Why we partner with the local church in Africa

At Africa’s Children and Teens, we believe that empowering the local church is key to shaping the future of Africa’s next generation. Missionaries play a vital role in equipping and resourcing, but it is the national church that carries the power to reach their own communities in ways we never could. 

As Jon Paulsen, AGWM Africa missionary and Africa’s Children and Teens Directional Team member, shares: 

 “It’s imperative that we plant healthy, kid-friendly churches in communities all across Burundi. We can’t do that alone. We partner with the national church, because they do what we cannot: reach Burundians effectively. Without the national church we are nothing more than loud spectacles. Loud, sure, but ineffective and foreign.” 

This is why partnership and sustainability drive everything we do. Together with national churches, we: 

• Partner to strengthen existing children’s and youth ministries, and develop new ones where none exist. 

• Resource leaders with materials, spaces, and programs for spiritual and physical development. 

• Train pastors and workers to reach and champion Africa’s next generation. 

• Inspire churches to see the value of investing in their young people. 

“When donors come alongside missionaries to help, they’re not just giving — they’re planting seeds of hope, opening doors for children’s futures, and becoming part of God’s beautiful story of transformation.” - Burundi Bishop 

Thank you for standing with us. Your partnership ensures that healthy churches will continue to rise up all across Africa — churches equipped to disciple the next generation for Jesus.