Communications program strengthens storytelling in Africa

Key Points:

• Africa University and United Methodist Communications celebrated the graduation of the first cohorts of a new strategic communications program.
• Thirty-seven United Methodist communicators from all 14 of the church’s African episcopal areas were trained.
• Graduates highlight the program’s impact in contexts of conflict, epidemics and misinformation.

Dozens of United Methodist communicators from 17 countries gathered at Africa University over the past several weeks to strengthen their storytelling and technical skills and build relationships as part of the first class of a new strategic communications program.

The training is a partnership between United Methodist Communications and Africa University. Thirty-seven students representing all 14 of The United Methodist Church’s episcopal areas in Africa were certified in the first two cohorts.

The graduates completed eight weeks of online coursework before gathering in Mutare for two weeks of intensive in-person training in June and July.

“This partnership was born out of a shared desire to equip local leaders to communicate with confidence and a clear purpose, in order to make the greatest possible impact for the church,” said Dan Krause, top executive of United Methodist Communications in a prepared address to the graduates. Krause was unable to travel to Zimbabwe for the ceremony due to flight delays.

Krause highlighted the continent’s role in the denomination’s growth.

“Africa is home to the fastest-growing expressions of United Methodism in the world,” he said. “The story of what God is accomplishing on your continent is captivating, and it is up to you to tell it.”

The program was created to address a gap in professional communications training within the continent’s United Methodist communities. It combines hands-on learning with a focus on Africa’s diverse media landscape — from mobile platforms to the rapid rise of social media and artificial intelligence.

Twenty-three communicators graduated in the first cohort on June 26, and 14 others received their diplomas at the second cohort’s graduation ceremony on July 17. Each African episcopal area now has at least two professionally certified communicators.

Africa University, a United Methodist-related, pan-African institution founded in 1992, served as both an academic partner and host for the in-person training. Faculty and department heads designed a program tailored to the communication challenges specific to the continent’s diverse contexts.

In his keynote address at the graduation ceremony for the first cohort, the Rev. Peter Mageto, Africa University’s vice chancellor, congratulated the communicators for embracing a discipline that has become central to institutional leadership and the church’s mission in an increasingly digital, chaotic and interconnected world. He drew on a biblical image to describe the communicators’ calling: that of Elijah in the cave, where God’s presence was found neither in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in a still, small voice.

“In the midst of chaos, in the midst of storms, in the midst of upheaval, in the midst of noise, we expect you to bring forth the truth,” he told the communicators. “You represent that gentle, still voice.”

Mageto reminded the graduates that their voices are still being formed — that being “a work in progress” is not a weakness, but a sign of a plan that continues to unfold.

“As long as God grants you the gift of a new day, God is telling you that you are still a work in progress,” he said. “And as long as you are a work in progress as a Christian communicator, remember: It is not your voice. It is the gentle and soft voice of God.”

For many graduates, the program’s lasting impact stems less from the certificate than from the connections made and its practical application in contexts often marked by crisis. Communicators who previously worked in isolation, often as the sole storytellers for an entire diocese, now belong to a continent-wide network of peers.

“When communicators work in isolation — when the church’s storytellers don’t know one another, don’t support one another, and don’t share their burdens or their progress — the message becomes fragmented,” said Jennifer Rodia, director of partnerships, news and production at United Methodist Communications, in her commencement address. “But when you build the community we’ve created here — that’s how the church finds its voice.”

Facing challenges at home

Communicators said the training resonates with the often-difficult realities on the ground.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the episcopal region of Eastern Congo, Judith Osongo Yanga works in an area marked by recurring armed conflicts and, more recently, an Ebola outbreak, with part of the territory occupied by rebels and the other part under government control. She has served as communications director for the past 10 years.

“We must expand our outreach efforts by using effective communication diplomacy to work without interference, because the population needs accurate, real-time information,” she explained. She highlights crisis communication and the responsible use of artificial intelligence as priorities. She also appreciated gaining a deeper understanding of the United Methodist brand identity, communication diplomacy and protocol.

“This degree represents added value: a new skill in my work and in the way I live and communicate,” she said.

The Rev. Filibus Bakari Auta, senior director of communications for the Nigeria Episcopal Area, which includes Cameroon and Senegal, was particularly struck by a session on biblical models of communication. He found it resonated with the philosophy of “ubuntu,” which embodies a vision of humanity based on interdependence and community life, recognizing that all are created in God’s image and should treat others as they wish to be treated themselves. 

“Here, every word, every conversation carries moral weight. We can use it to build people up or to tear entire communities apart,” he said, citing Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman as a timeless example for African communicators facing deep ethnic, political or gender divisions.

On the ground, Auta said he is facing the rapid spread of misinformation related to tensions with members of the Global Methodist Church, a theologically conservative denomination started by former United Methodists in 2022. His office plans to launch an official, verified digital channel — a WhatsApp newsletter or authenticated Facebook page, validated by the sitting bishop — to counter misinformation “with grace and transparency.”

He said the skills he has acquired in ethical communication will help him calmly guide his community through crises and epidemics, rather than fueling divisions.

In Uganda, Chrinore Ruremesha, who has been serving for just nine months as communications director for the Uganda-Sudan-South Sudan Conference, was attending his first communications training session.

He particularly noted the generative AI tools he discovered during the program as ways to strengthen digital evangelism, as well as the sessions on branding and data analysis, which helped her understand that a church’s visual identity “represents its mission, values and public witness.”

Faced with the lack of a structured communications policy in his conference, he plans to draw on what she has learned about ethics and strategic leadership to establish clear guidelines at all levels of the church. In a region marked by conflict, population displacement and humanitarian emergencies, he sees crisis communication and ethical reporting as tools for “communicating accurate information, responding responsibly in emergency situations, and conveying messages of hope and peace.”

Francisco Tivane, communications director for the Northern Mozambique Conference, who already had experience in community radio prior to this training, said he primarily deepened his mastery of practical tools such as photography, video and visual maps.

He said the greatest communication challenge he faces at home remains the cultural and linguistic diversity of his audience, which he plans to address by using multiple channels, translating key messages and working with local leaders to build trust.

He is eager to share the story of a project led by United Methodist women focused on the artisanal production of medicinal soap, and sees the skills he has acquired as a means to provide “empathetic listening” and “an effective response to conflicts, epidemics and disasters” in his region.

Leaders from United Methodist Communications and Africa University believe this program lays the foundation for a more connected and robust communications network for the church across the continent. Subsequent years will allow bishops to nominate additional communicators from their episcopal areas for the program to continue to grow the number of certified communicators across the continent.

“This is the foundation that will make us all stronger as we move forward, carrying The United Methodist Church’s vision to love boldly, serve joyfully and lead courageously,” Rodia said.

Londe is a UM News correspondent based in Congo.

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