An Extra-Mile Evangelist’s Heart
A3 exists to build into the lives of pastors and Christian leaders throughout Asia. We also discover that we have much to learn from them as well.
Take Pastor Charles (not his real name), an A3 participant from South Asia. Years ago, God put it on his heart to reach out to a tribe from a neighboring country whom no one wants to approach, much less evangelize.
This tribe occupies a region in what we call a restricted-access country. (This is a country where Christians operate under a significant degree of harassment and oppression, so much so that we cannot reveal their location here.) Predominantly Muslim, the tribe Pastor Charles is trying to reach has suffered oppression and persecution for centuries. In reaction, they have become survivors… so much so that the saying in this area is, “If you have a chance to save a viper snake or a [member of this tribe], save the viper—it is less likely to kill you.”
Suffice to say that the Christians in the area have not engaged this tribe to any meaningful degree. When Pastor Charles asked local Christian leaders about their outreach efforts to this tribe, eyes widened. “We do everything we can to stay away from them,” he was told.
This tribe is so difficult and dangerous to approach that both the United Nations and Doctors without Borders have recently withdrawn from the area. Nonetheless, Pastor Charles continues to visit and share the Gospel with these people.
God has honored Pastor Charles’ courage and commitment. In recent years, over 500 villagers have come to Christ. Many are baptized by Pastor Charles during his visits. His vision and strategy for outreach has been so transformational that his denomination in South Asia has scrapped their previous evangelism programs and has adopted Pastor Charles’ approach.
A3 has had the privilege of Pastor Charles being a participant in A3 training.
Pastor Charles, and leaders like him, are at the core of God’s vision for transforming churches, denominations, communities, and whole tribes into the image of Christ. We are grateful for the opportunity to build into the life of a leader like Pastor Charles—and learn from him as he lives out a way to reach not just the unreached, but the virtually unreachable.
