April 30, 2003
by Dan Kersten

The Kenya Assemblies of God is shaping a vision to add 2,000 churches to the Fellowship in a five-year span. The KAG is the sixth-largest A/G body in Africa. At the beginning of last year, KAG churches numbered 1,968 with 810 trained pastors and 32 U.S. Assemblies of God missionaries working among a fellowship of 878,000. Peter Njiri, general superintendent of the KAG, wants to expand the national church's reach in Kenya.

"The vision for doubling the size of the KAG began in the heart of Njiri," said Chip Block, U.S. A/G missionary to Kenya. KAG churches are mostly concentrated in the western part of the country. One goal of the expansion is to place churches among Kenya's 22 unreached people groups in the north and among the largely Islamic population in and around the southern city of Mombasa.

"The phrase 'walking-distance churches' captivated Njiri," Block said, "and that thrust has led to the vision for KAG churches to be planted within walking distance of people's homes all over Kenya."

Njiri, general superintendent for two decades, has planted 18 churches with support from the congregation he pastors, Bahati Christian Center in the capital, Nairobi. He believes that if existing churches plant other churches the expansion will be realized.

A task force of appointed elders is overseeing a strategy for the expansion. The elders mobilize and inspire local church leadership and Bible school students to plant churches. The elders also preach and take the growth aspirations to district and general councils, Bible schools and local churches.

Educating future church leadership is a high priority, Block said. Bible schools in Kenya are preparing for increased enrollment, churches are opening night schools, and the number of extension learning centers is increasing.

The expansion plan requires that pastors plant churches and appoint elders to lead them. Then the elders are trained as pastors through extension school programs. Currently, the KAG operates 11 extension programs with an enrollment of 535 students.

"The KAG can reach their goal of planting 2,000 churches because they have a clear vision, a strong partnership and faith for the needed resources," said Greg Beggs, East Africa area director for the U.S. Assemblies of God.

The church planting model already exists in the East African nation, according to Block. KAG Assistant Superintendent Wycliffe Lucandu, 74, has planted more than 20 churches in the past five years, and Pastor Peter Nuthu has planted eight churches on the outskirts of the Mathare Valley slums in Nairobi.

"That is how the Kenya Fellowship has grown from 347 churches in 1980 to close to 2,000 churches today," Block said. "There is a church planting spirit that exists here."

The KAG is adopting a "new initiatives" strategy designed to focus on purchasing land and planting churches in cities and regions where there are no churches. Currently, about 40 percent of Kenya's 30 million people live in cities, and that percentage is expected to double by 2020. "With that in mind, a major thrust of our church planting efforts must focus on the key city centers," Block said. "Strategic church plants from the past are now leading churches within the KAG and are providing resources to multiply themselves."

But there are some obstacles. The Fellowship faces a shortage of available land and facilities for new churches. In many places, believers meet in rented halls, school classrooms, under trees and anywhere else they can. "Land and buildings are in great need, but the lack of them will not stop the growth of the church," Block said.

The Fellowship also lacks sufficient finances for pastoral training, land purchasing and facility construction. "But when you see what has been done and what is being done with the resources available, it is a reminder that God is the source," Block said. "If strong churches can be planted in strategic areas, they will be able to fund outreaches to the surrounding areas in years ahead." One such flourishing church is Buru Buru Assembly located outside Nairobi, with a congregation of about 3,000 people. Currently, the church is constructing an auditorium to seat 4,500.

Although recent terrorist attacks and a floundering economy make times difficult in some ways, church leaders in Kenya anticipate a large number of people turning to Christ in the near future. "There is a belief that God has His hand on Kenya," Block said, referring to the anticipation of the faithful members of the church. "So they walk by faith, believing that the best days are still ahead."

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