What They Do:
Ralph and Sandra Thompson serve as the Global Directors for Africa and are part of WorldVenture’s Global Initiatives Leadership Team. In this strategic role, they oversee all of WorldVenture’s global workers and ministries across sub-Saharan Africa; encouraging innovation and collaboration, to see Gospel impact across the continent. They are passionate about caring for, developing, and empowering each worker and family to thrive in life and ministry. Through vision casting, mobilization, strategic planning, and leadership development, they seek to broaden WorldVenture’s impact among the least-reached in partnership with the African church.
Why Africa?
Africa is at a transformative juncture in global history, driven by its youthful population and rapid urban and economic growth. With over 60% of its 1.5 billion people under the age of 25, the continent is the youngest and fastest-growing in the world. Projections suggest its population could double by 2050 and make up nearly 38% of the global population by 2100. Urban centers like Lagos and Kinshasa are expanding rapidly, while Africa ranks as the second-fastest growing economic region. Despite this momentum, significant challenges persist: one-third of Africans live in extreme poverty, and another third—around 500 million people—are considered least-reached.
With the fastest growing church, Africa has become the epicenter of global Christianity, now home to 667 million Christians—more than any other continent. This shift positions Africa as a key force in the future of global missions. However, vast mission frontiers remain, particularly in regions like North Africa, the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and some of the islands and coastal areas where Islamic influence dominates. In light of a growing, maturing church in Africa, Western missionaries need to re-think their role. There is a Ghanaian proverb which states, “It’s good if you invite me to your table, but it’s far better if you invite me into the kitchen.” When it comes to missionary work in Africa, the time has come for foreign missionaries to see themselves as the invited, and the African church to see themselves as the inviters in this proverb – both humbly working toward mutual learning, growth, and partnership.
Who They Are:
Born and raised in New England, both Ralph and Sandra were saved, baptized, and called to missions at an early age. In 2005, they moved to a predominantly Muslim region of East Africa with their children where they served in church planting and development for thirteen years. During this time, they were part of a church planting team focused on a particular part of their city plagued by radicalism, drug abuse, and crime. They helped to start a community center which focused on the youth of the area, serving as a beacon of hope to help the local people address some of their most daunting challenges. Through this ministry, Muslims are being introduced to Jesus – and many have said “Yes” to His call to follow Him. More recently, they have been involved in mentoring and equipping the global Church to reach the least reached. They have three amazing adult children – Ryan, Alyssa, and Alana.
Articles and Blogs on WorldVenture:
– Extraordinary Places – Why Africa?
– Ramadan Begins!
