Zambia Hunt

WHAT WILL IT REQUIRE TO ACHIEVE OUR GOAL OF TRAINING ANOTHER GENERATION OF LEADERS IN AFRICA?

Training the next generation of leaders for gospel ministry in Africa requires more than just academic instruction – it demands a comprehensive embrace of biblical principles that shape not just minds but hearts. At Central Africa Baptist University, we are committed to a leadership development model rooted in Christ’s call to make passionate disciples. This all-encompassing vision necessitates that our faculty exemplify the qualities we aim to instill in our students. As we diligently pursue the goal of raising up servant-leaders for Great Commission living across Africa, certain core principles emerge as indispensable guideposts for fruitful gospel ministry. Understanding and embodying these principles is critical to achieving the spiritual multiplication we long for that impacts lives for eternity.

We see our mission focusing on the creation of passionate disciples for the church, which means that those on our team must understand and buy into our purpose. It is more than lecturing – it will require living!  The essence of discipleship is ‘life on life.’ It will require that we model as faculty what being a passionate disciple of Christ looks like. (Lk 14:26-33)

Any gospel ministry that successfully fulfills its mission shares the following principles:

Prayer:  “The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.” — Samuel Zwemer. We must pray for wisdom for those who lead, for ourselves, and for our students (Eph 6:18). Prayer is not an optional extra we tack on to the end of our goals and plans. Prayer must be the opening thing; it must bathe the process, and it must cap the end of all that we do here.

Teamwork: Willingness to play our part and help others play theirs.  Pull together to encourage and assist one another for the good of all and the glory of God. We must strive for alignment with our purpose in all areas of the ministry.

Humility:  “Servant-Leadership”  It’s not about me!  We must live in humility before God and with each other.  No “me” and “my” and “I” will accomplish the task God has entrusted to us. Our attitude is and must be, “Not my will, but Thine be done.”  Pride and anger are destructive to any relationship, and we must guard against it.  (Eph 5:21 – submitting to one another in the fear of God.)

Submission: We are called to live in submission to God and, therefore, under His appointed authorities. A Spirit-filled life (Jas. 4:7, I Pt. 2:13) is a submitted life, following the leadership  God has placed into my life (Heb 13:17—Obey your leaders and submit to them…).

Unity: External enemies rarely destroy ministries.  We must not speak evil of anyone; this includes gossip, slander, or critical speech. (Titus 3.2) Any sinful attitude, action, or word that brings disunity must be dealt with quickly and biblically.  We must forebear with one another, not separating from each other in spirit or deed over minor issues. (Ps 133:1, Eph 4:3, Phil 4:2).

Commitment: “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions that speak louder than words. It is making the time when there is none—coming through time after time, year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of, the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism.” (Source unknown)

The spirit of commitment we aim for at CABU is captured by David Livingstone’s response to a missionary society who wrote asking, “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to know how to send other men to join you.” Livingstone wrote back, “If you have men who will come only if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them. I want men who will come if there is no road at all.” (Source unknown)

Sacrifice: The God who called us for this mission is worthy of our reckless abandon. This work will require sacrifice by all of us—our time, our resources, our energies. This ministry will not achieve maturity with a relaxed or casual approach. It will require our all! We are looking to be men and women who are willing to “spend, and be spent” for the glory of God and the exaltation of His name among the nations of Africa.

Flexibility: We realize that there is often more than one way to do a thing; my way is not the only way and may not be the best way. Rigid responses are often the result of hidden pride in our hearts. Our goal is to equip and grow servant-leaders thus we will be flexible with one another.

Transparency: Transparency means we must have open lines of communication, no hidden agendas, and no manipulative approach. CH Spurgeon once said, “Transparency is the willingness to know and be known.” We must be an open book with God and one another. We say what we mean, we are honest with one another, and we handle conflict and misunderstandings biblically. 

Conclusion:

External enemies rarely destroy ministries.  Far more often, they are destroyed by the loss of focus and the loss of vision by the good people who have given themselves to labor at that place, often at great sacrifice to themselves.  May this be different with us!  May we never tire of hearing these truths.  May we bind them on our hearts, and may they be guides for our feet and strength for our hands as we strive to remain faithful to the call of God here at Central Africa Baptist University.  Moreover, may we commit to passing these principles on to the next generation that God calls to serve Him here alongside us.