Edison Mooketsane has a vision for Botswana that is both simple and ambitious: a unified evangelical church that speaks with one voice, reaches every corner of the nation, and stands firm when the culture shifts around it. As Secretary General of the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana (EFB), he is working to make that vision a reality — one church, one campaign, one conversation at a time.
This September, the EFB is partnering with African Enterprise for a ten-day citywide evangelism campaign with a target of 80,000 people. “We believe God is moving in Botswana,” says Edison. “This is a moment to be bold — to go to the streets, to the neighbourhoods, to the people who haven’t yet heard.” It is the kind of large-scale, collaborative effort the EFB was built for, and a sign of what becomes possible when churches choose to move together.
That unity, however, is still a work in progress. Many churches in Botswana continue to operate within denominational boundaries that limit collaboration and weaken the collective voice of the evangelical community on national issues. Edison is direct about the challenge: “We are stronger together, but convincing everyone of that takes time and relationship.” The fellowship is responding practically — extending personal invitations to unaffiliated churches and establishing regional branches to bring the alliance closer to those it serves.
The context in which the EFB operates is not easy. Churches in Botswana face genuine obstacles in securing land for worship, often losing out to commercial interests in allocation processes that give them no preferential consideration. Economic hardship among congregants — driven by high unemployment and personal debt — means that many churches struggle to sustain their own ministry, let alone their membership of the alliance. And a shortage of formally trained pastors remains a quiet but significant concern.
Yet the EFB is pressing forward. The fellowship is actively engaging with a new government that has opened channels of dialogue on religious legislation — offering the prospect of a more supportive legal framework after years of restrictive requirements. Internally, new structures are being established to help the alliance address emerging issues and serve its member churches more effectively.
Edison is candid about where international partnership could make the greatest difference. “We don’t need someone to come and do the work for us,” he says. “We need affordable theological training for our pastors, leadership development, and the kind of technical knowledge that helps an organisation become sustainable. That’s where the WEA and others can walk alongside us.”
The Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana is a fellowship in motion — contending with real pressures, building for the long term, and believing that the Gospel is more than sufficient for the moment Botswana is in.
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