The Crossway Podcast The Growth of the African Church and the Dangers Facing It (Ken Mbugua)
Nov 12, 2025
Ken Mbugua is the senior pastor of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Nairobi and the managing director of Ekklesia Africa, which offers crucial training and resources for churches across Africa. He discusses the rapid growth of Christianity on the continent, highlighting both challenges like prosperity gospel and syncretism, and resource disparities for pastors. Ken emphasizes the importance of theological foundations and the effort to provide Bibles through the Million Bible Initiative, stressing the need for prayer and support to strengthen the African church.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Personal Conversion And Early Faith
- Ken Mbugua described becoming a Christian in high school after attending a nearby Baptist church his dad sent him to.
- He recounts a period of false conversion until conviction over the implications of Christ as Lord led to genuine faith.
Caution About Assuming Constant Growth
- Africa's population growth and urbanization create massive opportunity for church growth, but trends can change by God's sovereignty.
- Ken warns against assuming past growth guarantees future trajectories without theological depth.
Western Values Reshape African Youth
- Western values like materialism and smaller families are rapidly shaping African youth and may alter future church demographics.
- These cultural shifts mean the 2050 African population may hold very different religious commitments than today's elders.
