The March 2026 report from Discipleship of the Good Shepherd Africa highlights the organization’s continued expansion of children’s discipleship ministries across Africa through its partnership with Anglican Mission Africa (AMA). The report focuses on nurturing children spiritually from the earliest stages of life and helping churches make children’s ministry a central priority.
A major focus of the report is the development of “New Life” workshops designed for teenagers, young adults, parents, and couples preparing for marriage. These workshops use real-life stories and Christian teaching to help participants understand the importance of spiritual nurture during pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. After successful trials in the Makueni Anglican Diocese, the youth workshop has now been finalized and integrated into DGS formation training.
The report also emphasizes the importance of church leadership in revitalizing children’s ministry. The January 2026 clergy conference in the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland led to major commitments from church leaders, including:
* Establishing children’s ministry policies
* Creating budgets for children’s programs
* Building DGS atriums
* Expanding teen ministry
* Adopting DGS across parishes
DGS Africa continues to expand formation training and atrium development across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Ongoing work includes infancy training, leadership refresh visits, pastor conferences, and the training of new Formation Leaders in dioceses such as:
* Maseno North Anglican Diocese
* Bungoma Anglican Diocese
* Nairobi Diocese
* Tumaini Ministries
The report highlights the importance of infancy atriums, which provide safe and peaceful environments where children can experience spiritual growth, healing from trauma, and a closer relationship with Jesus through Holy Spirit-led learning.
Financially, DGS Africa outlined upcoming budget needs for training, travel, leadership development, and ministry support in slums, orphanages, and poor rural communities. The organization thanked donors for their ongoing support and requested prayer for formation leaders, new workshops, partnerships, and the continued expansion of DGS ministries across Africa.
Overall, the report presents DGS Africa as a growing, Holy Spirit-centered movement committed to nurturing children today to build a stronger Church and healthier communities for the future.
The January 2026 report from the Discipleship of the Good Shepherd Africa highlights the organization’s growing mission to nurture children spiritually and prepare them for the future of the Church and society across Africa.
Key Focus Areas
DGS Africa, in partnership with Anglican Mission Africa (AMA), continues expanding children’s ministry initiatives across Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria. Their shared vision is to make children’s spiritual formation a central priority in churches and dioceses.
Major Developments
* The CEO, Canon Kistos, led a major clergy conference in the Anglican Diocese of Manicaland, Zimbabwe, emphasizing the urgent need for stronger children’s ministry.
* Churches recognized challenges such as lack of funding, limited child participation, absence of child protection policies, and weak leadership focus on children.
* The conference resolved that every church should:
* Budget for children’s ministry
* Establish DGS atriums for spiritual formation
* Train leaders and volunteers
* Prioritize teens’ ministry
* Adopt DGS as a core discipleship model
Growth Across Africa
DGS reported strong demand for training and formation programs in:
* Kenya
* Tanzania
* Zimbabwe
* Zambia
* Uganda
* Rwanda
* West Africa, especially Nigeria
Training programs for 2026 include clergy conferences, infancy training, leadership refreshment visits, and expansion of atriums across dioceses.
New Workshop Initiative
DGS has developed a new workshop for teenagers and young adults focused on:
* Pregnancy and new life
* Spiritual awareness of unborn children
* Parenting and Christian nurturing
* Preparing future parents to become “good shepherds”
The workshop is currently under review and expected to launch mid-2026.
Spiritual and Theological Emphasis
The report strongly emphasizes that:
* Children are “the Church for tomorrow”
* The Holy Spirit is central to all DGS teaching and formation
* Long-term spiritual foundations are more important than rapid growth alone
* Churches must intentionally disciple children from infancy
DGS is also strengthening its theological foundation through advanced training in children’s ministry.
