The discipleship of lay Christians in small groups

      Baptism and confirmation classes

      Training of evangelists, catechists and lay leaders

      Church planting and evangelism

      Preaching

      Sunday School teaching

Rooted in Jesus is introduced by a conference which explains the concept of discipleship in small groups and offers training and direct ministry to participants. It is translated into the local language for use in each place. At the moment it is available in 19 languages. Rooted in Jesus teams go at the invitation of the diocesan bishop. From 2009 there are something like 30,000 people meeting in about 3000 groups in the various countries where the course is in use.

We have received extraordinary testimonies of the changes in people’s lives and churches from this course; it seems that Rooted in Jesus is a tremendous catalyst for change in places where there are few other Christian resources. Many of the group members are illiterate, and for them this represents their first real access to the Bible. Many have become actively involved in the ministry of the church for the first time as a result of their participation in the course.

For an article from ReSource magazine on the origin and development of Rooted in Jesus click here. To read some testimonies click here. To watch part of a Rooted in Jesus lesson (1.4 'What must I do?') demonstrated by Michael Samuel click here. For the history and development of Rooted in Jesus in the various places where it is in use see below.

Regional Reports:

Diocese of Mt Kilimanjaro and Diocese of Kiteto, Tanzania (from 2002)

Bishops Simon Makundi, John Hayden and Isaiah Chambala. Teams led by Alison Morgan.

Rooted in Jesus was first written in 2002 at the request of Revd Stanley Hotay, Diocesan Missioner and Director of the Jesus Film programme in the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro. Introduced by 3 training conferences for clergy and evangelists, Rooted in Jesus got off to a cautious start but gradually took off throughout the diocese. Coordinators were appointed for the deaneries of Kiteto (Michael Samuel), Arusha (Isaiah Chambala) and Babati (Jacob Lihhima). Pastors and group leaders were given gifts of milk goats to enable them to support their families, funded by an appeal in Leicester diocese and administered by the diocesan Agriculturalist Matthias Troff. Rooted in Jesus is used in both Swahili and Masai, and each group leader has been given a Good News Bible in the appropriate language. By 2007 many groups had completed the course, and a new generation of leaders was trained, many of whom are women, all of whom are lay.

In the first round there were eventually over 3,500 people belonging to about 350 groups - 156 in the Kiteto deaneries, 150 in Arusha deanery and the remainder in Babati and Kilimanjaro deaneries. The Kiteto groups completed the course in 2007, and 330 new groups were formed, making a total of about 520 groups running in the diocese as a whole. Stanley, Michael, Isaiah and Jacob have all travelled on teams to introduced Rooted in Jesus to other dioceses.

Watching the changes that Rooted in Jesus has brought in the lives of leaders, group members and the church in the Kiteto region as a whole has been an astonishing and humbling privilege. For more details please see the first hand reports below, or click here for individual testimonies.

In July 2009 the diocese divided into two, the Diocese of Mount Kilimanjaro and the Diocese of Kiteto, and Isaiah Chambala became the first bishop of Kiteto. Isaiah appointed Michael Samuel as full time coordinator of Rooted in Jesus. From 2010 the Diocesan Council has agreed that:

·         Rooted in Jesus will work under the office of Mission, Evangelism and stewardship, with Michael Samuel as the head of the MES and diocesan coordinator for RinJ.

·         The 7 Rural Deans will be responsible for supporting and supervising the groups in their deaneries

·         Rooted in Jesus will be used with all children from ages 10-12 as their catechismal preparation.

·         Rooted in Jesus becomes a condition and a qualification for any one who becomes a group leader such as MU and YOUTH

·         Rooted in Jesus becomes a standard for the Bible knowledge of all workers in the diocesan offices, as a way of building their spiritual maturity, challenging their call to ministry and inspiring them to grow in their discipleship.

·         Regular seminars and conferences will be planned by the coordinator in cooperation with the rural deans and the bishop.

 for a report from Isaiah Chambala in Arusha (2006) click here

for a report from Jacob Lihhima click here

for a report from Bishop John Hayden (2007) click here

for a report following the 2007 conferences click here

for a prayer report from Michael Samuel (2009) click here

To watch part of a Rooted in Jesus lesson (1.4 'What must I do?') demonstrated by Michael Samuel click here

for an update on the children's prayer workshop in 2007 click here

Diocese of Kirinyaga, Kenya (from 2004)

During the 2004 SOMA mission to the Anglican Province of Kenya, we were able to offer 2 Rooted in Jesus seminars in the united dioceses of East Kenya. Team led by Alison Morgan and Martin Cavender, with Jenny Ridge and Stanley Hotay.

In Kirinyaga diocese Lucy Mgwanja began by using Rooted in Jesus in Sunday school. She then set up groups for the Mothers Union and for men, drawing together people from different denominations in her home town of Kerugoya. She has now been invited to take Rooted in Jesus to the national college for prison warders, so that it may be used in prisons throughout Kenya.

