Pastor Training

How We Train Pastors

The Mission of Edgewood is to Equip African Leaders for the African Church. Pastor training is central to everything we do. We hold a large annual leadership training conference each year in Uganda, but the need for ministry training in East Africa goes beyond what can be accomplished through an occasional big event. The typical ministry leader in East Africa does not have access to sound biblical, theological training. Most pastors have never had any formal training, so we bring training to them right where they live and serve.

Our annual conference is important, but the primary tool we use to train pastors is our year round pastor training program in partnership with Third Millennium Ministries. The specific tool that we use is the Third Mill Institute which offers 3 certificates for ministry leaders: 1. Foundations Certificate, 2. Certificate in Biblical Studies, and 3. Certificate in Theological Studies. If you would like to see more details about the curriculum, click HERE.

     

Students can receive training online individually by going through the course materials on their own, but this is not a viable option for most of the ministry leaders that we serve. The typical village pastor in East Africa does not have access to the equipment (laptop or tablet) nor an adequate and stable source of internet or data plan, so the individual online approach is not available to them (though we do have a few who use that method). 

The more effective and more accessible approach is for the pastors to study together in learning communities. In order to facilitate this approach we establish Learning Centers in villages, towns, and cities where the pastors come to study together with a facilitator that we have trained. The Learning Centers are equipped with tables and chairs, white board, screen, laptop computer, and internet access. We also provide food and drinks on the days the the learning communities gather to study, because many of the pastors travel significant distances. 

We now have learning communities in the following locations in Uganda: Lira, Kitgum,  BidiBidi Refugee Settlement in Yumbe District, Kampala as well as in Torit, South Sudan (see map below). A new learning center will be opening soon in Kiryandongo Refugee Settlement in Kiryandongo, Uganda. The next areas we have targeted for Learning Centers are Gulu and Arua, Uganda, followed by other parts of Uganda with additional opportunities in Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania.

Edgewood Regional Leader in BidiBidi, Victor and Edgewood Training Coordinator, Jeremiah