Sunday 9 January 2011

South Nyanza Baptist College

II Timothy 2:2 exhorts us to “...teach men who shall be able to teach others also.” God has given us the desire to train men and women to be pastors, pastor’s wives, and various church leaders in their local churches. South Nyanza Baptist College was started in 2001, and on December 6, 2008, we held our 3rd Graduation.

South Nyanza Baptist College began in 2001 with two students. The purpose of the college is to prepare national pastors and church leaders in the areas of Bible study, sermon preparation, soul winning, and church planting. We have a goal of helping these men to be indigenous church planters. We also see the need to train men and women as teachers, youth ministers, music directors, and Christian lay leaders.
The college is the vehicle for the Shelby Family to train pastors and leaders to assist in evangelizing the lost and church planting. It has been financed and operated by missionary finances since the beginning, and the process has been started to gradually guide the college to be indigenous. There are now three teachers that are graduates (and former students themselves); and they are helping in teaching, organizing, and overseeing (at least a little bit) the student body and the schedule during the weeks of classes. We have a desire to encourage the churches that have benefitted from the college; and those that are sending students, to support the college. This will enable the nationals to take more of a central role in providing training for their own people. This will also ensure that the classes will continue to be under sound leadership even when the Shelby Family is on furlough.
South Nyanza Baptist College has scheduled its classes to fit with the majority of the farmers in our region. The pastors and students come to the college for classes one week per month to give them time to work their land during the remaining part of the month. Students meet 9 months out of the year, according to the schooling schedule in Kenya, for the three year program to receive a diploma of Graduate of Theology. The three year course includes 36 subjects on Bible Study and Christian growth, as well as instruction on general areas of service in the church. We opened “Swahili” classes for students in May of 2008.
Those who have graduated and other pastors meet in the three remaining months of the year for seminars in our Pastoral Program. These subjects include more in-depth studies in pastoral training, church planting and church growth.
Other programs for working with older teens as an introductory course to the Bible College, and programs for working with the Pastors’ wives are being organized and planned for use in the near future.
SNBC began with English classes only in 2001. Through the years, SNBC has met at several different locations; but is currently meeting at the Calvary Baptist Church property in Kisii Town. SNBC currently has 20 students enrolled in the English 3 Year Program.
SNBC began its Swahili classes in May 2008. The majority of the people here know English, but we wanted to make the classes understood by everyone. We are still in the process of translating some of the College curriculum into Swahili. SNBC currently has 10 students enrolled in the Swahili 6 Year Program.

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