All the small Illinois church wanted to do was be involved in missions. They prayed about it and prayed some more. Then, they sent two of their own to investigate partnerships with the International Mission Board.
When God put this calling on the church three years ago, they never imagined the path they’d walk.
Persecution is good
That first trip to South Asia felt unfruitful for the Illinois mission team. Pastor Zach Canders and his youth minister spent time with IMB missionaries to learn how to map and research an area to know more about the community, beliefs and culture.
IMB missionary Kenneth Perdew directed the church team to minister in an area with no Gospel presence. Bringing the Gospel where it had not been was their desire, but the team met resistance when they shared. