Church Planting in West Africa
Training. Sending. Supporting.
What Is Church Planting in West Africa?
Church planting in West Africa starts with one man hearing from God. Everything else follows from that — the congregation, the building, the new believers being baptized and discipled. For more than two decades, Laura and I have been working alongside the Hope of Africa Baptist Ministry to identify, train, and send national pastors who are reaching their own people with the Gospel.
The most effective missionaries in Ghana are Ghanaians. That is not a strategy — it is a biblical conviction. Our job is to come alongside those men, help train them, and watch God build His church through them.
Training Nationals
When God calls a man to preach, he needs a place to be trained. We work with Hope of Africa’s Bible Institute to give national men the theological foundation and practical ministry experience they need to serve their people well.
Indigenous Churches
Our goal is to see gospel-preaching, self-sustaining, self-propagating Baptist churches established across West Africa — churches led by national pastors, rooted in the Word, and growing without depending on outside support to survive.
How to Help
You do not have to go to Africa to be part of this work. There are several ways to get involved — prayer, giving, or coming to see the field firsthand. See how below.
Steps for a Successful Church Plant
A Man Is Called to Preach
It begins with the Holy Spirit. Through local churches, soul-winning, and discipleship, men are reached with the Gospel — and from among them, God calls some to preach. When a man surrenders to that calling, we want to be ready to help him take the next step.
A Man Is Trained for the Ministry
Once a man has given his life to serve the Lord, we take that seriously. We work to give him training, tools, and real ministry experience — through Bible institute coursework, hands-on preaching opportunities, and time spent working alongside established pastors.
A Man Graduates and Is Ordained
When a man finishes his training, his local church recognizes and affirms what God has placed in him. We participate in helping that church ordain him to the Gospel ministry — a formal, biblical step that sends him forward with the blessing of his church family.
A Man Is Sent to Plant a New Church
When the time is right — when the man has clear direction from the Holy Spirit and the affirmation of his pastor — he is sent to an area to begin a new work. Sometimes that area is a village that has never had a gospel-preaching church. Sometimes it is a growing community without one. Either way, he goes.
Hope of Africa Helps Secure Land and a Building
Once a pastor has started a congregation and proven his commitment to the work, Hope of Africa steps in to help secure land and start a building project. A building gives the church permanence and visibility in the community — and it tells the village that this church is here to stay.
Training the Next Generation
Through our partnership with Hope of Africa Baptist Ministry, we support a Bible Institute and boarding school in Ghana that is doing exactly this — taking young men who have surrendered to preach and giving them the Word, the doctrine, and the ministry experience they need to go back to their own people. Laura and I have been involved in this work for years, and it is one of the most encouraging things we get to be part of.
If you want to see it firsthand, come on a mission trip. If you want to help fund a student’s training or a church building project, there are specific needs waiting.
How You Can Help
You can be part of the Great Commission from wherever you are. Here are some practical ways to get involved:
- Pray for national pastors by name — contact us for an updated prayer list
- Sponsor a student in the Bible Institute
- Fund a church plant — every dollar goes directly to a specific project
- Join a mission trip and see the field yourself
- Share our ministry with your church and pastor