Mukhanyo, like the rest of the world, has benefitted from Martin Luther’s audacious action that become public in 1517 when he nailed 95 statements to a church door in Wittenberg, Germany. One can even say that one of the results of this action is that, by God’s grace, Mukhanyo Theological College exists today in Luther’s slipstream.


    
Look at the following points:

• Luther saw the importance of making the Bible accessible to everyone. That is why he translated the New Testament in 1521 when he was kidnapped and held hostage in the Wartburg Castle (see picture), and later also translated the Old Testament, as well as many other books and sermons. As a result of his work and that of many other Reformers, Mukhanyo’s work is to open the Bible to all people, teaching church leaders and teachers to do so to wherever possible.
• Why is it so important to open the Bible? Because Jesus Christ gave His Word to teach His children, all believers, to believe in Him and to serve Him, an approach that Luther and the other Reformers rediscovered. So does Mukhanyo.
• To spread the Word and serve Him the way He wants to be served, and to grow in faith, believers must read and study the Bible continuously. That is what Luther started teaching and this is what Mukhanyo teaches.
• Luther saw the light as it is taught by Paul in Romans, which is the only way one can be saved, through God’s grace. Through his insight, Mukhanyo is teaching the same Reformed biblical truths today.
• Bible teaching, mission work and evangelising, all over the world and also in Africa, are done as a result of the work of Luther and the many other Reformers, not only in the 16th century, but ever since, also today and also at Mukhanyo.

 Mukhanyo’s students were privileged to learn from no less than ten highly qualified and experienced theological guest lecturers during 2017. They came from many parts of the world, including four from Africa, and of course a number of locals churches.

They taught a large number of modules, many of which were recorded in Mukhanyo’s modern studio, with DVDs produced for distribution to Mukhanyo’s forthy some study groups all over the country and beyond.

Many of the lecturers stated that not only did they enjoy lecturing, but that they also were impressed with the academic standard of Mukhanyo and its students.  Mukhanyo’s own lecturers, as always having to carry by far the largest lecturing load, were also able to benefit from this international interaction.

One of the visiting lecturers, Dr David Galletta from the USA, has been lecturing at Mukhanyo regularly over more than ten years. He doesn’t know many times, but this could have been his tenth visit.

Other guest lecturers in 2017 were:

• P Houtman from the Netherlands
• D Kawanga from Malawi
• P Krüger from Potchefstroom
• J Klapprot from Pietermaritzburg (twice)
• V Naidoo from Durban
• E van Alten from Ukraine
• M Kamnkhwani from Malawi
• B Kasera from Namibia
• J Bell from Zimbabwe

It is expected that there will again be a number of guest lecturers in 2018, starting in January with Prof Dr William van Doodewaard from Canada.

Interview with Dr Brian DeVries, principal of MTC, recently published in a local magazine
 
Why is it important to train up pastors and leaders for ministry?
The Apostle Paul gave his spiritual son Timothy the following instruction: “… train yourself for godliness” (1 Tim 4:7). This requires the careful study of God’s Word under the guidance of experienced pastor-teachers. Some church leaders do not have the opportunity for such study. But whenever possible, all pastors and church leaders should take every opportunity to get further biblical training. In fact, much false teaching among the so-called “churches” today is a direct result of pastors who have not seriously studied God’s Word. A lack of knowledge and careful application of God’s Word has created many dangerous false teachings.

How is Mukhanyo relevant for modern-day Christian living and ministry?
Mukhanyo has for more than 25 years been providing pastoral training that is biblical, contextual and designed specifically for African church leaders.  All Mukhanyo lecturers believe that the Bible is God’s Word to us today and that it is the final authority for all situations in life.  Mukhanyo trains students to study the Bible for answers to the pressing questions that we face today in our churches, families, communities and nation.

What is your prayer for 2018?
We are praying that God will continue to use Mukhanyo to train the next generation of church leaders for faithful service in His church within all areas of southern Africa.  We are praying for the Holy Spirit to work a great revival among all churches, a revival that results in a total reformation of our society.

Barely eighteen months since the Braamfontein campus officially opened its doors, Mukhanyo is reaching out to the churches in the Greater Johannesburg area by providing courses and open days to help equip pastors and other church leaders to reach their full potential for the Kingdom.

Over the past three months, three events have been held at the campus.

The first was an open day on 27 July where some key church and ministry leaders, as well as distance group facilitators, were invited to hear about Mukhanyo, meet some members of our faculty and discuss ways for us all to work together. Much positive feedback was received with some good ideas for future events and partnerships.

Then on 19 August and 2 September the campus hosted the Financial Skills Seminar including practical skills related to handling cash and working with statements. Also some godly principles on how we are to view and handle money. God is the owner of everything, and we are merely stewards and managers of all the possessions and finances that we have been given. 

The Ministry to Muslims short course was held during the first week of October and the Church Leaders’ Conference will be hosted later on Saturday 4 November.

Ms Samba Kangwana of the Covenant Theological College in Zambia reported as follows on the Tutor Workshop held from 3 – 5 October 2017 at the Mukhanyo campus in KwaMhlanga:
 
The purpose of the training was to prepare Covenant College to run a Distance group for Mukhanyo starting in 2018. It was tailored for tutors and administrators to assist them to run their groups in accordance with the standards set by MTC. 
    
The training included the following topics on the role of the tutor: in the classroom, in financial matters, in administration, as mentor/motivator and as invigilator/examiner. Other issues discussed were assessment and exam marks, guidelines to assignment writing and marking, and team building.
    
The topics were handled well and I hope to put into practice the lessons gathered thereof faithfully and to the best of my strength.

During the October semester break, five eager Mukhanyo students - one coming from as far away as Ogies - and three pastors, gathered at our Johannesburg Campus for four days to learn about the Muslim faith and how to witness to them effectively.

The week began by learning the importance of evangelising Muslims and the key issue here was understanding that they are sinners too - just like we were before Christ - and need Christ just as much as we do. This was followed by the more theoretical issues as the history, beliefs, practices and writings of Islam were unpacked. This was followed on days three and four with how to - and how not to - engage with Muslims. Through the method of story-telling, students were taught how to dialogue with Muslims and present them with key aspects of the Gospel without being confrontational.

A key part of the course were the practical exercises that each student had to do each afternoon following the lectures where they had to speak to a Muslim and ask questions about their beliefs. One of the things that emerged from these exercises is that many Muslims do not know what Islam teaches or why they believe what they do and some were also unwilling to talk about it, referring our students to the local Imam. However, one practical session - which was a highlight of the week - was a tour of a local mosque in Newtown. There the students saw first-hand the various rituals at a Mosque and engage with an Imam who was willing to talk about Islamic beliefs, prayers and practices and answer any questions. In the feedback session the next day, many of the students admitted that they were fearful at first to enter a mosque, or even to approach a Muslim, however, through the course and the practical exercises, those fears have been dealt with.

One thing that I was reminded of throughout the course was the attitude of the prophet Jonah who lacked compassion for the people of Nineveh - which is modern-day Mosul in Iraq. Though not a Muslim city back then, the lesson still holds true today, God still has compassion on the city's inhabitants who "do not know their right hand from their left" (Jonah 4:11).

This course was indeed valuable and enjoyed by all and we look forward to similar short courses and events at our Johannesburg campus in the future.