Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore, Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” (1 Samuel 1:13,14)

Let me usher you to the beginning…She was a desperate woman who wept day and night from the ridicule of her cowife because she could not get pregnant; the Bible says that “…her rival also provoked her severely to make her miserable.” The narrator goes further to describe the depth of the desperation “…that the Lord had shut her womb,” what can get worse than that? Even God was involved in her anguish.

In her desperation, she was blind to the overflowing love of her husband, who lavished her more to compensate for her childlessness; nothing could satisfy her. One time, her husband was so pained by her desperation that he lashed back at her …Why do you keep weeping? and why don’t you eat? and why is your heart so grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? 

Don’t you feel the same, seeking Soul? Sometimes, you are so wounded that you don’t realize you hurt those around you. You lash back at what you don’t know, and it’s even worse if you feel like God has a part to play. That’s when Hannah resolves to go and settle her matter with God, who had shut her womb. It’s a long journey, so she prepares for it. She travels to Shiloh, which is about 24 kilometers (15 miles) east of Ramah, an exhausting 5-hour walk.

Once in the temple, Hannah does not go to the priest but immediately begins to pour her soul to God. The priest Eli, a man of God, is watching from a distance and concludes that the woman is drunk! Yes… typical of the men of God, Eli, the priest, gives his judgment without empathy. “…“How long will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!” Oh No, not the man of God too… The man of God who had not heard from God for so long was short of discernment. His focus was on the wrong place! Instead of focusing on her heart, the narrator says, “…Eli watched her mouth.”

Hannah had faced a complete cycle of “Mistaken Identity”:

1. To Peninnah, her co-wife, she was Barren.
2. To Elkanah, the Husband, she was Winning.
3. To Eli, the High Priest, she was Drunk.

Seeking Soul, I hear you say, “That is unfair.” This morning, I am seated in the “Restaurant” that has become my “safe space.” Gazing at all the families, young people, and spiritual leaders walking in and out. Some are seated in isolated corners, others chartering in groups in “Arabic.” I don’t know the depth of their conversations, but I may not be wrong to say, that someone here is saying … “That is unfair.”

Seeking Soul, are you surrounded with “Peninnah’s”? Beautiful “Pearls,” as her name suggests, are those who have everything working out for them. They live with you; some are your colleagues at work, and others are your fellow members of the church. Every time you look at them, you judge yourself. Compared to them, You have failed, they are perfect, you don’t seem to be productive, you are “barren.” Are you there?

Seeking Soul could be you are surrounded by “Elkanah’s. These people identify with us in every need but don’t know how to meet our needs. They are the “Purchased of God” acquired just for us, as “Elkanah” means. But they reach a point of desperation where they get so frustrated, not knowing what to do to help us. At that point, without expecting, they lash out: Can’t you see, I am here for you. “…Why do you keep weeping?” But they have no idea that the depth of our needs is beyond their human intervention.

Seeking Soul, maybe you are a victim of the “Eli” syndrome, the lofty ones, the sanctified, set apart, holy folk who seem next to God. These elevated spiritual giants look at you from a distance and immediately diagnose your suffering. Sometimes, they even claim to have been sent by God, they saw a dream, they have a new revelation about you, but they get it all wrong. They accuse you of what you are not; you expect them to be different from the rest, But they turn out to be the worst of all.

Stand up, oh seeking Soul, as Hannah did; she cannot bear these “mistaken identities” anymore; she gathers all the courage left and, for the first time, speaks out her position. What lessons do we learn from Hannah?

1. Face your criticisms with humility: “No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. 
2. Reject the false accusations: I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, 
3. Identify the genuine need: but have poured out my soul before the Lord. 
4. Stand Blameless in your actions: Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, 
5. State your case truthfully: for out of the abundance of my complaints and grief, I have spoken until now.”

At this point, the man of God comes to his senses and says “…“Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him.” Then Hannah makes the one prayer of the person she really is “…“Let your maidservant find favor in your sight.” The narrator closes this confrontation at the temple with this memorable statement, “…So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.”

Seeking Soul, today as you seek God in prayer and fasting, follow the footsteps of “Hannah.” She appealed to God’s favor, just as her name suggests. Yes, in the depth of your anguish and seeking, appeal to the “Grace of God.” Seeking Soul Thus says The Lord, Only by Grace can you enter.

