Train One, Impact Thousands
“What is the purpose of life?”
“Is God real? Is the Bible real?”
These are questions that youth leader Tigist (pictured below at left) hears daily from the group of teens she mentors at her local church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They are looking for truth, meaning, and real hope in the midst of the troubled world they’ve grown up in.
Because of her training under Langham Scholar Dr. Seble Daniel at Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, Tigist can now help her teens find answers to their questions in God’s Word.
Langham Partnership identifies, scholarships and mentors emerging theologians like Seble Daniel so that they can multiply leaders like Tigist who bring Christ into in hard places.
For Tigist, it’s made all the difference. She says, “Investing in theological leaders [like Seble]…it changes the face of the church…It’s like when you put lights on in a dark room, you can see where the wrong things are, where the messy things are. . . Studying with Seble helps me to understand the Word of God and how to deal with issues.”
Investing in the Next Generation
In her teenage years, before Tigist met Seble Daniel, Tigist recalls her pastors and leaders being unable to connect the Gospel to her own pressing questions and doubts about faith and life. It’s what drove her to attend seminary, where she realizes teaching and empowering teens—the next generation—is important in a culture where youth often are not taken seriously. As one of Tigist’s seminary professors, Seble Daniel has been a transformational role model and an encourager of Tigist’s heart for young people.
“This age is where they start critical thinking … this is the age that we need to invest more in Ethiopia,” Tigist says.
Even as Tigist draws inspiration from the life and teaching of Seble—one of the first women in her denomination to earn a PhD in Bible and Theology—imagine the scores of young people that Tigist now teaches and inspires. It was your generous support that made it possible. And now, through you, Seble’s leadership continues to influence an area where educated women are the exception, not the norm. With the platform her PhD provides, Seble pours her life into building up more leaders who will impact their communities.
Tigist shares, “We need strong people with a strong theological foundation to change this country. We need people, like Dr. Seble, who know the culture and who know the Scripture.”
Seble helped Tigist understand Scripture and how to apply it to issues Ethiopian teens face. Now a passionate and confident mentor, Tigist has seen her youth ministry grow from 20 teenagers to 70. In addition, Tigist serves as director of Alpha Ethiopia, part of a widely known, global organization that connects people to the basics of Christianity.
“What I learn from [Seble] helps me to provide a proper [biblical] meal for the young people,” she says. “I see their lives transformed in their thinking, and in their faith and belief in Jesus. It’s not just ‘I believe in Jesus,’ but they know who Jesus is.”
Raising Up Women Leaders
Tigist is especially invested in the lives of young girls, helping them become strong, godly women who will go on to be leaders in their communities.
“In our community, it’s really tough being a woman and being an educated woman,” Tigist explains.
Tigist is mentoring these young women and girls so that they know their worth and potential—and it’s transforming lives.
One young girl, Tigist shares, was not interested in the Bible and felt disconnected at church. “She wanted to enjoy her life,” Tigist explains. While she lost her path for a little while, after joining Tigist’s discipleship group she started to understand the need for Jesus in her life and how necessary church community is. Today, not only has that young girls’ life changed, she herself has become a change agent in her adulthood, teaching small children as she attends university.
Thank You for Your Generosity that Multiplies Impact
Your generous gifts that equip Langham Scholars like Seble Daniel with the PhDs they need to become transformational agents of change has incredible downstream impact. How do we know? Langham partnered with outside agency Excellence in Giving to help us measure and evaluate this impact. Just ONE Langham Scholar will go on to directly train 7,733* leaders (more like Tigist!) for the global church—3x more than they would have without a PhD.
We praise God for the ripple out effect of your generous support of leaders like Seble who impact generations for Christ. Thank you!
*Data from a measurement and evaluation of Langham’s ministry effectiveness by Excellence in Giving, 2015-2020
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