“Go and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” -Matthew 28:19-20
Can you picture Jesus sitting on a hillside teaching his twelve disciples? Can you picture a Ugandan pastor teaching the Word of God to a small group gathered under a mango tree? Teaching is at the core of the Great Commission and is the primary reason we have come to Uganda. Paul instructed Timothy to take what he had been taught and to entrust it to reliable men who were qualified to teach others (2 Tim 2:2). Our goal in Uganda is to equip reliable men who will train others to follow Jesus.
Pastor Kevin Olson, former AFLC Youth Director, has begun a training program called the Ambassador Institute designed to provide training in overseas settings. He came to see the work here in Uganda for two weeks in January with the goal of helping us to begin the training of church leaders. While he was here, he had the opportunity to discuss the different aspects of training with the local pastors, and to interact with two groups of potential students in the village. He and I also discussed at length the different training needs that exist and the different possibilities for meeting those needs. A three-phase system was suggested in which phase one would be geared towards training lay leaders and phases two and three would be more advanced training for pastoral ministry.
We are currently planning phase one of the training program. The main challenges in ensuring a successful beginning are to have godly teachers that are trained and prepared to teach and to have all the logistics worked out (location, meals, transportation, materials, etc.). Our goal is to provide training that is affordable, self-sustainable, reproducible and effective. If we succeed in these endeavors, the training will be able to grow and expand quickly, resulting in the training of many people at the grass-roots level. We are making an intentional effort to keep phase one from being dependent on outside funding. If it can be locally sustained, then it can grow and expand rapidly as teachers are called and more students desire to be trained. At this point, it looks like phase one will take place in village locations that are accessible by bicycle to the students who will attend, thus eliminating the cost of transportation for the students. If the training were to be held in the city, it would drastically reduce the number of students who could afford to attend. The training will take place on Saturdays, thus allowing students and working adults to participate. We are looking at a two-year program that will be divided into three terms per year. The plans I have mentioned here are still tentative as we are still considering the best options.
The most crucial aspect of training is finding the right curriculum that will be taught. We have been considering different methods and styles of teaching with Pastor Kevin Olson, as well as looking at existing materials that others are using. Our main concern is that the training will connect with the students in their cultural context and answer the questions that they have. We are planning to have training in the local language even though most of the students are quite familiar with English as it is Uganda’s national language. This will bring the training closer to home and will not exclude those who are not confident in English. The main teachers will be the local pastors with whom I have been meeting and planning for the past year.
Thank you for your prayers for this new training program which we are hoping to begin yet this year. May God bless the spreading of His Word, that it may produce faith in those who hear.
