A New Kind of Armor: Bibles Reach the Zambian Army

The Great Need for Bibles in Army Barracks

God has called Cosmas Kaimba to serve in a unique place for the Kingdom. He has been a chaplain in the Zambia Defense Force for over twelve years. For the past five years, he’s been a chaplain at the army base in Kawambwa, a rural part of Zambia where he fights for the spiritual well-being of the soldiers as they fight for and protect their country.

Each week the soldiers are invited to gather for chapel and over 1,000 attend since it’s included as part of their work time. Though Cosmas knows a majority call themselves Christians, they come from a variety of religious backgrounds—there are Catholics, Baptists, Pentecostals, and Muslims, to name a few.

Until a few years ago, Cosmas navigated these differing views and beliefs from the pulpit without access to a physical copy of the Bible. Though he and the soldiers in the barracks have access to the Bible on their phones, it’s not the same as having a physical copy to hold in their hands. Regardless, most don’t know how to navigate an electronic Bible. In 2020, Cosmas and the chaplaincy team received 350 copies of the ESV Global Study Bible. Cosmas works diligently to make sure these Bibles are used to their fullest potential, and many of the soldiers now have the opportunity to read God’s Word for themselves for the first time.

The Kawambwa Zambia army base is one of many examples of the continued need for Bibles throughout Africa and the Global South at large. Because of this great need, Crossway is providing one million Bibles to these regions—including army barracks. As a result of the accessibility of these Bibles, Cosmas is now seeing the Lord move in the hearts of soldiers who are growing in their faith and understanding the good news in a new light.

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A Unique Strategy for Sharing the Gospel

After his mentor spent time sharing the gospel with him, Cosmas gave his life to Christ in 1998 while still in high school. He attended church regularly and received the Word through weekly sermons, but he rarely had the opportunity to actually read a Bible for himself. Remarkably, he would have to wait another seventeen years before receiving his first physical copy of the Bible in 2015 through Central Africa Baptist University (CABU).

Thinking back on those many years without a Bible, he reflects that, “To tell you the truth, I didn’t even bother about the fact that I didn’t have a Bible. But it is like a soldier without a weapon. I think I didn’t bother because of traditions, and it looked normal before I had one to not have one (because very few others had a Bible). So it was not until the Lord placed one in my hands that I realized the importance of the Bible in my ministry.” He received a Bible in conjunction with the opportunity to get a degree in Bible. This three-year education totally changed his perspective on the importance of both the teacher and congregation having a Bible in front of them.

Through completing his theological education with CABU in Kitwe, Zambia, his eyes were opened to the difference between a local church and chaplaincy at an army barracks—and how that should inform the way he ministers to the soldiers.

When it comes to pastoral work in the local church, you are actually dealing with people you know, who have put you into leadership. So, generally speaking, they have more confidence in you. . . . And apart from that, you hold the same beliefs. For example, if you are Baptist, they’re Baptists, but if you are preaching in a Pentecostal church, they are also Pentecostals so they understand where you’re coming from.

But when it comes to the chaplaincy, you are dealing with people of different faiths. Others are not even connected to a church. So when you are ministering to them, you are meeting them by virtue of them being members of the army, but they may not agree with you on a number of issues. So it matters how you reach out to them.

Despite the differences in viewpoints, there was one thing Cosmas knew from his training that he should be drawing the soldiers back to: the truths of Scripture. And now, since they had physical Bibles to use, they could learn and grow together in a deeper way.

Gospel Truths That Lead to Life Transformation

Cosmas organizes and leads four gatherings each week related to the chaplaincy division of the army: two prayer times, one Bible study, and one chapel gathering. The chaplaincy team also offers counseling sessions that soldiers can sign up for at any time. The foundation for each of these gatherings, whether one-on-one or as a group, is the Bible. At each, Cosmas makes sure Bibles are ready for soldiers to use as they pray, study God’s Word, and receive the Word preached.

Yet Cosmas understands the need to delicately steward how he teaches and shares the gospel in these contexts. Access to the Bible makes that possible in a new way. “As you preach, you need to be mindful of the language you’re using. If you are to preach with confidence, it’s a good idea that you show them where you are actually drawing those teachings from so that even when they’re not comfortable with what you are saying—maybe you even sound offensive to them—they’ll still see it is coming from the Scriptures.” Cosmas has done the hard work of coming alongside soldiers as they wrestle with challenging concepts, and he’s now seeing significant, heart-level growth.

Through a better understanding of the gospel, soldiers are changing the ways they live and carry themselves. Cosmas explains this change from his perspective:

[This is] a change not just in their understanding but in character and commitment to the Lord. If you learn about the Zambia army, you will realize that in the past, soldiers were known to be criminals. They were people you couldn’t mingle with. But that is not the case now. The chaplain’s ministry has really helped and shaped the behavior of the soldiers. . . . So they understand what Scripture says about things like being obedient to their commanders. We’re teaching them that they’re not actually doing their commanders a favor to obey, but it is the right thing to do because we see it in the Scriptures, that servants are to obey their masters.

When the truths of the gospel are made known, God is glorified, and men and women can better understand how to walk faithfully according to his commands. But this is made much more difficult when someone doesn’t have access to the Bible.

Through the generosity of donors to Crossway’s One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South, Bibles are going out all throughout the Global South, where there is an opportunity for people to read the Bible for themselves—many for the first time. We are praying that by May 31, 2026, the Lord will help us raise funds for the printing and distribution of 120,000 Bibles as we continue in our overall effort to distribute one million Bibles. Partner with us to put the gospel into the hands of men, women, and children, allowing them to encounter the hope of Christ through their own copy of the Scriptures.

Pray that the soldiers reading these Bibles would continue to grow in their faith and understanding of the Lord.

Thank God for the ways he has already provided for the One Million Bibles Initiative: Global South. Pray that he would stir in the hearts of men and women to continue to support this Bible distribution work.