ACSI AFRICA LEADERSHIP TEAM SUMMIT 2025
Neil Malherbe | ACSI South Africa: National Director
A productive and happy ACSI Africa Leadership Team (ALT) Summit took place from the 4th to 10th January 2025 at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base in Burtigny, Switzerland. It was a coming together of ACSI Licenced Office leaders from across Africa, as well as those representing special projects, such as the Paths to School Improvement (PSI) programme and the ACSI Teacher Certification programme, which is to be launched as a pilot project this year.
The ACSI Africa team was grateful to Jean-Christophe Huet, and his gracious wife, Claudia, who hosted us at the YWAM base, along with all the kind YWAM staff, who went out of their way to make us feel welcome. Jean-Christophe (or JC, as he is known across Africa) has served ACSI Africa and YWAM with distinction and his warm-hearted nature has endeared him to many. The venue was chosen both because JC uses it as the base from which to serve ACSI Francophone countries in Africa, and also to teach us more about the role which the area played during the Reformation and the establishment of the Protestant Church.
On Sunday the 4th, we joined one of the local churches for their morning service, and although the service was in French, it was nevertheless deeply moving, particularly as we worshiped, shared communion and then had a time of fellowship afterwards. That evening we joined some of the YWAM team for another time of worship (led by brother Nathan, a worship leader from Mongolia) and communion. This was followed by a fondue dinner, which officially opened the summit. The fondue was an apt way to remind us that we were definitely in Switzerland, such is their love for cheese!
Monday dawned chilly and damp but thankfully the rain largely held off, as we enjoyed a Reformation walking tour of the city. I won’t go into all the details of how the Reformation impacted Geneva, Switzerland and the whole of Europe through the work of John Calvin (or, more correctly, Jean Calvin) and a group which formed around him. However, you may find it really interesting to do an online search on your own to discover more, if you are interested.
Our walk around the city included several notable sites relevant to the Reformation and ended at the Reformation Wall, which has four enormous statues of the leaders of the Reformation in the region, including Calvin (seen below, second from the left).

That afternoon we met online and in-person with three of the ACSI elders, each of whom has served ACSI with distinction over many years. These were Samson Makhado, Adun Akinyemiju and Daniel Neuhaus, and we enjoyed the time together, being inspired by their shared wisdom and accumulated knowledge. That evening we were treated to a talk on the Reformation, and on the impact it had in Burtigny, Geneva, and across the world, by renowned expert Dr Tom Bloomer.
Meetings took place from Tuesday to Thursday, during which ACSI Africa Director, Sosthene Maletoungou, gave an overview of how far ACSI Africa has come over recent times and also to cast a vision for the future. Gavin Brettenny, ACSI Chief Strategy Officer, then presented some ideas on ‘Teamwork and Mutual Accountability’, which gave an insight into ACSI Global and Divisional developments, as well as plans for the coming years. I was once again reminded of how exciting it is to be part of an international association – a collective family of Christ – and of the enormous benefits as well as fellowship that such an association has. In addition, to be at the cusp of a mighty movement of God across Africa is both a privilege and an opportunity.
Reports were presented over three days from each of the national and regional offices and it was heartening to hear of the move of the Lord across the continent, as new countries are opening up and deeper relationships being established. It was good to welcome the ACSI South Africa team and several of our ACSI Board members, who joined us online for the feedback sessions for South and Southern Africa. They are the people who are responsible for the enormous growth in our country and region and it was good that they could receive praise from the whole ALT group for all they do to advance Christ-centred education.
On the last day of the summit we enjoyed a visit to a local Christian school and we were reminded that the number of Christian schools in Switzerland remains small. They (and other Christian schools across Europe) are under increasing pressure from state-controlled bureaucracies because of their beliefs, and as such we will continue to keep them in our prayers, especially when faced with challenges from many fronts.

The final dinner of the summit was special indeed, as we honoured the Sipsmas, who celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary that day, and we also expressed our gratitude to our gracious hosts at YWAM Burtigny, in particular JC and Claudia Huet. They laid on a delicious three course meal for us and it was a meaningful time of fellowship with several of the YWAM elders and leaders.
Interspersed among the feedback sessions were a number of other strategic and policy sessions, as the leadership team planned for the next year – and indeed the next several years. It was exciting to dream of the possibilities which lie ahead and to be reminded that nothing that we do is in our strength or to our glory, but all in and through the Lord and to his glory.
In particular, we look forward to hosting the Southern Africa Roundtable from 24th to 26th September. We trust that this will bring together leaders from schools, churches and other faith-based organisations and that it will be an opportunity to implement the declaration signed at the end of the Africa Roundtable in 2023.
Another positive initiative will be the implementation of a pilot project in Christian teacher certification. Each of the five regions in Africa will be running this pilot project for the next two years, before expanding ACSI teacher certification across the continent, with the intention of training and certifying a million teachers by 2050. Gateway Christian Teachers’ College in Harare will be running the pilot project in Southern Africa and we know that great things lie ahead for our whole region because of the passion with which they have embraced this opportunity.
I came away from the summit humbled by the opportunity to serve alongside such remarkable, servant-hearted individuals whose sole purpose is to see God lifted up across our continent, so that future generations will be impacted, similar to the movement which accompanied the Reformation. The coming years promise a chance to ‘reform’ education across Africa, and to provide hope and opportunities to its children.
The three words which came up throughout the summit were ‘order’, ‘beauty’ and ‘abundance’. It is clear that just as God established order in his creation, so we called to do the same in the way we approach Christian education. From this, we trust that God will bring forth beauty and abundance and that he will open our eyes to his work in our schools and among the leaders, teachers and children we serve.
I am grateful for the leadership shown to our ACSI Leadership Team by Sosthene, as well as the special interest and care he takes for each individual in our South Africa office. His executive assistant, April Frenzel, did a magnificent job of coordinating the summit – in fact, it seems almost incomprehensible to imagine the ALT without her. And finally, I extend my sincere thanks to each one of the very special team that serves ACSI across the continent. Their generosity of spirit and passion to serve ‘the least of these’ is so evident, and I am personally inspired by them, both individually and through their collective efforts.
To God be the glory!