Lucy is translating Rooted in Jesus into Kikuyu, and has worked with Rooted in Jesus teams in both Arusha (Tanzania) and Narok (Kenya).

For a report from Lucy and her colleague Albert Ngare please click here.

Diocese of Luapula, Zambia (from 2005)

The Bishop is Robert Mumbi, the first bishop of this new diocese. Rooted in Jesus was introduced in 2005, having been translated into Bemba. Team led by Alison Morgan, with John Lee, Mike Hutchinson, Mark Bedford and Hils Revill.

Individual clergy began using Rooted in Jesus in their parishes with great success, but due to distance and lack of resources it took a little while to establish it as a diocesan-wide programme.

The bishop asked for a review of progress at the diocesan clergy conference in January 07, and it was agreed that Rooted in Jesus is a key programme for the diocese. To this end, a clergy re-orientation conference was held in February 07. A coordinator has been appointed for each archdeaconry, the training chaplain Fr Erwin Tembo has been charged with training the lay readers to lead groups, and a new overall coordinator is in place, Ven Cornelius Chalwe. A resolution was passed in August that all lay readers in the diocese must hold a Rooted in Jesus certificate before they may be licensed; the plan is that they should then use the course for confirmation classes and bible study in small groups in their communities. In August and September 2007 Cornelius trained over 1000 Mothers Union representatives to lead groups; Rooted In Jesus will now be used 'in all branches and at all gatherings'. Certificates have been issued to those who have completed book 1, and books 2 and 3 have been printed locally and are now in use.

'Bishop Robert Mumbi reported in January 07 on the progress of the Rooted in Christ programme that had been initiated by the Revd Alison Morgan in August 2005. Those clergy who have used the course have found the material very good for teaching at all levels, and plans are being made for the Training Chaplain Fr Erwin Tembo to run seminars in archdeaconries for lay readers. They could then use the material for confirmation classes and bible study in small groups in their communities'. Bath & Wells diocesan newsletter, May 2007.

'Our programme is going on very well; with God on our side we are almost half way through. The Diocesan teaching team is doing so well such that the Lord God almighty is so wonderful and revealing things we never experienced in the past as a Diocese.' Cornelius Chalwe, May 2009.

Fr Alfred Sichone wrote in January 2009 to say that in his parish of Mbala a group of lay leaders has completed the course and launched groups of their own.

 for progress reports by Cornelius Chalwe click here

Diocese of Niassa, Mozambique (from May 2006)

Bishop Mark Van Koevering. Team led by Alison Morgan, with Martin Cavender, David Cundill and Stanley Hotay.

Rooted in Jesus has been translated into Portuguese, Chichewa, and 4 other local languages (Yao, Makua, Senna and Lomwe), and introduced in 2 clergy conferences in May 2006. The diocese is experiencing rapid and challenging church growth. It covers a remote area 3x size of UK with fewer than 50 clergy. After 30 years of war there is great poverty, and recent flooding and a cyclone have exacerbated this.

Rooted in Jesus is seen as a key part of the diocesan strategy, and is currently used for

In April 07 we returned to offer further training for the catechists and evangelists of Lago archdeaconry; these conferences were repeated in the other archdeaconries by Amorim Rocha, the diocesan administrator responsible for Christian mission and formation throughout the diocese. From November 2007 Oscar Hamsine has been appointed to oversee the Rooted in Jesus programme as it expands. Bishop Mark writes: 'I have just returned from Mecanhles where we have grown from 6 churches in 2006 to 23. This year at least one Rooted course will be held in each of the communities. I was told that the literacy groups we had started like the course so much they wanted to meet daily rather than each week. We have made some good progress in a recent retreat with clergy about implementing Rooted in Jesus and have pledged ourselves to starting 1,000 groups in 2008!'

Helen Van Koevering writes (May 2008): Recent figures show that the diocese has increased 25% in numbers in the past 4 years to about 51,000 now. The MU has increased by about 30% in past 18 months, with lots of activity in all sorts of projects. On all levels and in all church organizations, we are encouraging participation in Rooted in Jesus for discipling, and the priests are much more actively involved now too. The excitement of being church is palpable, quite different to when we came back in 2003. Even a visiting South African Bishop commented on the change. Getting together, whether in small groups or large Diocesan events, has made all the difference... Last weekend, 15 were confirmed in my (new, almost finished) church having completed two books - the first lot of confirmations following the introduction of Rooted in Jesus. One whole family was baptised, a single mother with 3 children, all raised Muslims - the mother, Paulina, was confirmed too.

 for a report from Amorim Rocha click here

Diocese of Kumi, Uganda (from August 2006)

Bishop Thomas Erigei, programme overseen by Canon John Omagor, Diocesan Mission Coordinator.

Team led by John Lee, with Claire Greaves, Geoff Stokes, Jenny Green and Mike Hutchinson. 3 conferences in the 3 archdeaconries, in August 06. 200 people attended the conference, some but not all of whom held leadership responsibilities.

