by Tabitha Plueddemann
19 September 2008

	Edgar teaching

In 2004, SIM Bolivia missionary Kep James met a young and discouraged pastor. Edgar Mamani wasn’t seeing the growth he hoped for among the churches of the 10th Subdirectiv in El Alto, the jurisdiction he led for UCE (Unión Cristiana Evangélica), the Bolivian denomination that relates to SIM.

Edgar felt that some UCE pastors mistrusted him because of mistakes he’d made in his early teens. Over the years, he had become an excellent preacher, but his messages focused on his own experiences and ideas and were weak in biblical exposition.

Nevertheless, he was eager to grow in his understanding of God’s Word, so Kep invited him to join an ESI (Equipping Servants Internship) group. Through ESI, church leaders are being transformed as they are taught, discipled, and challenged.

Like thirsty ground, Edgar soaked up everything. “Learning to think and live biblically has impacted the way I do ministry, the way I share Christ, and the way I teach and preach,” he said shortly after graduating from ESI.

In fact, Edgar’s teaching changed so much that he lost about a quarter of his seminary students! They didn’t like his focus on Jesus and the cross, preferring his former topics, such as health and success. But in time, there was standing room only in Edgar’s classes.

When Edgar finished ESI, Kep invited him to become a Pastoral Assistant (PA) at Iglesia La Comunidad, a church in La Paz which Kep and Debbie had started with a team of Bolivians in 1990. This church, which is led by Bolivians, has a two-year PA program through which young pastors are mentored in godly character, Scripture, doctrine, and ministry skill.

Over the past three years, God has used Edgar in ever-increasing ways to impact dozens of churches in El Alto. He also leads two ESI groups of his own, and was commissioned to lead a church plant in late 2007.

“It has been one of my greatest joys to be able to invest my life in pastors like Edgar, seeing them now impact the lives of others in a way far beyond what I could ever accomplish,” says Kep.

A holistic approach

Equipping Servants Internship (ESI) was begun by SIM missionaries Kep and Debbie James. This grassroots, holistic approach to leadership development and discipleship has been grounding and transforming hundreds of church leaders in Bolivia for the past seven years.

Through ESI men and women are assigned to close-knit single-sex groups of 15, who meet weekly for two and a half years. They discuss an assigned Bible passage and, after a few weeks, take turns leading the sessions and preparing discussion questions themselves. They also share in “transparency groups” to maintain accountability.

Students come from many denominations and backgrounds. Each group is intentionally assembled to include as broad a range as possible, in order to build friendships and break down barriers. Group members remain in active ministry during their time in ESI.

Currently there are 16 groups with 220 active participants in the Departments (states) of La Paz, Oruro, Cochabamba, and the Beni—one half of Bolivia’s Departments. There are 13 Bolivian instructors and only one expatriate.

Learning how to study

Bolivia has one trained pastor for every 10,000 people. The quality and methods of theological training result in weak churches that make little impact on society. “They are challenged to do very little problem solving,” says Kep. Typical seminary graduates do not know how to study the Bible, so they teach by lecture and rote memorization.

By contrast, students in ESI learn Bible study methods, principles of interpretation, Bible doctrine, public speaking, and methods of discipling and counseling. They are encouraged to think for themselves, but they do not study in isolation. Training at ESI is consistent with the stated core values and ministry priorities of SIM for developing leaders. Our missionaries are responsible for “mentoring one another and the people in their ministries, and for transferring skills in the context of authentic relationships,” according to Malcolm McGregor, SIM International Director.

In transparency groups, students talk about their struggles in the areas of purity, marriage relationships, and ministry. After meetings, they often go out to eat salteñas (pot pie) and talk. This is valuable because many Bolivian pastors don’t have the opportunity to socialize with other church leaders.

Kep says that he too has been transformed through ESI, both personally and in the quality of his teaching and preaching. “I am very thankful for Bolivian colleagues who help keep me in learning mode!”

Pray

that God will raise up the best minds with hearts on fire for him, so that the church in Bolivia will honor God by becoming true to the Scriptures