Prayer, Fellowship, and Partnership: The Three Pillars of Sola 5

The foundation of Sola 5 is our shared confession of faith: We come together around sola gratia (grace alone), sola fide(faith alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola scriptura (Scripture alone), all for soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone)!

Three pillars stand upon this foundation that support everything we do as an association. These three pillars are the heartbeat of how God-centered churches can work together to advance Christ’s kingdom in Africa.

Prayer is a vital component that undergirds our Sola 5 fellowship. From the founding of this association of churches, prayer has been a stated priority. Our gatherings have historically recognised the importance of corporate prayer. Each week, churches receive prayer requests and praise reports from fellow Sola 5 congregations.

Note: The weekly prayer updates are sent by email to the entire email list on a Saturday and are posted on the Sola 5 Facebook page on a Sunday morning. These requests are posted in the Sola 5 pastors’ WhatsApp Group earlier in the week—as soon as the church prayer focus for that week submits its prayer requests. If you are a pastor at a Sola 5 church and are not on the WhatsApp Group, reach out to the Sola 5 administrator to receive an invite to join the Group.

Several years ago, when Joachim Rieck served as Chairman of Sola 5, he captured this perfectly:

Prayer isn’t just our starting point—it is the foundation that makes everything else possible. When we consistently pray for churches we’ve never visited, for pastors we don’t know well, and for the challenges they are facing, something happens in our hearts. We begin to see these churches as beloved partners in the gospel.

The annual Sola 5 conference has become the highlight of the year. Pastors who have been praying for each other all year finally get to put faces to names and stories to prayer requests. The fellowship that develops here creates lasting bonds that sustain these growing relationships throughout the year.

But fellowship doesn’t end when the conference is over. We must propose to be in touch with other pastors whom we meet at the conference and seek to develop relationships. Local area pastors’ fraternities provide ongoing encouragement and connection for those who live in proximity to one another. Where they exist, these regular gatherings create space for the kind of personal interaction that turns professional relationships into genuine partnerships.

When pastors know each other personally, share meals, struggles, and victories together, the foundation is laid for a kind of deep cooperation that advances the kingdom. Biblical fellowship develops a relational infrastructure that makes meaningful partnership possible.

Here’s where everything comes together in action. Our goal is simple: We aim to help every Sola 5 church establish a partnership with another church by investing together for a church plant. We are working for ongoing, intentional partnerships that create sustainable church planting and revitalisation efforts across Africa.

When churches partner together for gospel work, several things happen. The sending church develops a missions heartbeat and learns to sacrifice joyfully for kingdom advance. The receiving church gains not only financial support but also prayer partners, encouragers, and fellow labourers. New churches get planted. Struggling churches get revitalised. The gospel advances.

But perhaps most importantly, both churches discover that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They experience the joy of being used by God to further the work of Christ in places where most of the members may never reach themselves.

Every Sola 5 church should be asking these questions: Which church can we partner with? How are we helping advance the gospel beyond the four walls of our own church? What would it look like for us to catch a vision for gospel advance and insist on being allowed to help others sacrificially? Let’s be Philippian churches!

This isn’t about getting involved if we have resources to spare. The Macedonian churches that Paul praised in 2 Corinthians 8 gave out of their poverty, insisting on the privilege of participating in gospel work. They understood something we sometimes forget: Partnership isn’t about what we can afford to give; it includes giving beyond our ability—what we can’t afford not to give.

These three pillars work together. Prayer builds relationships. Fellowship strengthens those relationships. Partnership gives those relationships meaning and purpose.

If your church isn’t yet engaged in all three pillars, where could you start? Could you commit to praying corporately for our weekly church feature? Could your pastor join a local fraternity, plan to attend the next annual conference, or commit to reaching out to one church pastor each week to encourage them? Could you, as a congregation, begin setting aside funds in your budget for a church-planting partnership with another Sola 5 church?

The foundation of our Sola 5 fellowship is strong. The vision is clear. The opportunity is to take the next step to participate in preparing and sending gospel workers to those who have yet to hear of Jesus!

To learn more about partnership opportunities or to submit your church’s ministry summary for potential partnership, contact the Sola 5 Steering Committee. Let’s see what God will do when his churches work together for gospel advance.

Check out ministry partnership opportunities on our website.