Central Nyanza Conference has just concluded five sessions of powerful Elders’ Discipleship Seminar facilitated by West Kenya Union Conference leaders.
The seminar that ended on Thursday January 23, saw the WKUC President Pr. Samuel Misiani, leading two Union departmental directors, Pr. John Tuwei and Eld. Daniel Tirop as they traversed the width and breadth of the CNC territory with an impressive overall attendance of more than 500 elders drawn from all over the Conference.
With each session divided into three main parts and lasting seven hours non-stop, Discipleship, as the gist of the Mission of the Seventh-day Adventist Church could not have been better articulated.
On his part, Pr. Misiani laid much stress on the Christian calling to BE disciples and to MAKE disciples. “We have for a long time given more attention to participles rather than to the main verb”, he said in reference to the famous Great Commission of Matthew 28:19, 20. “Making disciples is what we are called to do, it is the main verb in this Commission, the others are participles”, he added while also underscoring that one reason why the church must make disciples is because it is a command.
This is in tune with the recently revised Mission Statement of the Church that emphasizes more on making disciples as the imperative of the gospel commission.
Pr. Tuwei on the other hand drew the elders’ attention to the need to be Fishers of men who will also nurture the catch rather than intend to “eat” them as is the case with fishers of fish, while Eld. Tirop brought a timely perspective on health habits and living standards that disciples should espouse to ensure better life and strength for service in the Lord’s vineyard.
Every session ended with a group exercise in which the delegates interrogated various passages of the Bible to pinpoint different aspects of the Vision and Mission of the Church and of Discipleship.
Participants came out of the meetings upbeat and itching to share the message and make more disciples.
This training was to orient the elders on a model that will be rolled out in every local church to become a disciple making church.
The Central Nyanza Conference president Pr. John Ojung’a, who attended all the sessions noted with pride that the Conference was the first among peers to host the training and should hence lead in its implementation.
By Pr. Vincent Onunga, Communication Director, CNC.
