Paulo Sueia, from Maputo, Mozambique, is the Africa Lusophone Field Director. The Portuguese-speaking nations on that field include Angola, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and a Spanish-speaking nation, Equitorial Guinea.

Q. How many districts and churches are on your field?

A. My field has 1,100 churches, which include organized churches and preaching points. It has about 7,000 to 8,000 members.

Q. What are some special things happening on your field?

A. Many people are coming to receive Jesus as their Savior, especially in Mozambique and Angola where we began five years ago. We have more than 4,000 churches now.

Q. What challenges are you facing with this growth?

A. Our challenge at this point is training the pastors. We have about 370 trained pastors for those 1,100 churches. That's why our emphasis is in education.

Q. Where do they receive their education?

A. We have one seminary in Maputo where people come and receive education. Also, we have station centers which are being coordinated by missionary Margaret Scott.

Q. Update us on the situation in Angola? How has the church grown?

A. The church is growing in Angola as people are coming back from other countries. Some of them received the Lord in Zambia. They began the churches in Angola and it is a great challenge there because at this point we have only four or five graduates ready to pastor who came from Maputo. They are doing a great job. But it's not enough, we have a lot of people who should be trained.

Holiness Today, September/October 2004

Please note: This article was originally published in 2004. All facts, figures, and titles were accurate to the best of our knowledge at that time but may have since changed.