More than a mile, at least!

In Africa, years of superficial ministry have led people to describe Christianity as a "mile wide and an inch deep." To counteract that perception, African Christians serving with Entrust have chosen to call Entrust’s leadership development ministry More than a Mile Deep (MMD).

Dr. Andre Chitlango is the executive director of MMD. As a young man he was conscripted to serve in the communist Mozambican army, where he was derisively called "the pastor" by fellow soldiers and ridiculed for his love of Scripture and stand for Christ. He now holds a Ph.D. in theology and is the ideal visionary, energetic leader for an initiative as broad and deep as MMD.

Under Dr. Chitlango’s guidance, MMD seeks to move from the practical to the theoretical. First, MMD leaders identify specific issues faced in a certain community, then determine the ministry skills needed by pastors to address those issues. Africans develop, write and rigorously edit seminary-level courses, then trained MMD facilitators provide the courses to local pastors and lay leaders.

MMD is training men and women in practical ministry skills, grounding them in solid biblical knowledge and equipping them to serve their communities through the local church in eight African nations; at least seven more have requested that the MMD program begin in their countries.

On a macro scale, two major African denominations with combined membership of over 1.5 million members have asked MMD to re-train all of their pastors. MMD welcomes this daunting task.

On a micro scale, one church lay leader who is also the butcher in his Massai village in Kenya, completed MMD’s course Pastoral Guidance and Counseling in HIV/AIDS. He began informally surveying the customers in his butcher shop, asking, "What causes HIV/AIDS?" He posted a chart in his shop, indicating people’s responses. The most common answer: "A curse was put on that person." The butcher shared with his customers the true causes of HIV/AIDS and informed them of his church’s loving ministry to those suffering from the disease.

In individual lives, communities, denominations and entire nations, God is transforming lives through MMD.