FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2024
Phoenix, AZ
Contact: Dr. Victoria Isaac, President
Ph: 602-403-7575
E-mail: vickie.isaac@fullyequippedbibleinstitute.org

Almost half of the world’s Christians reside in Africa, and thousands of Africans come to faith daily.  Meanwhile, a crisis of epic proportions is brewing. Increasing government regulation has closed almost 10,000 churches, and hundreds of thousands of churches across Africa are at risk of government closure.  Dr. Stephen Isaac, Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Fully Equipped Bible Institute, is on the ground in Africa, meeting with pastors and Christian leaders in nations where church regulation legislation is pending.

Dr. Isaac reported, “Almost every pastor I spoke with is deeply concerned, and most have experienced persecution, including a pastor whose building was seized and converted to a mosque. The Rwandan government has already closed almost 10,000 churches to date. Other African nations are following suit with similar legislation to close churches where pastors do not have bachelor’s degrees.” 

The rationalization for increased government regulation is protection from pastoral abuses and safer environments for attendees. Pastoral abuse and false doctrine do exist and harm vulnerable people. Closing the doors of hundreds of thousands of churches across Africa will only cause more significant harm.  According to Dr. Isaac, pastors consider the regulation requiring a bachelor’s degree to keep their church doors open a near impossibility. The pastors lack the financial resources to attend college. Rural pastors cannot leave their churches, families, and the day-to-day work that supports their households.  

The Fully Equipped Bible Institute, a private Christian, U.S.-based non-profit university, is responding to the urgent need to prevent church closures by providing academic scholarships and online access for qualified pastors to earn bachelor’s degrees.  Generous sponsors who recognize the urgency of preventing church closures and the tremendous value of biblically equipping pastors to serve in the face of persecution and the midst of revival provide the funds to offer scholarships.  

According to Dr. Victoria Isaac, President of the Fully Equipped Bible Institute,

“It is difficult to fully express how urgent this situation is. It feels like we are racing ahead of a wildfire. Scholarship applications are flooding in. Faithful, courageous men and women are desperate to keep their church doors open and simply lack the financial resources to acquire the bachelor’s degrees their governments require.  We can only move as fast as we have funds to award scholarships, and we need the funds to move faster. It’s $75 a month per pastor. No gift is too small, and it is tax-deductible.  U.S. churches and believers can prevent this disaster for hundreds of thousands of African churches, pastors, and believers. As Edmond Burke once said, “The only thing necessary for evil to win is for good men to do nothing.”

About the Fully Equipped Bible Institute:

The Fully Equipped Bible Institute is a not-for-profit, private, post-secondary, U.S.-based Christian university committed to equipping faithful pastors and Christian leaders serving in difficult and dangerous places. Find out more at www.fullyequippedbibleinstitute.org. 

For interview availability, contact Dr. Victoria Isaac at vickie.isaac@fullyequippedbibleinstitute.org.  Watch Pastor Geofrey from Uganda describe the situation HERE.