Our First SGC West Africa Pastors & Wives Conference

An update from Mark Prater, Executive Director of Sovereign Grace Churches...

The best way to summarize what happened at the first Sovereign Grace Churches West Africa Pastors & Wives Conference is that a family of churches was born in West Africa known as Sovereign Grace. Attended by about 80 pastors and wives from 6 different West Africa nations, 2 of them French speaking, God worked to truly forge a family of churches.

Before I give you more specifics about the conference, I must tell you about what happened the day before the conference started. On Sunday, August 13, I had the joy of ordaining Dyonah Thomas, Senior Pastor of Grace Life Church, and our key leader in West Africa. The people of Grace Life were so excited that Sunday morning because they love Dyonah, and because Dyonah is our first ordained Sovereign Grace elder in West Africa. Their enthusiasm was not only seen in their hugs and words of encouragement but also in the gifts they gave Dyonah and me, which they insisted we must wear right away.

The conference kicked off with a dinner on Monday. This was good leadership on Dyonah’s part because he wanted to use every opportunity to build pastors and wives from 6 different nations together relationally. It was humbling to hear that the 25 people who came from Sierra Leone traveled 22 hours by car. The folks from Guinea traveled 26-27 hours by car just to come to the conference. I heard no complaining, only joy and gratitude that they arrived safely.

The theme of the conference, which “officially” started on Tuesday morning, was “God’s Unchanging Word in a Changing World.” Dyonah wisely chose this theme because churches in West Africa are doing ministry in a predominantly prosperity gospel culture. Additionally, churches in Sierra Leone and Guinea are also doing gospel ministry in a predominantly Muslim culture. In light of those challenges, along with the cultural pressures that all churches face, Dyonah wanted to center the first West Africa Pastors & Wives Conference on God’s Word, and a pastor’s responsibility to be faithful to God’s Word.

In light of the theme of the conference, every main session began with a call to worship from God’s Word. Like any other Sovereign Grace Conference, there was passionate singing, faithful biblical preaching, and rich fellowship, all of which celebrated the gospel.

On Tuesday, Dyonah preached what I believe is a foundational message for our churches in West Africa. The theme of his sermon is that we counter false teachers (e.g., prosperity gospel) by faithfully preaching the truth found in God’s Word. He told the pastors not to teach anything new but to teach what God has already spoken in His Word. He exhorted us to not wander off the ancient paths and remain faithful to what God has already given us in His Word. It was the right message for West Africa.

I preached 3 sermons, one on thriving in suffering because of God’s Word, one on preaching, and one on the future hope of West Africa. Bart Lipscomb joined me for this trip. Bart is the Senior Pastor of Christ Church in Conroe, Texas, USA. He preached on a pastor’s marriage, and how to remain faithful to God’s Word in all of pastoral ministry. I also invited friends from my church, Bob Wright, and Alfred and Virginia Essandoh to the conference. Alfred grew up in West Africa (Ghana), and so he and Virginia were eager to attend. Dyonah asked Bob to pray for the French speaking churches during one of the main sessions.

Dyonah has established key leaders in different nations to help build Sovereign Grace in West Africa. Samuel Kotee, Senior Pastor of Saving Grace Fellowship in Conakry, Guinea, Morlai Kamara, Senior Pastor of Sovereign Grace Life Church in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Roland Blackie who is the Senior Pastor of another Grace Life Church in the Monrovia, Liberia area. Each of these men, along with Dyonah, led through the main sessions.

We also heard several inspiring testimonies during the conference. One of them was from Francis. Francis and his wife left good paying jobs in Sierra Leone to move to Monrovia, Liberia for a year to attend the Sovereign Grace West Africa Pastors and Planters Academy. He shared how 2 of C.J. Mahaney’s books, Humility, and The Cross Centered Life, were used to transform his life and prepare him for ministry. With the Academy completed, Francis and his family are headed back to Sierra Leone to plant another Sovereign Grace church in the Freetown area.

After spending 12 days in West Africa, I flew home with faith for our future in West Africa. We have like-minded pastors and wives who get our gospel-centrality, and who love our shared values and shaping virtues. Like all of us, regardless of where you live and pastor, they desire to plant and build Sovereign Grace churches in West Africa. I also have hope for our future because of God’s grace on Dyonah Thomas’ life. He is leading our efforts in West Africa so well. I told him before I got on the plane that “Sovereign Grace in West Africa is in good hands because of you.” May God bless his labors, and the labors of all the pastors in West Africa for the good of the gospel and the glory of Christ.