God calls ministers to equip the Church for the work of the ministry. After many years of working in one local church, I experienced what I’ll call an ‘enlargement’ of my view of God’s calling. In preparing mission volunteers for work overseas, we equip the domestic church to do a better job of reaching its own community ed-italia.com. The mission volunteer teams then equip the foreign church to better reach its community for Christ. In both cases, the church is equipped. And, God is glorified through changed lives on the mission field, in volunteer mission teams, and in the domestic church!
The ‘centerpiece’ of my work through EquipUs is the Pastor Training Schools. This began in the city of Barahona, Dominican Republic. We teach 70-85 pastors and our approach is to “Entrust the Gospel to faithful men who will, in turn, entrust it to others.” God has blessed this work and the pastors have been faithful in implementing what they have been taught. Evidence of this is the increase in baptisms among these 50+ churches after one year of work with the pastors: an average of 44%! Currently, the churches are showing an average annual growth rate of 18.5% via baptisms. I believe our Prayer Teams are the first ones responsible for these results. God has answered through American pastors who volunteer to teach, and mission volunteer members who do construction work, medical clinics, sports camps, or any of several mission/evangelism outreach projects concurrent with our Pastor Training Schools. As Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God, “See what God is doing and join Him in it.” YOU can make an eternal difference in someone’s life.
Recent Posts
My Divided Heart: Biblical Rx
How do we have a divided heart? We love to quote Hebrews 11:1 as the definition of faith. That's a good thing. But it also shows us the two sides of our hearts. There are things we see. We can feel them and we endure them. Then there are the things we cannot see. And...
Gloom & Despair: Biblical Rx
Connecting Psalm 43 and Hee Haw may come as a surprise. But it's beneficial because I think it will help you remember some very important, helpful things! Why did we laugh at this line that was sung every week on Hee Haw: Gloom, despair, and agony on me. If it weren't...
Connections: Truth & Living In Freedom
Truth will set you free. That's what Jesus said. And that is true on so many levels. Just a few verses after Jesus connected Truth and freedom He said something that tells us why we have trouble with Truth and the freedom it brings. You and I struggle daily against an...
Blessing Button – Philippians 1:6
I think of Philippians 1:6 when I see the blessing button in the picture. The image represents so many people and so many things. So how does a look at a church in Belize help and encourage you? And what does that have to do with Philippians 1:6? Philippians 1:6 -...
Rewards: Joy In Our Journey
How often do you think about rewards for faithful living? Few of us are mindful enough of the reality of God's rewards. But Scripture is clear that God is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Furthermore, we are instructed to lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven....
Tasting Good Friday
On Good Friday Jesus died. His death met the most obvious of sin's penalties. Adam and Eve were made in the image of God. And they were meant to live in eternal fellowship with God. When they took of the forbidden fruit, they first died spiritually, and ultimately...
Santa Teresa: Graduates, Tears, Joy; A Difficult Mission
Santa Teresa, Belize has been a joyful point of ministry for several years. That ministry has been rewarding and inspiring on many levels. And this week's work has been a difficult mission in many ways. In fact, the two previous posts almost had the title: My Most...
Courageous Commitment 2: Belize & Mission
Belize was not the focus of the initial post. But it was a necessary, Biblical example of courageous commitment. And now we can connect that look at the commitment of the Apostle Paul with two things: Wrapping up our work in Belize Meeting the call on our lives with...
Courageous Commitment: How & Why
Courageous Commitment needs to be brought to our attention fairly often. But it is especially necessary today! Why? One of our most challenging missions begins today. And even if it didn’t, Scripture is filled with reminders that we need to be people of courageous...
Mission: Hope
Many readers already know Mission: Hope. And whether it's new to you or not a comment or two is in order. Why? Because any mission in our lives has a greater chance of success if it is well defined. Your life-missions include things like: Growing as a disciple of...
Child's View: Mission Trips
Mission trips: what does a child think? Do they think about them at all? I have answers to both questions. And it's insightful! But you should know from the start that you can view this post in one of two ways. First, it is possible for a child to teach us because...
Treasure Island In A Sea Of Troubles
The 'treasure island' I want us to see is not that of Robert Louis Stevenson. And what we can learn by what we see will be immensely more valuable than a literary classic! Treasure Island: Terms What is an island? It's a piece of land surrounded by an ocean. What is...
Sign Up!
Be in the know! Sign up to receive email updates. Be the first to read new articles and ministry updates.
connect
Questions or comments? Connect with Keith via email.
Drink Coffee and Support the Ministry
