Growing Leaders in Luweero Diocese

For five successive years, Fields of Life has led annual preaching conferences in Luweero Diocese. These times of bringing pastors together, teaching them from particular books of the Bible and encouraging them in their teaching ministries, have been on enormous value to the Diocese, as well as eye opening and challenging for those involved from Ireland.

However a question that has been raised is that of follow-up. Is there a way in which Fields of Life can help with the on-going encouragement of leaders? The new partnership between Veritas College and Fields of Life seems to be a providential answer to that question. Veritas College hasb een at work in the Church of Uganda for a number of years and aims to assist the church to train its own leaders". We share the vision and values of Fields of Life and through the use of a simple and adaptable curriculum we help leaders to understand the Bible for themselves, to apply it to their lives and ministries and to train others to do the same.

With the financial support of Fields of Life, we are currently training a Diocesan Team of around 15 individuals from the different areas of the Diocese who will then be able to train teams in those areas and parishes. This ongoing process that is part of a five-year Mission and Discipleship programme within the Diocese and the aim of the leadership development component is: "To encourage and equip the leadership of the church, particularly at the grass roots, in and for its ministry and mission." James Serugo has been appointed as co-ordinator of this programme alongside his work as Bishop's Chaplain.

James and the mission department have put down on paper some of the programme's goals and it is hoped that this component of their plans will, among other things, lead to: greater understanding of the gospel by congregations; the spiritual growth of leaders and congregations; a clearer understanding of what God's vision is for each church and how to go about leading the people towards this goal; a reduction of nominalism within the churchs; the churchs attracting more non-believers to Christ.

Fields of Life will continue to send out small teams to help with an annual preaching conference. the conferences will fit into an ongoing programme of encouragement and training. Both Veritas College and Luweero Diocese are enormously grateful for this strategic partnership.