African Ministry

With this guide on baptism and confirmation in The United Methodist Church, Rev. Dr. Gift Machinga provides an essential resource for the church in Africa. The book is intended to motivate pastors to consider the ministry of education and to guide pastors and lay members in preparing their people for baptism and confirmation.

How easily we forget that it was Africans who brought the gospel to Africa, not foreign missionaries! Evangelism has always been central to African Christianity, ever since Egyptians and Libyans returned home from Jerusalem following the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). In this brief history of the church in Africa, Dr. John Kurewa highlights the major approaches to evangelism that the church employed over the centuries, for better and for worse. Then, in historical context, Kurewa zeroes in on those distinctive methods of evangelism, proclamation and disciple formation that shaped a diverse yet vibrant African Methodism. Thanks to this historical review, we stand to gain fresh vision for ministries of evangelism that truly can fulfill the Great Commission-to make disciples of Jesus Christ.

Worldwide scholarship has established the fact that Africa is the cradle land of humanity. Dr. Kurewa promotes the theory that African Religion could very easily have been the proto-religion of humanity, and a religion from which other monotheistic religions, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam have their roots. The author shifts the traditional African historical studies stance of looking at Africa from Egypt alone, and instead looks at Africa from inside Africa. Dr. Kurewa invites a debate regarding our understanding of African Religion, the indigenous religion of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa today.

African Christians who believe the half-truth that Christianity in Africa is the product of European and American missionary work need this book. Dr. John Kurewa explores Methodist history in Africa, focusing on the early years of United Methodism in Zimbabwe (1890s-1920s). He reveals it was Africans who led the way in propagating the gospel. Missionaries strategized, but African preachers evangelized. So-called "native helpers" took the gospel to the rural areas and planted the churches, especially in the villages. Kurewa also reveals that in the course of serving the gospel in the African context, indigenous spiritual leaders crafted and modeled a distinctive form of pastoral leadership-the African pastor-teacher-that proved sustainable and fruitful then, and is relevant still today.

In order to fully appreciate the good of the UMC polity, the people called United Methodists need to work together, moving in harmony, and using the same church processes. In this book, Rev. Bondo provides the most relevant and up-to-date information from The Book of Discipline 2008 to the African Methodist Church, so that it can join and move in harmony with the polity of The United Methodist Church worldwide.

In this time when the church is experiencing a tremendous growth in members and in the number of denominations, such questions like the "what," "why," and "how" of evangelism need to be addressed. This resource gives answers and guidance to these and other important questions. Foreword by Bishop Joaquina Nhanala.

This book is the second of two volumes on Preaching in African Context. For both seasoned preachers and beginners, including students in seminaries, Bible colleges, and universities, this second volume explores how we preach and the practice of contextual preaching in Africa. The two volumes go hand-in-hand and Nhiwatiwa demonstrates that the principles need good practice to become contextual preaching, and our practice needs principles to ensure integrity. Read these volumes to see why preaching is an urgent aspect of ministry that can open new horizons and give fresh outlook for the future.

This book is the first of two volumes on Preaching in the African Context. For both seasoned preachers and beginners, including students in seminaries, Bible colleges, and universities, this first volume explores why we preach and the principles of contextual preaching in Africa. Nhiwatiwa demonstrates that contextual preaching serves as the most appropriate way of communicating the gospel in Africa-it can connect with and engage the minds of people in effective ways. Read these volumes to see why preaching is an urgent aspect of ministry that can open new horizons and give fresh outlook for the future.