Praise & Celebration in Ethiopia
An update from Michael Granger, Senior Pastor of Trinity Fellowship Church in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…
Sunday 31st May was marked by praise and celebration as Trinity Fellowship ordained its third pastor!
Yeabtsega has been with us almost from the very beginning of our church plant. He completed our first academic year of the Trinity Fellowship Pastors College, went through our pastoral residency, and faithfully endured our ordination assessment process with joy and excellence. More importantly, our church has already been relating to him as one of their pastors for several years. He has become a dear friend, trusted counsellor, and a faithful co-laborer to me!
Most importantly, however, Yeabtsega is married to Kimia. And honestly, we would probably hire the brother just for his wife. He seriously married up!
In Ephesians 4, Paul writes that when Christ ascended, he gave gifts to his church. In context, those gifts come in the form of pastors and teachers. Yeabtsega is an Ephesians 4 gift to Trinity Fellowship, and we thank God for him!
And a much-needed gift he is! Within the next month, Trinity Fellowship will likely reach nearly 220 members, with approximately 20 more already signed up for the next intake. In the coming days we’re also preparing to baptize 22 new individuals into the life of our church. We praise God, I praise God for providing Yeabtsega as the Lord continues to dwell amongst us.
And while we’re counting our blessings, last Sunday Pastor Amanuel completed his first solo sermon series. Since February, most of our Sundays have been spent listening to him preach through Paul’s epistle to Titus. We have been so served as he grows in preaching God’s Word.
Also, this past week, I had the privilege of lecturing at the Trinity Fellowship Pastors College alongside Brian Kiama, the first commissioned church planter sent out from Trinity Fellowship. Brian flew back from Nairobi to co-teach our course on church planting
In 2 Timothy 2:2 Paul writes, “What you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” The Lord has so richly provided a theological training for me at Castleview, SGCL, the Pastors College, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and now Union School of Theology. We therefore have a responsibility to invest in the next generation of pastors and church planters, which it’s a joy to do!
Over the course of 25 lecture hours, we taught on both the theology and the practicals of church planting, including how the necessity of Scripture necessitates church planting, identifying a church plant location, building a team, leadership vision, raising support, launching a church, and faithfully shepherding it over time.
Our current Pastors College academic calendar runs from September 2025 to September 2026 and consists of 42 block course classes under the leadership of our dean Josh Pannell. Following graduation, I plan to invite several of the graduates into a one-year pastoral residency. During that year, these men will take on a number of the responsibilities of pastoral ministry while continuing to be trained, evaluated, encouraged, and discipled before potentially entering ordained ministry.
Please pray for James 1 wisdom as we prepare for this next residency cohort, and pray that the Lord would continue to raise up faithful workers for his harvest.
