BCM International Update by Pauline Mwangi with Jeanette Windle
“It is estimated that nearly half of Africa’s 1.5 billion population is under the age of 18 with over a half-billion children under the age of 14,” explains Pauline Mwangi, BCM’s recently appointed ISMT coordinator for Africa. “This makes African children ripe for intentional discipleship NOW!”
Meet Pauline Mwangi
From Nairobi, Kenya, Pauline Mwangi comes into her role with significant leadership experience inside and outside of Kenya, including digital marketing, children’s ministry, publication, and digital broadcasting. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration as well as higher diplomas in human resource development and ministerial studies. In 2017, Pauline completed BCM’s Train the Trainer to become an instructor of In Step with the Master Teacher, BCM’s children’s ministry training program. She then went on to become an ISMT Lead Trainer in 2021. Since then, she has organized and taught ISMT trainings across Kenya and numerous African nations from Rwanda, Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, and virtually in nations such as Haiti and Japan. She was appointed as African coordinator for ISMT in May 2025.
Reaching Children
Pauline first came to Christ more than 20 years ago through Christ is The Answer Ministries. She was soon involved in children’s ministry, ultimately overseeing 100 children ministry workers and 1,700 children every Sunday. She serves as contributing author with the CITAM curriculum development teams, tasked with developing both print and digital discipleship material for children, as well as developing preschool content for digital broadcast. She has also helped other organizations develop devotional and discipleship materials and co-authored Bible-based children’s story books.
Pauline explains why she is so passionate to reach Africa’s children for Christ. “Although Africa is host to the fastest growing population of Christians, these statistics have not translated to transformation in communities through the influence of godly values believers should be practicing. This means there’s a disconnect between the belief system and lifestyle. By discipling children, we have an opportunity for a do-over. When children’s ministry workers and leaders are equipped and sensitized to model Christ in their lives, children get to learn from their lifestyle for real-life transformation.”
Essential Training
The ISMT Africa Project that Pauline heads up is focused on reaching children within African nations by strengthening the church as well as empowering church leaders and children’s ministry workers to intentionally walk alongside children, helping them know God for themselves. Pauline explains why this is so urgent.
“Since I served in a very child-centric ministry, I had no expectation of what I would encounter when I started equipping other churches through ISMT. Over and over, teachers shared similar needs of their children’s church. There was no training, budget, teaching materials, designated facilities for children, or designated pastor to oversee children’s ministry. In the years I have served as ISMT trainer, I have seen this story repeated throughout my own country and across Africa. This formed my motivation to advocate for equipping the entire body of Christ on how to intentionally and effectively disciple children. It can no longer be a preserve of a few people within the church but a task that involves the entire church community with special emphasis on discipleship that starts at home.”
Ministry Multiplication through BCM
This is where ISMT’s multiplication model comes in handy. ISMT makes it possible to partner with churches, parent associations, pastors fellowships, and parachurch organizations in equipping leaders, volunteers, children ministry workers, community/social workers, missionaries, and parents with practical tools to disciple children wherever they are. This includes Bible clubs, schools, churches, Bible camps, community-based children’s programs, as well as in the home. Raising up ISMT trainers within the community is not just a cost-effective, sustainable model of ensuring no child is left behind, but it also makes discipling children a collective responsibility.
“A good example is the CITAM church where I serve,” Pauline shares. “This church has about 40 assemblies spread across Kenya and internationally. 25,000 children attend the various assemblies every Sunday. Last August alone, over 60,000 children were reached in just one week through their annual vacation children’s Bible outreach. The growth of children’s ministry can be attributed in part to the practical tools and skills gained from the ISMT trainings.”
Equipping across Africa
This same ministry now has 14 ISMT Lead Trainers and over 200 leaders who have completed the Train the Trainer program to be able to teach ISMT themselves. All children’s workers are required to complete a minimum of ISMT level 1 training before they are assigned to teach a Sunday school class.
It is this success case study Pauline Mwangi looks forward to replicating across Africa in partnership with Lead Trainers from the various countries, local churches, and other child-centric organizations.
Pauline asks for friends of BCM to:
- Pray for BCM lead trainers and missionaries in Africa as they travel across the continent conducting trainings.
- Pray for God to raise ministry partners to support cross-country trips.
- Consider giving to support the ISMT Africa Project’s upcoming trainings in the remainder of 2025 and throughout 2026 in Angola, Cameroon, DR Congo, Rwanda, Namibia, Lesotho, Sierra Leone, and Chad.
