By Emily M'mangisa

Zomba, September 7, Mana:  Equipping Pastors Worldwide (EPW) has trained 87 pastors drawn from various churches to understand the Bible and preach the gospel of salvation without fear or favour.

EPW, Head of Trainings, Dave Holdt said on Friday at Reformed Presbyterian Church Theological College in Zomba where the faith based ministry trained the pastors, that some pastors did not go through theological schools to understand the word hence the training.

He further called on the newly trained pastor to proclaim the living word in their respective churches and communities but cautioned those in Malawi to stay away from political especially as Malawi heads to general elections.

“Go and proclaim living word, as men of God we preach Jesus Christ as the only way to salvation. Don't be afraid to say that even louder," Holdt told the trained pastors, adding that time has come for the flock of God to know reality and make decisions without any influence.

Some of the trained pastors are from; Baptists Convention, Ethiopian, Church of Christ, Holy Ghost and Evangelism, (HOGEM) Assemblies of God, Living Waters, Samaritan Church. Zambezi Evangelical Church and Church of Central African Presbyterian (CCAP).

Holdt who is also narrator of audiobooks underscored the need for pastors that preach the gospel to fully understand the Bible, observing that some pastors use the Bible without deeply understanding the divinity in it.

EPW, Coordinator for East and Southern Africa, Dr. Joster Jumbe also said of the need for the pastor to understand the bible in its fullest context, adding that some of them read the Bible as a collection of stories without understanding what the Bible says.

He also called on fellow pastors to avoid manipulating folks into following political beliefs against their will.

During the five days training, participants were taken through 19 sessions that discussed topics such as: What is the Bible, How to understand the passage, Teach the Bible, What we are and what we practice and Preach the word.   

One of the participants, Steven Josee of Mozambique’s Zambezi Evangelical Church said time has come for pastors to understand the Bible fully and its contents.

“We preach yes, but this training is an eye opener. I can now relate stories in the Bible, teachings of God and reality on the ground,” he added and urged Malawian counterparts to exercise caution when ministering during elections.

At the end of the five days training, each of the 87participants received a certificates and a bible and among them, one participant was from Mozambique, two from Zimbabwe.

EPW is an international provider of quality training for pastors who would like to be faithful in serving the Lord, Jesus Christ but are lacking the training and resources to minster.