Leadership Education Mission for Africa- LEMA Institute was founded in August, 2015 by Rev Joshua Amaezechi and two other gentlemen –Chris Palmer and Gregg Shewan as an extension of an annual Christian Leadership and Development Seminar for pastors which Rev Amaezechi started in Igboland of Nigeria in 2013. These annual Seminars were partly sponsored by the Christian Reformed World Mission, now Resonate and organized in partnership with area pastors and the One Degree Foundation – founded by Rev Amaezechi and coordinated by Rev Christian Ezuruike and Rev Susanna Willie.

Over the years, Rev Amaezechi has been concerned about the teachings in many African churches that promoted fear and caused enmity within families with its attendant social dysfunctions. Christians are called by the Lord Jesus to live in love but not in fear; to love and pray for their enemies but not to curse them. Some African Christians are so paralyzed with fear that they can no longer live the fullness of life that Christ promised because of the false teachings they have been given. So, Pastor Joshua began to reflect on this problem to discern what are the causes and what can be done to address it. Through reading, he learned that more than 70% of pastors and ministry leaders in Africa do not have formal ministry education due to poverty and lack of opportunities. This further elevated the burden in his heart for Africa. Therefore, when the Lord called him to return to Africa to train others after his Seminary education in the States, he said “Here I am Lord, send me”.

The leadership development Seminar in 2013 and conferences planned for subsequent years was his way of fulfilling that call. But something happened during the 2014 Conference that shifted Rev Amaezechi’s understanding of how to pursue the call of God to train pastors. During the 2014 Conference, he did a research among the 126 pastors and Evangelists that participated. To his shock, out of the 126, none of them had a study bible, neither did any have a Bible Commentary nor a Concordance. Only three among this 126 had a bible with new translation. The rest had old King James bible written in Victorian English. Would you not wonder how someone whose 20th century English was not good could understand the Victorian English enough as to teach and lead others effectively? On further inquiry, he discovered that the 70% projection was an understatement. Some of the pastors he interviewed indicated that they would appreciate a theological education program if given the opportunity.

On return to the United States, Rev Amaezechi articulated his vision of leadership development for Africa in a Ministry plan. He sent the plan to many Mission agencies. None of the agencies was willing to implement the plan because of dwindling mission funds. Through the prayer of God’s people and in a miraculous way, in August 2015, the Lord brought two other gentlemen, Chris Palmer and Gregg Shewan together with Rev Joshua Amaezechi. Chris (now Dr Chris Palmer) was a School Counsellor; Gregg was a School Custodian and Rev Amaezechi was pastoring Calvary Community Church. These three men of God were poor but Godly men who saw the LEMA vision as a journey of faith. Thus, LEMA was born! The Lord built LEMA up from the ground and this is just the beginning!

Since then, over 400 pastors and Ministry leaders in Africa have been trained through the Ministry of the LEMA Institute. In 2019, the Board of the LEMA Institute voted that the campus in Mbaitoli be upgraded to a Seminary in 2021. This decision was affirmed by the donation of a 27,000 volume theological library by the Vine Institute, Utah. In addition to this, the Lord provided resources for building a Classroom block fitting for a seminary. Thus, in January 2021, the LEMA Institute in Nigeria became LEMA Theological Seminary, a degree awarding institution. Today, LEMA has over 100 students studying different certificate and degree programmmes with two campuses in Nigeria and Uganda.