Training in Asia and Germany
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Training in Asia—From a recent report on a mission news network, it is estimated that there is one trained and competent church leader for every 600,000 people across Asia. In North America, there is one trained and competent Christian leader for every 1,300 people. Because pastors are the frontline in advancing the Gospel, they need to be well grounded. Pray for BTCP’s ministry partners that are training pastors and church leaders throughout Asia so that the church might be strengthened.
German translation to open opportunities—A German translation of the BTCP curriculum undertaken by partner Compassion World Outreach will address significant leadership training needs throughout Germany. How significant is the need? Through interviews this past year with several German nationals, it became evident that a spiritual void existed and must be remedied. One German school teacher shared this: “We have statistically only 2% of the German people who are serious about God and knowing Christ in a personal way. The majority of people have zero connection with the Bible and yet they criticize it. They are criticizing what they don’t really know. The need is there for people to know the Word of God. So if we can help the pastors, or the church leaders, this is what we need.”
Training Hispanic leaders in the U.S.—We appreciate the ministry of Miguel Montenegro as he mobilizes groups of Hispanic church leaders for training around the U.S. A recent look at population statistics underscores the opportunity. In the year 2000, 56% of the foreign born people in the U.S. were Hispanic. In 2009, 1 in 6 of Americans are of Hispanic descent. It is estimated that in 2020, Americans of Hispanic descent will be 18% of the total population in the U.S. The well-being of the Hispanic community is affected by the spiritual maturity of the church and its leaders. This is an opportunity for training we must not overlook.
Testimony—Here in the U.S., several churches utilize the BTCP curriculum to train their leaders. A pastor from a church in New York shared with us how pleased he was with the results:
Thanks for your ministry. One of the guys in our group said, “this course series has been the greatest stimulation to my spiritual growth in my whole life.” Two of the four students in the class are regularly doing pulpit supply. This same two will be preaching for me when I am on vacation at the end of the month. Your ministry is having a great impact in our church.
Please join with us in praying for fruitful opportunities for ministry in 2009 and for those who are dedicated to carry training to the untrained.
