Spiritual Development
Many churches are led by rural Kenyan pastors that are committed to the Lord but have no formal Biblical or pastoral training. To help guide the growth and development of these churches, their members and the pastors, SOHI has implemented the following regular and ongoing initiatives to support the Christian community:
Evangelistic Outreach Campaigns
Every few years, evangelistic outreach campaigns are held at different locations within the region. The attendance is usually 4,000 community members. Many times, more than 1,000 give their lives to Christ.
SOHI is teaming with the local Kenyan Spiritual Development Committee to cooperate with local pastors to reach out to these new Christians in order to provide them with a Bible in their native Luo language (provided by SOHI) and connect them with local congregations.
Rural Pastor Biblical Training
SOHI sponsors Rural Pastor Biblical Training for 30 pastors at a time. They have been called by God to pastor their local churches, but need some equipping to do it.
SOHI will continue to support these cohorts of rural pastors going through training.
Christian Youth Conferences
Depression, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual promiscuity, satan worship, and hopelessness are common among students as they struggle to see the path out of poverty and to a better life. SOHI sponsors a Youth Conference every few years for 500 high school student leaders from each secondary school in the region.
Conferences focus on helping students put their hope in the Lord for their future and help them find the purpose that God has for them individually in their lives. Students that attend the conferences return to their schools and share the Good News with other student starting prayer and Christian support groups.
Vision Trips: Visits to Local Prisons, Pastor Training
Every year, a SOHI Vision Trip makes at least one evangelistic visit to a local prison. Many prisoners accept the gospel and their lives become filled with a new and real hope for the future. Local pastors work with the new Christians to help them reconcile with family, the church, and the community as they are released from prison.
We also provide discipleship training to local pastors. The pastors will teach this skill to active members of their current congregation. This “train the trainers” approach will help many churches more effectively nurture the spiritual growth of existing members as well as reaching out to neighbors, friends, and family members.
