You Call Yourselves Missionaries?

May 18, 2026May 23, 2026 by Jonathan In Nairobi Church Plant 6 Comments

As we send out updates or talk to people about our work with SGC Nairobi, we often wonder if there are unspoken questions in people’s minds:

Why are you doing what you’re doing in Nairobi?
Can you really call that missions?

After all, much of our work looks fairly ordinary. I pastor a local church. I preach sermons. We care for and disciple members. We help plant churches.

To some, that may not sound like “missions” in the traditional sense. But the longer we serve in Nairobi, the more convinced we are that this work is actually right at the heart of Christian mission.

Tim Keller once wrote:

“The vigorous, continual planting of new congregations is the single most crucial strategy for (1) the numerical growth of the body of Christ in a city and (2) the continual corporate renewal and revival of the existing churches in a city. Nothing else—not crusades, outreach programs, parachurch ministries, growing megachurches, congregational consulting, nor church renewal processes—will have the consistent impact of dynamic, extensive church planting.”

Tim Keller

The longer we serve in Nairobi, the more convinced we are that this is true.

Nairobi Doesn’t Need More Religious Activity

Nairobi is not lacking religion. Churches are everywhere. Christian language is common. Many people would identify as believers. But beneath that religious familiarity, there is often deep confusion about the gospel itself.

Last week, I asked my barber, who said he was a Christian, a simple question: “How would you define the gospel?” He answered: “I think it’s about prayer.”

Prayer is a wonderful gift from God. But it’s not the gospel. We must not confuse what God has done for us in Jesus with a work that we must do. That’s not “good news”! Coming to God boldly in prayer is a blessing we’ve been given as a result of the gospel.

The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ lived the life we could not live, died the death we deserved to die, and rose again to reconcile sinners to God by grace through faith.

Yet in many places, this message is either assumed, distorted, or replaced altogether. Often the “good news” being preached sounds more like:

• Come to Jesus and your finances will improve.
• Sow a seed and God will multiply your blessing.
• Exercise enough faith and God will remove every hardship.

This prosperity-focused message thrives because it offers what many people understandably long for—relief, provision, breakthrough, success. But it cannot deliver what people most deeply need: reconciliation with God through the finished work of Christ.

When the gospel is replaced with techniques for blessing, people may become more religious without ever becoming reconciled to God. That is why Nairobi doesn’t simply need more churches. It needs healthy churches built on the true gospel.

Healthy Churches Produce Healthy Christians

The New Testament’s ordinary strategy for mission was not disconnected religious activity. It was the planting and strengthening of local churches. Paul preached the gospel, gathered believers into churches, appointed elders, and equipped leaders who would teach others also.

Why? Because God’s primary means for making disciples is the local church. A healthy church teaches sound doctrine. It forms believers through faithful preaching. It raises up leaders. It provides accountability and care. It sends workers. It becomes a visible witness to the gospel in its community.

This is why pastoring and equipping leaders is not a distraction from missions—it is missions. Every sermon preached faithfully, every leader trained carefully, every member discipled patiently contributes to the long-term strengthening of gospel witness in this city and beyond.

Church Planting Strengthens Existing Churches Too

One of Keller’s most important observations is that church planting does not only reach new people—it also helps renew existing churches. When healthy churches are planted, they raise the bar for gospel clarity, theological depth, and mission-mindedness. They encourage pastors. They create healthy partnerships. They provoke fresh vision for ministry.

We’ve already seen glimpses of this in Nairobi. As pastors gather at the Proclaim Conference or strategize church planting at City to City Africa, as leaders are trained, and as churches work together around a shared commitment to the gospel, there is a ripple effect far beyond any one congregation.

Church planting is never merely about starting another Sunday service. It is about establishing outposts of gospel clarity that strengthen the wider church.

The Need for Training Is Real

Alongside gospel confusion, there is also a significant need for theological training and trustworthy resources. Many pastors here genuinely love Christ and want to serve faithfully, but they often have limited access to robust theological education, healthy ministry models, or practical discipleship resources.

This is why we sent three men to Pastors College, invest in the theological training being done by a likeminded local church, and are on the look out to identify and equip future leaders.

Strong churches require strong leaders. Strong leaders are shaped by sound doctrine. And sound doctrine produces churches that can endure, multiply, and remain faithful for generations.

That kind of work is often slow and unseen. It doesn’t feel blog-worthy. But it is exactly the kind of work that builds lasting gospel fruit.

Why We’re Here

So why Nairobi? Because this city matters deeply to God. Because millions here need the real gospel, not a substitute. Because healthy churches are God’s plan for making disciples. Because trained leaders will shape countless lives long after we are gone. And because we believe that planting and strengthening gospel-centered churches is one of the most strategic ways to see Christ glorified in Kenya and beyond.

Thank you for praying, giving, and partnering with us in this work. What may sometimes look ordinary—preaching, discipling, training leaders, and planting churches—is actually how God has always loved to build his kingdom.

Pray

You can find updated prayer requests here but a couple urgent needs:

• Pray for Kenya today that is experiencing unrest due to the soaring cost of fuel – we’ve had to cancel our plans for today that would require travel. In fact we were just informed that protesters blocked the road leading in or out of our housing community.
• We are preparing for a baptism service at our house this Saturday and Sunday will welcome new members to SGC Nairobi