African Pastoral Training (APT) Ministries crossed a significant milestone on the afternoon of Saturday, December 16, 2017, on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia, in West Africa. On that day we surpassed the mark of 10,000 pastors and church leaders trained through our Bible study and message preparation workshops. Through our ministry, over 10,000 graduates have learned how to study for, prepare, and teach or preach Bible-centered messages using the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible! This milestone in ministry growth has been accomplished through the grace and mercy of our Lord, the financial and prayer support of ministry partners like you, and laborers in Africa, Europe, and the United States who have helped to coordinate, promote, and teach the Thompson Bible Workshops.
Significant Year Over Year Growth
For the last 9 years, we have seen year over year growth in the numbers of pastors and leaders trained. From small beginnings of a just over 200 trained in 2009, we had the privilege of training over 2,600 church leaders in 2017 alone! This is over 25% of the total number trained in the history of our ministry—all accomplished in one year because of the multiple training teams we now have and the generous financial support of donors with a desire to help pastors in Africa become more effective in their respective ministries of “shepherding the flock of God.”
Our Hope For The Future
Even if we do not enter another country in Africa beyond the 9 we are currently committed to, it is easy to envision that the 2,600 a year trained can continue to grow each year as the Lord provides the finances to do so! It took 9 years to reach 10,000 trained —I pray for the day when we will be training 10,000 and more a year!
Such growth and expansion of ministry is only possible as the Lord leads and provides. The need for the Thompson Bible training in Africa far exceeds the 9 countries we are currently involved in—especially as the United Nations recognizes 54 separate countries on the African continent. God has given us a great beginning, but the need for growth and expansion is great.
The Reason We Press On
As we wait for the Lord’s return, our mission is to train pastors and church leaders in every country in Africa and to strengthen them in their vital ministries. In this way, each African church can play its part in fulfilling the Great Commission.