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Seeking Soul, Take your Bible Now, and read the whole of First Samuel Chapter One, and meditate on verses thirteen and fourteen. What “mistaken identity” will you confront in your prayer today?

Reflecting on the interplay between theology, education and community, one can conclude that “Theology” is the content upon which the means of education addresses the community context. Humanity is informed by acquisition of knowledge designed to help the believer engage their world with understanding. John Wesley challenged his hearers to engage in practical theology that addresses issues of life of the daily ordinary folk in their day-to-day business.[1] John Wesley’s intentionally developed a spiritual ecosystem in his era. In most contemporary practices, spiritual growth gets designated to the Sunday worship hour. The result has distorted the spiritual growth “ecosystem” where general, extraordinary, prudential, and instituted means of grace should get experienced. 

Rev. Dr. Tammie Grimm (Wesley Seminary) response to stunted spiritual maturity is to “grow in Christian fellowship.” She reiterated that, Christian formation first task is to inquire as to what is going on in the five areas of ministry praxis, which are prayer (lirtugia), service (diakonia), fellowship (Koinonia), teaching (Didache) and preaching (kerygma). Learning from the Le Chambon believers that an intentional community can influence and foster their faith among its members by:

1. The practice of long-lived traditions.”[2]
2. The development of structure and intentional activities. [3]
3. The continuous reenactment of the life of Christ among the people.[4]

Knowing that theology lays the foundational “content” for practical outreach, and that education is the “means” to access that knowledge, ministry “context” must be carried out with intentionality, consistency and competently. The next steps in engaging the knowledge acquired in ministry would entail:

1. CONTEXT ANALYSIS: Analysis of the present implicit and explicit ministry context
2. GAP ANALYSIS: Identifying the discovered gaps in the implicit and ministry context areas.
3. CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT: Developing appropriate curriculum content to address the gaps identified.
4. EQUIPPING PERSONEL: Equipping the local church and ministry leaders through practical broad and precise proficiency to address the identified gaps.
5. SKILL IMPLEMENTATION: Implementation of trained skills to mitigate the discovered gaps.
6. ACCOUNTABLE FEEDBACK: Reporting of the results to measure if the gaps are being addressed and where appropriate adjustments must be undertaken.

^[1] Maddox, Randy L.. Responsible Grace (Kingswood Series) (p. 17). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.

^[2] “A Requiem for My Church” by T. Grimm, Firebrand article published Sept 28, 2021(new site)

^[3] Blevins, Dean; Maddix, Mark. Discovering Discipleship: Dynamics of Christian Education . Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.Loc 3483

^[4] Blevins, Dean; Maddix, Mark. Discovering Discipleship: Dynamics of Christian Education . Beacon Hill Press. Kindle Edition.Loc 3529-3622

Serving as an overseer of urban congregations, a church raised a concern as to what they needed to do with the growing number of youths in the church and noisy children who were distracting regular worship. After much consultation they made a deliberation to have all the children and youth attend youth church, but before implementing, they proposed to inquire some “wisdom.” Burdened by their concern I asked the elders several questions:

1. Do you perceive members with children as a blessing or a bother, how would you want them to participate in worship with peace of mind?
2. When the children and youth get separated from the main church service, when and how will they learn, to sing, pray, worship with the rest of the congregation members?
3. What avenues can the church incorporate these groups as part of the worship service so that they benefit from one another? 

In the current station of service, there are people of all ages, stages and generations made of citizens and immigrants. The concept of intergenerational worship is God ordained and timely. During the main service, the youths, adults, and seniors all congregate in the sanctuary and help with different aspects of the church service. Ushering, worship music, media operations. The young adults’ ladies and women of the church help with making tea and snacks for fellowship time. The men come with the younger men, their sons for men’s breakfast events. As the sermon is done in the main church so the children and youths are released to classes for age appropriate learning.

