Waxahachie, TX
December 18, 2019 | Marie D. Magana
Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) alumnus Gloire Ndongala recently published his first book titled, “Grow Up, Church.”
In his book, Ndongala challenges the American church to embrace spiritual gifts and to pursue the Lord wholeheartedly in order to mature and grow as believers.
“My heart for this book is that every person that comes in, from the back of the church all the way to the front, would realize that God has placed purpose and gifts in them,” says Ndongala. “They are not just there; they are an important part of the body of Christ.”
“We need everybody in the whole church to jump on board and to move in the calling and the gifts that God has placed inside of them. That is one of the things that I really hope people will discover through this.”
A Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) native, when Ndongala moved to the United States, he struggled with culture shock but not in the traditional sense. In the DRC, he attended a charismatic Pentecostal church and transitioning from that environment to the more quiet and contained congregation in western culture was somewhat of a “spiritual culture shock.” He observed the sharp contrasts to which he believed was the result of a depravity of evidence for spiritual gifts in the American church. He shared his frustrations with a church elder through which he came to a profound realization: “It is not that people do not want their spiritual gifts. It is that they do not know how to use them.”
Thus began his efforts in helping to bridge this gap.
In preparation for “Grow Up, Church,” Ndongala explains that his time pursuing Bible and Church Ministries at his alma mater, SAGU, played a critical role.
“Everything that I did at SAGU molded me.” – Gloire Ndongala
“I was molded by the degree that I had. It is cool to see it in action.”
Dr. Royer, SAGU Adjunct Instructor in Intercultural Studies, heavily influenced Ndongala’s writing. He taught Ndongala about the topic of spiritual giftings of the Holy Spirit and Christ, as well as gifts of personalities.
“We touched base on personalities such as the prophetic personality and the shower of mercy in Dr. Royer’s class and it sparked something inside of me.”
It was also during his time at SAGU that his friend had given him a prophetic word that Ndongala would go on to write books. While Ndongala was excited to hear the news, it also felt daunting. English is his third language and overcoming the language barrier would be the first of many battles he would face on his journey to “Grow up, Church.”
“I have changed a lot of stories because I want to be honorable and accurate in how I address things in my book but there has been a guiding quote, ‘True brilliance is rooted in resilience, and resilience is anchored in assurance, and our minds are forged through endurance.'”
Since the book’s release, Ndongala has been working on an interactive teaching book to accompany “Grow up, Church” and hopes to publish a Spanish translation in the nearby future.
He is also publishing a children’s book, “Ma’an’s Journey”, a three-part animated series about a fish in the sea of Galilee. He hopes to release the book on December 14, 2019.
At SAGU, Gloire received the necessary training he needed while being surrounded by a community of professors personally invested in him and his future. Want to learn more about how we can do the same for you? Click here to access information about our Bachelor’s in Church Leadership.
As a leading Christian university, SAGU educates and prepares individuals who want to serve Christ and others. SAGU helps students discover and develop their God-given callings in a Spirit-empowered, learning community.
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