Theological Education in Cameroon

Our mission is to equip Cameroonian men to treasure our Sovereign God and Sacred Book for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. 

Around the world, there are 2.2 million evangelical churches. 85% are led by pastors with no formal theological training. Cameroon is sadly no different. As a result, the Prosperity Gospel and its advocates reign supreme and unchallenged in the Cameroonian Church. If faithful Cameroonian shepherds who treasure our Sovereign God and Sacred Book are not trained, we might unfortunately see the Gospel vanish eventually. As a matter of fact, when Abby and I were there, we already got to meet an unchurched woman who had left her "church" because of the manifold abuses of her Prosperity Gospel "pastor." 

For the Church to thrive in Cameroon and for the Gospel to reach the unreached there, what they need more than classical missions work is theological education. A dear Malagasy friend who has been working in theological education himself all across Africa for years confirmed that is the case: "Do not send missionaries to the unreached, send theological educators and all the rest will be accomplished in time by the African Church herself." When we send theological educators, we eventually equip the local churches with qualified pastors who can then stir up a passion for the supremacy of Christ in all things in their people; a passion for the unreached is bound to follow. Whereas when we send people to the unreached directly, we ultimately make the Cameroonian local churches dependent on our theologically sound and therefore missions-conscious churches in the US while leaving them unable to walk in their biblical calls. 

As most of the so-called developed world secularizes rapidly, it is now even more pressing that we share with Cameroonian local churches what has made the Church strong throughout the centuries: theologically educated pastors. Cameroon is surprisingly open to Christ, resists the anti-Nature ideologies and policies from the West, and benefits from a demographic boom (unlike the vast majority of the world). Abby and I believe that this makes Cameroon - and Africa with it - the future of the Church. The only thing they miss is a Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated, and Missions-focused theological education. 

Sent by our local church, Bethlehem Baptist, we plan to accomplish this vision by joining the Faculty of Bethlehem Seminary - Yaoundé Extension Site in partnership with our missions agency Training Leaders International. To see God's call come to life, Abby and I could not have hoped for a better sending organization than TLI. Indeed, TLI firmly believes in sending people who strengthen local churches through theological education. You can read more on TLI's mission by clicking here.