History of Kabwata Baptist Church
Kabwata Baptist Church is a Reformed Baptist church based on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. It was planted by Lusaka Baptist church in the year 1981 after the church had finished planting Emmasdale Church, which later became the Bread of Life Church International. At that time Lusaka Baptist Church was under Pastor Joe Sinfukwe. His fellow elders were Cephas Yandila, Gabriel Mutale, and Joshua Kekana. The first church service took place in Kabwata Community Hall on March 8, 1981.
There was an aggressive door-to-door outreach in the Kabwata area carried out largely by the senior youths at Lusaka Baptist Church who were part of what was called the Christian Action Group. Among those senior youths, there was a group of student nurses who were studying at the UTH Nursing School who conspicuously gave themselves to this work, especially through their singing. As with many church plants, there was hardly any observable fruit in the first few years and discouragement was beginning to set in by the end of three years.
However, a few individuals were still persuaded that there was hope and so they stuck around while others stopped coming for what was called “Kabwata Outreach”. Mr Gabriel Mutale, Mr Joshua Kekana, and later Pastor Alfred Nyirenda gave overall leadership to the church planting effort until January 1986 when the church became independent.
Apart from the work of evangelism, those who provided leadership concentrated on also building up the believers who were now consistently identified with the new work. A small library of Christian books was assembled, which Dr Yotham Phiri used to carry between the Ridgeway campus of the University of Zambia (where he was still studying medicine) and the Kabwata Community Hall. Later, Dr Simon Mphuka and Dr Oliver Bowa, who at that time were also still medical students, took over the task of bringing books to the hall so that believers could borrow them and thereby grow spiritually.
At that time, the leadership team comprised Messrs Alfred Nyirenda (elder), Roland Msiska, Ken Makala, Emmanuel Milapo, Dapson Mwendafilumba, Grave Singogo, Nicholas Mutale, Simon Mwale, Michael Mwanza, and Charles Chinambu. None of these are at KBC now, but their labours in the church’s early years must never be forgotten.
After the new church was constituted, efforts were made to search for a man to take up the pastoral office. After much prayer, the attention of the leadership was drawn towards a young mining engineer working in the Zambian copper mines in Mufulira by the name of Conrad Mbewe. The church called him and on September 1, 1987, he came and became the church’s first pastor. For the first three years, his salary was paid by Lusaka Baptist Church through its Baptist Urban Outreach Fund.
At that time, the church’s leadership changed and comprised deacons; Messrs Charles Chinambu, David Toka, Bernard Siamwanza, Dapson Mwendafilumba (who was the church secretary), Emmanuel Millapo (who was the church treasurer), Joseph Matafwali, Buta Gondwe, Kennedy Sunkutu (who was the chairman), and the church pastor, Conrad Mbewe.
By the time Pastor Mbewe came into the pastorate, Mr Alfred Nyirenda had left Lusaka to take up the pastorate of Kitwe Chapel and in his place, Mr Stembiso Daka became the church elder. In due season, Mr Stembiso Daka left the eldership and in his place came Mr David Toka, Dr Duncan Mugala and Mr Wishard Yenga. In many ways, this was the first full-orbed eldership of KBC, which functioned independently of the diaconate.
As we begin to look at the period 1989 to 1995, it is worth emphasising that the first project that this new leadership undertook was that of compiling a hymnbook supplement so that they could use some of the well-known hymns in their worship that were not included in the Grace Hymns hymnbook. That was how Grace Supplement was compiled as a joint effort with a few sister churches and KBC published it in 1989.
Another major project that started then was the Zambia Reformed Conferences. The first conference was held in 1990. It comprised a pastor’s conference, held at the UNZA Chapel, and a youth conference, held at David Kaunda Secondary School. The first international preacher was Pastor Achille Blaize from England. It was a most memorable conference. Since then these conferences have been held every year with numbers now reaching over 1,300.
In 1990, Kabwata Baptist Church also adopted the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith as its doctrinal standard and thus took its place among the worldwide family of Reformed (or Sovereign Grace) Baptist churches. This took place after one year of Bible studies based on this document, from September 1989 to September 1990, when the adoption took place.
The separation of the elders from the deacons so that the latter could concentrate on areas that the elders asked them to and under the oversight of the elders caused a lot of trouble in the leadership of the church. This was because the deacons had for a long time functioned as elders, though they were under the title of “deacons”. Pastor Mbewe undertook a special seminar over two weekends in 1992 to correct the misunderstanding, but these were “too little too late” and about twenty individuals left the church out of disaffection. The previous elders had also left town and so Pastor Mbewe remained with a few deacons and started rebuilding the leadership.
In 1991 Pastor Mbewe undertook a series of sermons entitled, “The local church’s unique mission in the World.” These sermons were meant to change the direction of the church from its inward-looking nature to that which would be outward. The series took three years and by 1994, the church’s ministries had changed and each one of them became intentionally evangelistic in the light of what was learned from the biblical expositions from the pulpit.
