About Us
Ministering in Word and Deed in Africa.
AE supporters have brought peace, reconciliation and hope to African nations for 60 years and saved countless lives. Our unique evangelistic approach involves mobilising thousands of local volunteers and churches in African nations to bring the Good News of Jesus to city people in Sub-Saharan and North Africa.
With regular support and prayer, amazing supporters like you have rescued many thousands from lives of forced poverty and misery. Partnering with us makes saving more lives possible. Please join us now in celebrating God’s mercy and power to change Africa.
Together we have reached over 6 million people with the good news of Jesus in 2020.
Jesus is the heart of what we do.
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
Bringing peace, reconciliation and hope to African nations for over 60 years.
Celebrating 60 years of evangelism in Africa, holding true & pressing on!
The 1962 Mission to Maritzburg is considered a highlight for AE as it launched our ministry. Michael Cassidy reflects on this mission:
“ For me this has to be always THE major highlight as it was the moment when our call to the cities of Africa was confirmed and our ministry formally launched. The extraordinary success of that mission I attribute firstly to the Lord’s sovereign purposes, and secondly to the fact that we had no experience to depend on, and therefore our dependence on the Lord was maybe deeper than ever happened again.”
Our 60th anniversary celebrates the 60 years that has passed since Mission to Maritzburg but also looking towards the future with excitement, anticipation and hope.
Michael Cassidy & The History Of African Enterprise.
As a young South African man, just 21 years old, Michael Cassidy had a heart for his people and felt the Lord calling him to city-evangelism in Africa. During the summer of 1961, he set out on an exploratory visit to 31 major cities of Africa, a trip in which God’s vision for Michael became clear. On a long walk on the beach, Michael drew an outline of Africa in the sand and wrote “claimed for Christ” inside it. His experience is recounted in the book African Harvest: “He wrote in his diary; ‘I asked God for 50 years of ministry in Africa.’”
Graduating from Fuller Theological Seminary in 1963, Michael returned to South Africa with a small team and his work began. The first city-wide mission was held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and from there the work expanded slowly across the continent. A second team was established in Uganda in 1971 under the leadership of Bishop Festo Kivengere. Today AE has teams in ten African countries: Ghana, Uganda, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi and Ethiopia.
“Michael’s vision and courage were key contributors to mobilising the church in South Africa to challenge and topple one of the most evil and divisive systems in the world, namely apartheid.”
– S. Doug Birdsall, Honorary Co-Chair, Lausanne Committee for World Evangelisation
Michael Cassidy & Nelson Mandela
Michael Cassidy & Billy Graham
Festo Kivengere & Michael Cassidy
Our Story
1957
Michael Cassidy attends Billy Graham's outreach at Madison Square Garden. This was a pivotal moment in Michael's life as he clearly felt God's call for evangelism in Africa. - The vision of AE was born.
Read more...
1961
Michael Cassidy and Ed Gregory visit the major cities in Africa. It was during this trip that Michael Cassidy went for a long solitary walk along the beach in Liberia. Suddenly on impulse, Michael drew a vast outline of Africa in the sand. He scrawled: ‘Claimed for Jesus’ inside it. Michael then walked fifty steps, asking the Lord for one year of ministry for every footprint in the African sand.
1962
Early on in the year, Stephen Lungu, a member of the Black Shadows gang, who later became International Team Leader of African Enterprise, was converted at a tent meeting in Harare, Zimbabwe. African Enterprise officially established. First citywide mission held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa in August.
1963
AE board and team created
1964
AE office established in Longmarket St Pietermaritzburg South Africa with Fuller Seminary graduates. The board was based in Pasadena California USA.
1965
African Enterprise Canada established by volunteers to support the ministry in Africa. No full-time staff until 1989. Autumn 1965, city wide mission in Ladysmith in Northern Natal, working through significant unity issues between the populous under the apartheid regime and the Afrikaner/English divide.
1969
African Enterprise’s first use of “stratified evangelism”. Festo Kivengere joins African Enterprise to build up a team in East Africa.
1971
Festo Kivengere establishes the first East African team and board in Uganda.
1972
Festo consecrated as Bishop of Kigezi
First ever non-racial evangelistic rally in King’s Park Stadium with Billy Graham (50,000 present). On a visit to Uganda Michael Cassidy is asked to leave because his passport stated he was a “missionary”. Idi Amin said missionaries were no longer welcome in the country.
Read more...
1975
The Australian African Enterprise Support Office opens, although it only becomes a legal entity from 1978 onwards.
1976
1977
African Enterprise formally adopts the Lausanne Covenant as its statement of faith. African Enterprise Tanzania team is established.
Read more...
1978
Australian Support Office is registered as a legal entity on March 14, first office was at 5/68 Pitt Street Sydney. African Enterprise Zimbabwe Office formed.
1980
“Operation Foxfire” is the name given by the African Enterprise team in Zimbabwe to their new venture for outreach. Teams of young people go out into rural communities in pairs to teach, preach, pray for the sick and help reopen churches closed during the Bush War.
1982
Stephen Lungu joins the African Enterprise team.
Read more...
1984
African Enterprise’s first Training Programme opens up at the Training Centre in Pietermaritzburg. The courses relate to mission and evangelism. African Enterprise Malawi Team established.
1985
1988
Australia and Pilgrim offices move to St Leonards. Australian church leaders (under Archbishop David Penman) tour South Africa, organised by African Enterprise. Bishop Festo Kivengere dies of leukemia and is given a state funeral in Uganda.
1993
Michael Cassidy speaks at a conference in Darwin, Australia.
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
2006
Stephen Lungu succeeds Michael Cassidy as CEO of African Enterprise
2008
Michael Cassidy goes on an African Enterprise ministry tour to Australia.
2010
Covenant of partnership introduced between all AE teams and support offices to strengthen our mutual accountability and governance structures within the international partnership.
2012
Stephen Lungu retires from his position with African Enterprise as International Team Leader. He continues as Global Ambassador for the ministry.
2013
Stephen Mbogo becomes International Team Leader of African Enterprise.
2020
As COVID-19 spreads across Africa, our team imlements a Home Based Evangelism model. Doors opened up for us to reach people through radio, television, social media and home visits. African Enterprise Zambia Office Established (Southern African Region)
2021
African Enterprise reach a new milestone, sharing the Gospel with over 6 million people. Stephen Lungu passes away. Read tributes here