“The believers are really feeling isolated,” Musselman says. “They don’t feel protected. You have the attacks, you have situations where they’re not given the basics of life, and then you have the family dynamic as well, where they are now rejected.”

An environment of fear

Image courtesy of Charu Chaturvedi on Unsplash

State propaganda and harsh anti-conversion laws create fear among believers, or those considering following Jesus. The believers in India that Musselman has talked to say they will not deny Jesus, but it has become very, very difficult to help their families. 

“We’re involved with the theology of persecution and discipleship, and teaching these pastors. They already understand persecution, but it gives them a greater understanding of the challenges that you’re going to face for following Jesus,” Musselman says.  

The discrimination is often the worst in small villages, where believing in Jesus can mean a complete ban from society, whether that is by exclusion from the communal water well, being forced to walk through different fields, or social rejection. 

“I’ve seen it, not only in India, but in Nigeria and other places, where people that are your neighbors and have been your friends turn on you, especially if you have left either the tribal religion or Hinduism to follow Jesus,” Musselman says.

“Now you’re ostracized, you’re marginalized, and unless your faith is rooted strong, it’s very tempting, and it does happen, where people do leave their relationship with Jesus.” 

Hope remains

Image courtesy of Tofin Creations on Unsplash

Yet he has seen God bring many lost people back to Himself, and despite everything, pastors are going door-to-door with the Good News and preaching against hating your enemies.

“When I talk to these believers, the reason they get into trouble and imprisoned and ostracized from family is because their desire is to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Musselman says.

Pray that believers in India would receive godly wisdom and refuse to compromise against pressure. Despite how difficult it is, pray that they would not let hate enter their hearts at their persecutors but that they would continue to lovingly share the Gospel.

Header image courtesy of Akhila Katuri on Unsplash 

Take Kenya, for example. Brian Dennett with AMG International says, “Especially in rural areas, these pastors often have limited access to really sound education resources, books, or mentoring, so it really leaves the church vulnerable to false teaching.” 

Syncretism and the prosperity gospel are present dangers in the Kenyan Church. And it doesn’t stop at the borders.

Pastor training in Kenya (Photo courtesy of AMG International via Facebook)

“Kenya is actually exporting a lot of its church culture all over Africa, because it has some very big churches,” says Dennett. 

To be clear, not all pastors and congregations in Kenya adhere to the prosperity gospel. Indeed, just last summer, many church leaders across Africa took a public stance on that ideology as well as “word of faith” theology. Their 14-article statement can be accessed here. 

As followers of Christ who care about truth, this battle line for the pure gospel in Africa must not be ignored. AMG helps to step into the gap by offering pastoral training — not only in Kenya but all over the world as well. 

“We really believe that healthy churches require well-equipped pastors, and while we do church planting in a number of countries, our goal is not just to grow the number of churches, but to strengthen the quality of existing churches that are already there,” says Dennett.

In Kenya, AMG’s biannual conferences bring in cross-cultural teachers who help Kenyan pastors continue to grow in handling God’s Word. This year, the theme is the doctrine of God.

Pastor training (Photo courtesy of AMG International via Facebook)

After receiving teaching about God’s sovereignty and providence, one pastor had this to say: “his eyes were just completely opened to some of the false beliefs that he himself had been propagating in his church and community, and [he] was excited to focus on the truth of God’s Word, and to only be sharing truth,” says Dennett. 

Your prayers and support can help strengthen the church in Kenya. Connect with AMG here to learn more. 

“These are not just one-time events [conferences], you know. We’re really hoping to have ongoing investment in the future of these churches and pastors,” says Dennett. “Knowing that every trained pastor is going to impact all of the lives of their congregation and contribute to the discipleship of so many people, it’s so encouraging to us.”

Header photo of pastor training in Kenya courtesy of AMG International.