In the work “Nurturing Faith: A Practical Theology for Educating Christians” Fred P. Edie and Mark A. Lamport rightfully raise the necessity of intergenerational communal processes of faith. Spot on they declare that, “…faith communities are … essential greenhouses for nurturing faith.[1]” Essentially the “ecology effects both the young and old. The failure to do so lead to the loss of the “…distinctive language, gestures, practices, dispositions of the heart, and vision which are the ingredients of faith.[2]

Unlike the “Sunday School” models adopted by most Christian Educationists, appropriate Spiritual ecology responsible for intergenerational disciple making transcends “learning about” to incarnational “living out.”[3] Edie and Lamport offer some broad strategies for communal faith formation, which incorporate, developing catechetical culture, where new Christians reaffirm and reflect their faith learning, by “repeating faith.”[4] Offering leadership for congregational change through normalizing, adult, children, and young adults functioning together in intergenerational worship, through access for all methodology, that impacts all ages and stages of the congregation. Foster summarizes this as “Preparation, Participation and Reflection through the churches’, ritual practices, of worship and in mission. Intergenerational dynamics is enabled through a healthy congregational ecology of practices.[5]

^[1] Edie, F. P., Lamport, M. A., Foster, C. R., Percy, M., Wright, A. M., Dykstra, C. R., … Groome, T. H. (2021). Pg 312. Nurturing faith: A practical theology for educating Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. 

^[2] Ibid. (2021). Pg 314. 

^[3] Ibid (2021). Pg 315. 

^[4] Ibid (2021). Pg 318. 

^[5] Ibid (2021). Pg 324. 

In episode ten of “the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. It traces the learning journey Air Force and Navy fighter pilots went through to become competent lunar geologists.” Demonstrating to the whole of humanity that “it can be done.” This competent team of pilots defied the odds of their profession, political and boardroom squabbles, the earths gravitational pull to prove that the scientist “Galileo was right” and that knowledge well packaged and delivered can be transferred and effected. Eager learners, appropriate content, and relevant context create a conducive environment. The fact that the pilots were seasoned never meant that they could not be trained as “Geologists,” they just needed the correct motivation.

The episode opens with the journalists being taught in a highly sophisticated geology class with a professor using formulas and scientific terminologies, probably keen to convert the “Pilots” into Geologists. The critique made on this “pilot” learners was that they were deficient of scientific minds and that is why they were not getting the concepts taught, within the shortest time that had been stipulated. The team leader confronts the transmitters of knowledge instead to identify a teacher with the capacity to “bring up the scientific in all of the pilots.” The learners’ source for a professor who had the capacity to transmit such knowledge but who is hesitant to become part of the program. Again, the team leader is persistent to inquire that if the transmitter was preoccupied why not teach the Astronauts to know how to identify the resources they need. The focus shifts from “converting them to become “miniature geologists” to equipping them with the knowledge to identify the required “resources” from the Moon.

Besides, the Class is shifted from the “standard” classroom, learning concepts to the field, to interact with rocks and landscapes. Another transformation happens in the boardroom when the “professionals” cannot agree on where the landing on the Moon should be done. The learners are engaged to give their opinion amidst diverse differences from the conflicted “professionals.” The learners take the challenge to attempt the most difficult landing to get the best results, because all along they were part of the process and were ready to get it right from the start. From the experience and exposure of the Pilots, we see them becoming not just “lunar geologists, but competent and passionate renaissance men” ready to put their lives at stake to attempt the “greatest lip for mankind” on the Moon. Men who could observe and translate the big picture to minute details, that the rest of humanity could now learn from them way out in space.

Similarly, speaking to my thousands of pastoral colleagues who have the rear privilege to declare the oracles of God from every pulpit around the world, we need an “upgrade.” Every pastor on the pulpit must shift from seeing the soul of its members as “a vessel to be filled but a fire to be lit.^[1]” Our aim as mandated by Christ is to stir the souls with a passion to seek the truth for themselves by the urging of the Holy Spirit who is at work in every heart. What relevance then, does the astronauts preparation for their lunar mission have for the contemporary leaders, inspiring communal or even congregational spiritual formation? 

1. Redeeming time: “Time is everything and preparation is critical” says the professor in the mini-series From the Earth to the Moon. Similarly, Paul reminds the Ephesian believers the essence of Redeeming the time, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5:16). Every opportunity to stir the souls on our pulpits must be used skillfully and urgently for the most impact when it is still “day”!
2. Relevant Content and Context: Just like the professor attempting to convert the astronauts into “mini geologists”, the pulpit teachers thrive to raise “mini theologians” with concepts we can barely pronounce and miss to equip the Christians in their arears of passion, our pulpit curriculum must transmit knowledge but answer needs.
3. Reduction from broad to Specific: Just like a skilled painter or artist who begins his work with broad strokes to minute details, the pulpit teacher must help the hearers see the “big picture” to “specific details” of God’s plan for their lives. 

