Equipping Leaders with Tools for Understanding and Teaching God’s Word
Recently, over 200 village pastors and church leaders from Uganda gathered under the African sun to embark on a transformative journey exploring the overarching story of the Bible. Living in remote areas, these dedicated leaders often face significant challenges, with limited access to Biblical and theological training resources. Despite the sweltering heat, they engaged in intensive training sessions that illuminated how the 66 books of the Bible collectively narrate God’s plan for humanity.
The training commenced with an exploration of the four primary components of the Biblical story: God’s creation, humanity’s rebellion, the sending of a Savior and Helper, and the promise of Christ’s return to reign. We then covered the story of Scripture in slightly more detail, with 15 Biblical major events along the Biblical timeline. To enhance understanding and retention, participants actively engaged in movements corresponding to each component, transforming learning into an interactive experience.
We explored how significant events in Scripture intertwine with these core components, deepening their understanding of God’s nature, our need for salvation, His grace in sending Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and the hope we find in Christ’s promised return. We then walked through the life of Christ and the story of the early church in a little more detail, helping these leaders see how the Gospels and Epistles fit into the Biblical timeline. Laughter and joy intermingled with deep concentration as they focused on what they were learning and then practiced recalling the events and accompanying motions.
This training built on last year’s teaching for these leaders on Discipleship and The Biblical Roles of Pastors and Church Leaders. Like last year, we distributed Africa Study Bibles in partnership with Christianbook Outreach International to give the participants a resource to support their personal spiritual growth and their ministries.
Leaders from 2024 with their certificates and Afica Study Bibles.
The participants expressed heartfelt gratitude and enthusiasm for the new tools and insights that will enrich their Biblical understanding and teaching. In between teaching days, an older leader went home and read parts of Scripture she had never read before, saying that this was the first time she could understand it now that she knew how it fit into the overall Biblical story. One young pastor shared his gratitude for Apollos Training coming to the area. Without this opportunity, in order to pursue Biblical training, he would have to leave his family and church for months at a time without a means to provide for them in his absence.
We invite you to join us in prayer for these pastors and church leaders. Pray that God continues to deepen their understanding of His Word and empowers them to teach it effectively, nurturing healthy churches filled with believers who understand and obey Scripture.
