Joe Handley's article was originally published by Global Proclamation Congress.
Last year, one of my colleagues, Noel Becchetti, A2’s VP for Leader Development drafted the following report:
“We have seen some amazing breakthroughs this past year (2013) in our restricted-access countries. Restricted Access means countries where religious freedom, especially the freedom to practice and share the Christian faith, is opposed, restricted, or flat-out forbidden. Despite these obstacles, the Gospel is moving forward, and God is using A3 to play a part.
My apologies—for security reasons, I’ll have to be vague about places, names, and photos. That said, what kind of “Amazing Things That Happened in 2013″ am I talking about? Things like…
- Pastors and leaders resuming A3 training after suffering direct suppression, including imprisonment, at the hands of the government. A2′s leader training in this country is now operating at full speed and expanding to reach out to younger, grassroots leaders.
- Church growth so significant in another Christianity-forbidden country that the national government has asked our A3 leaders to assist them in drafting what will become the first-ever constitution for this country.
- A3 graduating its first-ever class of pastors and leaders from a Muslim-majority country.
- Yet another Christianity-suppressed country adding a new A3 training cohort in the north of their country—doubling the number of leaders involved in A3 training.
- Doors open for the launch of A3 into a new restricted-access country in the Spring of 2014.
I could go on, but you get the idea—God is on the move, and He has raised up courageous men and women to spread His Gospel even in places where the powers-that-be seek to impede its progress. It’s a privilege for A3 to have a role in this amazing Kingdom advancement.”
Why has A3 and others like us seen such fruitful experiences in pastoral training in these nations?
The primary answer to the this question is that it is a work of God. He is on the move in these countries and has allowed us a unique space to come alongside leaders in an empowering fashion.
Key factors in developing leaders in nations like these are listening and respecting local indigenous leaders. God’s has called them and they have already proven fruitful. We do well when we listen, come alongside and serve their needs.
Second, when you pull together proven leaders, something special happens—especially in environments where they have not felt the freedom to collaborate. Creating an atmosphere or environment where leaders can learn from one another and interact with ideas brought from outside their countries, gives them the space to pray, reflect and contemplate how to move ministry forward.
Finally, key to all ministry success is relationships: “doing flows from being”. The deeper one goes as a friend, the farther one can go as a developer, encourager and empowerer of people.
What unique challenges do we face?
Obviously as the stories above indicate, there are pressures and at times persecution that leaders are facing all the time. That requires us to stay below the radar in sharing what God is doing most of the time. In addition, we must be cautious while working in these countries. Every step we take could cause our friends trouble. Two of our staff and one of our faculty members have been asked to leave a country and not allowed to return which shows the risks that are present.
The needs in these nations are immense and pastors keep begging us to come. One mission leader saw the need in so many places and he said,
“Joe, you are training the field marshals of the Church of _________________! The need is so great. You have got to expand this mission into new countries!"
As we listen to local leaders, learn from them and become partners and friends with them in the journey, lives are transformed, marriages are strengthened, leaders are reproduced and churches begin to multiply. Sometimes, entire nations are changed!
It’s a worthy task to come alongside pastors and partner with them in strengthening their hand as God moves so powerfully in their nations!
Rev. Joseph W. Handley, Jr. serves as the president of A3 (www.asianaccess.org). Previously, he served as the founding director of Azusa Pacific University’s Office of World Mission (http://www.apu.edu/owm/) and the lead mission pastor at Rolling Hills Covenant Church (www.rollinghillscovenant.com).
More Information
This article was originally published by GProCongress (Global Proclamation Congress) here: http://gprocongress.org/training-pastors-in-restricted-access-countries/
