Baptist house churches multiply in Cuba as revival spreads

Cuba (MNN/BWA) — Cuba is now home to more than 200,000 Baptists — up from 80,000 in 1995 — who meet in 4,500 places of worship, often in people’s homes, said Denton Lotz, general secretary of the Baptist World Alliance .

He gave the encouraging statistics in a report released after his trip to Cuba earlier this month. In the last eight years more than 2,500 Baptist house churches have been started in Cuba. The Cuban government has few restrictions on Christians meeting in homes for worship. “In a very remarkable way, the government has unwittingly been an instrument in allowing Christians in Cuba to practice one of the most successful church planting methods in the world,” Lotz said. He added that it was a “joy to witness the movement of the Holy Spirit in growing new believers and churches. It was a beautiful
experience to visit three of the house churches.”

Lotz gave the example of one middle-aged couple who recently accepted Christ. “They were so overjoyed at the hope and peace that Christ gives that they wanted all their neighbors to know,” he said. “They have opened their home, and now more than 60 come to worship.”

Lotz said the Cuban Baptists have “very strict requirements for baptism. Most new believers must wait for at least a year of discipleship training before being baptized. There are some churches which even require a three-year waiting period.”

Pray that legalism doesn’t invade the church and that evangelistic outreach continues.