Stephen Mbogo, the global head of Christian mission organisation African Enterprise has been in Australia for the past few weeks taking about the group’s mission to share Jesus. DAVID ADAMS reports…
Think of Africa’s challenges and, for many, their first thought is of poverty and role it plays in conflict. But according to evangelist Stephen Mbogo, bad governance also plays a key role in many of the continent’s problems.
Rev Dr Mbogo, international team leader at Christian mission organisation African Enterprise, says addressing this issue of poor leadership is a key part of the organisation’s mandate.
“We have a saying that says ‘When a fish begins to rot, it begins at the head’…” he says. This means that as well as reaching out with the Gospel to “people in the streets”, AE is also in the business of reaching out to the “five per cent that rules the nation”, according to Rev Dr Mbogo.
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CHANGING A CONTINENT: Rev Dr Stephen Mbogo (right). “We believe we are called to awaken the church – the sleeping giant – and let it loose into the harvest…”– Rev Dr Stephen Mbogo, international team leader at African Enterprise |
“(H)ow do we reach our to these Zacchaeuses, to these Matthews, to these Nicodemuses? How do we reach out to that five per cent so that we can influence their thinking, their policy-making, their decision-making? Because we believe when Jesus says ‘Go and make fishers of men’, He meant…the big fish and the small fish.”
Founded in 1962 by South African evangelist Dr Michael Cassidy, African Enterprise works in partnership with the church to see people in Africa’s cities come to Christ.
With staff in 10 countries, including South Africa, Rwanda and Tanzania, and partner organisations in others, AE runs city-based outreach events and, at the same time, looks to help meet the needs of those it encounters – “We say in Africa, ‘An empty stomach has no ears’,” says Rev Dr Mbogo.
AE has also been involved in peace-making in conflicts in places such as South Africa and Rwanda and is currently performing such a role in South Sudan, and the organisation sees the empowerment and training of leaders as a core part of its mandate.
In Australia this month to share his vision for the church in Africa and AE’s ministry, Rev Dr Mbogo – who leaves the country today – told Sight this week that there is no simple reason behind the causes of Africa’s problems today – in particular the amount of conflict on the continent – but says its colonial past has played a key role as has, more recently, the growth of Islam in Africa and the sheer number of tribal groups.
“When you have over 1,000 different tribes all jostling for limited spots of power there, you have a real recipe for conflict…” he says.
Rev Dr Mbogo says AE takes a “stratified” approach to each city they work in, adapting their ministry to target different groups of people.
“The way you reach out to a politician, for example, is not simply the way we go into a mass campaign. So we have to be strategic…” he says. “We have to adapt – it’s not the fish who adapt to the fisherman, it’s the fisherman who adapts to the places where the fish are found.”
As well as holding large evangelistic outreaches, this means such things as working with politicians to help form prayer groups – as they have in South Sudan – or, as it intends to do in the Ivory Coast capital of Abidjan later this month, holding events targeting people working in specific professions such as doctors, lawyers and those in business.
Rev Dr Mbogo says working with local churches is essential to AE’s mission.
“We believe we are called to awaken the church – the sleeping giant – and let it loose into the harvest…We are not called to monopolise, we are called to mobilise…” he says. “So working with churches is paramount for us; it’s non negotiable.”
This visit was Rev Dr Mbogo’s second to Australia – he was last here about eight years ago. He says Australians can help support the work of AE through, firstly, prayer, and secondly, financially.
“It costs money to do the events, so we would really appreciate prayer support and financial support,” he says. “That goes a long way to Australians being a blessing to the continent of Africa and we believe Africa will also be a blessing to Australia.”
African Enterprise Week will be held from 24th to 31st August.
