For the last ten years, the vision of SIM Niger has been expressed as “A holy, mature Church transforming Niger and beyond.” This also remains at the core of our mission. The Church is God’s instrument for transformation within Niger and beyond. The Church of Niger must be a missionary church and must find its place in making disciples of all nations.

In the history of SIM Niger, there has been an accumulation of broken trust, misunderstandings and patterns of poor communication that have formed over the years. Differences in culture have also complicated this relationship. In recent years, SIM leadership has been meeting regularly with the presidents of the SIM-related churches. Several other significant events have occurred. A leadership retreat in January 2012 concluded with a time of asking for and offering forgiveness between SIM and the SIM-related church associations and also between the associations. In March 2013, there was a pastor’s conference where over 100 participants together with SIM and Church leaders committed themselves to reconciliation and a spirit of collaboration.

Progress in this area will improve the likelihood of success in all of our other priority activities. We pray that God will give us a spirit of humility that we might see further breakthroughs in our relationship with the Nigerien Church. We pray that we might be able to pass on to the next generation of leaders a healthier relationship that will bring honor and glory to God and further His Kingdom in Niger.