The Horn of Africa is experiencing an unusual movement of God as Nazarenes share the gospel and start new churches. Dr. Jesse Middendorf, jurisdictional general superintendent for the Africa Region, recently witnessed the tremendous church growth and outpouring of the Holy Spirit in several gatherings there.

Joining Regional Director Eugenio Duarte and others, Dr. Middendorf addressed more than 60 Nazarene field leaders, district superintendents, and zone leaders at the annual Horn of Africa leadership meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The vision and mission articulated for the Horn of Africa are: “Our vision: To finish the Great Commission in the Horn of Africa in this generation. Our mission: To facilitate a Holiness church planting movement in every people group in the Horn of Africa.” It is the intention of the Church of the Nazarene to expose every people group in the Horn of Africa to the message of the gospel in this generation. District superintendents reported planting more than more than 1,000 churches for the year! Dr. Middendorf says, “I was deeply moved by the passion, the intentionality, and the thorough planning that I witnessed. The leaders are not merely expressing an aspiration. They are putting feet to their plans, undergirding them with prayer, and pouring out their lives to accomplish their mission.”

Dr. Middendorf also officiated at the Horn of Africa Field’s South Central District Assembly where they celebrated planting 344 new churches in a single year and reported nearly 1,100 pastors in training. He ordained four Nazarene pastors and dedicated the new district center during the assembly.

More than 800 people attended the district assembly, many of whom spent the night sleeping on the ground awaiting the event’s opening. Sadly, more than 200 delegates and 5 pastors were not able to attend because of violence in their respective areas.

The district also started a new district during the assembly. The goal of the new district is to have 100 new churches this coming year, and the goal of the South Central District is to plant 1,000 more churches in the next year.

At the Horn of Africa Holiness Conference, Dr. Middendorf shared the opening challenge from 1 Peter 1:13-21. “I can't keep quiet about holiness!” he told the conference attendees. New converts who were previously religious leaders from a very gospel-resistant people group sang praises to God from Luke celebrating what Jesus had done in their hearts.

One of those attending had traveled on foot for 13 days and nights from Sudan. On the way, he continued spreading the Good News and planted two churches. There are now more than 500 Nazarene churches on his zone.

“We are witnessing a ‘great awakening’ in the Horn, the equal to which I have not seen in my lifetime,” says Dr. Middendorf. “This is historic in proportion and driven by a passion for the message of holiness. I am praying that the spirit of this awakening will spread across the globe in the Church of the Nazarene. It is beginning to happen in other world areas. I pray it will reach the shores of the U.S. and Canada.”