Kigali Anglican Theological College multiplies our missionary allocation
In 2012 the Council for Mission agreed to give the 0.7% Missionary Allocation to Kigali Anglican Theological College. The Council has just received a very encouraging report of the Rwandan College’s activities through 2013. They have been able to train 97 pastors who are impacting more than 495 other leaders who lead grassroots churches. This multiplies to positive influence over 90,000 lives, an astounding return on an investment of approximately £9,000.
One of the reasons the programme is so effective is that it focuses, not just on the academic but also on direct implementation on the ground. At the end of each module, each student is expected to write an implementation plan based on those elements that constituted his “aha” moments for each course taken. Here are some excerpts from the students’ reports:
Revd Keziya Nyirambabazi is the pastor of Bwanika Parish in Byumba Diocese with 8 grassroot churches (Amakanisa) and 2594 members.
“After taking the course on Evangelism for Church Growth, I chose and trained 50 people and we started visiting neighbors and praying for their needs and telling them about Jesus as the answer to their problems. On the 10th August, we baptized 135 people as fruit of that endeavor. By mid– year, our tithes and offering had increased of 250,000 Francs as a result of different improvements that have come through implementing different discoveries I made through the lessons I have taken at KATC.”
Revd Samuel Gasana is the pastor of Gasetsa Parish, Kibungo Diocese with 8 grassroot churches and 3,970 members.
“Coming to KATC has not only revolutionized my leadership, it has equally impacted my personal life, my family life and even the lives of the leaders I lead. I went back and taught my catechists and their lay leaders some of the principles of “purpose–driven church” applied to our context and other principles of good leadership. Two of the catechists decided on the spot that it was time they walked away because they definitely felt they were in the wrong place! And they did it without grudge because they had been struggling but when they understood why they decided to remain good members but not leaders.
Improved leadership at all levels has helped change my family life. The parish house was small and I used to make bed for the children in the church building when we had visitors. This was very inconvenient and very embarrassing for me. But with the new vision in the leaders, we have now enlarged and improved the parish house and it even now has water and electricity. This was achieved because of vision but also because of financial increase after coming to KATC.”
The college principal, Revd Canon Antoine Rutayisire says:
“When pastors speak of training leaders, they training leaders who lead those grassroots churches they supervise and who on their turn go back to train the church committees and other small groups into the different principles of personal, family and church life we teach at KATC.
“I can say without boasting that we are impacting and transforming our churches through the new approach of training pastors with focus not on degrees but on fruit on the ground. And that is what Jesus sent us to do: “to bear fruit and fruit that will last.”