Preaching that is good to taste, easier to create and spreads even further

In June 2008 at a Langham Preaching event in Ghana known as NEPS (National Expository Preaching Seminar), Ian Buchanan was able to spend time with three leaders who had applied what they had learnt at previous events to their local situations. Two young ministers were inspired to share training with their local network of pastors, while a third pastor worked to influence his national diocese.

Nana-Atto Hope and Emmanuel Anseh are two twenty-something Methodist leaders who have equipped their local “Bread of Life Society” of Methodist ministers with the skills they learnt at the NEPS conference in 2007. Methodist churches in Ghana require local ministers to meet up in local societies, which are only one part of a larger regional circuit that is, in turn, a part of a cluster of trans-national dioceses.

Last year the Bread of Life Society decided that meeting once every four months for prayer was not enough. But what would be the purpose of more regular meetings? Nana-Atto and Emmanuel suggested that the NEPS course materials and experience could be used as material for more meetings, as a means of helping other ministers with a crucial weekly task – preaching.

The idea was immediately seized upon since the Bread of Life Society is renowned within their Circuit for its innovative new approach to ministry, and maintaining that reputation was becoming ever more difficult.

For the first three meetings Nana-Atto and Emmanuel repeated all they had learned at NEPS 2007 with their group of 15 ministers. For the six meetings prior to this year’s NEPS conference, the group chose, on a rota basis, three or four ministers from the group for monthly Saturday morning expository preaching events. For each sermon given the participants gave their considered assessment based on clarity, relevance and faithfulness to the text.

The success of these local meetings, helped by that historic reputation for innovative thinking, has meant that their circuit is now taking interest in what they have been doing. They now hope to move it upwards into this wider circuit arena after the June 2008 NEPS conference.

It also became clear that both Nana-Atto and Emmanuel had benefited enormously from what they had passed on to others. “We find that expository preaching allows us to give more to the people”, Nana-Atto chimed in with the big grin of a leader who feels he’s finally scratching where people itch. “I see it as a way for me to get more from the Bible than I did before”, added Emmanuel.

But it’s about more than just “feeding” Christians; it’s also about reducing those dreaded preparation tensions. “Now I find that preparing my sermon is so much easier than before”, said Emmanuel. “It used to be very tough for me … but now it flows so much more easily as I can think more systematically about the text”. Nana-Atto immediately agreed with Emmanuel by giving him a Ghanaian style hand shake that clearly reflected their joint relief at finding an excellent de-stressing tool for preachers.

So, more food to give and easier to prepare as well. Now that sounds like a recipe worth imitating by any Methodist circuit.

While two young ministers spent the year revitalizing their local network, one Council Chairman worked to influence the national Methodist Diocese. Revd S.V. Mpereh is a circuit minister for the Medina Circuit and leader of the Ebenezer Methodist Society. He also holds the chair of the local Council of Churches. When ministers met in his quarterly circuit, “S.V.”, as he is known, decided to introduce them to the NEPS 2006 training material.

In one sense S.V is working from the top-down as well as from the middle-up. Last year he asked the circuit ministers to filter down the training into their local societies. That way what is learnt at circuit level can be repeated again once a quarter at society level.

“This way I keep them always learning”, S.V. noted with glee. The challenge of leading a circuit clearly weighs heavily on S.V. as he asks God for wisdom in leading an ever expanding group of ministers. If that was not enough he also ensures that they all get opportunities for practical training and assessment from other local ministers. “I act as the coordinator and that way they all can have a turn” he adds as if this coordinating role was the easiest part of all that he does.

So how many people make up this “Circuit Preacher’s Club”? Sixty was S.V’s emphatic response, “But I want to expand it upwards to a diocesan level this year” and that will multiply the numbers by 26.

S.V is a classic example of a man with ambition and the coordinating skills to match, both of which are so needed when it comes to spreading a grass-roots indigenous preaching movement.

