From California to Kenya: A Gospel Partnership Bearing Fruit

In the village of Busia Town, Kenya, a remarkable story of global discipleship and local transformation is unfolding—one that reflects the very heart of the Finishing the Task vision.

Pastor Moses Balongo leads a network of six churches in both Kenya and Uganda. But his recent growth as a leader—and the spiritual health flourishing in his congregations—can be traced back to a surprising source: Saddleback Church in California.

Pastor Moses calls Johnnie Mae Clemensen his “spiritual mother.” Though she lives thousands of miles away, Johnnie Mae has discipled him online and introduced him to Finishing the Task and the Healthy Church Masterclass. “She has taught me the Word of God, and she’s the one who came to introduce me to Finishing the Task,” Pastor Moses said. “Now I understand that I need to build the church on the purposes that Jesus intended.”

Pastor Moses has not only taken the training—he’s multiplying its impact in his context. On June 13, he hosted an overnight pastors’ and leaders’ training with over 160 attendees to share the principles of a healthy church. His takeaway? A healthy church is one that bears fruit through love, shared leadership, and service to the community.

“If I have two clothes [items], I give one to someone who doesn’t have. If I have two pairs of shoes, I give one away,” Pastor Moses shared. “Every Sunday, we buy rice and prepare food to share with children and members who come to church hungry. This is one way we are being the Church and showing Christ’s love.”

This love-in-action approach is transforming both his churches and their surrounding communities. “A church is not my property,” he says. “It belongs to the community. When we show love, the church becomes healthy—and when the church is healthy, it grows.”

Johnnie Mae, who serves at Saddleback’s San Juan Capistrano campus, began discipling Pastor Moses and others in Kenya, Uganda, and Pakistan after completing the FTT Healthy Church training herself. “These relationships started online,” she explained. “I simply asked the Lord who I could share the training with. I followed His lead and began teaching it in places where pastors didn’t have access to training.”

What started as a one-on-one connection has now grown into a movement of local ownership. “This is the vision of Finishing the Task,” she said. “It’s not about titles. We’re all called to ministry, and we all have different gifts. If we show up and obey, God does the rest.”

Despite barriers like language and technology access, Pastor Moses is dreaming even bigger. He’s begun translating the material into Swahili and hopes to host future conferences using projectors to reach even more pastors and leaders. “They told me, this course is very important,” he said. “If we can translate it and teach it in their language, the glory will go to God.”

Finishing the Task is not a program — it’s a call to every believer to step into their role in the Great Commission. Thanks to the faithful obedience of Johnnie Mae and the servant leadership of Pastor Moses, a village in Kenya is becoming a beacon of hope, health, and harvest.

“Finishing the Task has sharpened my brain, showing me that I should be me, not try to be someone else,” Pastor Moses said. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. God connected me to learn from others. Now, I’m helping others too.”

If you would like to get started with Pastor Rick’s Healthy Church Master Course, visit healthychurchglobal.com.