One of the biggest questions I get
One of the most frequent questions we get asked is “Why are we working in Mexico if there are already so many missionaries there?”
Here is a short story that illustrates our answer.
There is a sleepy Mexican town in the state of Veracruz, 7 miles from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico where a pastor has planted a church. His name is Daniel Perez — one of our 700 graduates. The town is Gutierrez Zamora, Veracruz. There, he and his wife, Juana, are working diligently to reach souls, baptize converts and make disciples. Their work is not easy, but it is absolutely necessary. You see, there are no American missionaries in that town of 24,353 souls.
This is one reason why we are training nationals in Mexico. American missionaries for the most part, stay in the cities. Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico City and other large urban areas are safer, cleaner and offer more comforts than towns like Gutierrez Zamora.
Believe it or not, most churches on the mission field are planted because an American missionary trains a national pastor.
This is a formula that has been proven to work over and over again! Pastor Perez is the perfect example of a man who has a burden for his people and is acclimated to living like and with them. He knows the language, he understands the culture and he has a connection with them that a foreigner will never enjoy, no matter how hard he tries.
A national pastor — no matter what country we are talking about — will be able to go places and speak to people that would be impossible for a foreign missionary to reach. The fact is that we are limited by the color of our skin, the language barrier and the cultural difference.
The 3 most common questions people ask about why training nationals in Mexico is so important are:
1. Why don’t nationals train nationals? Well, some do! We have 20 teachers in our Bible institute. Only two of us are Americans. The rest are nationals we have trained and are now teaching their own countrymen! What a wonderful day when an American missionary will no longer be needed in Mexico! But we aren’t there yet.
2. Why are so many missionaries going to Mexico? If you think about it, maybe it’s because God is calling them! And if He is calling them here, maybe it’s because there is a need. The truth is, there are as many missionaries leaving Mexico as there are coming! That’s a sad statistic, but over 5,000 missionaries are leaving foreign fields each year.
3. Why don’t you plant churches yourself? We believe that the most effective way to reach a population is training nationals to reach their own people. Even though American missionaries are leaving Mexico in record numbers, the nationals stay! They continue to reach their people and their ministries flourish. The model of “planting a church and turning it over to a national” just isn’t as effective as training nationals to plant their own churches (but that’s a topic for another day).
Here’s what we do to train nationals and see churches planted by the dozens!
I pastor a local church on the mission field that is 100% autonomous.
I am the administrator of a Bible institute on the mission field that has over 700 graduates who have planted more than 200 churches.
I teach classes every day in our Bible institute, personally training nationals to plant churches.
I personally assist pastors in planting churches through financial assistance and missions trips.
We need partners like you so we can help nationals like Pastor Daniel Perez plant churches and reach souls.
When you partner with us, you help us help those that have a burden for their people.
You can make a difference in Mexico. You can save lives by helping us train nationals. You can help spearhead progress in planting churches. Will you partner with us today?
Giving by check?
Write checks to:
Jonathan Ashcraft
6320 Lewis Avenue
Temperance, MI 48182
Mail to:
Jonathan Ashcraft
c/o Lewis Avenue Baptist Church
6320 Lewis Avenue
Temperance, MI 48182