Story number 3 for 1 Jan 2002

(Kazakhstan)–An evangelical mission group is focusing on young people in the Muslim world. Bible Mission International is in the process of training thousands children’s pastors in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. BMI’s Malcolm Smith says because children respond to the Gospel quickly they’re the key to successful evangelism. “We could spend a lot of time and a lot of resources to minister to adults, and we do that. But, what we see as a maximum return on our resources when we are ministering to children that allow us to get into the door – to get into families – where we get to the adults.” Smith says that’s why they’re on the fast track to train these children’s pastors. ” What the church in Central Asia understands is multiplication. Within the next two to three months we will see the eight going from 55 up into one to two-thousand children’s pastors in Central Asia.”