When Bryan and Heather MacPhail-Fausey began their first term in Cameroon, they came with a firm focus on theological education and church planting. Knowing how difficult Africa ministry could be, and to keep their ministry focused, Bryan and Heather tried to avoid adding ministries that entailed property or business ownership or ongoing government interaction. Bryan now says with a laugh, “We failed at two of these.”

Ironically, the MacPhail-Fauseys’ focus on theological education and church planting was at the core of that “failure.” As Bryan taught local seminary students, he felt increasingly frustrated by how difficult it was to place theologically sound books into his students’ hands. Very few good textbooks were available in Cameroon, although books reflecting charismatic and prosperity gospel theology could be readily purchased. To obtain quality theological texts in the students’ language of French, Bryan had to order them from North America, which put the books beyond his students’ budgets.

Before the MacPhail-Fauseys left for a trip to the US in early 2020, the seminary dean asked Bryan to bring back student textbooks. Bryan was pleased to find the books at a Christian publishing firm in Quebec for the student rate of $15- 16 (Canadian). In gratitude to the book sellers, Bryan sent them a photo of the students holding their new books. The publishers were overjoyed to see how their books were being put to use. It was their turn to show gratitude. They told Bryan about a former missionary in Minnesota who developed a print-on-demand system. If the MacPhail-Fauseys wanted to print their own books, the Quebec publishers were willing to license their own for them to publish.

Bryan and Heather knew the information was God’s providence regarding the students’ needs for affordable books, but more providence was to come. Around the same time, Bryan ran into two other Cameroon missionaries with a similar vision to get resources to the Cameroonian people. They also had been talking to the Quebec publisher and knew about the print-on-demand system. By late 2020, the three missionaries formed a partnership to make their combined vision a reality.

Bryan and Heather began fundraising efforts, and God moved His people to give generously. Nine months later, they had most of the money in hand, with pledges for the remainder. The MacPhail-Fauseys’ team ordered the printing system in mid-2021. Unfortunately, COVID-19 supply-chain problems prevented them from getting all the components until December 2022, right before Bryan and Heather went on a short furlough. But by late August 2023, they began printing their first books. They named the ministry Sola Scriptura (“Scripture Alone”) but in 2024 changed the name to Sola Publishing. The new name reflects their desire to expand the reach of sound theological information through multiple communications channels.

Bryan and Heather oversee the day-to-day publishing operations with the help of two Cameroonian employees (a seminary student and a graduate) who operate the press. Bryan is training them in maintenance and in the ministry’s business aspects. Bryan plans to turn over to them the responsibilities for building up their customer base and expanding its publishing.

Cameroon has not historically been a reading culture, so the team began printing smaller, easier-to-read volumes, such as the Nine Marks series, to help pastors and students grow in their understanding of God’s Word. Their audience is loving the new books; one French-speaking pastor devours every book they print. In the past year, the MacPhail-Fauseys have seen pastors deepening their grasp of God’s Word, and their greater understanding funnels into their ministries. Church members are likewise gaining a deeper grasp and better understanding of how the Word applies to their daily lives.

The books’ influence is spreading even further. When Bryan gave a book to an official in Cameroon’s Ministry of Finance and told him it was printed in Cameroon by Cameroonians, the official beamed with pride. Other Christians in the government have told Bryan that they love what the ministry is doing. Even children are getting copies of Christian children’s books and enjoying them immensely, further growing Cameroon’s reading culture.

In addition to theological texts, Sola Publishing has printed materials as varied as Gospels of John and Bibles International’s literacy primers. Although the MacPhail-Fauseys never intended to get into the publishing business, God gave them a powerful channel to enhance theological education and church planting—far beyond what Bryan and Heather originally envisioned. Bryan jokingly described his “failure” to avoid owning a business and interacting with the government, but in reality it’s been a ministry success.