A Return to Africa in 2024

By Paul Arndt Lutherans in Africa, missionary at large, The Receptive Life

“I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills.”

Out of Africa, Isak Dinesen

There is a school in Africa nestled on the edge of the great Rift Valley, at the foot of the Ngong Hills.

Here students come from across the African continent to study at the Lutheran School of Theology, a Confessional Lutheran school that forms African Christians to be pastors and teachers of the Lutheran faith.

The self-sustaining school has its own solar power, well, farm, garden, livestock, and chickens. It is led by Rev. James May and the mission organization called Lutherans in Africa (LIA). 

I helped establish this school during my trips in 2016 and 2017 and now, after seven years, we will return. Rev. May has asked me to come and help LIA form African Christians to be teachers of the faith. I will be teaching two intensive classes in March of 2024 …

  • Pastoral Ministry Candidates: The Pastor’s Devotional Life
  • Vocational Students: Personal Spiritual Formation

It will be exciting to see what progress the school has made, especially, since during my last visit in 2017, our classes met outdoors. We gathered under a covered wood structure with visqueen plastic walls to protect us from the wind rushing down the Ngong Hills.

Here are a few links to the Photo Stories I created from our 2016 and 2017 trips. I think the following stories will give you a good picture of the ministry of Rev. James May and Lutherans in Africa.

All Photo Stories (here)

The Great Challenge: Spiritual Formation of African Pastors

The mission of Lutherans in Africa is to …

Form African Christians to be Teachers of the Faith

The problem is that there is a severe shortage of trained pastors in Africa.  In America, the Lutheran Church has 1 pastor for every 376 members.  In Tanzania, for instance, there is 1 pastor for every 3,500 members.  By training Africans to be teachers of the faith, Lutherans In Africa (LIA) is able to help fill the need for pastors and further spread the Gospel, allowing God to work through His external Word. 

In Africa, the lack of resources available for education, coupled with traditional beliefs and practices, leads to misunderstandings of the Living Word.  From the congregational level to the national church body, an overwhelming need exists for basic doctrinal teaching for Lutheran pastors, evangelists, and deaconesses.

The Solution: “Teach the Devil to Death”

Martin Luther in his preface to the Large Catechism, urged pastors and laity to give themselves to the daily meditation on the chief parts, or the ABCs of the Christian faith: the 10 commandments, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacrament of Baptism, Confession and Absolution, the Sacrament of the Altar, Daily Prayers, and the Table of Duties.

His exhortation was to “teach the devil to death”.

To that end, I will be teaching a spiritual formation process I created called The Receptive Life. It is a distinctly Lutheran spiritual “cruci-formation” process that is rooted in the Scriptures, anchored in the weekly Divine Service, and framed by the chief parts of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism.

The teaching modules and accompanying resources will help nurture the personal spiritual life of the men studying to become pastors and equip them with practical tools for cultivating a vibrant devotional life. Through Scriptural and Christ centered content, simple and practical step-by-step frameworks, and a return to and a daily repetition of the Christ centered spiritual disciplines of the Christian faith, the students will learn how to …

  • defend themselves against the “unholy trinity” (the devil, the world, the sinful flesh) with the promises and work of Jesus
  • fight the spiritual forces of evil with the “sword of the Spirit” (the Scriptures)
  • and rest and receive all of the gifts that only the Triune God can give

The devil is called the master of a thousand arts. But what shall we call God’s Word, which drives away and brings to naught this master of a thousand arts with all his arts and power? It must indeed be the master of more than a hundred thousand arts.

Martin Luther, Large Catechism, Introduction, paragraph 12

If you would like to work through the same resources that the African students will be using, you can access all of the materials below.

A Devotional Tool: Psalm 119 Prayer Cycle

One tactile resource the students will be using is the The Psalm 119 prayer cycle. The prayer cycle is centered around Psalm 119 and rooted in the chief parts of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism. Each bead represents a different aspect of the Christian faith and will provide the students with a tangible way to daily and weekly make their way through each of the chief parts of the Small Catechism.

Below is a PDF of the 119 Prayer cycle and a short little video of the wonderful volunteers who made 50 bead resources for the African students.

Capturing and Sharing the Story of Lutherans in Africa

Along with the teaching responsibilities, Rev. May has asked me to use my acquired digital and media skills to help him document and tell the story of Lutherans in Africa and the students who come to study to become pastors.

Lord willing, I’ll be able to pull all of the technical elements together so that you can see what’s happening with the spread of the Gospel in Africa.  We’ll commend the work into the Lord’s hands and keep you up to date with posts on the website.

All Links and Resources

You can access all of the other Ekklesia resources in the button below. When you click on the “resource” link, a full menu of options will appear.

You’ll be able to click on all missionary at large updates, the eXPlain it portal, ekklesia resources, The Receptive Life, a new “publishing” service for pastors and churches called the Gutenberg Digital Press, and other recommended links.

All Links and Resources (here)

Thank you again for your generous support, encouragement, prayers and many kindnesses.

If you would like to continue to support the Missionary at Large position through East Bethlehem you can either give a charitable donation by check or through electronic giving. Here’s a link that will give you more information … Support Missionary at Large (here).