The vision is being fulfilled. The Wesley Missionary Institute (WMI) outside Lomé, Togo, was created for the purpose of training Africans to be missionaries among unreached people groups. This vision is being fulfilled as graduates have planted churches in new areas of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo and Ivory Coast.
In February 2024, a new class of six students enrolled. All of them left their homes to come live on the WMI campus for 18 months. Some traveled for four days across four countries, sleeping in bus stations at night. Most are unable to see their families for 18 months. Two even know they will not be going “home.” One will be assigned to start new work in The Gambia and one in Benin.
Even as they live in Togo, they are being educated cross-culturally. Some have never lived in a rural area. The culture and the language are unfamiliar. Their coursework is often taught in another language – usually French or English.
The education at WMI goes beyond biblical studies, evangelism and church planting; the students also learn to grow vegetables and raise small livestock. These skills prepare them to live with minimal dependence on others. When they enter a new community, they will have a way to sustain themselves and their family so as not to be a burden on the community.
All of the students are trained in church-planting systems using Church Development Network (CDN) principles and practices. These practices include methods for connecting in a new community, mapping their area for ministry, and teaching a simplified Bible study system for those who have never had access to Scripture.
The Wesley Missionary Institute is at the forefront of ministry expansion in West Africa. The impact of graduates is far-reaching as students go out to serve in areas without gospel workers. This is cross-cultural work; it is not just the North America missionaries making an impact. The Lord is sending Africans to reach cross-culturally on their own continent.
Please pray for the graduates who have already been deployed. Pray for the current cohort of students as they learn, plan and prepare for deployment among new people groups who have no access to the gospel.
