Serving as a Path to Movement
Brian is a non-resident missionary (NRM) to Africa. Alongside his Zambian friend Iwell, Brian has seen over 50,000 baptisms in the past four years. I recently sat down with him to hear the story of what God has been doing.
How did you first get involved in Africa?
In 2012, I was at our local church’s Wednesday night service when they talked about an upcoming mission trip to Africa. I looked over at my wife, and she said, “You're going to Africa.” I was shocked, but she added, “The Lord just spoke to me and said you're going, but I’m not.” That’s how it all began.
I started taking short-term trips with our church in North Carolina to Kenya. God really used those trips to shape my heart over the next few years.
What happened in 2017-2018?
Because of those trips and other experiences, I left my secular job and went into full-time missions. I wanted to make disciples and plant churches but didn’t know how. I found a community that could help me learn, and in 2018, I joined an organization called e3 Partners. At the time, we were just following the Lord’s leading. I was even working in Central America, though Africa remained on my heart.
Then, a ministry partner and good friend moved to Nairobi. Since I was already familiar with Kenya, I prayed about it and decided to join their team remotely, offering whatever help I could.
How did you serve them from so far away?
At first, I wasn’t sure. It began with prayer, but the first practical step came when I was asked to do some administrative work. e3 had received inquiries from about 50 people across Africa, and I took on the task of reaching out to them.
I connected with Iwell, a pastor of a Baptist church in Zambia’s Eastern Province. Two years before our meeting, Iwell had received a vision from God to reach his whole country. Zambia has about 21 million people, and roughly 75% aren’t following Jesus—about 15 million people.
Iwell shared that he knew God had called him to reach Zambia but didn’t know how. So, we started connecting on WhatsApp in late 2020.
What did your communication look like early on?
At first, we just prayed together. I told Iwell, “I don’t know how to reach your country either, but we’ll do it together and trust that the Lord will redeem His people.” Iwell was already a God-prepared person with a vision and a heart for reaching Zambia. He was looking for help.
And you know, at that time, I didn't necessarily know what we were getting into, but I said yes.
How did you sift through the other 49 contacts?
We created specific questions to help us discern which contacts were aligned with the type of partnership we were looking for. Most were seeking resources to support their existing ministries. There were a few others that we spent a little time with but nothing came to the fruition of what the Lord did through Iwell
When were you able to meet in person for the first time?
We met on WhatsApp for weekly calls, and eventually, Iwell asked, “When are we going to begin?” He had been waiting for two years and was eager to start. I wanted to build a stronger relationship first, but he was ready to move forward.
God used my previous experiences to prepare me with biblical tools and principles to guide us. We began reading the Word together, and over time, Iwell started teaching his church. I challenged him to dedicate time outside of regular gatherings to train people for this new work.
He invited his church, and 42 people showed up for the first training. I would train him on Wednesdays, and then on Saturdays, he would train his people. Afterward, they would go out into the harvest to practice what they had learned. We also set aside time on Mondays to pray together.
One week, I couldn’t attend our meeting, so Iwell decided to spend the entire week engaging in the harvest. I had taught him to set goals and debrief their time. They set out to visit 10 homes each, which resulted in 420 homes being reached and over 600 people hearing the Gospel. Within a few weeks, 171 people were baptized.
What did that moment feel like?
It was amazing. Iwell came back with that report after I took a week off. He was eager to know what to do next, so I told him, “We need to disciple these new believers and gather them together.” He didn’t have a large enough church building, so we began figuring out how to make that work, considering the biblical principles for gathering.
In just two months, we shifted from learning how to engage the lost with the Gospel to focusing on discipleship and church gatherings.
One thing Iwell did to help facilitate early growth was starting a church in his own home. He did this during the week and that has been an example of church identity for other leaders to follow.
So you still hadn't been to Africa by then?
No, this was early 2021, and COVID restrictions made it difficult to travel to different countries.
How did you handle the new believers?
We followed the pattern of Jesus’s ministry:* engaging with the Gospel, discipling, gathering believers, and developing leaders. I was equipping Iwell with tools to multiply himself and train others.
We had to work through a lot of traditions because Iwell had been a pastor for about 20 years. We didn’t want my way or Iwell’s way, but the Lord's way. By then, I was meeting with Iwell three times a week to unpack Scripture.
What did that look like in practice?
We taught the early church model from Acts 2 (the church circle) and worked through what it meant for a church to gather. In 2022, I was finally able to visit Zambia in person with a small team from the U.S. and help further equip the local believers.
We focused on empowering Zambians to take ownership of the work. Instead of the typical outsider-driven model, we encouraged them to see themselves as the ones called to reach Zambia.
How did things progress after your visit?
By 2022, when the team visited Zambia, we saw over 5,000 baptisms and 300 new churches. In the third year, the movement exploded, with over 25,000 baptisms in the Eastern Province alone.
However, this past year has been challenging. As we expanded the vision to reach all of Zambia, we faced opposition, both from Satan and even some within the church. This led to struggles and messy situations in the gatherings. We began studying Paul’s letters to the churches for guidance on how to sustain and strengthen the movement.
Where is the work now?
We're now working in five countries surrounding Zambia: Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The church is planting churches, and believers are taking the Gospel to new areas.
It sounds like this all started with you simply answering a few emails.
Yes, it’s hard to believe. Anyone would have said yes if they would have known what God was going to do. I didn’t know what I was saying yes to; I was just open and willing to serve my brother in his need at that time.
What lessons have you learned along the way?
My faith has grown immensely. My relationship with Iwell, and the relationship between our families, has deepened. It’s amazing how God has created a bond across such distance—sometimes it feels like we are closer than people nearby.
I’ve had to trust God more and increase my prayer life. I went from small prayers to long hours of intercession. And I’ve started fasting more, all of which have helped deepen my relationship with God.
I've learned about sacrifices and commitments—saying no to good things so we can prioritize God’s calling.
Learning from God’s word together has been key. The Lord showed Iwell and his leaders the authority given to the priesthood of all believers. This has been a game changer and was really the spark for the multiplying of disciples and churches.
We continue to ask, “What will it take to see God’s Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven?” What will it take for His name to be great among all people?
What’s next?
We need more laborers. God has called us into this season, and we’re asking for more teams and workers to help fulfill His mission. We’re not resting on past successes; there’s still much work to be done.
The Lord has provided every step of the way—wisdom, words, partnerships, and people. His Word is alive, and we are learning to be faithful and teachable as we pursue His mission. As we say, “No Place Left”—we are pressing forward, doing what God has called us to do.
Author’s Note: For full transparency, this article was created through the following process: Brian and I recorded an interview. I cleaned up the transcription of the interview. Chat GPT corrected grammar and removed redundancy. I added back in some key parts that Chat GPT removed. Brian reviewed and approved the end result. And finally, a staff member at e3 corrected for grammar and clarity.
*To see how these parts of Jesus’s ministry work themselves out in Paul’s ministry, read this past article from Sent Ones: https://www.sentones.com/blog/a-case-for-emulating-pauls-church-planting-pattern