FEATURE STORY
“WHAT WAS ONCE A GOAL IS NOW A REALITY” Ten years since CMS-Africa was established to take a fresh, innovative and African-led approach to global mission, there is much to celebrate.
BY JO MITCHELL, FREELANCE WRITER
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Top left: Lady Gill Brentford and Dennis Tongoi lead a group through the Kibera settlement, Nairobi Top middle: Dennis Tongoi speaks at a CMS conference in Kenya, 2011 Top right: Having just received Jesus during a church service in Tanzania, two people pray with Dennis Tongoi and their pastor Bottom: Rowan Williams visits a CMS-Africa supported project with Dennis, June 2011.
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s international director Rev Dr Dennis Tongoi prepares to step down, it’s clear that the organisation he has led for the last decade has built a reputation as a powerful catalyst. Aiming to equip a rising generation of change makers, CMS-Africa has seen 10,000 Africans trained in holistic mission discipleship in the last four years. While the church in Africa has grown significantly in numbers over recent decades, African Christian leaders say a depth of change in day-to-day life has been slower in coming. Debilitating poverty, inequality and conflict persist. But Dennis and his team are committed to changing that. Keen to model “church on Monday”, they are driven by the desire to see every aspect of life transformed – from family life to farming to business. Rather than focus on delivering services, CMSAfrica seeks to show people ways to use the resources that God has already given them to find a way out of poverty. To do this, they develop and multiply models of excellence designed to address challenges such as debt and environmental degradation. This Transformational Stewardship Training is core to CMS-Africa's work and introduces trainees to the transforming power of the gospel and what it means to live a life of love and faith alongside practical tools and skills. The outworking of this is bringing about change in people’s lives and across communities, as people learn to see life through a biblical worldview rather than through the prevailing poverty mindset. This enabling environment is helping families to manage their budgets effectively, farmers to produce a sustainable harvest and entrepreneurs to set up businesses that create useful products while earning an invaluable income – all in Jesus’ name. As they train others to steward their resources well, CMS-Africa is keen to practise what they preach – and find strategies to be self-sustaining too. One way has been to develop its Nairobi base. With construction on a new building now complete, tenants are being sought for a new hub for groups united by similar goals. In this way, CMSAfrica will generate ongoing income while creating a community of change-seekers.
“When I think of how people’s lives are changed as a result of CMS-Africa’s ministry, I feel joy.”
CHURCH MISSIO N SO CIETY