The National Evangelical Church of Beirut has deep roots in Lebanon, first established in 1848 and later creating the first evangelical Arabic-speaking congregation in the Middle East. It has a long history of serving as a center for publishing and other communication among Arab Christians. In June, the tradition of this church continued as it hosted the book-launch event for Langham scholar Riad Kassis’ latest publication to an enthusiastic crowd that included many local and national dignitaries.

Riad’s book Why Don’t We Read the Book That Christ Read? Towards a Better Understanding of the Old Testament (Beirut: Clarion Publishing 2008) was released in Arabic and supported in part by a grant from the Langham Literature program. Riad is the first Langham writer to publish in the Middle East and the first to publish in Arabic.

The main objective of the book is to approach the difficulties that an Arab reader may face when reading the Old Testament, to provide an appropriate methodology on reading the Old Testament, and to show the relevancy that the Old Testament has for the ethical, social, and political issues of the Arab world today. The book launch was sponsored by Clarion Publishing and the educational and spiritual ministry committee of the National Evangelical Church of Beirut.

Among the attendants of the event were following: the president of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Churches in Syria and Lebanon, the president of the Evangelical Alliance in Lebanon, many pastors, school principals and teachers, as well as the presidents of several theological institutions in Lebanon.

“I was also pleased to see the most influential writer and biblical scholar in the Maronite/Catholic church of Lebanon, and perhaps in the whole Middle East, Father Dr. Boulos Feghali,” Riad said. “Even Father Feghali, who was not scheduled to speak, insisted to say a few words on the importance of my work.”

Riad was honored and thrilled with the excitement from the people who attended. One leader from the Lebanon chapter of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) wrote, “Allow me to thank you for yesterday’s ‘classy’ signing event. I liked all of its parts, especially your word! … May the Lord bless you and keep your pen running for His glory!”

Crews from local media–including SAT-7 (the evangelical satellite television) and Noursat (the Catholic satellite television)–were also present. SAT-7 will be broadcasting the book-launch event on July 2 and 3, 2008, and will feature a special interview with Riad on July 10. It is expected that the event will also appear in several major newspapers in Lebanon and the Middle East.

Please join Riad in prayer that the success of his book release will help promote the need for the publication of more books written by and for Arab Christians.

Read the recommendations for Why Don’t We Read the Book That Christ Read?

View more photos of Riad Kassis’ historic book launch.

Revd. Dr. Saleem Sahouny
President of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical churches in Syria and Lebanon

“This book represents a great academic and reference value to be added to our Arabic Christian library. Revd. Dr. Riad Kassis is an example of a believing Christian scholar who, on the one hand, has a distinguished academic wealth and on the other hand carries the burdens of his fellow Arab Christians. These Arab Christians were overwhelmed with various difficulties to understand the Old Testament. They were also subject to illegitimate interpretations of the Old Testament that mixed up the message of the Old Testament with the complexities of the political situation. All this have contributed to widen the gap between the Arab reader and the text of the Old Testament and to build a strong wall at the edge of the gap.

In this interesting book, Dr. Kassis attempts to build bridges of reconciliation between the reader and the text of the Old Testament that was regarded by the church throughout the centuries as an integral part of its holy heritage revealed by God. Have Dr Kassis succeeded to build the bridges? I would like to invite the readers to accompany our writer in this journey to enjoy bridging the gap and to be able to see what is behind the wall.”
Revd. Eng. Atef Gendy, Ph.D. (Aberdeen University)
President of the Evangelical Presbyterian Seminary, Cairo, Egypt

“This is an interesting, deep, and documented book. It deals with dilemmas and questions that an Arab, particularly the Christian who is committed to his/her faith and to the issues of his/her country, faces as he/she reads the Old Testament. Although I do not agree fully with Dr. Kassis’s perspective on the text, I do find the book to be helpful to the reader to have his/her own conviction in understanding the Old Testament based on sound hermeneutical foundations that builds up his/her spiritual life.”
Engineer Jiries Habash
President of the Higher Council of Evangelical Churches in Jordan and Director of Bible Society in Jordan

by Chris Wright, International Director, Langham Partnership International

Kwame Bediako passed away this week. Langham Literature Director Pieter Kwant and I had the opportunity to visit him at the Global Church Tour in Grand Rapids in April, where he and his wife were spending some sabbatical time at Calvin College. Mark Hunt, Langham Partnership International’s board chair, had also met with him earlier in the year when he was among the speakers at the National Pastors Convention in San Diego.

