Newly Published PLI Manual and Training in Kajiado, Kenya

On September 15th, twenty-six pastors from the greater Kajiado area and its environs gathered together at a local church for a 2-day training seminar.  Kajiado, Kenya, is a small town about 100 kms/62 miles from Nairobi with several rural churches.  The leader of the Women’s Empowerment group in the Kajiado region, Lydiah, recognized the need for biblical training amongst several churches in her region. She took the initiative to call and visit 40 local pastors in order to make this training a reality. Aside from Lydiah, this was the first introduction of TLAfrica to all of the pastors in attendance.  The Kenya office staff partnered with a Amos Otieno, pastor at Karura Community Chapel in Nairobi and Director of Missions at Bible Life Fellowship Kenya (BLFK) and Pastor Leonard Too, the author of our recently published PLI training manual, “Preaching Biblical Sermons in Africa”.

“Preaching Biblical Sermons in Africa is the second of 7 manuals to be fully printed over the past 3 years, TLAfrica. Two more manuals are in the final stages of production just prior to printing and 2 others are still in the editing and review stage. Upon completion all of the manuals will be distributed to churches throughout Kenya, Rwanda and the DRC. In 2020, the first of them, Self-Reliance for Churches and Ministries in Africa, was completed and printed and since them has been translated into 3 additional languages for a broader audience and greater growth. The most recently completed of these manuals was written by Pastor Too, who is also a pastor at CITAM Church Nairobi and is currently pursuing his PhD in Old Testament studies.

In efforts to introduce the new manual and put it into practice, this month’s seminar was adapted from various chapters in the manual covering topics such as:

• The Need for biblical preaching,
• The Calling to ministry,
• The Person of the Preacher,
• Theological Foundations for preaching,
• Sermon Preparation,
• Effective sermon delivery.

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Pastor Amos Otieno teaching

Apart from the teachings, there were times of worship in singing, and sharing meals. The attendees also enjoyed the traditional Maasai dance during the worship sessions. The pastors expressed deep gratitude for receiving this training from TLAfrica. Some of them confessed that they had never been trained on some of the areas covered. For example, while Pst. Amos was teaching on ‘The person of the preacher’ and the need for the preacher to mind his/her overall wellness, some of the pastors were shocked to hear that they should occasionally take a retreat away from their pastoral work in order to refresh, even if it means being away on a Sunday. The pastors reckoned that an unhealthy shepherd is not likely to carry out his pastoral duties with the zeal and excellence needed. The pastors also had times to discuss the unhealthy preaching practices experienced in their contexts and how to avoid them and be faithful preachers of the Word of God in their churches.

Maasai dance and worship

Meal and Fellowship Time

Pastor Amos and Mr. Kilonzo handing over certificates to a participant.