Senegal Church Multiplication Training Trip
Galen Currah, May 2007
(See pictures on reverse side)
Location: Senegal, West Africa
National estimates: 12 million population, 94% Muslim, 5% Catholic, 0.1% evangelical, 200+ evangelical congregations.
Inviting agency: Institute de théologie évangélique du Sénégal (ITES)
Sending agency: Hinson Church, Portland, Oregon
Cooperating agency: Mission Baptiste du Sénégal (MBS)
Background: Galen & Jennifer Currah served as MBS CP missionaries in Senegal, 1972-80 and 94-96 when they helped launch the ITES.
Objective: Stimulate church reproduction through training in biblical principles and practices of evangelism and disciple-making.
Language medium: Mostly French and some Wolof with interpretation into Sereer.
Calendar, Dakar
1. Saturday: translate materials and learn daily travel route.
2. Sunday: worship and meet ITES leaders.
3. Monday-Friday, mornings translating, 4:30-8:30, teaching eleven ITES men students from several denominations.
4. Week-end: with Pastor Adama Diouf and family at Thiès.
At Jomxel near Diourbel, about 70 miles inland from Dakar.
5. Monday-Thursday: 9:30-1:30, 4:00-8:00, training 30+ Sereer rural evangelists and a few others.
6. Back to Dakar. Friday & Saturday: e-mail communications and exchanges with Latin American mission representatives.
7. Sunday: worship, session with a delegation from Haiti and another with MBS personnel.
8. Monday: Visit to MSB bookshop and to Dakar Academy, return to Portland.
Outcomes: All participants drew maps indicating where they believe God wants to start new congregations and cell groups, noting names of those whom they should train as new leaders.
Training
Materials: See www.Paul-Timothy.net/workshop/
Methods:
· Form participants into temporary churches, name shepherds, celebrate communion, pray and worship. These churches also served as discussion groups.
· Discover Jesus’ and his apostles’ CP methods through small group bible discovery.
· Perform skits that illustrate bad and good practices.
· Draw maps and lay plans to launch new congregations and cell in neglected areas and social groups.
· Introduce affordable menu-driven coaching materials.
Social changes in 12 years
· Five-fold increase in evangelical believers and congregations.
· Mature national leaders with bold vision.
· Many Christian, cultist and Islamic missions, organizations and cooperative efforts.
· Doubled urban population and sprawl.
· Maybe ten times more cars.
Next step: Should Hinson Church undertake in Senegal a five-year project to stimulate reproductive evangelism and church planting supported by sustainable compassion efforts?
Dakar: ITES class on Church Multiplication /
Dakar: Bible discovery group
Dakar: Praying over maps /
Jomxel: Discovering how Jesus did it
Jomxel: Acting out bible stories /
Jomxel: Practice planting simple churches
Jomxel: In the heat of mid-afternoon /
Jomxel: Lifting maps up to the Lord