The Pastoral leadership Institute

The experience in Ethiopia, Feb 2009, was highly rewarding.

First, upon arrival, we were brought to the Norwegian Guest House where we caught about four hours of sleep before being picked up by the Grace Ethiopian Outreach Ministry team to be taken to the crusade beginning that night in Holleta. Holleta if a relatively small city about 45 kilometers from Addis Ababa, the capital. A church of the Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (The name for the Lutheran Church of Ethiopia), from now on referred to as EECMY, was the site of the crusade. Since the building could hold only around 700 or 800 there was a tent with a monitor set up behind where an estimated 300 or more participated.

The crusade was typical. Preaching by evangelists, prayers by elders, singing by choirs and groups. Rev. Dereje Fantaye, president of Grace Ethiopian Outreach Ministry (GEOM), and primary evangelist also preached. Rev. David Block, member of the PLI International team was invited to preach one night, and I was also given the privilege of preaching. It was exciting. The response in all cases was heartwarming. Many dozen people confessed Jesus as Lord for the first time over the three days, but many hundreds who claimed no church home, recommitted their lives to Jesus and pledged to become active once again. Miracles were seen as well as many exorcisms.

An additional highlight was a spontaneous children’s ministry begun my Sara Oesch. Using a translator she taught Bible Stories and VBS songs to hundreds of children, who in turn taught her some Bible songs in Amharic.

On Monday the PLI International team began training the members of EECMY at one of the church body’s training centers. 32 pastors and 31 wives attended. The former president, Rev. Iteffa Gobena, addressed the group and shared how they were skeptical of having PLI-I come for awhile, but after careful review of our material and after sending a delegate to our conference in the USA determined to invite us. His openness was refreshing.

The training went extremely well. Mr. John Busacker, our normal professional trainer of the material, Leading from Within, was unable to be with us. However, he had modified the course to include many lessons from the Book of Nehemiah as well as simplifying the original course materials. I was privileged to teach it to the pastors. I was also the presenter for “Connecting People to Jesus” the keynote piece of the first year, and a Bible Study on Courage. David Block made a presentation on John 3:16. Along with his wife, Carlyn, he presented “The Pastor and his Family” and “A Family Action Plan.”

Carlyn Block and Sara Oesch were the trainers for the wives. They used the material, “Bent Over Woman” from Luke chapter 13. The response of the women was amazing. Truly they were set free from many burdens, were encouraged in their faith, walked and talked straighter and taller by the end of the experience. In fact, many of the couples expressed new joy in their marriage relationship.

By the time the training was completed the pastor had completed not only personal mission statements and action plans, but congregational ones as well. They determined to utilize the collegial group process for encouragement and accountability. There are now six collegial groups, each with a coordinator. The six will also compose an oversight committee reporting the Executive of the Commission on Theology and Missions for the EECMY. After additional training of the coordinators it is anticipated that all six groups will indeed function throughout the year.

The final outcome for Year One is that we were highly affirmed that already a difference has been made in the lives of all who attended. Feedback came within a week that many pastors and executive at the church-wide level were asking how they too might be included next year. A plan to train two or three of the attendees to the level of certification is being considered. If this can happen, then these people will begin training pastors in the various regions of Ethiopia as early as 2010 in Module One, Visionary Leadership and Leading from Within.

The training encompassed three and one half days, concluding a 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. That night a dinner was held, hosted by the EECMY, where the president of the church body, Rev. Dr. Wakseyoum, Rev. Jonas, executive of the Commission on Theology and Mission, plus three other top executives of the church body, attended. The training was not only affirmed but PLI-I was asked to complete our program over the next three years. They also committed to continue to send a delegate or delegates to the PLI conferences in the USA in order to assist us in modifying our curriculum to fit their culture.

On Friday following the EECMY training Norb and Sara Oesch continued in Ethiopia assisting Rev. Dereje Fantaye and GEOM. We attended another Crusade, this time in an outlying city of Addis, about 20 kilometers away. Once again an EECMY congregation and pastor served as host. An estimated 2000 people attended daily over the course of five days. Sara and I attended three of them. I preached at two, including giving the address for a graduation ceremony for eight degree students and over 70 certificate students in Grace College, a ministry of GEOM. The report is that hundreds of people came to Jesus for the first time, and again, many hundreds were reconnected a Christian/Lutheran church.

Monday was a day off. Then on Tuesday, I was invited to teach a course on the Leadership Principles of the Book of Nehemiah to over 50 students in Grace College. This was well received and I continued the training on Wednesday. We concluded with handing out “Certificates of Accomplishment” for the seminar.

My assessment of the ministry of GEOM is that it is vitally needed in Ethiopia. It is doing an amazing job of training committed men and women in Biblical studies and in leadership. Many of these are already serving in congregations and others are evangelists and even pastors. At this point a closer relationship still needs to be forged with EECMY, since this church body serves over 5,000,000 Lutherans. And since it is the fastest growing Lutheran Church body in the world it cannot keep up with the necessary training for leaders and future pastors. GEOM can contribute to it. Rev. Fantaye and Rev Jonas need to meet several times and work on establishing a very close working relationship. GEOM needs also to make concessions to EECMY, especially in making their training material more Lutheran in content. At this point it seems that the material is very weak in the area of sacramental theology, as is the ministry of the crusades. The matter of GEOM beginning a Master’s Degree program might also prove to be a bit sticky. Conversation and mutual understanding, perhaps even planning, needs to take place.

Finally, an agreement was made with the leadership of EECMY that PLI-I will have as its first commitment the training of the pastors and wives of EECMY, since we are a training arm of the LCMS World Missions department. All of the team members, however, will be able to volunteer to assist GEOM as time and energy allows. This agreement not to use the PLI-I materials as we teach in GEOM, nor to authorize these materials to be used in Grace College is due to the fact that the materials are proprietary in nature and can only be used under license from The Inventure Group, which has certified their usage by PLI International.

Respectfully submitted by
Norb Oesch
March 6, 2009