28 Years of EMIT

A meeting of visionaries

EQUIP (founded by Chris de Wet) and Karel Sanders Ministries (founded by Karel Sanders) start working together on a relational basis.

AFMIN IS FOUNDED

Chris de Wet and Karel Sanders join their respective ministries to form a new organization called Africa Ministries Network - soon referred to as “AFMIN.”

• Executive leadership is shared by Karel and Chris.
• AFMIN hosts training events in Malawi & Zambia.

We set up office in the USA and grow in Africa

• Chris de Wet and his family move to the USA to set up an office for AFMIN.
• AFMIN is incorporated in the USA as a 501(C)(3) non-profit Company.
• The start of the On/10 training program (1 training ten others) in Malawi & Zambia.
• The first leadership training seminars are held in Arusha & Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

First matching grant

• AFMIN receives the first matching grant of $20,000 from First Fruit, Inc. Cornerstone Trust matches it.

Four-Year program launched

• Four-year Pastoral Leadership curriculum is developed and implemented.
• Students from six countries enrol as students.

AFMIN has now trained over 200,000 pastors

• Kobus Grobler joins AFMIN.
• We launch the 3-Track Pastoral Training Institute: The Advanced Pastoral Leadership Diploma, Pastoral Leadership Diploma and for the On/10 students (those who are trained by our face to face students), a Pastoral Leadership Certificate.

We go from strength to strength

• The AFMIN School of the Air is launched and broadcasted out of Zambia by Chris and Steven Todd
• New advanced projects are started in Madagascar, Angola, and Brazzaville (Republic of the Congo).
• First Graduations in Zambia and Malawi.

The meeting of the 57

• Fifty-seven of AFMIN’s key-leaders from fourteen nations meet in Kabwe, Zambia, to discuss the strategy for “the Next Level.”

A new page

• Co-Founder Karel Sanders retires.
• Kobus Grobler assumes leadership of Central, Eastern and Southern Africa projects.

Record breaking 14,633 graduates

• AFMIN graduates a record-breaking 14,633 pastors after four years of studies.
• Steven Todd starts a new program in Liberia.

Global board of trustees established

• A Global Board of Trustees is established with Larry Yonker being the first chairman.
• An Indaba with all AFMIN’s staff and key leaders from all countries is held in Rwanda.- AFMIN celebrates 20-years!

AFMIN becomes EMIT

• AFMIN is rebranded, and on the 13th of February, the Board changes the name from AFMIN to EMIT.
• Borniface Shonga, one of AFMIN’s first graduates, is appointed as Global President by the Global Board.
• Chris de Wet hands over the role of CEO to Kobus Grobler.
• EMIT launches our first Women Leadership Institute in Rwanda & Zambia.

Kobus appointed CEO

• Kobus Grobler is appointed by the Global Board to serve as Global CEO from 1/1/2017.

We rise to meet the challenge

• The explosive growth of EMIT since 2017 brings with it new and exciting leadership, financial and strategic challenges.    These challenges are addressed by a passionate executive and full-time team.
• The transition process between Kobus Grobler and Chris de Wet is completed. Chris de Wet stays part of the team as Founder where he serves the full time team as an advisor and father.
• EMIT volunteers and African leaders rise to the challenge and raise more than 30% of the EMIT bottom line.  

The year of COVID-19

• A global pandemic that halted the whole world. EMIT was not excluded from the devastating effect of COVID-19 on our operations on the continent.
• All operations had to be stopped in the first half of the year.
• EMIT leadership responds positively to the new challenges and develop a model that would allow EMIT to continue to serve the students in small group training events.
• New materials are developed to allow facilitators to have small group training events.
• The new model proves to be much more affordable than the previous model.
• Reports from the field indicate that there are many benefits to the new model. Students are now served in their geographic locations (big savings for our students).  This also leads to EMIT now adding bigger visibility in other areas of countries.  There is bigger accountability, engagement, and participation from the students.
• Although EMIT lost more than 70% of our normal income during 2020, we still managed to have 21 programs in the second half of 2020. 
• Our financial prospects changed from uncertain to stable because of the new model.

The next Steps

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the world we find ourselves in.  Business and consumer behaviours have changed significantly. New paradigms have been introduced to all spheres of daily life.   Many of these behaviours will remain long after the defeat of the virus.  

The leadership of EMIT adopted a proactive approach early in the crisis. This helped us to become very creative in developing a different model of training that suited our new reality. By June of 2020 we started training our more than 370 volunteers in Africa, as facilitators. These facilitators now gather EMIT students in their areas in small groups of not more than 15 for training.  Our manuals have been re-formatted to suite small group training events. 

EMIT will continue to study the behavioural shifts in our industry. We will adjust and modify our products and services. We are ready to act quickly to meet current and future student needs. The executive team, full time staff and volunteers are committed to continue to develop relevant training materials and to keep on serving our students with passion and excellence.  

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