T.E.E.-ing Up Students for Success

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 2 Tim. 2:15

In many places, the pastors of the LCCA are the most educated men in their locales. People living in rural communities attend primary school but most leave secondary school before receiving their diploma. Churches offer Sunday School for children and Confirmation Instruction for Adults who want to become members, but it is difficult for pastors to conduct advanced Bible Classes because each pastor is responsible for 3-6 congregations.

How do we bridge the gap in Biblical knowledge of an LCCA member who wants to enroll in our Worker Training program but barely understands what it means to be a Lutheran? In Malawi and Zambia we do not have Lutheran Elementary and Preparatory/Area Lutheran High Schools. Instead, the Worker Training System of the LCCA Malawi and Zambia relies heavily on a program called “Theological Education by Extension” or T.E.E. for short. 

The T.E.E. program was initially set up by Missionary Ernst H. Wendland in 1963 in Zambia. He recognized that men coming from a rural setting needed to receive additional preparation before they began their formal studies for the ministry. Instead of sending these men far away from their families and villages, the T.E.E. program is administered locally by the pastors who are serving in the field. 

Under the guidance of their pastor, candidates for the ministry work through four in-depth courses on Lutheran doctrine and Bible history. The students study at their own pace, meeting occasionally with their pastor who reviews the material with them. This system works well in remote areas, where the pastor only makes visits 2-3 times a year.

Under our current Worker Training system, every three years there is an intake of new students. Men who have completed the T.E.E. coursework present themselves for a test and an interview with the faculties of our Worker Training schools in Malawi or Zambia. Out of about 40 men who applied during the last intake in 2017, only 12 were accepted. In spite of this, there is some attrition of students during the six years of formal study due to academic or personal reasons.

Overall, the T.E.E. program has served the needs of the LCCA Worker Training Program well over the years.  Currently there are 8 students enrolled at the Lutheran Seminary in Lusaka, and 16 students enrolled at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Lilongwe. We ask God that every one of these men completes their studies and receives a call into the ministry. 

Missionary John Roebke serves in Malawi

Please pray for those working in fields that are ripe for harvest. Share their story, engage with future news and receive updates. Go to this link to learn more about our mission fields in Africa and how the Holy Spirit is working faith in people’s hearts  https://wels.net/serving-others/missions/africa