Kwame was one of the most remarkable senior African leaders I have ever met. He had a surpassing level of scholarship (two doctorates - one in English and one in French). He had a range of knowledge of the history of the church in Africa (and Europe) that could keep us spellbound for hours just listening to his stories. And he had a most profound understanding of the relationship between the gospel and African culture. He also had a huge passion to bring African Christians together to affirm their Christian identity in authentic ways that would overcome some of the worst legacies of the colonial era. And yet he wore all this learning with such a light touch. His twinkling eyes and sparkling humour and laughter were a constant tonic. It has been such a joy and privilege to know him for many years.

The Akrofi Christaller Memorial Centre for Mission Studies, that he established at Akropong, Ghana, has a fine record of research and publication in African Christianity and contextual theology, and just recently got its charter from the government of Ghana for the awarding ofKwame Bediako degrees including doctorates.

Kwame also had a deep love for John Stott, and the whole work and ethos of the Langham Partnership. He was not himself a Langham scholar, but he knew many of them, and was regarded as a mentor and father figure by many. Though a man under incredible pressures of work and leadership, Kwame stepped up immediately when I asked him, to arrange and chair the first Regional Council for West Africa (Anglophone) in Ghana 2006 , and to co-chair the first meeting of the Regional Council for Francophone Africa in Cameroon in 2007. When I last spoke to him, he was full of enthusiastic plans for the next meeting of both combined, to be held in Ghana in October 2008.

So we shall miss him greatly. He is a sad loss to Ghana, to Africa, and indeed to the world church.

Please pray for his wife (known to some as Gillian and to others as Mary), who has been totally involved in all the work that Kwame did, and is herself a writer and editor of immense experience.

It is hard at a time like this to understand the ways of the Lord. But the legacy that Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.at Kwame Bediako leaves is simply enormous, and we pray that his ministry and contribution will now be multiplied even further through those whom he has mentored and inspired over the years.

The evening opened with a time of sung worship led by the Souled Out band. Chris then held out the challenge to another generation of God’s people to remember that church growth needs the element of maturity and depth built in if we are going to continue to honour God in all we do. The evening closed with the band and a chance for those attending to come forward for prayer.

In order to give a younger audience more ways to engage with the core message, Souled Out hired a local painter (Mike Samson) who painted his understanding of what “depth, discipleship, maturity and church growth with depth” looks like. He was very visible to all present as he painted on a large canvass placed up front. The event attendees were each given sketch paper and pencils so that they could create their own images of the theme and then place them on blue board walls along the side of the hall. Another canvass wall was also set up in the front for any brave young people to come forward and paint their own understanding of the theme whilst the evening unfolded.

Chris’ message to those attending echoes the passion of Langham Partnership whose mission is to help churches in the Majority World to grow in maturity. See more information on Chris’ message to the Souled Out crowd here.

The objective of the SABC, according to the editors and advisors, is to “equip Christian leaders at the grassroots level – pastors, students and lay leaders – who under the guidance of the Holy Spirit can be instrumental in the establishment and nurture of a vibrant church in this region.”

Project Editor Jessica Richards
“The only commentaries that an untrained pastor, lay person or a theological student, without access to a good library would go to…are dated and not contextual,” said Jessica Richards, the SABC project editor. “They tend to concentrate more on the technicalities of the text and contentious academic questions on authorship and dating rather than on contextual application to realities and issues in the South Asian context.”

