Page 242 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

A History of the Church in Africa

Booth’s grave is in Ouagadougou, along with other missionaries
who were “obedient unto death.” The leaders of the church took my
colleagues and me to the grave site, and together we prayed a prayer of
rededication. It was a solemn occasion.

In a recent “Eleventh-Hour Institute,” which is a program designed
to train African missionaries for cross-cultural ministry, an older
minister of the Burkina Faso Assemblies of God church asked to testify.
He related a few things about the testimony mentioned above and said
that it has become part of the oral history of the church in Burkina
Faso. He expressed sincere gratitude to the Lord and to the Assemblies
of God for bringing the good news to his land. He was amazed that
the first missionaries did not stop at the coast of West Africa but with
dedication overcame every obstacle and barrier to reach his country.
He concluded by saying that his church was prepared to respond with
the same dedication to take the gospel to the unreached people of this
generation. So the Pentecostal, spiritual chain-reaction continues until
all have heard.

The Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso is an example of the manner
in which a mature New Testament church model has developed. During
the “Decade of Harvest” (1989–1999), the church showed an increase
of 118 percent in individual churches and preaching points. Members
and adherents increased by 277 percent, and Bible school enrollment
showed a growth of 223 percent (Zongo, 162–166).

The Assemblies of God of Burkina Faso have a powerful Women’s
Ministry Department that is committed to intercession and practical
ministry. The church has approved many “home missionaries” to
reach the lost within Burkina Faso and a strong Missions Department
to send cross-cultural workers to the nations of the world. It was an
exciting experience for me to attend a recent missions conference in
Ouagadougou. The future looks bright indeed!

Indigenous, New Testament Churches
Donald Corbin refers to 1914—1945 as the “Pioneer Period” for the
Assemblies of God in Africa (1). The Pentecostal revival that began at the
outset of the century continued to provide the impetus for missionaries to
go around the world. While many evangelicals accepted in theory Henry

::: 232 :::