Equipping Church Leaders

In Africa, 90% of our church leaders have no formal training. Our vision for Hand in Hand, our pastoral development program, is to stand in the gap equipping pastors and strengthening local churches through leadership training conferences and one-on-one mentoring.

On September 4th, we hosted a Hand in Hand conference for our local pastors, coaches and interpreters. It was an opportunity to thank them, serve them, and pour into them as leaders and co-workers for Christ. The theme for the day was “Run the Race” - how we are to “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us” (Philippians 3:14).

Abram Moloi, our Thrive Africa pastor, taught about how we can position ourselves for success by knowing who we are in Christ, having a vision for our lives, and being confident in God’s provision each step of the way. Terry Riggs then taught about running in such a way as to model the life and work of Christ. Amy Riep, our Interim Director, closed by inspiring us to have courage for our calling drawing key lessons from the lives of Daniel, Noah and Joshua. What made this day extra-special is that Terry is Amy’s father visiting from the US, and it was blessing for them to be able to teach together.

In addition to powerful and practical teaching, we also enjoyed fellowship, a great meal, and heartfelt worship together. It was a blessing for me to serve and learn at the conference, and I’m excited about coordinating the next one in October.