#62: AoM’s Missional Apologetics Model

Hello thinker,

Ben and I recently returned from our mission trip to East and Southern Africa. What a blessing and privilege it was to continue our gospel and apologetics work with those we’ve been mentoring in East Africa, and to meet new Christian leaders from 11 countries in Southern Africa. Praise the Lord, and thanks for your prayers and financial support!

In this month’s apologetics note I briefly describe AoM’s Missional Apologetics Model. We work in regions with specific purposes and objectives in mind; we do not visit places periodically just to have discussions and give presentations. Instead, we raise awareness of apologetics, work with pastors and lay leaders to identify their needs, and develop multi-year plans to address these needs. 

We accomplish this by “training the trainers” using a 7-step model; that is, we train leaders who will be the core of new indigenous Christian apologetics ministries – both inside and outside churches. These regional leaders, not AoM, contextualize what they’ve learned and train their brothers and sisters. We eventually depart the region when the leaders demonstrate that they no longer need our assistance; that is when there is an established and sustainable environment for apologetics in these regional communities.

AoM’s 7-Step Model

Our model – or process – is not just a vision. We have implemented most of the first six steps in East Africa during the last 2+ years. [1] We are currently in step 7 helping four Christian universities in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda identify student demand, design curricula, obtain accreditation, and recruit professors. Regarding the latter, we have access to large networks of Christian professors around the globe. We believe (and pray) that enough of them will be willing and available to teach courses during the early years of these new programs – at least until such time that the schools have their own pool of professors. Step 7 will likely take 3-5 years depending on the academic institution.

Before we were able to put much thought into where AoM might focus its efforts next, God opened the door to a new region and network of pastors. He did this through a partner ministry, International Training and Equipping Ministries (ITEM), and its “Next Gen” focus led by Dr. Steve Van Horn. Steve has worked in Africa for over 30 years and is well connected in the continent. He invited AoM to join him in a pastors’ workshop in Zimbabwe.

During our trip, we gave presentations and held a mini-Leaders Summit with 16 pastors and lay leaders from eleven countries in Southern Africa. The workshop was followed by a seminar with 50 pastors and lay leaders from Zimbabwe. All of the leaders were unfamiliar with Christian apologetics (although some were aware of Muslim apologists) but immediately recognized its potential to help educate and disciple their younger generations. All 16 leaders are now enrolled in our upcoming Introduction to International Apologetics course.

In summary, our missional model is a guide for bringing Christian apologetics to those regions where it is unknown, but needed and requested. Apologetics is helping pastors and lay leaders share the gospel and disciple new and struggling believers . . . especially within their younger generations.

Please pray for AoM and the regional leaders with whom we work. Please pray that we will be successful in step 7 in East Africa, that the leaders we’ve trained and mentored in East Africa will continue to grow and successfully evangelize and disciple their fellow Africans, and that the Holy Spirit will guide AoM as our missional model begins anew in Southern Africa.

In Christ, Doug

    1 Peter 3:15

Academic Director, Apologetics On Mission

[1] AoM has only been in existence for slightly over two years. However, Ben began sharing and teaching apologetics in East Africa three years prior when he was part of another (non-apologetics) ministry. During these initial years, he saw a lack of awareness and resources concerning apologetics, but a great desire among church leaders to learn and employ it. The vision and reality for Apologetics on Mission grew out of these early years.