Jeyakaran “Jakes” Emmanuel with A3 says that in the next decade, ministries in Africa will need to invest strategically, as Christians on the continent are poised to do gospel work for several reasons. 

First, Africa has the youngest median age of any continent at just 19 years old.

(Image courtesy of A3)

Second, Africa has the fastest church growth of any continent in the world. Emmanuel says that it is projected that 40% of the world’s Church will live in Africa by 2050.

Third, Africa has shifted from being a mission field to becoming a mission force, with the continent already sending out thousands of cross-cultural missionaries.

Despite these blessings, there remains a critical leadership gap in the African church.

With the African church growing so fast and with regional issues of conflict and poverty, resources for theological training are spread thin.

“One of the greatest needs in the African church is church health and for the purity of the gospel to be preserved, because we are seeing rampant growth of the prosperity gospel and a whole lot of cults emerging all across Africa,” Emmanuel says.

Due to rampant false gospel start-up churches in Rwanda, last year, the president of Rwanda shut down churches across the country, including about 9,000 churches, because of the emergence of the false gospel and scammers in start-up churches, as well as the lack of theological education for the pastors.

“The false gospels, prosperity gospel being one of them, and a whole lot of heretical teachings that are rapidly gaining ground…” Emmanuel says. “There is again, the huge need for training of pastors and leaders and theological education, leadership development, and all of them become very critical needs for the continent.”

Emmanuel says doors are opening and church denominations are coming together to welcome A3 into lead church leadership in discipleship and training.

“A3 is poised to impact all of Africa, but the needs are great, and we pray that the Lord of the harvest will provide the needs for us to take his kingdom into this continent,” Emmanuel says. 

Please pray that God will provide the financial and human resources needed to do this coming work.

(Photo courtesy of Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke/Pixabay)

“There [are] 100 homes that he tries to minister to. He’s in a sea of broken children,” says Eric Mock with Slavic Gospel Association.

On Sundays, kids cram into Vlad’s van to go to church. He is working to transform a ramshackle building into a center where kids and parents can hear the gospel. But he needs training so that as they come, he can teach God’s Word faithfully and fully! 

Many of Ukraine’s previously trained pastors are no longer in churches, explains Mock. Instead, they are fighting on the front line or have left the country. That’s why SGA works to provide church-based training — not only in Ukraine but in the 12 other countries in which they serve — so that leaders can be equipped right where they are. It’s known as the Antioch Initiative.

Ukraine church service, 2024 (Photo courtesy of SGA)

“By God’s grace, He has raised up people like Vlad to do [in Ukraine] what we cannot do. But we can do what he cannot do, in caring for him, praying for him and, and supporting him,” says Mock.

Please pray for pastors like Vlad. Because you know what? Mock says, “This is the common resounding comment from all the churches we serve overseas: They pray for you.”

“So my heart for all those that are hearing this message is, don’t wait for chaos and trial and war and difficulty to come to your life or to your family. Grow in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ now. Be a witness for the gospel. Tell the world of the hope that we have in Christ, because here in the U.S., we need it more than ever.”

Mock says the faithful, fruitful, sacrificial life we pray that believers overseas will have is the same life Christ calls us to live. 

“Pray that we’re able to train more men and women for gospel ministry,” Mock says. “There’s more work to do.”

Consider connecting and partnering with SGA to strengthen the hundreds of churches they serve across more than 10 countries. 

Header photo of pastors training students in a seminary located in Irpin, Ukraine, 2020. (Photo courtesy of SGA)

Kenya Hope’s Steve Holman says, “The Gospel is widely known, but it’s more of a prosperity Gospel. The vast majority of churches are prosperity; it doesn’t matter what the label is.”

The Lord provided a strategic partnership between Kenya Hope and Emmanuel Baptist Church of Nairobi to help pastors get the training they need.

Last month, 41 pastors attended a conference organized by Kenya Hope and Ekklesia Afrika, a ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church.

Representative photo
(Photo courtesy of Ekklesia Africa via Facebook)

“For the first time in our mission history, well-qualified Kenyans came to teach, and they taught a package of materials in a seminar format that laid the foundation for healthy pastoring and healthy churches,” Holman says.

“Out of that will come five or six pastors interested in being part of a formal program.”

Ekklesia Africa developed its Soma program to fill the training gaps held by many Kenyan pastors. As described here, the four-year program leverages cohort learning to expand leaders’ knowledge:

Soma is both a Swahili word meaning ‘to read’ and a Greek word meaning ‘body.’ The Soma program is divided into a four-year curriculum that covers key areas of study like Ecclesiology, Biblical and Systematic Theology, Pastoral Theology, Word-based Ministry, and Missions. Soma’s approach to learning revolves around cohort-based study and Socratic discussions. Each month, pastors in different cohorts receive a chosen book, accompanied by a study guide and report-writing guide, in preparation for a joint monthly cohort discussion. With cohorts comprising 6-12 pastors, these gatherings take place locally, allowing pastors to stay close to their homes and churches.

“If you’re being trained while you’re already on the job, it works really well,” Holman says.

“This is not a denominational thing. It is simply a good way to learn together.”

Strategic partnerships make it all possible. While Ekklesia Africa provides the training, Kenya Hope offers logistical support. “This was a test run, and everything we see indicates it’ll be an ongoing conference as the Lord provides,” Holman says.

Church partners in the US help through funding and volunteer work. “They partner with us for a specific place and period, and they help to establish a solid foundation for building Gospel bridges,” Holman says.

“When we’ve shown we care for real human needs, we get the opportunity to slowly, patiently, and systematically teach them the Gospel and call on them to put their trust in Christ in a genuine way.”

Contact Kenya Hope to learn more about church partnership.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Gracious Adebayo/Unsplash.

For the past two years, FMI has hosted pastor trainings in Malawi — and they’re bearing abundant spiritual fruit.

FMI’s Patrick Anthony says, “Out of 86 pastors last year, they were able to teach and share with over 2,400 people. They reported that in this past year, 450 churches had been planted; and they also reported that over 30,000 people placed their faith in Christ!”

The training is also helping pastors and their churches recognize and resist false teaching.

“One of the coolest stories that I heard was that there was a self-proclaimed prophet who had walked into one of the villages where three of the pastors from the first conference were from,” says Anthony.

“As this prophet came into this area, he was apparently preaching a prosperity gospel. When he came in, the villagers told him, ‘You’re not preaching the right gospel. You’re preaching the prosperity gospel. You need to leave.’”

Pastor Chikumbu, a pastor in Malawi who received a Bible and training with FMI. (Photo courtesy of FMI)

In addition to training, FMI provides each pastor with a Bible. But the need is even greater.

“One of the pastors, he said, ‘Listen, we’re really appreciative that we all have a Bible now. But our people need Bibles too,’” Anthony shares.

You can help. By donating to FMI’s tangible resources fund, you can put the Word of God in the hands of spiritually hungry villagers in Malawi.

Click here to give!

Then, pray for pastors in Malawi to grow in wisdom and biblical knowledge as they make disciples for Jesus. Pray for continued growth, boldness, and discernment in the Malawian Church to reject false teachers.

Header photo: Historic brick church in rural Malawi. (Photo by Chisomo Gondwe/Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/historic-brick-church-architecture-in-rural-setting-29306403/)

Conference for Pastors

Over 250 pastors and wives gathered from across Romania for a Global Advance FrontLine Pastors Conference.(Photo/Caption Courtesy of Global Advance via Facebook)

In partnership with the Bible League of Romania, Shibley and his wife, along with a couple of others, hosted a pastors training conference and a church planters training conference on the Black Sea.

The conference wasn’t just for learning. It was also meant to be a time of encouragement. The conference was attended by over 250 Romanian pastors and their wives.

In fact, the conference was so well received that on the last day, Shibley received a note from an attendee that said, ‘If heaven is anything like the fellowship we have here, it will be perfect for me.’

For many of these pastors, they’re bi-vocational. They work multiple jobs to support their families while also caring for a congregation. Yet, despite this, these pastors and church planters are still committed to the advancement of the Gospel.

“I’m very confident that missionaries are going to go from Romania as a result of this conference. They’ll be raised up by the churches represented there by the pastors, and that new churches will be planted,” Global Advance’s David Shibley shares.

Gospel Opportunity in Romania

So, what’s changed? The decline of persecution in the country.

“They don’t face the persecution that they faced of the last seventy, and to some degree, over the last eighty years. And now, they’re in this tremendous season of opportunity,” Shibley explains.

Dr. David and Naomi Shibley with our Global Ambassadors in Romania teaching Front Line Pastors. (Photo/Caption Courtesy of Global Advance via Facebook)

However, they’re facing other challenges instead. For example, these pastors and their churches need new and updated scripture translations.

And, despite the economy in Romania being stronger than it used to be, it’s still not particularly great. Pastors, church planters, and churches themselves still need financial help.

Another challenge is that Christians are also ministering in a strong Orthodox culture. Less than ten percent of the population in Romania are of evangelical persuasion. Still, these barriers aren’t dampening these Christian’s resolve to share the Gospel.

“ I think one of the great things that we need to be praying for, for our brothers and sisters there, is that they’ll simply be able to seize the day, that they’ll have the economic strength, that they’ll have the spiritual fortitude, and the clarity of vision to really make an impact for Christ, and strongly advance the Gospel in this great season,” Shibley says.

How to Help

Pray for these Christian leaders in Romania to be able to continue in unity and peace in Christ. Pray for them to be able to break through the challenges before them, particularly with the younger generation.

Also, pray for the small fires in Romania, which are burning for Christ, to be fed. And finally, pray for hearts to be opened to the Gospel and for the financial support they need to grow their ministries.

“I believe in many of these Eastern European countries, there’s a potential for a real resurgence of the Gospel…There is relative freedom for the advance of the Gospel without a great deal of opposition,” Shibley explains.

“Most of their opposition would be others who also name the name of Christ, but who are of a different ecclesiastical persuasion. Just as Paul said, brothers, pray for us that the word of the Lord would run swiftly and be glorified.”

For more information on Global Advance’s work in Romania, click here!

For how to get involved and donate, click here!

India Partners is an organization that ministers to widows and vulnerable people in India. They assist in church planting, establish long-term and self-sustaining micro loan projects, and share the truth of Jesus Christ even in prisons.

(Photo Courtesy of India Partners)

Remo Paul is a national partner of India Partners who works with short-term mission teams on a regular basis. He gets to see the blessings of the trips but also recognizes there are things every person should consider before going on a mission trip.

“The success of your short-term teams depend on how and what your expectations are. More often than not, it tends to run into issues when expectations are not right.”

Sometimes it’s what teams don’t expect that will catch them off guard and make their trip less effective than what they originally hoped.

India Partners has a variety of teams help them.

Paul says, “Most often when teams come, they’re either dental teams, eye teams, health teams, or there are training teams for pastors that need training in various issues and various aspects of life and ministry.”

Paul explains that there are three major benefits to short-term mission trips.

First, he says, “When a team comes to visit us, it’s a huge encouragement for us. I don’t find words in my vocabulary that explain how that blesses us and encourages us, uplifts us. That would be the primary benefit.”

The second benefit is that short-term missions are mutually beneficial.

“Ministry is a two-way street, so it also [in] reverse blesses the team that comes,” Paul explains.

The third benefit is that these teams bring in expertise that many long-term missionaries don’t have.

Dentistry is an extremely important expertise in some parts of India. Many times, villages are hours and hours away from the nearest dentist. Even if the dentist were closer, most people very likely could not afford treatment.

Since often whatever ails them is not life-threatening, they’ll deal with the pain and forgo medical care.

Having a short-term mission dentist will provide these people in need with the care that they would otherwise never get. They might have waited years more for a dentist to establish himself in their village.

While mission trips can often be an eye-opening experience for Christians, there are better and worse ways to prepare for one. One way is to look at how you’ve engaged your own community right where you are now.

“Any mission starts where you are. So if you are planning on going on a mission trip, you should actually be involved in missions at your local church,” Paul says.

If your heart is already prepared for missions, then it’s likely to show up in your activity with your home church.

Paul explains that mission work is not dependent on location. “It’s in the realm of spirituality that the mission trip actually happens.”

Starting at a local level will prepare you for more intense challenges you might meet on the field.

Paul explains that local mission work “gives you the ability to understand how the evil one would try and stop any work.”

While not all of India is hostile to the Gospel, many places are. It’s important to be prepared for that.

If you know that God is calling you to go with India Partners and that He has prepared your heart for this, click here to contact them.

If you would like to partner with India Partners through prayer or financial giving, click here.

The Lay Pastor program works with pastors so they’re
not taken away from home responsibilities.
(Photo Courtesy of Paradise Bound Ministries)

Guatemala (MNN) — Imagine entering a remote village of only 10 families. You’re in an area where people may worship the gods of their ancestors. The last thing you expect to find in this village is a church, yet there it is.

Now imagine the pastor receiving training that helps him teach his flock more effectively. That is exactly the purpose of the Paradise Bound Ministries Lay Pastor Training Program. It began two years ago, and today is graduation day for 25 pastors.

Dan Smith of Paradise Bound says, “These are not lay pastors from…a city or from an area that is doing fairly well financially. These are the poorest of the poor of Guatemala. We find these lay pastors when we are in the remotest villages that you can imagine in Guatemala.”

The scene is the same as described, and the potential for God’s kingdom-building is immense. Smith says, “Sometimes there’s a church. And in that church is a pastor. And that’s just a pastor who has known that he’s got a call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But he’s got zero education, or very little education. Sometimes [pastors] can read, sometimes they can’t; but they have no biblical training whatsoever. And those are the types of lay pastors that we’re taking into this program and that will be graduating on April 11.”

Smith recognized great blessings from the first moment of the program: “The first time when they walk into our facility– which isn’t even that great of a facility but so much different than what they’re used to–it is amazing to see their eyes. And as they sit through that first program and…understand where this is going to go, and what it’s going to empower them to do and equip them to do, and how they can share the Gospel better among their community: it is amazing! We see just a fire begin within them.”

Smith says they watch the Holy Spirit build that fire.

The program involves four different sessions a year, taking place from Thursday to Sunday to enable the pastors not to be taken away from their families and their farming responsibilities.

To transport the pastors to the training facility, it costs $250 a session–a grand total of $2000 for the complete program. If you want to contribute, click here.

Smith says that while it is a big investment, the fruits are already being realized. For one thing, the program is growing. Another group of 35 pastors is graduating next year, and a whole new group is starting in April.

“What we see coming out of this is just a tremendous, tremendous amount of souls coming to know Jesus Christ. Already there are over 600 souls that have been documented coming to know Jesus Christ that can be attributed to the training of these first two groups of lay pastors going through the training right now. [They are] just being equipped to share the Gospel in a better way, in a more powerful and authoritative way. People are coming to know Jesus Christ already, and they’re not even fully graduated,” Smith says.

The word is spreading throughout Guatemala and even beyond. Hundreds of pastors are on the waiting list to start the program. Others are begging Paradise Bound to start the training in their country. Two places in particular are Chiapas Mexico, where 40 pastors are waiting, and El Salvador.

“It just continues to grow,” Smith says. “There’s such a hunger for this, and they know that if we can provide them with this [training], they are so equipped to share the Gospel. We know that churches throughout Latin America are going to be expanded. So please pray for discernment.”

Paradise Bound has coupled with Timothy Leadership Training Institute, an organization based in West Michigan that works around the world to train pastors. Once Paradise Bound was trained by them, they were able to train their new pastors who in turn train even more pastors.

As the program sees new trainers multiply, they ask that you pray for guidance for where they should be focusing. Pray that God would provide for their needs.

Look for upcoming stories about how these pastors are now becoming missionaries for Paradise Bound.

(South Sudan flag courtesy Wikipedia)

South Sudan (ODM/MNN) — So much for the ceasefire in South Sudan.

Fighting broke out in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, officials say. These are the first major clashes since the government and rebels signed a ceasefire agreement last month. Both sides have accused each other of starting the violence in Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state.

South Sudan has been in turmoil since Dec. 15, when a dispute within the army sparked fierce fighting in the capital city, Juba.

Fighting spread quickly across the country and soon took on an ethnic dimension after President Salva Kiir of the Dinka tribe alleged that his former vice-president, Riek Machar of the Nuer tribe, was planning a coup. The Dinka tribe is the largest in South Sudan; the Nuer is the second largest and boasts a deadly tribal militia.

The United Nations estimates that nearly two thirds of the country’s population–up to 7 million people–were at risk of some level of food insecurity. About half are facing emergency or acute levels. About 900,000 people have fled their homes since December.

(Photo courtesy Open Doors)

Since the conflict erupted, several churches have been attacked and looted, and pastors harassed. The most affected areas are the north-eastern states of Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile. Bor, the headquarters of Jonglei State, was totally destroyed, with houses, food stores, shops, banks, and churches burnt down and looted, according to the Episcopal Church of Sudan.

David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, explains: “Because of the danger, because of the upheaval, we’ve had to really watch our operations. It’s been difficult for people to get there, and it’s really slowed it down.”

Church leaders have called for peace and reconciliation and have emphasized the roots of the crisis as political. Curry says, “We try to make sure that the communities that represent Jesus, schools/churches, are centerpieces in their communities for healing and for help.”

The ministry has a school they support in the region. Curry admits there have been a lot of challenges to keeping Emmanuel Christian College going during the fighting. “We always have to stay flexible in the midst of these things. We don’t want to stop doing what we’re doing just because there’s instability. The reality is: wherever Open Doors is working is where Christians are persecuted. So there are no ‘perfect’ situations.”

For a time, the fighting completely disrupted the school. However, a staff member at Emmanuel Christian College noted, “Initially, we planned to open the college on Jan. 20. However, due to the insecurity, we postponed the opening to Feb. 3. On that day the college opened for all the programs, although some students did not turn up because their regions are badly affected by the war. Currently, there are 120 students in the college and 204 in the primary and secondary school section. Classes in all sections are running normally.

“The Commissioner of Yei County visited the college [recently]. He deliberately came to brief the students and give them assurance that the Yei County is peaceful. Our foreign tutors are all present in the college and the school, doing their normal duties.”

However, there has been mixed news from the regional training centers. In Bor, where fighting has caused major damage, the Open Doors training center was looted, but otherwise left standing. At Aweil everything is going well, and training will start in March. Curry says, “We now have  a strategy to move to another location and to keep services going as well.”

(Photo courtesy Open Doors)

Keeping the training on track is part of their long-term strategic effort, too. Curry goes on to add, “If we could see good things happen in South Sudan, it could spread to other countries. To the north, you have Egypt. To the south, you have North Africa.”

“We thank God for His protection and care. Keep on praying for the discussions in Addis to bear fruit so that all the regions in South Sudan will enjoy peace,” concluded the Open Doors staff member. Curry agrees, saying, “When you have these sorts of upheavals, people know they can come to a church for love and for care, and for basic staples, and in this case, training pastors, and building churches in the communities that will be hope and light.”