Frequently Asked Questions

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Strengthen Africa is a Christian ministry that helps equip local pastors, evangelists and everyday believers across Africa to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our primary focus is providing visually engaging Gospel literature in local languages, printed as close as possible to where it will be distributed. Each tract is personalised with the contact details of the local pastor or evangelist distributing it, helping people who respond to the Gospel connect with a local Christian community.

Our desire is simple: to strengthen those already serving on the ground and help more people hear the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Strengthen Africa believes that salvation is found through Jesus Christ alone.

We believe that all people have sinned and are separated from God, that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again, and that forgiveness and eternal life are God's gift to those who repent and place their faith in Christ.

Our purpose is not to promote a particular denomination, but to faithfully communicate this central Gospel message and support Christians who share it.

Strengthen Africa is an independent Christian ministry and is not affiliated with any particular denomination.

We work across denominational boundaries with pastors, evangelists, churches and Christian organisations who share our commitment to proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Our focus is not on promoting a particular denomination, but on strengthening local believers to share the Good News of Jesus Christ and helping connect those who respond with a local Christian community.

A Gospel tract is simple, inexpensive, portable and can continue communicating the Gospel long after a conversation has ended.

In many of the communities where we serve, printed literature remains an effective way of reaching people, particularly when it is available in their own language and distributed personally by a local Christian.

The tract itself, however, is only a tool. The real ministry happens when a believer places it into someone's hands, shares Christ and develops a relationship with that person.

Strengthen Africa designs and prints our own material?

This is one of the distinctive features of our model.

We personalise Gospel literature with the contact details of the pastor, evangelist or Christian distributing it. This means that someone wanting to know more about Jesus has a local person they can contact.

Our goal is not simply to distribute literature. We want Gospel proclamation to lead people toward relationships with local Christians and ultimately into Christian fellowship and discipleship.

We do not believe success should simply be measured by the number of tracts printed.

We increasingly seek testimonies and feedback directly from the field so that we can understand how the literature is being used and hear stories of people responding to the Gospel.

Some results will never be known to us, and ultimately we recognise that it is God who brings people to faith. Our responsibility is to faithfully sow the seed and equip those who are doing so.

Our barrier to supporting someone is intentionally relatively low. If a pastor, evangelist or believer has a genuine desire to share the Gospel using Christian literature, we would like to help make that possible.

New distributors often come to us through recommendations from existing distributors on the ground. Others contact us directly, sometimes through the tracts themselves.

Where someone requests a large quantity of literature and the relationship is new, we will often begin with a smaller print quantity. This allows us to establish the relationship, understand how the literature is being distributed and build trust before supporting larger print runs.

Our aim is not to create unnecessary barriers to sharing the Gospel, but to balance accessibility with responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.

Strengthen Africa pays suppliers directly rather than transferring funds to individuals. We work directly with local printers, allowing us to verify costs, quantities and ensure the printed tracts reach the intended distributors. 

Our aim is to direct financial support as closely as possible toward practical Gospel ministry.

A significant focus is the printing of Gospel literature in Africa, together with the practical costs required to make that literature available to local pastors and evangelists.

Strengthen Africa seeks to operate simply and cost-effectively, and we are committed to increasing transparency and accountability as the ministry develops.

Strengthen Africa is currently developing from a personally supported ministry initiative toward a formally registered Christian ministry organisation in Australia.

During this development stage, we maintain records of funds received and expenditure incurred. As the ministry grows, appropriate governance, financial reporting and accountability structures are being established.

We believe it is important to be transparent about where we are in that journey rather than presenting Strengthen Africa as something it is not yet.

Strengthen Africa is currently supported by a small group of committed Christians who provide practical assistance, encouragement and accountability.

As we transition toward a formally constituted organisation, our intention is to establish an appropriate Australian governance structure with independent directors and clearly defined financial and ministry oversight.

Good governance is important to us because those who entrust resources to Gospel ministry should be able to have confidence in how those resources are managed.

No. Strengthen Africa has developed through voluntary service, and Tristan does not currently receive a salary from the ministry.

As the ministry grows, there may eventually be legitimate staffing and administration costs. If that occurs, we believe those costs should be transparent and appropriately governed.

Our objective is not to create an organisation for its own sake, but to build the infrastructure necessary to enable more Gospel ministry.

We take translation seriously because communicating the Gospel accurately is more important than simply producing large quantities of literature.

Where possible, translations are undertaken or reviewed by trusted Christians who understand both the language and the Gospel message. We also receive feedback from pastors and believers who use the materials if any adjustments need to be made.

As our language library expands, we intend to continue strengthening the review and approval process for translations.

No. Strengthen Africa's model is deliberately designed to strengthen local Christians rather than replace them.

Local pastors and evangelists understand their language, communities and culture far better than we do. Our role is therefore primarily to equip them with resources that help them do what God has already called them to do.

We want African Christians to remain the people sharing Christ, discipling believers and leading their churches

Our aim is to provide tools rather than take ownership of local ministry.

We do not want pastors or churches to become dependent upon Strengthen Africa for their ongoing ministry. Instead, we seek to remove practical barriers — such as the cost of producing Gospel literature — so local believers can more effectively use their own relationships, knowledge, language and calling.

We see ourselves as a supporting partner, not the centre of the ministry.

Partnership can take several forms. A congregation might pray for specific pastors and evangelists, support a particular Gospel literature print run, help meet a current ministry need, provide professional skills, or work with Strengthen Africa to shape its own Gospel strategy for reaching and strengthening a particular country or region in Africa.

We seek to work with churches to find a level and focus of partnership that aligns with their and our mission, vision and capacity.

Where practical, yes.

One of our objectives is to help churches develop a meaningful Great Commission strategy rather than simply contribute to a general fund. Depending on current needs, a congregation may be able to support a particular country, language, print run or ministry opportunity.

We also value unrestricted support because it allows resources to be directed toward urgent opportunities as they arise.

Our vision is much larger than simply printing more tracts.

We want to build a scalable ministry infrastructure that enables Christians, churches and organisations outside Africa to strengthen Gospel workers within Africa.

That means expanding our network of trusted pastors and evangelists, increasing the number of African languages in which Gospel material is available, improving local printing and distribution, strengthening accountability and reporting, and creating meaningful relationships between supporters and those serving on the front line.

Ultimately, our prayer is that Strengthen Africa will help more ordinary Christians share the Gospel with more people, in more places, in languages they understand — and connect those who respond with local believers who can walk with them.