In the mid-1990’s OMS Africa spearheaded the opening of OMS Mozambique. Then in 1999 OMS Africa, in partnership with the Every Community for Christ (a division of One Mission Society), began a ministry among the immigrant and refugee communities of South Africa. This ministry equipped and encouraged immigrants and refugees to return to their countries of origin to start various evangelical and enabling ministries.
In June 2001, the Trustees of One Mission Society formally adopted the initiatives of OMS Africa as part of their Centennial program. These initiatives were termed the Into Africa Project. The major 2020 faith goals of Into Africa were:
- To open 20 new African countries to OMS ministries by the year 2020
- To train 1,000 sons and daughters of Africa as church planter pastors
- To plant 1,000 churches in Africa by the year 2020
- To establish an African leadership initiative among Africa’s leaders
The Village Church Planting (VCP) program began in Cote d'Ivoire in January 2003, and by its 10th anniversary in June 2011 OMS had facilitated VCP programs in more than 25 African countries. By mid-2011, the VCP program had established 448 training centers where more than 13,500 trainee pastors had facilitated the planting of 13,334 churches.
Upon the 10th anniversary of the VCP program in 2011, OMS Africa established for 2021 new long-term faith goals: a total of 2 million members worshipping at 40,000 churches in 36 countries.
We believe that the effectiveness of this program is primarily because God has revealed a clear and simple strategy, which when adopted by faithful workers carries His blessing. An effective church planting multiplication strategy can be likened to the seed that fell on good soil. “It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times.” (Mark 4:8)
By June 2011, Isaac had grown his church association to 34,917 members who met in 615 churches. If asked how this has happened, Isaac would point to Jesus and repeat His words: “The Kingdom of God is like this. A man scatters seed in his field. He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while the seeds are sprouting and growing. Yet he does not know how it happens. The soil itself makes the plants grow and bear fruit; first the tender stalk appears, then the head, and finally the head full of grain. When the grain is ripe, the man starts cutting it with his sickle, because harvest time has come.” (Mark 4:26-29)
In early 2003 Freddy and Henriette Mukendi returned to Mbjui-Mayi, DRC, after receiving training with OMS in South Africa. They founded the Hope of Glory church association, and began to implement the VCP program. By June 2011 Freddy had 1,177 churches with 53,279 members. To God be the glory!!
As of June 2011 the Into Africa Project had:
- Opened more than 25 African nations to OMS ministries
- Trained or was in the process of training more than 13,500 church planter pastors
- Planted 13,334 churches in Africa with 768,073 members
- In partnership with African Operation, facilitated the opening of approximately 15 African nations to leadership initiatives
- Discipled more than 300,000 new believers
- Trained over 15,000 church leaders (deacons and Sunday school teachers)