Groups have now been established, and are as far as we understand going well. Some have completed book 1 and members have received certificates.

Rooted in Jesus will be used in Ateso.

Diocese of Bungoma, Kenya (from December 2006)

Team led by David Munby as part of his ongoing support for the diocese.

They trained 25 evangelists and 5 clergy as part of a wider conference brief, and some groups have now started. A return visit in February 2009 found that despite the troubles Kenya was then facing, some groups were still continuing. The Provost was using it very successfully in his cell groups and also amongst the displaced people he was caring for. By December 2009, six groups had completed the course.

Diocese of Southern Malawi (from April 2007)

Bishop James Tengatenga. Initial team led by Alison Morgan, with John Watson, John McGinley and Isaiah Chambala. John McGinley took a follow-up team in August 2008, with Cornelius Chalwe, Martin Castle and Else Tarbitt.

Rooted in Jesus is in use throughout the diocese for evangelism and discipleship, in groups led by clergy and lay leaders. The diocese has only 17 clergy, and many churches depend on dedicated lay leadership. Rooted in Jesus is seen as a key new strategy in a diocese which has hitherto relied on crusades for its evangelism, and is now looking to develop an effective strategy for lay discipleship. The programme is overseen by Martin Mlaka, Evangelism Coordinator.

The groups got off to a good start in 2007 with a pilot project in one parish and other groups meeting elsewhere. For 2008 a new training programme has been put together for the catechists, who will use Rooted in Jesus to disciple new Christians. Martin Mlaka writes:  'For over three decades, the Anglican diocese of southern Malawi has involved itself in crusades but without a proper tool for follow-up. It is in this regard that we find the Rooted in Jesus material and methods helpful to nurture the converts right immediately after each crusade. Soon after their training, we are going to deploy the catechists one by one at each place we have a church planting crusade and where the congregations are at establishment stage.'

The 2008 visit offered training and support to a wider group of lay leaders. John McGinley reports:

Rooted in Jesus is used in Chichewa and Chiyao.

                                                                        for a report from John McGinley click here.

Diocese of Nord-Kivu, DR Congo (from November 2007)

Bishop Enoch Kayeeye. Initial team led by Simon Brignall in November 07, supported by CMS Ireland; with Geoff Stokes, Joshua Opondo and Jacob Lihhima. A return visit was made in September 2009 as part of a wider SOMA conference led by Don Brewin, with Amanda Johnson overseeing the Rooted in Jesus workshops with Geoff Stokes, Joshua Opondo, and James Tumesgwe and William Musisi from S Rwenzori diocese.

The DRC is emerging from 40 years of civil war, during which most of its infrastructure has been destroyed. In the Diocese of Nord Kivu alone, which is 4 times the size of the UK (but has only 2 km of tarmac road!), 4 million people are estimated to have died during the war years. The church is the only functional institution in much of the country, and people are turning to it in large numbers. Many of the senior church leaders have never had the opportunity to study beyond primary school level, and not all church leaders own Bibles. The diocese has identified the need to train leaders and plant churches throughout this remote region as its top priority, and Rooted in Jesus is seen as a key part of this strategy. 

During the first visit in November 2007, 180 leaders were trained and some got off to a good start. The diocese was however soon embroiled in internal conflict, and the momentum was lost. Enoch Kayeeye was appointed acting bishop early in 2009, and some of the existing group leaders joined the Rooted in Jesus conference in the neighbouring diocese of South Rwenzori in Uganda. Rooted in Jesus was relaunched in September 2009 as part of a conference which majored on reconciliation; 40 people attended the afternoon workshops, 27 of whom committed to starting new groups – the majority clergy but with some lay leaders including 5 women. The new coordinator, Bwana Mzuri, is realistic about the difficulties facing the diocese, has clustered them in groups and has a good support programme in view. This is a diocese emerging from many years of great suffering and turmoil - they need our prayers.

Rooted in Jesus is used in Swahili and French.

                                                                        for a report from Simon Brignall (2007) click here

                                                                        for a report from Amanda Johnson (2009) click here

Diocese of South Rwenzori, Uganda (from May 2008)

Bishop Jackson Nzerebende. Team led by Stephen Dinsmore, with Sonja Arnold and Alex Scott. Second team led by Sonja Arnold, with Geoff Stokes, Mike Cotterell, Simon Brignall and Martin Mlaka.

This diocese borders Nord Kivu, DR Congo, and the Lhukonzo language is spoken on both sides of the border. The team ran three conferences, attended by the clergy,  parish mission coordinator and senior lay reader from each parish - a total of some 130-140 people in all. Rooted in Jesus was received with enthusiasm, and Bishop Jackson appointed Revd James Tumwesigye, a Church Army captain and the diocesan mission coordinator, coordinator of the new groups, together with his assistant William Musisi. A second visit was arranged in April 2009 to support and encourage these leaders and offer some initial training to those who will become group leaders in the future.

Rooted in Jesus is used in Lhukonzo.