Latest Projects

Our new College Building Fund provides another option for our supporters to receive tax deductions when they strategically invest in Bible colleges in the Majority World. We tend to have just one or two projects running at any time for this fund. Currently we are looking for funds for building works at Christian Leaders Training College (CLTC) in Papua New Guinea.

Throughout the Majority World there are a myriad of Christian mission and non-government agencies working in aid and development. Local Leaders has been supporting the delivery of a Masters course (MTD) to promote Biblically based ‘best practice’ for leaders already working in the field.

The MA is a field based program that reflects on the complexities of urban poverty. Students are all experienced and in mid to high level leadership in their organisations. They study six modules over three years, thus remaining in their work and implementing the things they learn.

Three centres are now operating in Malaysia, Egypt and Uganda. Funds are used to provide scholarships for students in one or other of the centres.

To learn more about this project, see our Masters in Transformational Development video. Click here to see video.

Local Leaders International is embarking in a region of ministry which for security will not be outlined.
Details can be discussed with your Local Leaders State Director. See staff here.

Local Leaders identified some years ago that one of the key ways to improve the educational outcomes for students was to invest in the faculty members’ study. Each year we have about 40 faculty members whom we support to get masters and doctoral degrees. Just like Joshua George (pictured), they will contribute for decades and impact hundreds or even thousands of students, ensuring that the graduates are well trained in the scriptures as well as their pastoral and evangelistic skills.

It is a key indictor of improved education for students when faculty are grown in their understanding through higher studies. Their research topics are relevant, and often they are the first to write on an aspect of ministry or mission in their country. Take Dr Alfred Sebahene’s case for example. He writes: “Local Leaders’ support to me for my PhD set me up for leadership, not just at St John’s University theology department, but also to speak into our national Tanzanian needs for integrity in business and government. The doctorate was critical in preparing me for my role in supporting affiliate colleges, especially with quality assurance matters.”

Many theological teachers have had little or no training in how to actually teach! We’ve been running very successful training courses for whole faculty groups which can be a one-off course or an ongoing learning experience over two years. It makes a big difference to the learning outcomes of the students. Our staff members, Drs Dick and Caroline Seed, lead these sessions in Anglophone Africa to help train the trainers in how to do good teaching.

The French-speaking church of Africa is typified by two things. It is one of the most under-resourced in the world, even though in many places it is very open to Christian ministry. Secondly, in many countries of West and Central Africa it is on the pointy end of conflict with radical Muslims. Our strategy is lead by Dr Pauline Golder who works with many Bible colleges to improve the quality of teaching by the faculty. Many of the colleges are stuck in an education time warp where mere lecturing is the norm, and they have very little encouragement to improve the educational outcomes for students. These funds will be used to train faculty in many dozens of Bible colleges as Pauline has raised up a small group of champions to lift standards of teaching.

We have four one-week training conferences in Urban Mission planned in different countries by the end of 2025. Each one will have about 30 faculty members from 10-15 Bible colleges attending. Costs are for their accommodation and Dr Nancy Njagi’s involvement (Local Leaders’ Africa Director). In the past, these have been very successful for introducing whole new courses into different colleges.

We would like to support a select group from those who attend Dr Nancy Njagi’s Urban Mission workshops to do this higher level study. The courses are online and run by one of her mentors, Prof Viv Grigg, who is a grandfather of the Urban Mission movement.

Dr Nancy Njagi is Local Leaders’ Africa Director. Based in Kenya, she travels across the continent working with our partner colleges. We have some supporters who regularly contribute to Nancy’s costs for salary and travel adding up to about half the need. We are seeking others who will contribute for the rest of her costs.

As part of our Africa Mile Deep Strategy, we regularly facilitate courses on Resource Mobilisation. Run by our Africa Director, Dr Nancy Njagi, the courses inspire Bible college leaders to take a fresh look at the resources under their control that could be unlocked and developed for greater financial stability. After taking part in these courses, our partner colleges have generated new income by establishing a variety of farming initiatives, renting out their facilities, or providing services to their communities. Local Leaders provides funding for the Resource Mobilisation courses and offers small loans to colleges who are establishing new revenue streams.

EQUIPPING AFRICAN CHRISTIANS TO REACH MUSLIMS

As part of the Africa Mile Deep Strategy, Local Leaders International is encouraging the development of several centres of competence to help train church leaders in how to respond to expanding Islam in the continent. This response needs peacebuilding initiatives, but much more as well. The church needs to be strengthened by good apologetics – explaining the faith so Christians remain faithful to Christ – and it needs good missional understanding so church planting and evangelism can be done in appropriate ways for Africa.

The donated funds will be added to others to support the two major centres (at Alexandria School of Theology, Egypt and St Paul’s University, Kenya) and several smaller centres in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria and elsewhere. They will primarily support students to study in these centres.

The Pasifika Strategy is a 25 year plan to redefine theological training and church leadership in the Pacific. Now twelve years into the strategy, Local Leaders has supported the training of more than 60 evangelical church leaders and faculty members from Bible colleges across the Pacific at Masters level. With your help we can realise the 25 year goal to transform the church of the Pacific.

In 2023 and 2024 Dr George Mombi will be scoping the key colleges we have identified to explore further engagement by Local Leaders and Christian Leader Training College. This will increase our ability to help with our Local Online Strategy as well as seek to build new options for study through CLTC’s MTh program.

To learn more about this project, see our Pasifika Strategy Video. Click here to see video.

A key part of the Pasifika Strategy is to use the strength of the ‘hub’ college, Christian Leaders Training College, to assist smaller Bible schools to improve their work. Our Director, Dr George Mombi is working to lift six such schools up to be able to teach at diploma level this year. It will be a challenge for them, and they will need training and new resources to assist. This year the project will assist colleges in PNG, the Solomons and Vanuatu.

The MTh program at Christian Leaders Training College has consistently included faculty members (with family members) from countries outside PNG and we want to continue to provide for these families to come for the two-year program. The MTh level of study allows participants to examine their culture and context in the light of good biblical and theological understanding. This equips them to return to their colleges and immediately bring those insights to their students.