Everyday African Theology for Millennials and Gen Z
What does it mean to live faithfully as a young African Christian in a digitally connected, culturally complex world?
In Words Fitly Spoken, Joseph Ola weaves together powerful quotations, African proverbs, and personal testimony to offer a refreshing vision of Christian discipleship—one that honours both global wisdom and African identity. Through thirteen compelling reflections, this book addresses the core struggles of millennials and Gen Z: the pressure to succeed, the fear of failure, the tyranny of busyness, and the search for authentic faith in an age of performance and comparison.
Each chapter grounds universal Christian truths in the communal spirituality of Africa in order to help youthful minds make sense of God in life and life in God. Whether you're wrestling with prayer that feels unanswered, navigating relationships and career decisions, or simply seeking to integrate your faith with your cultural identity, Words Fitly Spoken offers both roots and wings.
For young adults hungry for wisdom that speaks their language and honours their heritage, this book is an invitation: to think deeply, live wisely, and follow Christ faithfully—without abandoning one’s cultural heritage to do so.
“Words Fitly Spoken is a beautiful gift to the global Church. In these pages, Joseph Ola weaves Scripture, African wisdom, and lived experience into a tapestry of theology that feels both deeply rooted and wonderfully fresh. He reminds us that words can build worlds—that faith, when spoken with care and grace, can heal the fractures of our time. This is a luminous book for those seeking to follow Christ with both roots and wings. I cannot recommend it enough.“
— Dr Harvey Kwiyani
Author of Decolonizing Mission & Lead, Acts 11 Project
Joseph Kolawole Ola is a pastor, theologian, author, podcaster, and mentor working at the intersection of faith, culture, and generational renewal within African Christianity in the diaspora. Based in Liverpool, UK, he pastors a multigenerational Pentecostal church while also lecturing with the Church Mission Society (CMS), where he teaches in areas including African Christianity, mission, and global theology. He is a doctoral researcher exploring generational differences in faith practices among Nigerian Pentecostals in the UK, with a particular interest in how younger adults are reimagining Pentecostal spirituality in post-migrant and digitally shaped contexts.
Joseph is the founder of the Alive Mentorship Group, a decade-long mentoring community accompanying millennials and Gen Zs in discipleship, vocation, and everyday faith. A prolific writer, he has authored and edited numerous books and resources spanning devotional writing, pastoral theology, and African Christian thought. Through teaching, writing, podcasting, and mentoring—including the Not Alone Today Chronological Bible Reading Plan podcast—Joseph seeks to make theology accessible, embodied, and attentive to lived experience. Rooted in a Pentecostal and Ubuntu-shaped vision, his work is driven by a passion to see faith lived authentically across generations and cultures in today’s world.
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