The pulpit ministers are daily aware that the Christians’ warfare “gravitational pulls” are not human created, rather they wrestle “principalities, forces of darkness,” sometimes not visible with the human eye. Yet by the power of the risen Christ, such forces are brought submissive to the authority of Christ, with divine powers to destroy strongholds, defy every “gravitational pull” that stops the believers from achieving their utmost potential. The Sunday pulpit curricula must thrive to achieve this goal just like Geologist Lee Silver assists Dave Scott and his Apollo 15 crew in becoming field observers on the moon.

^[1]primevideo://detail?asin=B07TV8G7KS&action=download&territory=US&ref_=atv_dp_btf_el_est_sd_tv_dwld_t1BLAAAAAA0wr0_atv_dwld_web_unknown_dp

The Anglican Church of Kenya raised a red flag on the demise of the “influence” of the Church in the education sector. The provosts’ desk noted, “Christian churches have played a pivotal role in providing primary, secondary, and higher education in Kenya. In the 18th century, the Church managed education in Kenya. In every mission center, the missionaries established three institutions: a church, a school, and a health center to cater to the holistic human need.” Due to the inability of most churches impoverished with personnel and finances to run the schools efficiently, “…The government has slowly but intentionally removed the Church from school ownership to school ‘sponsorship.’” [1] The shift of support has also led to a change in Christian authority in the management and curricular development of the schools. The more government influence the school has, the more likely its Christian ethos will be endangered.

The basic understanding of “Christian Education,” as taught in most bible school curricula, is the ability to inculcate “Christian ethos” into every area of study, be it humanities, social sciences, or art. Intentionally weaving into “all fields of study” the essence of godliness. Unfortunately, where applicable, the understanding of this has been limited to Christian teachers beginning the class with “Prayer” use of “God” vocabulary scantly. The challenge with this methodology is that most teachers lack the understanding and embodiment of education that is “Christian” in themselves.

To reclaim the Church’s lost birthright to influence matters of education demands a clear understanding of “Christian Education.” Beyond education incorporating “God language,” James’s Relay articulates that which informs the Christians’ ethos, including a “…conceptualization …informed by Scripture, living the Christian tradition, and articulating theology in the content subjects and teaching process.” [2] In essence, there is no way of teaching the “evolution theory” in a Christian way when the truth is that “God created” the world. In pursuing the desire to entrench the Christian ethos, Christian education must correct the ideology first and inform the people what is “theologically” unsound. Incorporating the content and teaching process demands an intentional shift from “disintegration to wholistic integration.”[3]

The result is education that bears “integrity, conspicuously distinctive, gives clear direction, bears biblical content, contains set parameters, filled with divine conviction, able to nurture souls, engaging an intentional process, and utilizes lenses to filter the knowledge being transmitted.[4] Africa Gospel Church, Kenya, my home denomination, has over five hundred schools that offer basic and higher education. Including mid-level tertiary institutions, a bible college, and a university. While the biases of my training may lead me to value theological training as a discipline, I am deeply concerned about the hundreds of teachers who interact with the students in these “church-sponsored schools” in teaching “social sciences.”

 On a scale of one to five, I would give myself a four on the emphasis of theology to prepare for pastoral ministry and a two on the interest in social sciences. Yet, the discipleship mandate demands that I shift my missiological focus to the hundreds of social science teachers who interact daily with the souls of the youth in the Church-sponsored schools. What improvements should the denominational leaders make to reclaim the Church’s birthright in providing Christian education? The mandate lies with the discipleship department in the following areas:

1. Denominational leaders have a “holistic” understanding of what it takes to get an “education that is Christian.”
2. Discipleship leaders analyze its institutions and institutional leaders to know what levels of “disintegration” exist in the church system.
3. In partnership with its institutional leaders, the Church will develop a holistic integration curriculum.
4. Intentional discipleship of all stakeholders to embrace the content, context, and processes that make “Christian education.” 

I realize that the dichotomy of theology and social sciences is an injustice to our formation as gospel ministers. Robing “education” off “theology” is taking away the “perfect lenses” that inform the social sciences from shifting to post-modern ideologies that tend to idolatry, all manner of deceptive social evils, that eventually lead to the disintegration of our societal fabric, which is the concern of the global village today. The church must take its place in impacting the spheres of society, be it family, religion, media, education, government, business, and entertainment.

