One of the ways evangelicalism matures in any country is through a three-pronged approach: a growing number of local churches, a growing number of healthy seminaries and a growing number of local publishers. These entities must pour into and draw from one another to create a self-sustaining and robust Christian ecosystem. In this light, we are thrilled to share an update on Injili’s recent participation in a publishing intensive in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a crucial step for our ministry and other publishers in Africa.

A Growing Network of African Publishers.

The Lord is doing a great work to bring about revival in Africa, and a huge part of this is thanks to the various publishing efforts flourishing across the continent. There is now a vibrant network of like-minded ministries working tirelessly to produce gospel-centered content in various contexts and languages. The Lord is doing a great work through ministries like Wongelu in Ethiopia, Imbila Publishers in Zambia, Imprint in South Africa, Madagascar 3M in Madagascar and many more!

As part of this wider African and global publishing network, Injili was honoured to be invited to the publishing intensive, held in São Paulo, Brazil. The intensive was organized by our partners Fiel Ministries, a ministry that has been instrumental in resourcing the Portuguese-speaking world with sound Christian literature for over 30 years—and Desiring God.

(From left to Right) Yazan Milkonian (Jordan Baptist Publishing Ministry), Selian Saruni (Ekklesia Afrika), Avotriniaina Ravelo, Faly Ravoahangy (Madagascar-3M), Bill Walsh (Crossway), Dawit Bekele (Wongelu Ministries) Banele Ndolvu (Imprint-SA) Michael Muthama (Injili Ministries) Mwangi Kiara (Injili Ministries) Robson Chimenge (Imbila Publishers), Daniel Henderson (Christian Book), Keith Percic (IMB Côte d’Ivoire) Olumide (Nigeria) Drew Oller (Crossway)

The five-day publishing intensive provided deep dives into crucial aspects of modern publishing. Our schedule included  topics like "Publishing to Create a Demand" and "Building a Brand", as well as strategies for content distribution, growing a community, and building a web presence. However, two areas were particularly significant for Injili: the sessions on AI and "Raising Up Authors."

The discussion on AI—specifically its deployment for publishing and the ethical issues around its use—was especially relevant, given that a lot of Injili’s content creation and distribution work leverages AI-based tools. This training will significantly inform our future digital strategy.

The session on raising up authors was another significant highlight. Our plan in the future is to build robust publishing arm and a crucial step towards that is to raise up authors who will write for the African continent, ensuring the content is contextualized and culturally relevant. We encourage everyone to stay tuned—we plan to organize a writers' workshop soon to kickstart this effort!

Beyond the Classroom: A Necessary Contrast

On the last day, as part of a group outing, we visited a Roman Catholic shrine that millions across the world flock to every year: the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida (Nossa Senhora Aparecida). 

A statue of Our lady of Aparecida displayed at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Our Lady Aparecida in Aparecida, São Paulo, Brazil.

The significance of the shrine is rooted in a legend from 1717. Three fishermen on the Paraíba River, having failed to catch anything, cast their net one last time and pulled up a headless, dark-colored statue of the Virgin Mary. They cast their net again and retrieved the head, which fit perfectly. Immediately following this discovery, their nets were apparently suddenly full of fish. This event was seen as miraculous, and devotion grew rapidly. The shrine now hosts one of the largest basilicas in the world. 

The deep emotional and cultural significance of this Marian devotion can be seen through public figures like famed Brazilian Striker Ronaldo Nazário. Following his career-threatening knee injuries in the early 2000s, from which he made a stunning and well-documented comeback from to star in the 2002 World Cup, Ronaldo attributed his healing to Our Lady of Aparecida. Indeed, one of his signed shirts from the 2002 World Cup can be seen in the shrine's underground museum.

Ronald Nazario's signed jersey, 2002. The inscription reads, In gratitude for the grace received from Our Lady Aparecida. Ronaldo R9

Visiting this shrine was a useful experience in understanding the nature of the challenge facing evangelicalism across the world. In Brazil, this challenge is the prevalence of Roman Catholicism, with its traditions, saints, and Marian devotion—the very theological concerns the Protestant Reformation sought to correct. In Africa, the evangelical church is up against Roman Catholicism and other sinister emerging false 'faiths'. The prevalence of animism, the prosperity gospel, witchcraft, and more are indicators that there is a lot to do in our continent. The visible, sensual devotion we observed at the shrine in Aparecida serves to remind us of the sinful human tendency toward visual and tangible religious experience, and highlights the great need for clear, gospel-centered content to direct people to the sole mediator, Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). This is the work that Injili and other publishing ministries around the world, are working to fulfil.

Looking Ahead

In the coming weeks and months, Injili will be deploying various initiatives inspired by the training, including a slew of new podcasts, fresh articles, and more audio resources. We are committed to translating the lessons from the intensive into actionable steps to better equip the African church. We ask for your  prayers for not only Injili but also for all the other publishers around the world doing great work to edify the church. May the Lord use our meagre efforts for his own great glory! Amen.

If you wish to support Injili's work of providing theological resources to the church in Africa you may do so by clicking here.

We are thrilled to share an exciting update on a project that Injili has been working on to translate the Africa Statement on the Prosperity Gospel and Word of Faith Theology to Christians across Tanzania in Swahili.

A Critical Partnership for Biblical Clarity

The influence of the Prosperity Gospel in Africa remains a significant challenge to sound biblical doctrine and sound churches in East Africa. To equip the local church with clear, counter-teaching, Injili Ministries is assisting with the translation and production of this vital document into Tanzanian Swahili. This project is built on the belief that local church leadership must be at the forefront. Therefore, we have established a strong partnership with Kweli Baptist Church in Katesh, Tanzania, which is managing and overseeing the entire translation and production process locally.

Progress on the Ground: Written and Oral Resources

We would like to piggy back on Africa’s rich oral culture. As a result, we are developing two complementary resources:

1. A translated Swahili booklet of the full Africa Statement.
2. An audio version of the text, ideal for group listening and widespread distribution.

We are pleased to report that we have successfully completed the first draft of both the written translation and the audio recording. To ensure the translation is accurate, contextually relevant, and maximally effective, the Kweli Baptist Church team is currently utilising focus groups of local Tanzanian pastors. This critical feedback stage is essential for fine-tuning the language and delivery, ensuring the resources truly resonate with the target audience and clearly articulate biblical truths.

The Next Steps and Prayer Request

The immediate next phase will involve incorporating the detailed feedback received from the pastors' focus groups. We will dedicate time to refining the translation and polishing the audio quality in line with their  input. Our team, working alongside Kweli Baptist Church and managing other simultaneous projects, is aiming to have the finalised, ready-to-distribute versions completed by late November at the latest.

We request your prayers for this vital work:

• For Accuracy and Clarity: Pray for the translation team as they fine-tune the document to ensure maximum clarity and fidelity to the original theological content.
• For the Pastors: Pray that the pastors reviewing the material would gain deep understanding and be effectively equipped to t   teach against error in their congregations.
• For Timely Completion: Pray that we can meet our late November goal despite the complexities of managing multiple projects.

Your partnership in prayer and support makes equipping the African church possible. If you wish to support Injili's work of providing theological resources to the church in Africa you may do so by clicking here.