In 1992, the church began its building project on the site where its structures currently are. This was after suffering a lot of disturbance to its Sunday worship services and also the church suffered financially because in those days the rentals for the pastor’s house used to be paid for one year in advance. The first building to go up was the current church pastor’s house so that the financial crisis could be removed. The Mbewes moved into the house in June 1994.
In 1994, KBC also got involved in its first missions work. This was due to a call from Choma Baptist Church, which was threatened with closure after it lost its pastor in 1992. At that time there were only two elders, Dr Msiska and Pastor Mbewe, and so the church was reluctant to accept responsibility over the church in Choma. However, the two elders insisted that we go ahead and that was how our missions work began. The planting of John Laing Reformed Baptist Church in 1995 later followed this and we had now cut our teeth in the work of missions!
In 1996 KBC commenced the construction of its church building. It took 2 years to put up the four walls and the roof, and in August 1997 the church moved from the Kabwata Community Hall and started having its worship services in this auditorium. The building was not as nice as it is now. It was basically four walls and a roof. All the improvements were done after we had moved in. The brother who led the construction work was Kennedy Ndui, who has since gone to heaven. We named the KBC Guest House after him.
In 1997, the church adopted a new constitution in line with the Reformed doctrinal position it had taken by taking on the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. This was not a modification of the old constitution; it was a total overhaul. It was new wine in a new wineskin!
One of the most important ministries that had started in that period was the Hope for the Afflicted Ministry, which later changed its name to Hope Ministry. This ministry commenced primarily to address the ravaging effect of AIDS, which had left many Zambians either infected or affected by its spread. We wanted as a church to reach out to the hurting world around us and this ministry played and still plays a role in mitigating the effect of AIDS through the gospel.
In 1998, KBC started Eagles Nest School. It was initially a childcare project being run in the pastor’s home by Mrs Mbewe and Mrs Kunda. Since it had already become popular in the community around the church, the children’s ministry asked if they could take over the name and the two proprietors gladly agreed. Eagles Nest School slowly began to add one grade each year until they reached Grade Seven and filled every conceivable space in the church facilities. The first full-time headteacher was Mrs Kumwenda and, apart from a brief time away in Chipata, she has continued in this position to this present day. Eagles Nest School continues to be one of the best schools in Zambia and should soon start putting up its own structures on our property.
1998 was also the year that KBC first appeared at the Agricultural and Commercial Show by renting its own stand. This surprised everyone. The ministries of the church would “exhibit” what they do so that non-Christians who are in need would know which ministry to approach. Tens of thousands of evangelistic tracts and booklets were given out during the Show. In fact, in that first year, KBC won the first prize in the “unclassified category” of the Show. The Show Outreach Ministry has been renamed Public Events Ministry and no longer goes to the Show.
In 1999, KBC entered into a partnership with HeartCry Missionary Society so that they started supporting our missions endeavours. With their support, we ordained and sent out Pastor Lichawa Thole that same year to Matero to plant a Reformed Baptist church there, and Pastors Kennedy Sunkutu and Wilson Kamanga the following year to plant churches in Kafue and Choma. The Choma church was already in existence and simply needed a missionary pastor. That was how we entered the current church-planting phase. And, as they say, the rest is history!
We now turn our attention to the period 2003 to 2009. In 2002 KBC crossed the 200 members mark and in 2007 the membership reached 300. In 2005 alone, 27 people were baptised. This had never happened before in the life of KBC. New members were being welcomed every week. Also, the staff payroll had reached 27 individuals.
But statistics can be misleading because this was the most difficult period in the life of KBC. In 2003, our eldership disintegrated due to personality clashes. In the end, all the elders stepped down and Pastor Mbewe remained the sole elder again. The deacons remained intact and helped to cover up a lot of the space left by the elders when they resigned. The process of rebuilding the eldership commenced in 2004 with the inclusion of Mr Sitali. At one time the growth even reached seven, until we lost Mr Eric Sinyangwe and Mr Mwamba Chibuta.
2004 was also an exciting year because, for the first time, we ordained a missionary to go and plant a church outside Zambia. This was Pastor Kapambwe Nsenduluka who we ordained and sent to Botswana to establish the Central Baptist Church in Gaborone. He later proceeded to Namibia and established the Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Windhoek before relocating to India with his family. Apart from him, the church continued to ordain and send out more missionaries, such as Lovemore Banda, Raphael Banda, German Banda, Matthews Banda, Bonang Lekoba, Kennedy Chibwe, Curtis Chirwa, Charles Mwanza, Oswald Sichula, Percy Chisenga, and Gershom Nyirongo. There was clearly unprecedented growth in this department.
In 2005, KBC did something that churches rarely do. Like the Show Outreach, KBC started a play park outreach in the Libala area. We applied to the Lusaka City Council for a disused play park that had become a dumping ground. Once we were given the play park, at our own cost, we cleared it and set up a soccer pitch and volleyball and netball courts. Since then we have undertaken a number of youth outreach efforts while playing games with the young people of the community. We are yet to see much long-lasting fruit from this effort.