^[1] “All Saints’ Cathedral – Nairobi, Kenya.” n.d. https://www.allsaintsnairobi.org/514-2/.

^[2] Estep, J. R., Anthony, M. J., & Allison, G. R. (2008). A theology for christian education, (ch2 p1).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. 

^[3] Ibid, (ch2 p6).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. 

^[4] Ibid, (ch2 p13).  Nashville, TN: B & H Academic. 

Church growth scholars enumerate five ministry dynamics that inform a healthy congregational outreach, these are:

1. Teaching (didache)
2. Preaching (kerygma)
3. Prayer/Worship (leiturgia)
4. Fellowship (koinonia)
5. Service (diakonia)

The aspects above can either be explicitly implemented or implicitly happens unnoticed depending on the church ecology, leadership, and sensitivity to the working of the Hoy Spirit. Recalling these five ministry dynamics and the working of the Holy Spirit in Upendo Baptist Church, Dallas Texas there are aspects that have greatly impacted the formation and disciple making aspects of the UBC church community. 

Some explicit “didache” teachings incorporated include Sunday schools for children, organized specialized group workshops among the men, women, youth, and young adults, which may involve the invitation of guest speakers to handle specific topics like family disciple making. The result is natural family talk interest stirred among the families and members of the church. 

During the “kerygma” pulpit preaching ministries, the pastoral team aims to stir the congregation to living God’s word implicitly at home, work, and church. The pastoral team recognizes that members are in church for two hours every week, but twenty-four hours at home or in their market space, which is their place of influence. 

In response to “leiturgia” worship and prayer, every ceremony done in church must be purposeful. Every ministry service, be it child dedication, baptism, eucharist, weddings, funerals and memorials are intentionally planned to let the congregation know what God’s word say’s about the circumstance at hand. 

The “koinonia” fellowship moments are planned to enhance continual growth beyond the “Sunday” meeting. Most gatherings are rather informal, this may involve to take advantage of every group gathering in church and intentionally introduce a disciple making moment. Fellowship groups meet weekly in homes as life groups “doing life together.” To inculcate purpose for meetings every group has the opportunity to expose its members to service.  Such “diakonia” moments like compassion, benevolence, or care moments are naturally adopted where members are part of a fellowship. The expectation is members of every group feel cared for in celebrations and crisis moments even in the absence of the pastor.

The study of biblical and historical small groups shows that the formation and posterity of the “disciple making groups” demonstrate the need of factors like, living values, practicing cooperate accountability, clarity in mission and identity, vision sharing, bearing, and caring, openness to outsiders and newcomers, consistency in practicing discipline, adaptability and sensitivity in appreciating the diverse settings as platforms for “Spiritual formation.”^[1] “Disciple making” groups are further propagated by a healthy Church ecosystem, group purpose, sound content and context, pastoral engagement in equipping and recognising specialised support groups.^[2] It is not farfetched to acknowledge that sound intentional explicit approach stirs implicit activity and creates a movement.

Denominational commitments can both propagate or hinder the five ministry approaches. Organisations tied down with bureaucracy and office protocols may find it hard to cope with congregations that keep evolving as their members seek contemporary solutions to address their day-to-day ministry dilemmas. In contrast healthy denominational leadership gives credibility, sustainability, and accountability in ministry.

Addressing the stability and impact of the UBC Fellowship within the local context is provoking. Currently the church ministers mostly to immigrant Kenyan communities, most live far from the church but come because it is a “Kenyan” community church. Over time other nationalities and races have identified with UBC fellowship as their church. The church though “old” in occupancy is a stranger in this neighbourhood. There is need to design methodologies to incorporate the needs of the Garland community in the church outreach, if UBC Fellowship will have to show spirituality beyond Sunday among its members and neighbours

^[1] Bill Donahue and Charles Gowler, “Small Groups: The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever?,” Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry 11, no. 1 (2014): Pg 100-103, https://doi.org/10.1177/073989131401100110.

^[2] Boren, Scott, and Jim Egli. “Small Group Models: Navigating the Commonalities and the Differences.” Christian Education Journal: Research on Educational Ministry 11, no. 1 (2014): Pg. 163. https://doi.org/10.1177/073989131401100112.