Vision, Mission, and Values
Vision: Transforming Kenyan Pastors for effective Kingdom Ministry
Mission: Training pastors in the Word of God and in the work of ministry focusing on those students with limited financial means and/or limited education
Values: Biblically based; Theological & Moral Integrity; Servant Leadership; Accountability, Kingdom Multiplication; Self-sustainability
Calling and History
Our calling is to equip Kenyan pastors so that they are diligent to present themselves approved unto God as workmen who do not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15) and entrusting to faithful men those things they have learned (2 Tim 2:2).
- 2005 God called Pastor Silas Waweru to come to Asbury Seminary to become equipped to start a Bible school
- 2006 God called Sally Gresham and Roswell United Methodist Church to support a one-week Bible school in Kenya to equip pastors who had no formal biblical training
- 2007 Sally Gresham taught second Bible school; Sally convened Silas & Paul Njuguna, to outline parameters of the proposed Pastor Training Center; Beth Cayce joined the team adding business expertise.
- 2008 Trial school sessions held; Two-year curriculum developed; Business plan developed for sustainability
- 2009 First formal class of 24 students enrolled for two-year cycle meeting in Nairobi rented facilities; NGO registration obtained; NCF funding begun; Executive, Advisory & Prayer teams in place; Businesses research for self-sustainability in process; strategic partnership with Roswell United Methodist Church
- 2010 Land acquired; Phase1construction planning completed; First two-year class of pastors graduated
- 2011 Second class began; Phase 1 construction completed; School moved to our own property in Dec.
- 2012 Phase 2 construction began; Stone classroom completed; Second class of 24 pastors graduated
- 2013 Third two-year class began; Phase 2 construction continues; Assembly area & staff housing completed; One Kenyan board member added
- 2014 Third class graduated; Phase 1 Landscaping & Phase 2 Construction completed (staff duplex, covered events area); Wi-Fi system installed; Added two more African board members; Hired camp manager
- 2015 Fourth two-year class began; Minor campus improvements made; Board leadership transferred to Kenyans
- 2016 Fourth graduation; Improvements & expansion of farm area; Major Alumni Conference
- 2017 Fifth class began; Water project implemented
- 2018 Fifth graduation; Alumni Conference
- 2019 Sixth class began; Gov’t. mandates automation of water business; bottling plant constructed; Gift shop and public toilet block built; major donation to Alumni program
- 2020 Financial control transitioned to Kenyan Board making CTLI financially and administratively independent; Covid quarantine; No classes after Feb. session; No mobility or income; Class of 2020 becomes a year behind; APTA (Friends of DPTC) created in USA
- 2021 Classes resumed following quarantine; Automated bottling system arrives from China and is implemented; Sixth class graduates
Ministry Model
- Two-year pastor-training with quarterly on-site two-week sessions with interim distance education, in-service assignments and follow-up visitation mentoring by school staff
- Incorporation of inductive study methods, preaching practicums, work-study program and exposure to holistic education in agriculture, basic health, micro-business, & technologies
- Community Outreach Program
- Self-supporting Training Center
When we began DPTC in 2008, we had already captured the vision and the passion of our Kenyan friends’ dream to build a training center for their pastors in Africa. Those pastors were full of zeal for God but they were desperately seeking biblical and pastoral training in the midst of poverty, lack of resources, and the intermixing of Christianity with the embedded African Traditional Religions. Our goal always was to help the two Kenyan pastors who first captured the dream to establish a seminary-like school plus some sort of business that would support the school, thus making the ministry self-supporting. The plan was to create a Kenyan ministry run by Kenyans and supported financially by the Kenyans. That always meant we Americans had an “exit” strategy as we were called to be enablers of the project, not owners. We believe this is the way missions work best, lest we inadvertently create dependency.
The exciting news is that DPTC is now solely governed by Kenyans. Neither Beth nor Sally or any other American is now sharing in the decision-making for the ministry. Therefore, the transition of all ministry authority has been made. The financial transition occurred late in 2020.
That is not to say we are “done” with DPTC. Far from it! There is still much to be done, especially as they emerge from the impacts of COVD. Our relationship with DPTC is like family. We will continue to support DPTC especially during this transition and stabilization period. Hopefully, going forward we will be able to assist the ministry with their larger building projects as they continue to grow. And to that purpose, in 2020, we established a non-profit corporation called Friends of Divine Providence Training Center. The sole purpose of Friends of DPTC is to raise funds to assist DPTC in growing and thriving. Friends of DPTC will be the new banner under which we will continue our family relationship with the school, with Camp Chemi Chemi and with the water-bottling business.
