About ELLS
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our Vision
We envision pastors and leaders in remote places throughout the developing world becoming faithful expositors of God’s word, growing healthy churches, and mobilizing the next generation of gospel workers to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20).
Our Mission
ELLS International exists to serve and strengthen the church in remote areas of the developing world by equipping its shepherds to effectively feed God's flock.
The Need
The global church around the world is exploding with unprecedented growth. However, 85% of the pastors of these churches have little to no formal training or access to any kind of theological education. Because of this, many churches in the developing world are biblically anemic, suffering from a lack of theological depth and susceptible to false teaching. These pastors are hungry for more training and eager to learn. ELLS International meets this need by providing culturally appropriate and effective biblical teaching for pastors and leaders around the world. When this happens, the church can become strong and mature, and does the work God has called the church to do – advance the kingdom of God in Christ by reaching out to peoples and places who have not heard His name (Matt. 28:16-20; Rom. 15:20-21)!
OUR UNIQUE FOCUS
The vision of ELLS International is uniquely focused on three specific commitments:
- First, we do not ask the pastors and leaders we train to come to us, but instead we go to them! At the invitation of local church leaders, ELLS International takes teams to remote regions of the developing world in order to train those who have no access to formal training or theological education.
- Second, we believe that expository preaching and careful application of the text is what builds strong, spiritually vibrant, and Christ-exalting churches (2 Tim. 3:16-4:2). ELLS International helps pastors and leaders grow as preachers/teachers of God’s Word by providing them with the necessary tools for interpreting, communicating and effectively applying the Scriptures in their local churches.
- Third, we seek to establish healthy ministry partnerships between churches in the West and the Majority World. The leadership of ELLS International is intentionally diverse in this regard with members from both the U.S. and the growing global church. In every place we are invited to come, ELLS International partners with a team of regional leaders to help put on our training conferences. This not only enables important mutual learning to take place during the conferences but also fosters a strong sense of ownership for those who are receiving the training.
- Fourth, we believe that God is raising a new generation of cross-cultural missionaries throughout the developing world who will complete the Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20; Rom. 15:20-21). Through our training modules and in collaboration with other like-minded networks, ELLS International aims to help nurture and grow the burgeoning national missionary movement around the world.
HISTORY OF ELLS INTERNATIONAL
The vision for ELLS International was birthed out of Emmanuel Bible Church (EBC) in Salem, OR. In 2005, God gave Pastor Stanley Myers a burden for equipping and training pastors in the developing world. As a former missionary to Africa, Stanley knew first hand the struggles and challenges which pastors in the developing world often face:
Underdeveloped economies, turbulent political conditions, and lack of opportunities for formal training.
In 2010, God clearly opened the door to return to Africa to train pastors in remote regions. A year later, a board of directors was formed and ELLS International became an officially recognized 501c3.
Pastor Stanley Myers serves as the Executive Director, and Dr. George Muguro - who was instrumental in establishing ELLS International in Kenya in its early stages - is the Africa Director.
Staff
ELLS International is privileged to work with a diverse group of leaders comprised of both pastors/leaders from North American and the Majority World. As we continue to expand into other parts of the world, our hope is to build a globally-diverse team of leaders whose heart is to advance the kingdom of God in Christ by strengthening the global church through training and equipping leaders who lack access to formal training and theological education.
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Stanley has been the senior pastor of Emmanuel Bible Church in Salem, Oregon, since 1997. Prior to that he lived in Nairobi, Kenya, with his wife, Mindy, and their three children while working with Africa Inland Mission. Stanley has degrees from Biola University and Denver Seminary and began pastoral ministry in 1982. Since 2004 he has been training and equipping pastors, evangelists, and missionaries in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
George has been preaching the gospel since he was a teenager to some of Kenya’s most desperate and needy. Married to Irene, a registered nurse, he is currently the principal and director of Manna Bible Institute in Nairobi. He is also the pastor of a healthy, growing church and is the overseer of several churches in the Nairobi region. For the past twelve years George has been on the board of directors of the Kenya Bible Society. In 2002 he founded an NGO called International Network of AIDS children. He and Irene have one son, David. George has an undergraduate degree in Bible and Theology from the East Africa School of Theology, a Masters of Divinity from International Theological Seminary, and a Masters of Arts in Religious Studies from Africa Nazarene University. He is completing a doctorate from Multnomah University in Global Evangelism.
