A Pastors and Planters Academy in West Africa

An update from Dyonah Thomas (Lead pastor of Gracelife Church in Monrovia, Liberia)…

West Africa is home to over 10 nations, a complexity of cultures and two major languages, English and French. The greatest need for Christ cannot be over-emphasized. Gracelife Church has been working in West Africa for over 8 years now with churches in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone. This year we launched our first Pastors and Planters Academy.

God has been kind to enable us to build lots of regional relationships. Through our existing churches and relationships, we were able to recruit 15 men from Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast for the first cohort. Ten of these men are Full-Time and five are Part-Time. God has been kind to allow these brothers to relocate with their families to Gracelife.

The Academy is designed with the aim of enhancing the knowledge, conviction and competency of each of these men around gospel-centered theology and ministry. They are immersed into the life of the local church, involved with leadership and ministry as well as the wider community. It is a solid year of training and interaction.

These brothers, supported by the wider network of churches in West Africa are dreaming, working, praying and networking, all in the hopes of sending out teams to Southwestern Liberia, North Sierra Leone and Guinea Bissau.

Please continue to pray that as we learn together, the Lord will grow this cohort into men who love Jesus, who love their wives and children, and who labor with joy because of their love for Christ’s church. Please pray that God will continue raising up faithful instructors to teach, mentor and coach these men. Please pray that the Lord will build into the hearts of each of these men a vision for the harvest and clarity on where to serve going forward.