Training Pastors Worldwide

Betty tells it best. Gotta love Betty! She is a star pupil and teaches women’s ministries at her church. (You may need to click on the Picture-in-Picture icon at the bottom of the video to see Betty’s full face. WordPress glitch). George is from Sierra Leone and is a wonderful man! Abraham, a committed student, came to class the morning his wife gave birth to their daughter Abigail. These men and women who sacrifice to come and learn are the true heroes of Africa. I pray for them every day.

Here is a quick trip update.

My proposed schedule was roughly: 1 week in Minneapolis at the TLI office.

2 weeks in Liberia: teaching Course 4 on the gospel of Mark and one week teaching the Major Old Testament Prophets.

2 Weeks in Sierra Leone at two training sites.

Five weeks away and then home to Orange.

Things did not materialize that way: violent, deadly riots in the two cities in Sierra Leone necessitated cancelling the last two scheduled weeks of my trip.

However, the first week at the TLI office in Minneapolis was great- plenty of talk and connections.

The first week in Liberia I led a fabulous, amazing, incredible (more raving needed but I think you get my point) team from William Tennent School of Theology. Five of the best teachers ever!! I highly recommend William Tennent if you are thinking about a theological education, especially for vocational pastors. In my next life I will definitely enroll there. Their model is different than traditional seminaries. Here’s the link. http://www.WilliamTennent.org

In Liberia there were logistical difficulties concerning water, food, and electricity. These problems necessitated the cancelling of the second week of classes. A huge disappointed for the students and for me, especially for the students who sacrificed much to come to class. Very sad.

However, I was able to stay in Monrovia for two more weeks to help our full-time TLI staff member, Ryan, with administrative tasks and problem solving. They were hard weeks but necessary ones.

Please continue to pray fervently for the students and the ministry in Liberia. There is no doubt in my mind that the enemy does not like what we are doing there.

I’m home now, gathering my thoughts, preparing for my next trip and heading to Minneapolis the first part of October for our bi-annual staff meeting.

Thanks for praying and giving.

Bob and Vickie Burris

African pastors need resources. The apostle Paul asked for parchments/books at the end of 2 Timothy and so we too need resources to help us with the book of books – the Bible.

On this trip we brought a handbook on church/pastoring for African pastors, written by an African pastor. Every single attendee wanted one. But in the absence of books there are some great online sites. I’ve listed them here.

And these are not just for African pastors. They are for pastors, church members, churches in the United States, and around the world.

Challies.com His name is Tim Challies – a Canadian. He has a web site and a daily blog with links to Kindle deals, somewhat uneven in their quality, but some very good books at hugely reduced prices. I have reverted to Kindle books because of my travel. He also has links to other sites every day. Hardly a day passes that I don’t read something he has posted with great benefit.

The Gospel Coalition. A warehouse of great articles, sermons, and blogs. Trustworthy. GospelCoalition.org

Desiring God. A treasure: sermons, articles and free PDF books. John Piper and others. DesiringGod.org

NetBible.org An all purpose site with Bible study materials.

9Marks.org A ministry founded out of Capital Hill Baptist in Washington D.C. Great resources and handy 9Marks books on the church.

World Magazine. The news from a solid Christian worldview. World.wng.org

The Berean Test. A Christian song review site. Give it a try. I like it. TheBereanTest.com

Ligonier.org Everything from a gentler Reformed perspective. You’ll enjoy the material. R.C. Sproul was the founder.

Gospel Coalition Africa! Yes. A great resource for African pastors and churches. There’s a link below that I’m requiring my students to read and write about. The prosperity gospel, not really the gospel, has invaded the continent like a hoard of locusts. Brought from the U.S. and syncretized with ancestor worship and witchcraft, it has taken on an existence that will move you to your knees. I pray daily for God to open eyes to see the error. They have taken the Holy Spirit, put him in a Trojan Horse, and now they’ve let him loose so they can play with him. That’s one of the reasons I’m here now. https://africa.thegospelcoalition.org/article/a-trojan-horse-in-the-african-church-deliverance-ministry/