Kenya (MNN) — Bruce Allen of FMI is on his way to visit Kenya, one of the new countries included in the organization’s expansion plans. FMI currently offers temporary financial support alongside training conferences for Christian leaders in Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Pakistan.
FMI in Kenya
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia)
FMI specializes partnerships by zeroing in on the specific challenges congregations and church leaders face in their communities. They also provide relevant ways to build up these same communities. Allen says it is essential to find ways to help without making these believers or communities dependent on foreign aid.
“We’re excitedly expanding this model of ministry of propelling, fortifying national church planters. We’ve been in other countries for decades, since 1986. This is going to be our first foray into Africa,” Allen says.
“Kenya is really a strategic location. It’s right at the Muslim-dense horn of Africa.”
Kenya is considered a Christian nation, though the Bible has not yet been translated into all the languages within the country. Furthermore, Open Doors USA ranks the country as the 40th most challenging place to live as a Christian on its World Watch List.
Somalia, Kenya’s neighbor to the east, is also on the list as the third most challenging place to live as a Christian. Earlier this month, CBN News reported on the murder of nine Christians in Kenya near the Somalian border. They refused to recite the Islamic statement of faith. (Read the report here.)
Next Steps
(Photo courtesy of FMI via Facebook)
FMI is in the process of setting up a national leadership team in Kenya. Once established, the national leadership team will identify qualified church planters for FMI partnerships. The organization is focusing primarily on building relationships with rural believers. Allen hopes FMI will help propel Kenyan believers to reach their tribes and serve as a launch point to the Muslim dominate neighboring nations.
“We anticipate things progressing rapidly so that in 2020 we’d have a roster of church planters that would need support. That means we also need to pray that since the Lord of the harvest would be providing people to work in His harvest, that we’d also have people on this side of the equation, partnership equation, who are willing to stand alongside those church planters and evangelists with financial support, regular prayer support,” Allen says.
Will You Partner With FMI?
Here is how believers outside of Kenya can help. Pray for God to guide the national leadership team in Kenya to the people FMI should partner with and whose work FMI should help fortify. Pray for openness to the Gospel message. Finally, pray for the encouragement and perseverance of believers in Kenya.
Another way to help is through monthly pastor sponsorships. A $120 monthly donation provides a pastor or church planter with supplemental income to allow them to continue their ministry work while also providing for their families. Without this extra boost, these Christian leaders would have to direct all their free time to work, and their ministry would have to cease.
“We’re really trying to jumpstart these churches,” Allen says.
Header photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash.
