God has blessed me too much… …this is how lay-leader Gift Baruti from the south of Malawi described his family situation.

He meant that he is thankful for his eight children, but he also finds it difficult to call them together at the end of the dry season for a grace without being able to put food on the table, because the year’s harvest was insufficient.

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“God has blessed us too much.” This could also be a description of the situation of the young Confessional Lutheran Church – Malawi Synod (CLC-MS). God’s gift of a theology and lifestyle rooted in His Word and being biblically accountable to Him and others make the church attractive to many Malawians and their families, as well as to existing congregations and groups of congregations. The church is growing rapidly and the leadership struggles to meet the needs of the congregations in terms of word-, sacrament- and other ministries.

Officially established in 2007, CLC-MS has 2490 confirmed members in 17 congregations and 6 preaching stations. They are served by 7 ordained pastors trained at the Seminary of the Lutheran Church of Central Africa in Lusaka, Zambia. Since some of these pastors are old and cannot travel the great distance between the congregations, they are supported by 18 students/ helpers/lay-leaders/evangelists. There are two more students currently attending the Lutheran Seminary in Matongo – Kenya.

A partnership between the CLC-MS and MLC has grown out of requests from CLC-MS to the partner churches of the Mission of Lutheran Churches – Bleckmarer Mission (MLC) in Southern Africa – the LCSA and FELSISA. The aim of this partnership is to support the CLC-MS in the training of its non-ordained church leaders.

The participants should be introduced to and grounded in Lutheran theology, which will better equip them for their current ministry in the church, but may also open the way to further, more academic studies – similar to a pro-seminary. The CLC-MS should then decide, in consultation with the MLC and other ILC partners (see below), what this training would qualify the students for. Young and capable students could possibly continue their studies at the seminary in Kenya or Pretoria. Young and less academically able students could qualify as evangelists/ deacons. Old and established students could be ordained in exceptional cases for pastoral ministry in their congregations.

The group of students meets twice a year for two weeks over a period of five years. During this time they will be taught by two to three lecturers/ pastors from the partner churches of the MLC as well as from the CLC-MS using the material of the Mission Training Course and an additional customized training plan. The time between the courses should be bridged by auxiliary material. In October 2019, Missionary Peter Weber (Ohlangeni – South Africa) and I spent two weeks with the students in Mzuzu in the north of Malawi. Peter introduced the students to the Augsburg Confession and I worked through an overview of the Old and New Testament with them. This experience definitely did not hurt my knowledge of the Bible. Missionary Weber is the coordinator of this project on the part of the MLC. Pastor Davis Wowa (Mzuzu, Malawi) plays the same role for the CLC-MS. The courses (travel, meals, etc.) are financed by a dedicated donation.

A further partner of the CLC-MS is our American sister church, the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. In Malawi, churches are built where the local congregation burns the bricks themselves and builds the church. The LCMS provides funds for the purchase of corrugated iron sheets for the roofs. The LCMS also provides funds for diaconal relief in cases of natural catastrophes such as droughts or floods. There is a need for good, relevant theological literature for the church leaders, who often work in lonely posts. They should be able to use it in their ministry, but also for their studies. Three books are being considered: “The Lutheran Study Bible,” “Pastoral Care Companion,” and “A Reader’s Edition of the Book of Concord.” These three books together for each of the 25 church leaders would cost about R 25 000/ € 1 500 / $ 1 700 (without postage).

Back to Gift Baruti’s problem. As part of the curriculum, the students will also be introduced to “Farming God’s Way” (www.farming-gods-way.org). God willing, this will help them make better use of the resources at their disposal to provide daily bread for themselves, their families and the community. Our prayer is that through the further teaching this will also be the case with the Heavenly Food. We covet your intercession and support for this effort.

Pastor Thomas Beneke, Newcastle