APC Makes A Difference

Pastor Mumbi is one of the older, wiser, and also humbler pastors in our group. He also pastors one of the larger churches, with over 100 in regular attendance. At the close of a recent class he asked for a moment to speak to the class. Six months previous the class had a discussion about issues where Bible believing Christians disagree with one another. We were specifically discussing what the Bible says about how leaders are chosen for offices in the church. It is not uncommon among independent African Pentecostal churches that pastors have sole authority for the appointment of all leaders. Of course, there are problems with this approach and abuses of authority are common. In the discussion we looked at various Bible passages and talked about a range of options that would reflect a wiser and more biblical approach, from a democratic model in a congregational church to a Presbyterian model where leaders are appointed by the church elders.

Pastor Mumbi was the only pastor in the class who admitted that he had sole authority to appoint leaders. Now six months later he shared with the class that it was time for confession. As a result of our study and discussion he had worked with the church board to develop a new policy for leadership selection. The new policy required that the pastor would work with a committee of elders in the church for the annual appointment of new leaders.

This is a small but significant shift toward thinking more biblically about church life and ministry. This small step reflects the impact of Action Pastors College (APC) on the pastors in our program. It is exciting because this change is not just the impact of the teacher’s beliefs but also the result of pastors being taught to do exegesis of the biblical text and then together discussing their findings and critiquing their own practices. It is especially encouraging because in recent discussions among our PLD missionary team we identified the need to nurture and encourage pastors toward a more biblical model of leadership structure as a key component for extending financial aid to pastors and churches for ministry projects. Praise God that He is going with us and before us as we instruct and train church leaders.