The Burkina Faso sahel is a completely Muslim area, largely unreached by the gospel, and the poorest part of the country. But God is using the church to bring spiritual and social transformation there. Pastors and churches there are working more effectively than westerners ever could. However, they lack the resources to do all they would like in mission.

APT is partnering churches in the west with these churches in northern Burkina Faso, to pray, encourage, and serve them in their mission to the unreached of the sahel. Such a partnership is an opportunity for western churches to engage in mission in a meaningful, biblical, and relationalway. The western church does not initiate, own or run any project, but supports the Burkina Faso church in its own mission. There are two aspects to this partnership:

1. Partnering with the local pastor-missionary.

The pastors in northern Burkina are, in effect, missionaries - men from other regions and people groups in Burkina, sent to unreached Muslim areas to bring the gospel. They often struggle simply to gain the basics of life, but are committed in faith and prayer. Good local missionaries of this kind can most often be more effective than western outsiders. A western church can join with a gifted local pastor in his missionary calling. Some ways this might work are:

Set-up: Help a new pastor-missionary to set up by helping him get land, a house, and a means of transport.

Support: Help the pastor-missionary start "tent-making" activities by which he can support himself and his family financially.

Serving: Praying, writing, encouraging. Visiting to spend time and work alongside in practical service.

2. Partnering in church mission activities.

The western church partners with the Burkina church to help it fufill its mission vision. The local pastor-missionary identifies the vision and needs of the community. As these priorities are identified, the western partner seeks together through prayer and the direction of the Holy Spirit, to see how the skills and resources in the partner church might match with those needs. Examples of the way this has already worked include:

Education: A pastor wants to help with the education needs of his village. The western partner encourages church members to help fund schooling for children in the village.

Evangelism: The church want to start regular evangelism in an unreached village, but have no place to start the work. The partnering church helps them buy land and send a team to work alongside the local church in building an outreach centre.

Water: The pastor sees the need for better water supply in the village. The partnering church arranges for a well to be drilled and send out a team to help with the work.

Poverty relief: Famine hits regulary, and traders push grain prices up. The pastor wants to stock grain to sell cheaply. The partnering church pays for a cereal bank to be built.

Business: A pastor wants to support new converts by starting a small business. Businessmen go to look at the situation, brainstorm business ideas, bring training in accounts etc, and help provide start-up capital.

Sport: The pastor wants to run a sports camp to attract the youth. The partnering church helps finance it, and sends a group to take part and bring sports kit.

Through such partnerships we have already supported the local churches in many activities, such as:

• helping re-build homes following the Gorom-Gorom flood (2006-7)

• joining local churches in running a childrens camp, (2007)

• we are currently building a Primary School for Gorom-Gorom

• drilling wells in needy villages (2008-09)

• running a soccer school for local children (2009)

• evangelism and church planting in unreached villages

• enabling pastors to start small businesses to support themselves,

• supporting poverty relief and aids awareness campaigns by local pastors.