Hamid* is a Facilitator, working with Langham Preaching since 2012 in the Pakistan region. His role is to organise and facilitate Langham Preaching Seminars across different areas of Pakistan. “I did my Langham Preaching Seminar Level-1 in 2005 while I was a seminary student,” he shared.
“Langham Training has equipped me in my preaching and teaching ministry. To look at the text of the Bible and connect it with the present world is something I understand better through Langham workshops.”
“I used to facilitate some sessions with the local team alongside the organisation and arrangements of the Level-1 seminars and even our annual Langham event in which we offer all three levels. I have seen Langham growing and impacting the lives of many preachers and leaders. These days, I am more involved in a facilitation role.”
Langham in the Pakistan region
Hamid shares that Christians in the Pakistan region are living in a very unique context. He says it’s a joy to see how Langham has impacted and transformed many preachers and leaders across the region.
“Langham training is very popular in Pakistan churches now,” he shared. “One example of its popularity is that when we announce any Langham event, people keenly participate and for the last few years we have been refusing people because of limited space at the site.”
Hamid sees more room for growth in the future, including organising more Level-1 Langham Preaching programs in unreached areas across Pakistan. He notes that these areas have people from different language groups so the pastors and preachers will need more support with a simple version of the Langham program.
“Further, we hope to make our preaching clubs and training materials stronger,” he said. “We hope to be able to translate some of the Langham Preaching resources. We also plan to produce a training manual in our national language with the help of our local facilitators.”
Equipped through Langham
Hamid shares that every time he has participated in a Langham training session, he has learnt something new and it has been these training sessions that have equipped him for preaching and teaching in ministry.
“I found it very helpful in my preaching which is obvious from the structure of my sermons,” he says. “At many points, I was addicted to using commentaries but the Langham method has strengthened not only my pre-thinking in sermon writing, but enabled me to work on the Bible text first with the observation tools and consult the other resources at a later stage. It is a very helpful tool in my ministry.”
Hamid has not been the only preacher convicted by Langham training. He shared a story of a pastor who attended a training session and realised he had been preaching incorrectly for years.
“Once, we were facilitating a Level-1 seminar and after the training session, one pastor gave his testimony and said: “During the training sessions of Langham, I have identified that I have been preaching in the wrong way for all my preaching and pastoral ministry of the last 15-16 years. I make a confession today and I commit that I will be working hard to put the Langham method into practice in my preaching and hope to provide people with a hygienic diet of the Word of God,” he shared.
Thank God for the work of Langham in the Pakistan region and how the training programs are teaching pastors to correctly share the Word of God. Pray for safety for Hamid in this region, and for the others he works alongside, thanking God for him and his ministry.
*This name has been changed for the security of the interviewee.