Jessica worked on several long-term projects such as the Dictionary of South Asian Christianity (DSAC) before joining the SABC team. Her experience with the editorial process, combined with her work on social issues in India, has primed her with the ability to take on the large project:

“My theological involvement and articulation are grounded in my multiple identities as an Indian/Asian Christian woman living in a gloriously pluralist fabric; a fabric which is also permeated by discrimination on the basis of caste, class, creed and gender,” she shares. “[I am] also constantly informed and influenced by the fact that I theologize from and in a context of globalization that has widened gaps – economically, socially and in religious terms.”

Jessica is working with several contributors and six general/theological editors, all from the South Asia region. “The opportunity that such a project affords to work with some of the best biblical scholars and theologians in this region is something that cannot be quantified. I know I will gain immensely in working with all of the contributors to the SABC,” Jessica says.

Langham Scholars as Theological Editors
Of the six theological editors, five are Langham scholars: Jacob Cherian, Finny Philip, J. Jesudason Jeyaraj, Havilah Dharamraj, and Paul Swarup. These scholars know firsthand the importance of getting an affordable Bible commentary distributed in this area of the world.

The general editors and developers of the South Asia Bible Commentary

“The one-volume SABC is a critical tool much needed for the numerous grass roots level pastors and evangelists who have had little or no formal theological education,” says Paul Swarup. “It can be likened to giving a huge number of assembly-line workers in a car manufacturing plant, the appropriate tools to put the parts together to bring out a beautiful and powerful car!”

“I am excited to think about the significance and impact this commentary will have for the church in South Asia,” says Jacob Cherian. “With the Indian subcontinent as the birthplace of key religious faiths of our world (especially Hinduism and Buddhism), and with India having the second largest population of Muslims in the world, topics such as “Jesus among other gods” and the legal and social (not to mention theological and communal) implications of ‘religious conversion’ are bound to serve the Church in a major capacity.”

The SABC is projected to sell 30,000 copies in the first year, with the Hindi edition expected to have similar sales goals. It is the latest in a series of Bible commentaries co-sponsored by John Stott Ministries-Langham Partnership International, beginning with the award-winning Africa Bible Commentary which has sold more than 75,000 copies to date and is in the process of several translations.

Look for more details about this exciting project in JSM’s upcoming newsletter, In the Gap.

Help partner with LPI to sponsor the SABC and other much needed projects…Visit the Get Involved page for more information.

104 participants from Vanuatu, the Solomons and Papua New Guinea met at the Scripture Union campsite at Pango Point on the Vanuatu island of Efate for the first Pacific Preaching Seminar from 24-28 March 2008. The Ni-Vanuatu participants came from seven of the main islands of Vanuatu.

We are grateful to local organisers Andy Williamson, Philip Joses and
Sophia Silas from Talua Bible College.

The two main preaching facilitators were Chris Wright (LPI) and David Cook (Principal of Sydney Missionary and Bible College). LPA Board member John Buckle and LPA Scholar Ma’afu Palu also assisted in the teaching and group sessions, while LPA executive officer Wendy Toulmin assisted in the daily running of the seminar.

Every day was “full on”, as the Australians put it. We ran from 7.45am start with devotions, through until 9.00pm. The generator went off about 9.45pm, so nothing was possible after that except to try to sleep, until the singing from the men’s dormitory began around 5.00am!

From the start, we emphasized to participants that this was a long-term programme. The group workshops were organised geographically, so when we had the session on ‘Developing a Movement for Biblical Preaching in Vanuatu’, it was natural for them to meet in the same groups. There was general enthusiasm for setting up local Preachers’ Clubs. They appointed convenors and we have heard they are already beginning to meet. Please pray they will continue and serve a great purpose under God.

We returned from Vanuatu with a strong conviction that Langham Preaching Pacific region has been well and truly launched and has exciting potential in the years ahead.

