Over the past couple of years Taking New Ground has had the opportunity to work with a passionate and sacrificial group of leaders from a restricted access nation near Thailand. We have the opportunity to visit these leaders again in person this November. They face some of the greatest persecution that I’ve seen anywhere, yet the church thrives. But, what happens if you add to that a global pandemic? I’m glad you asked.
Taking New Ground has been working in India for two years. We’ve been training a team there to reproduce our ministry model all over the region. I’m writing today to share some exciting news about progress being made there, but first, a few statistics:
I recently returned from working with leaders from a restricted access nation nearby Thailand. I am always encouraged and challenged after spending a week with these leaders. Persecution is a regular and expected aspect of their faith. They face great trials and hardships, yet they push on toward the goal of leading their countrymen to faith and multiplying the church. Over 80% of these leaders are uneducated, rural farmers, but the Spirit of God is strong in them. In the past 12 months these leaders started 87 new house churches!
My partner Colin Denlea and I recently spent a busy week in Nicaragua doing back to back Catalyst Communities in two different cities. Over the last 12 months Nicaragua has experienced challenging political and social unrest driven by reforms that dictator Daniel Ortega enacted which increased taxes while reducing social benefits. In spite of this, the church has pressed on, and the teams we work with there have started 6 new churches!
We just completed our 3rd Catalyst Community in Skopje, Macedonia. We had teams from Macedonia and Montenegro participating, and two of our good friends from Albania joined us to help lead the conference. According to www.OperationWorld.org statistics: Macedonia is 0.2% Evangelical Christian, Montenegro is 0.0% Evangelical Christian, Albania is 0.5% Evangelical Christian.
It always fascinates me to realize the history of some of the places in which Taking New Ground has the opportunity to do ministry. Ancient tradition holds that the Apostle Paul introduced Christianity into Albania on his 3rd missionary journey. In Romans 15:19 Paul wrote: “So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” Part of the heartland of Illyricum is modern day Albania.
Rolly is one of our key partners and leaders from the Philippines. Rolly and I have become pretty close over the past year. We met in February, when my partner Joe brought a few of our leaders from the Philippines to the US for the Exponential church planting conference. Since then we’ve worked together in Thailand and again in the Philippines. My goal has been to reproduce myself in Rolly.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:31). I was recently in Thailand to work with 150 leaders from a restricted access nation in that broader region of the world.
Russia is 1.2% Evangelical Christian. Mongolia is 1.6%. It is a humbling and powerful opportunity to be able to help shape, encourage, and grow the Church in hard to reach parts of the world like Siberia.
We just completed Catalyst Community #2 in Kihihi, Uganda. Members of my team did Catalyst Community #1 there a year ago, and since then, we have seen 26 new churches started by the teams we are working with!
