In an age of fast food, fast trains, fast internet, fast jets, intercontinental ballistic missiles, and “kill me quick” liquor promising instant riches, Archbishop Elect Professor Mugume Bagambaki Richard has delivered a counter-cultural charge to Uganda’s emerging church leaders: Go slow, but sure in the Lord.
Teaching under the theme “Start Small, Build Right, Wait on the Lord”, the Ecclesiastical Patriarch of the Five-Fold Episcopal World Federation did not mince words. Speaking as a father to sons and daughters in ministry, he said the ministry graveyard is full of “future giants” who died from “rushing and crushing” ,not from the devil, but from impatience.
Despise Not Small Beginnings.
Quoting Zechariah 4:10, the Archbishop Elect dismantled the cathedral-or-bust mentality crippling young pastors. “Big farms start with one seed. Big forests start with one seed. Generals started as civilians,” he said. “Jesus Christ builds His Church at His stage and His timing, not yours.”
His discipline is blunt: Start in your sitting room, then the veranda you planned, then the compound. Citing Luke 16:10, he warned against rushing to rent houses or “swampy NEMA-gazzetted wetland” that drains money and derails timing. “Unless you are on personal church business, not divine calling,” he added.
Honor Your Priest Eli Before You Claim Samuel’s Mic.
Drawing from 1 Samuel 3:9, Bagambaki called for order in the house of God. Young ministers must submit to spiritual fathers while the vision is “still burning in your spiritual father’s house” and not run away as prodigal sons. “Outside there the world may not welcome you as you think.”
He reminded leaders that Jesus trained the Apostles for 3½ years before Pentecost. “Join a Seminary like Upper City Covenant Seminary (UCCSAT). Knowledge plus maturity saves you from rushing and crushing,” he said, citing 2 Timothy 2:15.
Training In The Tools Of Truth: Why The Pulpit Needs The Classroom.
Contrary to the widely mistaken belief that ministry training ignores disciplines like philosophy, economics, literature, theology, sociology, psychology, health, accountancy, statistics, and community development, Archbishop Bagambaki stressed the opposite: training is non-negotiable.
“Jesus guided His disciples for 3 years,” he said. “These tools help men and women called by God to interpret the Bible correctly and in context, and to apply it relevantly.” Pastors called by God should not embarrass themselves before professionals like lawyers, doctors, health workers, or university dons because they are ill-equipped. “The pulpit must be able to speak to the parliament, the hospital, the lecture room, and the marketplace without ignorance.”
He told the audience that seminary is not cemetery, it is the armoury where revelation meets research, and anointing meets understanding.
The Role Of The Holy Spirit: Power And Wisdom.
Yet Bagambaki was quick to balance the scales. Training without the Holy Spirit produces “dry intellectuals.” Anointing without training produces “noisy amateurs.” The Church needs both.
“The Holy Spirit is our teacher,” he said, referencing John 14:26. “He gives power to witness, wisdom to govern, and revelation to build. But He does not anoint laziness. He partners with preparation.” He pointed to Acts 2: after 3½ years of teaching, the Upper Room ordination came by fire. “The Spirit falls on order. The Spirit fills vessels that have been shaped. Wait for Him, but train while you wait.”
Build Your House Before The Church.
With Psalm 127:1 as anchor, the Archbishop Elect gave counsel that shocked some: Ask God first for a home land. “Build a house within your means. Have rooms for privacy: your boys, girls, store, maid’s room, with a good planned veranda.”
He cautioned against being deceived by “low brain manipulators” who praise a young minister for casting out one demon. “Pride says ‘I can’t sleep in church while you are renting in slums.’ Wisdom says ‘I won’t build on sand while God is still laying my foundation’,” referencing Matthew 7:26-27.
Process Before Prominence.
Cathedrals, crowds, anointing, financial breakthrough, fame, among others, all are process, Bagambaki insisted, quoting James 1:4 and Ecclesiastes 3:1. “Before you start a church, first plant food that will sustain your family. Plant coffee and cocoa, cassava and beans, sweet potatoes or simsim and banana. They are long-term investments. Food is security,” he said, citing Proverbs 27:27.
Only after the home is stable should leaders mobilize for buying church land, not renting. “Get an official government plan from your respective urban councils, approval, then mobilize materials and build within your means as the Lord provides.” He warned against “copy and paste” from senior leaders with 20, 40, 60 years in ministry. “Who deceived you every called minister is for a cathedral and crowds?”
Teamwork: Share the Burden
Quoting Galatians 6:2, he urged leaders to ask God for wisdom to appoint a church government. “Now the burden is shared with Christ and His body, not just you, your wife, and children. That is how Upper City Covenant Churches and FFEWF are built ‘Built Together’ Ephesians 2:20.”
Father’s Warning In A Fast World.
Closing with Hosea 4:6, the Archbishop Elect said: “We have lost many future giants through lack of knowledge, maturity, poor grooming, rushing and crushing in ministry. It is my prayer you will not crush, my daughter or son in the Lord.”
In a world obsessed with speed, Bagambaki reminded the Church that even in fables, the slow creatures win races. “The chameleon and tortoise have always won,” he said. “Wait on the Lord. Start in your house. Honor your spiritual father. Build by wisdom. Train. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. The God who calls you is faithful to build His Church through you at the right time.”
Shalom.
For mentorship, training, or ordination inquiries under the Five-Fold Episcopal World Federation and UCCSAT University, contact:
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Archbishop Elect Professor Mugume Bagambaki Richard_ Ecclesiastical Patriarch, FFEWF | Archbishop, Upper City Covenant Churches | President & Chancellor, UCCSAT University.
