Train the Church, Transform Christian Missions

How training the local Christian Church created sustainable missions.

Over the next few months, I came to a difficult realization: our short-term efforts, while helpful, were not sustainable. The need was too great, and our temporary presence left many people untreated. I found myself thinking, “This can’t be God’s way. We shouldn’t come for a week and then leave people behind in pain.” I vowed never to do that again.

Then, I met Steve Saint, and everything changed. When I shared our struggles, he asked me a simple but profound question:

“Why don’t you train the local church to meet dental needs in their communities?”

At first, I was shocked. It had taken me years to learn dentistry—how could I possibly train local believers in just six days? Yet, as I pondered the idea, I began to see the potential.

A Bold Experiment in Ghana

In northern Ghana, where one part-time government dentist served three million people, I decided to put Steve’s idea to the test.

We trained four Christian leaders to administer anesthetics and safely remove abscessed teeth using high-quality dental equipment. I had my doubts, but as the training progressed, something remarkable happened. Over six days, these men mastered the skills with confidence and care.

By the end of the training, they had extracted more teeth in six days than I did in four years of dental school.

From Training to Transformation

We equipped them with clear guidelines to ensure patient safety and care, and then we returned to the U.S., praying that this experiment would bear fruit.

A year later, when we returned to Ghana, we were amazed. The trainees were treating sixty to eighty patients per day, three days a week. Their skills had advanced far beyond what we imagined, and the impact on their community was undeniable.

This experience confirmed what we had hoped, that empowering local believers to care for their own communities was the key to lasting transformation.

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Blessings,

Florence Muindi and Charlie Vittitow