We departed Kenya in December 2019, having successfully initiated our three-year Pastoral Training programs in Ruiru and Kijabe. Our plans then were to return four months later to continue this good work God had begun. At that point, we had no idea we would be hindered from stepping foot on Kenyan soil for more than two years. Due to COVID, we have now cancelled three pastoral training conferences in Kenya, including one that was scheduled for September 2021. This latest training had to be cancelled due to yet another resurgence and lockdown orders in and around Nairobi. We know God is sovereign and we trust in Him, but it still pains us to know we won’t be in-person with our Kenyan students until April 2022. However, there is a silver lining. God used the travel restrictions to highlight for us an important new opportunity to make a deeper, more extensive investment in our Kenyan Brothers and Sisters than we ever envisioned.
Background
I have served as a Ministry Executive with IBL for more than fourteen years, with responsibility to assist God’s leaders through IBL’s training, coaching, consulting and counseling ministries. Of all the opportunities God has given me, one of the most precious is overseeing IBL’s Pastoral Training Ministry in Kenya. Our work in Kenya began in 2012 with twenty-nine students and has now expanded to two locations and sixty-five pastors and other leaders. Through their churches, schools, and other ministries, these national leaders impact thousands of Kenyans throughout the country. It is a blessing to serve alongside Pastor Wilfred Githongo and Pastor Fred Mukumbu, our Coordinators in Kijabe and Ruiru, respectively. They have been called by God to develop and encourage pastors and leaders in the regions they serve.
One unique aspect of IBL’s training program is to coach and mentor a subset of our students, those who sense a special call to develop other Kenyan leaders. We refer these men as “Disciplers.” We originally planned to invest in these individuals twice per year following each training conference. As COVID developed into a pandemic and travel restrictions went up around the world, I began a practice of connecting with Pastors Wilfred and Fred every month via video calls, to encourage them and pray with them. God used these precious times to spark an idea which has taken off in a dramatic way: utilizing video conferencing technology for regular mentoring sessions with our Disciplers. Through this Distance Mentoring format, we are engaging our Disciplers with much greater frequency, depth, and effectiveness than originally conceived. Amazingly, we probably would not have discovered this opportunity without the pandemic “forcing” us to see it.
Encouragement and Hope
The Distance Mentoring Sessions have highlighted the importance of encouraging our students. Pastor Wilfred Githongo commented, “Due to COVID, our students were losing hope, but distance mentoring has brought back their hope because it draws IBL closer to us.” Wilfred’s assistant, Zack, added, “The fellowship and devotional time together has been an encouragement to the pastors.”
Strengthening Bonds
Who can forget the “toilet paper panics” in the early days of the lockdowns here in America, when we were given just a few short days stock to up on essentials? In Kenya, the lockdowns were immediate, issued without warning, and rigidly enforced. These steps brought immediate food shortages and hunger. The pastors we train struggled to provide for their families and the families under their care. Discouragement developed as the pandemic lengthened. The cancellation of the IBL training disconnected us from our students, who felt alone and left to fend for themselves.
God has used the Distance Mentoring to remind the Kenyan Leaders of IBL’s commitment and support. According to Wilfred, “When they hear a mentoring session is coming it is giving them power for continuing. They feel IBL is still with them and still committed. These sessions show us the bond between IBL and the pastors is still strong.”
Reinforcement
The necessary cancellation of our training conferences has produced a significant gap in our students’ learning process. With each cancellation, the training received back in December 2019 becomes more distant and less clear.
Training in majority world settings is always challenging. So much can be confused or lost due to translation issues, educational disconnects, and cultural dynamics. With the long gap in training sessions caused by the pandemic, all the previous learning was at risk of being lost. But the video conferencing technology is a powerful and effective mentoring tool with small groups of leaders and is very effective in reinforcing and building upon previously received training.
Wilfred highlighted this dynamic for us: “It is refreshing the students on what has already been done. It is continuing what the pastors are learning.”
With the ever-present challenges of language, varying education levels, and culture, the mentoring sessions can quickly devolve into ineffectiveness when the internet service is lagging or intermittent. Therefore, the sessions are purposefully kept simple. They are most effective when used to reinforce previously discussed concepts, truths, and skills. Each seven-hour session is built on previous training in three key areas: theology, ministry skills, and biblical leadership.
Practical Application
The mentoring sessions advance the Disciplers to the point of personal application. With less emphasis on training and more on coaching and mentoring, we come alongside the Disciplers, encouraging them to exercise their Bible study skills, to apply the theological truths they previously learned, and to practice biblical leadership. After each session the Disciplers recap for us the next steps they’ll be taking in the weeks to come.
In one of our recent sessions, Pastor Fred shared these next steps: “Following our mentoring session yesterday, we decided that we need to exercise three components to help us renew our hearts in reference to God. We agreed to meet every month for the purpose of prayer, reading/studying the Word of God, and fellowship. Our first meeting was scheduled on 20 August 2021. This agreement with us won’t be easy thus more prayers are needed.”
Pastor Fred’s group knows their commitment “won’t be easy.” Pastors in majority world settings face many challenges as they shepherd their churches. Poverty, illness, poor education, unreliable transportation, and the need to serve bi-vocationally are commonplace. Added to these normal life challenges, the past year brought floods, drought, locusts, and a life-threatening pandemic to Kenya. Even seasoned leaders can become disheartened by the magnitude these varied trials. At IBL, we are thankful that during these days of adversity God is using our Distance Mentoring Sessions to encourage, restore hope, and re-enforce IBL’s bond with these dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ.