Story number 4 for 1 Feb 2002

(Bolivia)–Next, a century of missionary presence in Bolivia, South America has grown into a need for teachers to disciple the church. That’s where partnering with the Evangelical Christian Union is invaluable, so says SIM missionary Greg Hurst. “I think a lot of times we’ve been thinking of missions as reaching all the different people groups in the world, and certainly we need to do that, but, when I look at the Great Commission, it wasn’t only about reaching the people but, helping the church come to the point that they’re mature followers of Christ.” Hurst says the Bolivian church recognizes the need to support and equip those who want to go into the mission field; he says they also want mentoring. “There’s a definite need for missionaries to come and to disciple, and invest themselves into the young church so that it grows to the point of being able to reach out to their own Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and into the ends of the earth.”