Ten years ago, Eric Kabwata’s life took an unexpected detour when he needed medical care in the U.S. to recover from a life-threatening case of malaria. In his native country, Zambia, he served with a mission organization and then later in Uganda as the coordinator of a Bible school. After recovering from severe cases of malaria, he moved to the U.S. and accepted a position in Ohio as a youth pastor while he continued to travel to Zambia for evangelistic crusades and church planting initiatives.
At the same time that Eric’s illness brought him to the U.S., Pastor Matt Boyers of Crossroads Evangelical Church in Ohio, was exploring a business model to use in Africa that could support church planting in rural areas. During that period, a partnership with church leaders in Zimbabwe was forged and the African Church Planting Initiative was born. In 2018, Eric and Matt met to talk about planting churches in Zambia. Since that time, the African Church Planting Initiative (ACPI) has grown to include five countries and 30 churches. In August, Eric began working as the ACPI administrator while also leading missions and outreach at Crossroads Evangelical Church.
As ACPI expands, FEC churches provide the funds to support a church planter for two years while he establishes a new church and works to create a sustainable business model for the entire community. As the administrator for this initiative, Eric trains FEC churches and individual partner advocates in the U.S. to provide much needed prayer support and encouragement for church planters. He said, “Church planters face discouragement and difficulties in the remote areas where they are preaching the gospel and working. The encouragement is given through trips, text messages, and prayer.”
ACPI has quickly spread from Zimbabwe to Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, and Mozambique. In 2023, the vision includes expanding into Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, and Namibia and planting 25 new sustainable, reproducing churches in these rural areas. Hal Lehman, FEC Cross-Cultural Multiplication Director said, “The spiritual hunger in Africa can only be described as ‘harvest time.’ God has opened a spiritual hunger and people are seeking truth.”