Noah has been a pastor since 1985, and until August 2016 served as the General Overseer of PEFA—Uganda, a large denomination in East Africa. His particular passion is to train and equip rural church leadership, and since 2010 he has established seven training centers throughout Uganda. Noah is co-president of Uganda Christian Action (UCAN) a ministry for social and economic development. Noah is a graduate of Makere University in Kampala Uganda and Elim Bible Institute in Lima, New York.
Charles Juma came to faith in Christ in 2000 while working in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2007 he answered the call of God to return to his home village in Khaunga (western Kenya) to plant the church he now serves as senior pastor. Pastor Charles received a diploma in theological studies from Manna Bible Institute in 2016 and has been working with ELLS International as a translator since 2013. He has been married to Rexsela Emily for over twenty years, and together they have six children (one of whom went home to be with the Lord in the year 2011).
Moses was called by God to be a pastor as a young man. He has served in several churches and is currently the senior pastor of a vibrant, growing congregation in Nairobi, Kenya. A lifetime member of the Kenya Bible Society, Moses served for nearly a decade in a leadership capacity throughout Kenya and was also the country coordinator of Faith Comes by Hearing. On the side, he translates broadcasts of Chuck Swindoll’s “Insight for Living” into Swahili so they can be broadcast throughout East Africa on Transworld Radio. Moses is the founder of Loaves and Fishes-Africa project, a community hygiene program, and also provides ministry services for Mission to Mission organization. He is married to Esther Wanjira, and they are blessed with four children. He has bachelor degrees and graduate degrees from University of Nairobi, Africa International University, and Bethany Global University. Moses is completing a doctorate at Multnomah University.
Mindy is a dynamic children’s Bible teacher and specializes in creative ways to communicate the truth. She has been the Director of Children’s Ministries at Emmanuel Bible Church in Salem, Oregon, since 2007 where she has developed a comprehensive method of grounding children in the faith through Sunday School, Awana, and after school programs. She lived in Kenya from 1994-1996 and returns to Africa twice a year to train and equip children’s workers to confidently and competently teach the Bible with limited resources. Mindy has a degree in Liberal Studies from Biola University. She is married to Stanley and has three adult children and four grandchildren.
What We Do
Church Leader Conferences
ELLS International partners with regional and local leaders in remote places of the developing world to conduct large group conferences for practical instruction in biblical and expository preaching. Conference participants are then invited to join a three-year training cohort for more in-depth instruction and training so they will be equipped to become trainers themselves.
Leadership Training Cohort
A Leadership Training Cohort (LTC) is comprised of 25-50 pastors with proven character, heart for Christ’s great commission (Matt. 28:16-20), and a willingness to teach/train others. Each LTC will meet three times a year over a three-year period, covering a total of nine training modules on biblical interpretation, theology, preaching and leadership/mission. Those who finish the training will receive a certificate of completion and will be encouraged to help lead future cohorts with ELLS International. Our hope is to eventually have LTC’s led primarily by nationals.
Missional Cooperatives
Along with our focus on biblical/expository preaching, ELLS International also equips pastors and leaders to understand the role of the local church within the wider mission of God to bring salvation to all peoples of the earth. To that end, we are seeking to develop relationships and collaborate with national leaders, groups, and organizations training gospel workers who will plant churches among unreached peoples.
DENOMINATIONAL OVERSEER IN MALAWI
Where We Go
Past
Since 2011, ELLS International has completed a four-year training course in 7 regions of Kenya and Uganda, averaging approximately 200 pastors and Sunday School teachers at each conference.
Present
Currently, we are conducting our training in 4 regions in southern Malawi, attended by 800 pastors and 200 Sunday School teachers.
We are also working in 3 new regions in Kenya with 600 pastors and 100 Sunday School teachers.
In June 2023, ELLS Int'l will begin training 600 pastors and 100 Sunday School teachers in 3 regions in Tanzania.
Future
Word is spreading throughout Africa about the ministry of ELLS International.
We have received formal invitations to conduct our training in new regions in Kenya and Uganda; and to begin in Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Congo and Cameroon.
African Director, Dr. George Muguro, has been working closely with regional bishops from all these countries, and we are asking the Lord to make provision for us to minister in these places within the next 2 years.
CLINT DECKER, EVANGELIST
FROM CLAY CENTER, KS | DURING A TRIP TO KENYA WITH ELLS INTERNATIONAL IN 2018