We have written of our friend Pastor Dieudonné Some of Banfora, Burkina Faso before. Dieudonne’ is not only a pastor and church planter, he is a passionate evangelist who is constantly traveling in West Africa to share Christ. Some of our recent conversations have centered around Ghana.

Many mission strategists believe that reaching Ghana’s youth (over 40% of the population of Ghana are under age 15) is key to reaching the country. But the average Christian adult in the country has little understanding of a Christian worldview and minimal biblical literacy. According to Operation World, this is particularly the case outside the major cities.

In the villages, Islam and African traditional religions tend to hold sway.

While more than 60% of Ghanaians call themselves Christian, only about 10% attend church regularly. That means that very few professing Christians have much of a grasp on basic Christian doctrine and many continue to engage in practices from traditional African religions.  

Dieudonné has been in contact with a network of pastors and church leaders in Ghana who want to address this lack of basic Christian theology. He printed 400 copies of Simple Truths for the New Believer and shared them during one of his trips several months ago. He gave 300 books to a man leading a Bible School in Ghana. He gave 100 books to a a young pastor who has influence in the capital.

Upon his return, the books had made their way to several church leaders and a good number insisted that they needed this book “right away.” One church leader put it this way:

This is a simple book. Questions with answers. And the verses from the Bible that show why the answers are correct. New and older followers of Jesus must know these things. This simple book can help us teach them these important things. This is a very nice book. A useful book. It helps you to understand who God is. One God who is a Trinity. Many parts are useful and teach what Christians must know. We need many of this book. We hope that this can happen soon. We also need the book to be translated in Ashanti and Farafara to teach the people in these villages where people are becoming believers in Jesus.

While the two translation projects (Ashanti and Farafara) may take some time, the printing of the English books (English is the official language of Ghana) we have been able to respond to more quickly. Before the end of March, the funds to print 2,000 Simple Truths books will be at the printers. The books will be in use in Ghana before the end of April (along with 500 copies of the Lobiri translation that will be used by churches among the Lobi people of southwestern Burkina Faso).

Where and exactly how all of these books are being used, we are not certain. But we are certain that they ARE being used. Will you help us pray that this is the case with every one of the books in all fifty languages wherever they may be? If some of them have ended up collecting exotic dust somewhere, pray that someone will find them, open them, and discover the truth about the God who loves them.