Johnstone Kpilaakaa MIANGO, PLATEAU STATE—In 2014, Jeff Arnette, a US Army veteran, Christian missionary, and prosthetist, travelled to Nigeria with plans to establish a prosthetics programme through a missionary organisation he was consulting for. The goal was to serve vulnerable communities affected by conflict in the West African nation.
However, a logistical setback delayed the mission. What was meant to be a brief shipping delay stretched into weeks.
Arnette, however, viewed it as divine providence. While waiting for the prosthetic materials to arrive, he spent time visiting local churches across Central Nigeria. There, he became increasingly troubled by the doctrines being preached—many of which, such as the so-called “prosperity gospel”, he believed deviated from true biblical teaching.
“The understanding of the whole gospel of Christ was not being fulfilled,” Arnette said.
When he returned to the United States, Arnette shared his concerns with his friend, Daniel Horn, an elder at Reformation Baptist Church in North Carolina and a veteran software engineer.
“My calling is not to be a preacher, but I am a prosthetist who loves Christ,” Arnette said. “I needed someone to speak in a way I could not.”
Horn did not hesitate. Later that same year, he travelled to Nigeria. In 2015, he launched an annual conference aimed at strengthening theological foundations among local churches, which was held again in 2016.
“We did this with the hope of raising more awareness of who God is, rather than promoting the prosperity gospel that was being taught,” Arnette added.
As Horn and Arnette continued their work in southern Jos, a pivotal moment occurred. Zingak Deshi, a medical director who had served as their fixer, was abruptly dismissed by Voice of the Martyrs—the same organisation Arnette was consulting for.
“Zingak was the one who made us feel safe coming into the country,” Horn recalled.
Deshi had spoken out about serious misconduct within the ministry, including allegations of sexual abuse in orphanages. His whistleblowing caused a rupture that ultimately led to the collapse of the organisation’s operations in the region. Arnette, too, withdrew his involvement.
But he and Horn felt a moral and spiritual responsibility to continue the work.
“We had an obligation before God to do something about it,” Horn said. “We needed to continue the prosthetics ministry—for the many people who were able to walk again, because it requires routine maintenance.”
From that conviction, the Arise and Walk Ministry was born. As the name suggests, it sought not only to help people arise and walk physically through the provision of prosthetics, but also to open doors for deeper spiritual engagement.
“It was our way of showing good works so that it would give us an avenue to speak to the churches,” Horn explained.
Between 2018 and August 2020, Dynamic Prosthetics Nigeria—a subsidiary of the ministry—delivered more than 149 prosthetics, including repairs. Of these, 55% were provided entirely free of charge, while a further 16% were offered at subsidised rates. Although the ministry does not accept external financial donations, it receives used prosthetic limbs donated exclusively in the United States.
“Reformation Baptist Church is currently blessed with the resources to wholly fund this ministry,” reads a note on the ministry’s website.
“The prosthetics gave us an opportunity to enter communities and teach sound doctrine and its practical applications,” Arnette added. “We desire to see more churches focusing on these matters.”
Formally established in 2017 in Plateau State, the ministry has since expanded its reach across state and beyond—to Benue, Taraba, Gombe, Nasarawa, Cross River, Lagos, and other parts of Nigeria. As it grew, Horn and his team noticed something deeper: a recurring hunger for theological truth among pastors and church leaders.
“We saw that there was a need to equip pastors on how to rightly handle the word of God,” Horn said.
To meet this need, Arise and Walk Ministry began hosting theological conferences. Topics have ranged from homiletics and holiness to prayer, eschatology, and, more recently, systematic theology.
“The core problem in Nigeria is that many people do not think about the faith systematically. But Jesus is true,” Horn said. “As we continue to teach, I see a growing number of people showing interest in learning the truth. It’s far easier to reach people now than it was ten years ago. That shows there’s a real hunger.”
Recognising the influence of local pastors within their communities, the ministry began partnering with theological institutions—more than 35 seminaries have collaborated with Arise and Walk Ministry, resulting in the training of hundreds of pastors in sound doctrine.
“The ministry has helped us in so many ways,” said Jonathan Iorkighir, rector of the Reformed Theological Seminary in Mkar, Benue State, which is affiliated with the NKST—one of the region’s most prominent Christian denominations.
As intended, Iorkighir first encountered the ministry through its prosthetics outreach, which had provided practical support to vulnerable and amputated individuals in his community.
“It was evangelising for the people; those who were unable became able,” he said, noting that this support continued in Benue State as recently as the previous year.
Beyond physical restoration, Iorkighir noted that Horn and the ministry team have helped many “arise and walk spiritually” as well. We interviewed him at the Miango Rest Home in Bassa, Plateau State, where he was facilitating alongside Horn and other members of the ministry. He had travelled there with several students from the seminary.
“We will go home and share the truth with the people,” Iorkighir said. “The major command we are learning is that man should do the will of God.”
“The hope is that more people will pick up the baton to take this sound doctrine beyond this conference hall,” Arnette added, “so that Nigeria might see a true revival.”
Anukam Celestine, a pastor who participated in the Systematic Theology Conference by Arise and Walk Ministry at Miango Rest Home, reflecting on the experience, shared: “When I return home—and even from now—I will start by improving my relationship with God. I will also point my people to Him, rather than making them look to me.”
Additional reporting by Joey Shekwonuzhibo
