Ministry Update
We are blessed to be able to share this important ministry update from the Bible Training Centre for Pastors (“BTCP”):
Languages—We reviewed some statistics on languages the other day at a staff meeting. Translations of the BTCP curriculum are available in six of the world’s top ten languages, enabling BTCP to serve 47% of the world’s population. Translations are under development in the remaining languages that fall in the top ten. By population, the top ten languages of the world are Chinese, Spanish, English, Bengali, Hindi/Urdu, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, and German.
Partnerships for training—During this past year BTCP added 96 new partnering organizations! This opportunity opens doors in areas around the world where training previously was not available.
Church Leaders in the U.S.—Over 50 new classes began this past year in the U.S. to help train church leaders. Bible Training for Church Leaders (“BTCL”) continues to grow at a strong rate as churches realize the need for thorough and systematic training.
Testimony—One of our ministry partners, a mission leader based in South Korea, saw the need to multiply church leaders to work among Muslims in Chechnya and Dagestan. Here is an account about those efforts from a past issue of Christianity Today:
After ministering in Dagestan, he moved further north into Russia for safety reasons. Eventually, he was forced to leave the country entirely, but not before he had spent four years training 12 church leaders and pastors. By entering the region from southern Russia for two weeks at a time every two months, he was able to train national church leaders in Chechnya, teaching them Old and New Testament theology and other seminary-level courses. He turns somber when he recalls the 12 believers he discipled in Chechnya and Dagestan. “Even though I can’t continue to teach them, my disciples are teaching the next generation of church leaders in the North Caucasus. They will remember me, and I will remember them.”
What joy to know that we are involved with men like this around the world, teaching and training the next generation of church leaders!
Please join with us in praying for these many opportunities for ministry and for those who are dedicated to carry training to the untrained.
