29 September, 2026

Baraza la Isakari: A Gathering of Sub-Saharan Africa Issachar Chiefs

Recently, Issachar Chiefs from East, Central and Southern Africa gathered for four days of fellowship, prayer and seeking God together.

Being together gave us an important opportunity to clarify the heart of our Alliance - to see the unreached reached with the gloriously Good News of Jesus! We explored what it means to carry this calling together and how, by partnering across cultures and borders, we can share in a spiritual inheritance among the nations. Each Chief carries a different origin story, culture, calling and experience, yet God has united us through a shared longing: to glorify Him among the nations and to see Jesus receive His reward. What was central to our time together is that God reminded us that before we are leaders, pastors and even fathers, we are His sons. Our identity and acceptance are not earned through what we can accomplish for Him, they are received through our relationship with Him. We do not serve to earn a place in our Father’s house - we serve with joy because we already belong there.



Through the story of the older brother in Luke 15, God challenged us to consider how easily striving and comparison can prevent us from enjoying what the Father has given us, and also with celebrating what He is doing through others. As sons, we are free to rejoice in one another’s victories, honour the fruit God is producing through each Chief and trust Him with our own place within His purposes. Another brother’s favour does not diminish our inheritance; it reveals more of what our Father is doing through His family.

This understanding of sonship also shaped how we understand our Alliance. We are not simply a collection of ministries working alongside one another - we are brothers sharing in the Father’s heart for the nations. From that place of belonging, we can give freely, strengthen one another and carry the responsibility of reaching the unreached together. God reminded us that this calling is far bigger than any one person, ministry, church or nation can carry alone.



We returned home with a clearer understanding of who we are as sons, as brothers and an Alliance - with a renewed commitment to act. The vision is now travelling home with each Chief through renewed courage, practical partnership and a growing determination to work together so that Jesus may become known where He is not yet. 

Please pray that what God has placed in our hearts will take root and bear lasting fruit across the nations. Pray that we will continue to live and serve from a place of sonship, celebrate what God is doing through one another and carry His heart for the unreached with increasing faith and urgency. Pray that He will strengthen our Alliance, guide the road ahead and continue to use us for His purposes and His glory.