Operational Needs and Prayer Requests
DGS Africa requested prayer and support for:
* Formation leaders and interns
* Expansion of training programs
* Social media and financial systems
* Air travel funding for ministry expansion across Africa
* Continued partnership with AMA
The organization also highlighted funding needs for:
* General ministry support
* Nairobi office operations
* Travel and leadership development across Africa
Overall Message
The report presents DGS Africa as a rapidly growing, Holy Spirit-centered movement focused on transforming the future of the Church by investing deeply in children’s discipleship, family nurture, leadership training, and sustainable church structures throughout Africa.
The Kibera early childhood training has been rescheduled for September. Bishop Fredrick, of
Tumaini Ministries, requested the delay because he wants to be available to do all of the training.
The same training at Tanganyika Anglican Diocese in Tanzania has also been put back because
they are raising funds for the travel costs. DGS will contribute 20,000 Kenyan Shillings to assist.
CEO Kistos is working on setting up the same training for each of Nairobi and Mount Kenya South
dioceses during October.
The Mumias Anglican Diocese Level 3 training is now
likely to run later in November.. Photo of a Level 3
compact box being blessed by Bishop Joseph at Mumias
Diocese.
Bungoma Anglican Diocese residential training now
scheduled for November.
Manicaland Anglican Diocese Level 3 in November
Recently, the CGS in Australia had their 30th Anniversary and it was mentioned about how the start
was made in Africa, which led to DGS Africa, when Mary Hare (a CGS Formation Leader) did a
Level 1 training in Uganda which Gladys (now a DGS formation leader) and some Pentecostal
pastors attended. And how it was during the 2008 post-election violence, and they were shot at as
they were crossing the border from Kenya. This means that in 2028 it will be the 20th anniversary of
the beginning of Good Shepherd children’s ministry in Africa. This would be a wonderful
opportunity to have a celebration gathering at the diocesan birthplace, Bungoma Anglican Diocese.
In Kenya where the ministry has been underway for almost 17 years, there are two regional
centres, one in the west at Mumias and the other in Nairobi for the central and eastern regions.
In Tanzania, the regional centre which is also
very much in the geographical centre of the
Nation is the Anglican Rift Valley Diocese.
Photo of St Thomas Kindergarten at All Souls
Cathedral, Rift Valley Diocese where early
childhood atriums are now running.
While in Central Africa, the first diocese to
initiate DGS has become the regional centre.
That is Manicaland Diocese which is very
much in the East of the Anglican Central Region, but being close to Mozambique, and given their
interest in DGS, it is a good location.
For some time, there has been discussion of the start-up of DGS in Cameroon and when it gets
underway this would be an ideal site for a west Africa regional centre for DGS. The map at the end
of this report gives a geographical illustration of these regional centres.
There is work to do to build up the regional centres by assisting them to raise up Formation
Leaders to train guides and help develop atriums in schools and churches in each region, and to
build up connections and relationships with each other through prayer and coming together for
catch ups, fellowship and in service training.
As well it is important that DGS across Africa is united together with a common vision by whole of
DGS Africa gatherings. Hence, the need for an in Africa travel fund for DGS to help bind the
organisation together with the Good Shepherd.
The DGS staff member, Immaculate will now start in September
at the DGS office which is in the AMA (Anglican Mission Africa)
offices at Ngong in Nairobi.
DGS and AMA are working out how the two organisations will
complement each other. When AMA does a broad scale mission
in a diocese, DGS will have discussions with the diocese
concerning the development of DGS children’s ministry in the
diocese. As part of the mission there will be input for teens, young
adults and young families about the vulnerability of the unborn
child and the great hunger they have for Christian input. As well
the need for parents to ensure that their children have a
comprehensive grounding in faith will be an important mission
input.
When Immaculate starts soon it is important that she links up with CTC at All Saints Cathedral to
work out how she can assist with the further development of DGS, including prenatal to 3 years
there.
The new DGS web page is being prepared by Maxwell of Cliffale Technologies and should be up
and operational by sometime in October.
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dgs group in session
test event func
Date: February 27, 2026
Location: nairobi