In January 2008, KBC held its first missions conference. This was a significant milestone in the life of the church. For the first time, the church’s missionaries could come home once a year to share with the church about their work. Also, the church members could now individually support the work of missions financially. It was in 2008 and 2009 that the first church plants were weaned—Kafue Reformed and Chisomo Baptist churches. It was evident that we were onto something here, because in other places church plants hardly ever get weaned!
While we were rejoicing in all this, KBC was struck with a number of deaths in 2008 in quick succession. The first was Mrs Simbisai Filakati. Then, within one month John Kumwenda Junior followed. And then within one month again Dr Simon Mphuka, who at that time was an elder, also followed. A wife, a single young man, and a church officer were gone. The mood in the church was sober for some months to come as we all wondered who would be next.
We now turn to look at 2010 to 2016, which will bring us to the present day. One area of ministry that has grown by leaps and bounds during this time was the KBC youth camps and conferences. By 2013 the senior youth conference was averaging 300 to 400 and the youth camp was almost hitting 800. In short, between these two events, KBC was ministering to over 1,000 youths. The youth camp has since been split into two to make it more manageable.
Another area that has known significant growth has been the pastoral internship programme. It grew from three interns in 2010 to 6 by 2015. With the help of the HeartCry Missionary Society, we managed to buy two houses near the church so as to house at least six interns at any one time. Perhaps the greatest surprise was when the estate agent that we had asked to help us find a house took me to the very house that the church used to rent for Pastor Mbewe and his family for the first seven years of his pastorate. We did not hesitate to buy it! Our internship programme has brought in men from all over Zambia, Botswana, South Africa, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Germany, and Canada. This year we also expect interns from Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Nigeria. Most of these men are going on to plant solid churches.
In 2011, an important change took place in the eldership of KBC. Pastor Chipita Sibale was ordained as a pastor and took his place as the youngest member of the KBC eldership, almost reducing the average age of the eldership by half! Pastor Mbewe’s worldwide ministry necessitated the addition of an extra pastor. The church felt a need for consistent pulpit ministry in his absence. So, for the last five years, KBC has been the only Reformed Baptist church in Zambia to have two pastors and they continue to work very well together.
Perhaps the biggest challenge and project that KBC got involved in during the last seven years has been the African Christian University project. The idea was mooted in 2008 through the visit of Ken and Lisa Turnbull from the USA via Mozambique. Once the Reformed Baptist churches in Lusaka embraced the idea, the Turnbulls returned by 2010 and hit the ground running. The churches chose one of our pastors, Dr Mbewe, to be the chancellor of the university while Dr Turnbull became the vice-chancellor. The first Zambian faculty member was Mr Wilson Tembo, who now serves as the university’s dean of students. The chairman of our deacons, Mr John Chundu, has also been serving in the background as the ACU board chairman. The university opened its doors to students last month and is now fully operational.
KBC has also been involved in the ACU project through its membership subscribing to the 450 fundraising campaign. We filled our quota for that campaign as our members committed themselves to give K50 per month towards this mammoth university project to ensure it has some ongoing funding while it prepares to take off. Our Ibex Hill campus is as good as ready, with offices, lecture rooms, a good library, and other facilities. This year our one-off pledge is going towards “the grand entrance” for our ACU Chisamba campus along the Great North Road. Let us continue praying for the licence to be issued so that we can open for classes soon.
While opening our own university, KBC has been conscious of the fact that Lusaka has become the centre of tertiary education in Zambia. Apart from its longstanding public colleges and university, many new private colleges and universities have started opening. Thus in 2013, KBC started a Campus Outreach Ministry so as to deliberately focus its attention on the tens of thousands of students streaming into Lusaka. Two buses have been purchased not only for the purpose of bringing the students for worship services but also for exposing them to the work of missions, praying that some of them will soon answer the call to become our future missionaries.
Finally, in 2011 the church’s membership crossed the 400 mark. For the last five years, the membership has been static, hovering between 410 and 430. Apart from the individuals whom we remove annually by discipline or by deletion when they are no longer active in the church, this stagnation has been due to the three new churches we have started within Lusaka to whom we have bequeathed our members. Some of those members have since elected to remain there. However, if the membership of the church seemed static during this period, the church attendance continued to grow. Hence, the elders have in the last few years urged members to go out to preach in orphanages, boarding schools and prisons instead of attending morning services so as to allow space for visitors—and many have gladly heeded that call. The deacons have also commenced an expansion programme to make the church auditorium bigger.
Another almost invisible area of growth in the last few years has been our payroll. The KBC staff that have been keeping the KBC “combined harvester” moving forward at full throttle has been growing in number. By today, the KBC payroll has reached 51 individuals, comprising 2 pastors, 7 administrative staff, 14 missionary pastors, 5 pastoral interns, and 23 ministry staff.
KBC enters its 31st year poised to accomplish even greater feats for the crown rights of the Lord Jesus Christ. These presentations I have been giving are but a brief summary of what God has done for us. We have a lot to thank God for as we reflect on the last 30 years of our existence as a church. God has truly blessed us. Indeed, may the Lord Jesus Christ find us spotless as his glorious bride and faithful to his task when he returns! Brethren, let us spend and be spent sacrificially out of love for our Bridegroom who has loved us with eternal love.
Amen!