Vocational / Sustainability / Discipleship Program
Meet Pastor Jacob Ssemuwulu
Your recurring monthly gift supports the education and training of all the pastors in this program, not just one individual. Get to know Pastor Jacob's story, then explore the other pastors growing through RPI's Vocational / Sustainability / Discipleship Program.
Pastor Jacob Ssemuwulu
Program: Vocational / Sustainability / Discipleship
Ministry: Rural Pastor
Your recurring monthly gift helps provide education and training for all the pastors in this program, not just one individual. Meet a few of the other pastors below.
Help Equip Pastors for Ministry
Your investment supports pastoral education and training as a whole. You can invest in the program while continuing to follow, learn about, encourage, and pray for pastors like Pastor Jacob throughout their journey.
Sponsor NowJacob's Story
Born into a pastoral family in 1979, Pastor Jacob is the son of the co-founders of the Deliverance Church of Uganda. Though raised in the faith and in a pastor’s home, he personally gave his life to Christ in 1993 after hearing a convicting message and being witnessed to by his father. Encouraged by his father, he also joined Bible school early and began planting churches in urban areas.
Later, he moved to Buyende to help run his mother’s rural clinic after her retirement. There, Pastor Jacob was deeply moved by the plight of widows and orphans—many of whom had lost their husbands to fishing accidents. As he reached out to support them, a church naturally formed around that effort. For the past four years, he has served as the lead pastor of The Mission Church. The church’s vision is rooted in the Great Commission from Matthew 28, with a strong focus on supporting widows and orphans, which remains a central part of its ministry. However, rural ministry was unfamiliar territory, and he quickly realized that his previous training and experience were insufficient for the new context.
When he heard about the Rural Pastors Institute, he knew it was what he needed. After visiting the institute, he was struck by the depth of the teaching and the conviction with which the teachers taught the Word. “This is exactly what I’ve been looking for,” he said. Pastor Jacob is eager to receive training at RPI to enhance his understanding and approach to rural ministry, inspired by the effectiveness he has observed in other pastors who have been trained there.
Together with his wife, Babirye Kevin, to whom he has been married for 16 years, they run the clinic and a small shop to support themselves and their five children. However, despite the money they make, their income is not enough to cover the valuable education Pastor Jacob receives at the Rural Pastors Institute. Recurring monthly investments in the training program help make this transformational education possible, empowering Pastor Jacob to lead with greater wisdom and serve his community more effectively.
Thank you for investing in pastoral education through Rural Pastors International.
Get to Know Jacob
Faith: Came to Christ in 1993 after his father shared the gospel
Ministry: Lead pastor of The Mission Church in Buyende, serving widows and orphans
Family: Married to Babirye Kevin; five children
Livelihood: Helps run a rural clinic and small shop
Training: Graduated from RPI’s Cohort 4 biblical training program
Prayer Requests
His Ministry: Pray for The Mission Church as it serves widows, orphans, and families in Buyende.
His Leadership: Pray that Jacob will continue finding encouragement and strength in his calling to rural ministry.
His Family: Pray for Jacob, Babirye Kevin, and their five children as they serve their community.
Ongoing Growth: Pray that the biblical training he received will bear fruit in his teaching and discipleship.
From Rural Ministry to RPI Graduation
Pastor Jacob graduated with RPI's Cohort 4 biblical training class. In a February 12, 2026 message, RPI Uganda Executive Director Martin Euku described Jacob as a university graduate whom God called to serve in deeply rural communities. Martin praised his calm character, intelligence, eloquence, and gift for writing, and shared that Jacob had struggled with discouragement about his calling before coming to RPI.
After graduation, Jacob wrote a moving reflection about the often-overlooked challenges of rural pastoral ministry and the dignity, encouragement, and biblical teaching he experienced at RPI. He expressed particular appreciation for the teachers, the supportive learning environment, and the care shown to pastors throughout their training.
Martin said Jacob's testimony deeply moved him. His story offers a glimpse of how biblical training can strengthen pastors who are faithfully serving communities where their work is often unseen.
More Than a Training Program
RPI's relationship with pastors continues beyond their initial biblical training. Through ongoing discipleship, encouragement, follow-up, continued learning, and practical sustainability training, pastors like Jacob can continue growing as leaders while working toward stronger families, churches, and ministries.
Help Equip Pastors for Ministry
Your recurring monthly gift supports the education and training of all pastors in the Vocational / Sustainability / Discipleship Program, not one individual pastor.