Note: Matt Friedeman is teaching at a graduate school in Lagos, Nigeria, this week. He writes his column from Africa this week.

By Matt Friedeman, PhD
January 20, 2005

LAGOS, NIGERIA (AgapePress) - If you want to draw a crowd -- a really big crowd -- this is the place to be. But why would you want one?

A friend who ministers here in Nigeria was asked by an evangelist for help in setting up some evangelistic meetings.  My friend understood the interest.  The evangelist had heard reports about tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, even millions (if you have major U.S. television presence) of people attending preaching and healing services.

Having been here for at least a little while, I have newfound respect for the missionary's advice:  "Anybody from the U.S. with a little bit of name recognition and organizational skills can get people -- and a lot of them -- to a crusade.  What is needed is discipleship and training."

So, said the missionary: "Want to help Nigeria?  Invest your money, time and energy in the theological and spiritual training of those who have made a serious commitment to Christ."

The evangelist didn't get the answer he wanted to hear, and the missionary didn't get the training support the Kingdom in this nation needs.

More's the pity.

Discipleship and theological training aren't nearly as exciting as a million shouting Nigerians with hands lifted to heaven in pursuit of healing, financial prosperity, and divine help to make it through another day, week, or year in their very difficult situation.  But, exciting or not, it is the real need of the hour in Africa and the developing world in general, Nigeria in particular.

John Wesley -- truly one of the great evangelists of all time -- said that he would not strike one evangelistic stroke where he could not follow that blow with small group encouragement, accountability, and training.  He noted that in Pembrokeshire, where he had once preached with apparently great success, "nine in ten of the once-awakened are now faster asleep than ever."

He mended his method.  He changed England.

Nigeria is not being changed.  Or, rather, the social and political structures are not being effectively impacted by the Church. And Islam is on the march as never before.  If Christianity here does not take serious disciplemaking to heart, it will find itself, every bit as much as Wesley's Pembrokeshire, defeated.

Utterly defeated.

And yet, there is hope.  A young man who is church planting in this area told me that "too many talk about the prosperity of the gospel; we are talking about holiness.  And that is what the church and this nation need."

So, he is planting a different kind of church. And he intends for these new churches to change the nation: not with big crusades and promises of prosperity, but with love and righteousness, justice and purity.

I'm putting my time, money, and energy on the planter with the character of God in mind, not the TV evangelist with stars in his eyes.