percentage of the numbers that we reach are either illiterate or semi- literate. Even the literate ones, including the clergy, do not have access to good books that could increase their understanding of God’s Word. Like a plant, one’s Christian walk requires watering with God’s Word and good literature that agrees with God’s Word. The lack of such literature was one of the issues that prompted the need for Logos Ministries to provide both in-service and lay theological training to the church and also establish a resource center, where the thirst for scriptural truth could be quenched. A resource center has just been completed, awaiting a few touch ups to make it useable. In it, we hope to be able to hold more intensive theological training workshops for both the laity and the clergy in the city of Lilongwe.
PastorChristoHeibergteachingagroupofpastors
Pastor Christo Heiberg teaching to a class of pastors.
The concepts of partnership and networking, have played a very big role in the growth of Logos Ministries programs. We have grown from strength to strength over the years because we have worked together with our fellow laborers in the field. Locally, Logos Ministries has partnered with the CCAP Nkhoma Synod’s theological seminary, known as Josophat Mwale Theological Institute, to run the in-service training program for pastors. Recently, we have started partnering with the African Bible College in the same initiative. We have also been privileged to have garnered a lot of interest on the international scene. Ever since the in-service training started, we have relied primarily on speakers from other countries, like Rev. Christo Heiberg from Canada, Rev. David Hopkins from the US, Dr. Tim Monsma from the US, Dr. Reimer from Scotland and many others. In the year 2008 when I visited Grand Rapids, Michigan, the Word & Deed president, Peter Van Kempen, instead of taking me skiing, took me to a large warehouse of an organization called Theological Books Network. Less than a year later, I had a 40-foot container delivered to my office full of books and shelving. By partnering with the Theological Books Network, we have managed to provide a very important resource for the church in Malawi; books.
Please pray for Logos Ministries as we strive to build up the church here in Malawi.
Manuel Kamnkhwani is Word & Deed project director in Malawi and is directly involved in the Logos Ministries Project.
 
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