Pastor Phiri couldn’t shake the impulse to pursue and care about his friend Christopher. Christopher was a Senior Group Village Headman, a traditional chief appointed to oversee the governance and care of 110 villages in central Malawi. This meant Christopher oversaw all conflicts, community customs and norms, and daily survival in a country where 71% of the population is experiencing extreme poverty. The burden was profound and Pastor Phiri was convinced Christopher would need the Holy Spirit to survive this calling.

After years of friendship and care, Christopher became a believer and was hungry to learn everything he could about the Bible. He joined an African Leadership class taught by Pastor Phiri and soon realized what a difference it could make for him in his role as a chief and the way he led those in his care. Committed to making this opportunity available for other chiefs, Christopher and Pastor Phiri worked with African Leadership Malawi’s Country Director to create a class only for chiefs — men and women like Christopher who were under enormous pressure to care for so many, but who lacked a faith to stand on through their decision making.

With the help of Christopher, Pastor Phiri selected a few chiefs from among the list of interested students and started discipling them in God’s Word. With such a carefully selected class of only peers, these chiefs were free to share their struggles, concerns, unknowns and fears with one another and learn how to grow a Biblical understanding of the world and their calling in it.

To date, this initiative has allowed Pastor Phiri and Christoper to train more than 40 chiefs from across the region. Together, they represent hundreds of villages and thousands of Malawians who are now led by Scripture and guided with a Biblical worldview. As conflicts or challenges arise, these leaders are equipped with God’s Word and emboldened by His Holy Spirit to lead with love and point one another and their communities to the Truth.