An Incredible Story from Ethiopia
And an Incredible Opportunity
Last week I shared some recent discoveries.
And, I asked you to watch for this week’s announcement and invitation to help!
The Christian Church in Africa is booming!
The center of global Christianity continues to march across northern Africa.
Remember the eunuch of Ethiopia and Phillip?
Earlier this month, we presented the PLI Board with an amazing invitation from Ethiopia! We’ve been training pastors and spouses in Mekane Yesus and Kale Heywet church bodies for many years. Both are growing rapidly. Both are great partners with great leadership. Both have 10 million members. Under Rev. Dr. Scott Rische’s leadership, these relationships have flourished.
Since 2017, we’ve been privileged to train over 100 from Kale Heywet in Ethiopia senior leaders in PLI’s Leadership Essentials!
Rev. Dr. Scott Rische, PLI International Director
The vibrancy of the Christian church in Ethiopia is unique!
- Tempered and resolute from severe persecution during the Red Terror several decades ago
- A barrier to the spread of Islam to eastern Africa
- A missionary-sending hotbed to the United States and much of the rest of the world
Here’s the challenge, and the invitation.
The 100th anniversary vision of the Kale Heywet church by 2028 is:
- Each of the 10 million members reach at least one more
- Each of the 10,000 churches start one more church
- Each church raise up one more pastor to lead the 10,000 new churches
The invitation? That PLI, over the next 6 years, provide the foundational leadership training for these 20,000 leaders (pastors and spouses). A new generation of leaders that are kingdom-minded, Christ-like, and evangelism and discipleship focused
“In 100 years, we have never had the kind of quality and transformational training that PLI provides. It is unique to anything we have ever seen.”
Alemayehu (Alex) Alaro, Director of Discipleship for the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church
So, would you help us?
It will cost “only” $66,000 per year to provide the training resources for 20,000 leaders plus the added staff to support the training.
If your heart beats for foreign missions, consider…
- Introducing PLI to other generous people like yourselves who are invested in foreign mission work.
- Approaching your congregation as it plans its new budget year.
- A multiple year commitment to this project above your current support of PLI.
We recognize that this request does not stir everyone. Some of you care most about:
- PLI’s training of U.S. pastors and spouses and the challenge facing the North American Church.
- PLI’s 1,000 Young Leaders training young adults to reach their own generation. (Remember you can request a media kit to promote 1,000 Young Leaders in your congregation.)
- The launch of Multipli, because you recognize that the future of the church is not only an “attract and assimilate” model but also a “disciple and send” model.
Are you ready to be challenged?
There are no surprises in this crowd that the North American model of church is increasingly exhausting its leaders and risks being ineffective in reaching its community with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Share with your leaders that the church in Africa is growing! The context is different. So many things are different. But we have much to learn from our brothers and sisters being used by God in Ethiopia or elsewhere!
PLI’s newly redesigned Senior Leader cohort launching next month will incorporate some of these leaders, their vision and their stories into the proven training of this Learning Community. There are a few spaces still available if you’d like to join in or update your previous Senior Leader training. Raechel is eager to help you get started!