Several Latin American leaders have expressed that a single-volume commentary is a project they have been hoping for. The discussion is at its infancy stages, and questions of expense, project management, distribution, and process details are continuing.

Project editors René Padilla, Milton Acosta, Rosalee Velloso, and coordinator Ian Darke

Among those who attended the discussion were LPI Literature Director Pieter Kwant, Langham Scholar Milton Acosta, Langham Partnership Regional Council member Rene Padilla, and LPI Committee Chair Mark Hunt. Also attending was Rosalee Velloso (South American Theological Seminary, Brazil), a key editor for the project and Ian Darke of Letra Viva, who will coordinate the project.

LPI will consider sponsoring as much as half the funds needed and helping with administrative needs. The project will take shape this summer as more details and editorial assignments will be set in motion in June.

In early March, I attended a Langham Partnership International Senior Management Team (SMT) meeting, held at the Hookses, John Stott’s coastal hideaway in Wales. “Uncle John” himself had been there with Frances Whitehead, his secretary of more than 50 years, and other friends, the week before. A few days after the conclusion of the SMT meeting, I had the privilege of paying Uncle John a visit at his home within the grounds of a retirement community for Anglican clergy 30 miles south of London.

At the Hookses, we faced what some British meteorologists called “the storm of the winter,” and the cold and wet weather continued during my train ride from London and short walk from the small village train station to Uncle John’s place of residence. But any thoughts about the inclement weather were quickly replaced by a sense of joyful expectation when I heard Uncle John reply to my knock on his door with a strong and cheerful, “Come in.”

It had been a few years since I had last seen Uncle John, and others who had seen him more recently had informed me of his increasing frailty and his need to use a walker to get around. While those reports were certainly true, it was just as true that his character remains intact—gracious, kind, gentle, faithful, hopeful, loving—in a word, Christlike.

We began our hour together reminiscing a bit, walking down the memory lane of our friendship of over 25 years. I also brought Uncle John the greetings of many friends from across the pond, which brought a smile to his face and some fond memories for him.

I asked how he was finding his living situation, which has been his home for about a year now. Uncle John shared that he has a number of evangelical friends in the retirement community, including one man whose friendship with John goes back 70 years when they were students at Rugby School! Uncle John related that he is often asked whether he is happy. His response is that while he would not say that he is happy (I would imagine that he misses many people, the activity of his ministry, his home in London, and the ability to travel abroad), he is content, citing Philippians 4:11, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

I provided Uncle John an update on JSM, which greatly interested him. He encouraged me to claim the promise of James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

We closed our time together, as we had done many times before, in prayer. Uncle John asked me to pray for his continued work on what he promised will be his last book. I was struck that the lone prayer request of this man of God would ultimately result in a gift and blessing to many, many people.

As I walked back to the train station, I pondered the words that he had graciously shared with me, and I gave thanks to God for the opportunity to be with Uncle John, a man who has been with Jesus and who so clearly gives off the aroma of Christ.

The Tanzanian preaching movement continues to extend its reach, with nearly 320 delegates attending the training seminars in February and March this year, as well as the launch of a new initiative in the training of local facilitators.

Coordinated by Frank Luvanda and Tony Swanson, the programme not only included large seminars in the north and south of the country. A small group of Tanzanian trainers have also been equipped to develop new level 1 training events in different regions of the country, taking the training to local groups and thereby strengthening the indigenous commitment of the preaching movement. This year over 170 pastors and lay preachers attended the Northern event in Mwanza, and nearly 150 attended the event in Morogoro.

Langham Preaching facilitator Rodney Wood worked with Frank and Tony, and they were joined by Mercy Ireri, the Langham country coordinator for the preaching movement in Kenya. Her training skills and her experience of nurturing preacher’s clubs in Kenya supported the Tanzanian training and is a good example of the emerging African preaching network - cross-border fellowship and support which is part of the Langham Preaching vision.