August 2004

There is an old adage that says ‘You can’t go back’. But the truth is, sometimes going back can be incredibly encouraging!

When Alastair Geddes was a teenager he left Scotland to go into the paramilitary police force in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). “I lived rather riotously. It wasn’t until I reached a place in my life where I needed to find answers that I became a Christian.” Two years after coming to know the Lord, Geddes traveled to the United States in 1971 to attend Bible school. After graduating from Christ for the Nations in Texas, he returned to Zimbabwe where he began missions work, preached in tent meetings and then began house meetings. He had brought with him a book called Life in the Spirit . “This book helped me bring the charismatic experience to the traditional church in what was then Rhodesia.” In 1976 he planted a church called Faith Ministries. “It was one of the first real multi-racial churches in Southern Africa. It was mostly white business people and black intellectuals from the University.”

In the early eighties Alastair moved from Africa to the United States. Although he had remained in touch with some of the leaders in FM it wasn’t until a recent trip to Zimbabwe that he realized its’ full impact. The leaders of Faith Ministries surprised Alastair by honoring him as the father of their ministry that now consists of 55 churches in Zimbabwe as well as England and other African countries. “We came at the invitation of Faith Ministries and for me it was a wonderful chance to reconnect. Their reception was amazing and it was so heartwarming to see the legacy that had sprung from this church!”

When asked about the strategy he used to make this church plant so successful, Alastair declares he is not much of a strategist. “One thing I did believe was that I should raise up national leaders and then release them.” He explains that most of the men who attended Faith Ministries were pals from the same university and in the same Christian union (which is described as being similar to a Campus Crusade type organization). Friendship and a strong cultural understanding of family united them. “The unique thing about this group is that they have stayed together all these years. There are 30-40 who are still friends and key leaders in the churches and that’s just the ones I saw while I was there!”

In addition to focusing on equipping nationals, FM advocated the concept of not only being Christian ministers but also marketplace ministers. They believed that businessmen could lead the church and that businesses would provide financing for the ministry. Except for the rural areas, where employment is hard to find, the majority of current FM ministers are bi-vocational. Many young African men from the University have become leaders in FM churches and leaders in their areas of expertise. “Those young men who came to church in 1976 and 1977, riding in busses that we sent out, are now in positions of influence; head of one of the largest banks in the country, a CEO in the hospitality industry, an ambassador, Zimbabwe’s only African orthodontist, a nationally known lecturer. These men took over the ministry when I left, but they have affected the nation.”

When Alastair left in 1983 to be Director and VP of Christ for the Nations in New York everything was handed over to those nationals who would carry on Faith Ministries. The title to the building, all property, and cars, were left behind. Alastair knows he was recognized as being ‘out of the norm’. “Most missions’ organizations would hold the titles for such things in their home offices. I do know that the genuineness of my approach touched them.”

Currently Alastair Geddes has started Impact International. His goal is to impact the next generation using the model found in Acts 17 where Paul goes into the synagogue, into the marketplace and into the government. One tactic he employs is “mission awakenings.” These are journeys where Alastair travels overseas with 15-20 young people with the goal of depositing in them a vision for contemporary church planting and missions as they “listen, learn and bless”. In fact, it was this type of group that accompanied him to Zimbabwe. He plans to return in 2006 for a “Next Generation Conference” on the 30 th anniversary of Faith Ministries. He also has plans for a conference in India in 2005. “Please don’t think I’m any big deal, because I’m not! But the Lord encouraged me tremendously by showing me that, despite my shortcomings, he can anoint the seeds I sow to produce lasting fruit.”