Lusaka Bible College - Changing Zambia

In the heart of suburban slums in Zambia’s capital city, there are two rooms, approximately 16x30 and 16 x8. This is the home of Lusaka Bible College (LBC). The larger room is the lecture hall and the small room is the library, walls lined with bookshelves, mostly empty. A single light bulb mounted from the ceiling, allows students to study after dark. Both are situated inside a typical African compound, surrounded by a cement block wall topped by pieces of broken glass and other sharp objects to prevent the entry of thieves and vandals.

The area is known as Kanyama. Most residents are dirt poor. Their homes are lean-to shacks, thrown together with whatever is available – mud, tin, cardboard or pieces of plastic bags. This shanty-town is far from profitable labor opportunities, so its 300,000+ residents sell whatever is at hand to each other to have an income of any kind. The market is lined with little boxes each with a small pyramid of tomatoes, corn or other local home-grown commodity. Sometimes the merchant’s wares are simply spread out on a blanket. The dusty streets, crowded and disorganized, are deeply rutted from the rains. Electricity is a luxury for most.

Though a large percentage of Zambia’s population is Christian they have received little or no Bible training or discipleship. African believers generally don’t have access to Bibles, so in many cases they have no idea how Jesus asks His followers to live. This, in the context of witchcraft and ancestor worship, results is a severe lack of morality among believers and non-believers alike. But all this is changing in the churches whose pastors are students at LBC.

Bruce Kaumba, LBC’s dedicated Principal, proudly called our attention to the library shelf that did contain precious books (thanks to Frontline Fellowship) for the students to access. He told us that their library is growing along with the number of students, which he anticipates will double in the fall.

If you were there in the evening, you might run into a student, poring over the
Bible and a study aid, or a group of students having an animated discussion regarding their newest discoveries. One of those students might be Bonaventure Mumbi, the pastor at the True Worshippers Bible Church attended by about 70 members.

Mumbi has been the pastor of this church for some 6 years. He and his church have faced many challenges, but their greatest challenge has been evangelizing their community. This dear, dedicated brother says that the two greatest benefits of his education at LBC are the knowledge of “how to preach the Word based on what the Bible says” and the new evangelism methods he has been trained to use. He has also gained a new understanding of the second coming of Jesus that has changed the way he thinks and ministers in his community.

Mumbi’s classmate, John Kaluba, has been a pastor at his church of 145 members for three years. Thanks to his training at LBC he has learned that Christians must not consult Witchdoctors. He also learned that although his culture has neglected the abilities of women and treated them as useless “castaways,” women are loved by Jesus and given valuable gifts of the Spirit that are useful in many fields of ministry.

It is our changed lives that sets us apart from the world and glorifies Christ. Without this, we are just another religion. It is crucial that Christian leaders know the Bible and its instructions for living, so that Christians learn how Jesus wants us to live.

Though the college is strapped for resources, it is making a valiant and worthy effort to create local leadership that truly knows the Bible and can use it to lead God’s people to a greater knowledge of Him.

The college leadership is praying for some people to come along side them and partner with them in equipping pastors. They envision forming a relationship with an established American Bible school. Other needs include administrative tools such as a computer, copy machine and printer. We hope you’ll pray with us that 20 people will provide $80 per year in scholarship funding for current students’ tuition.

Compiled and written by Summer Kelley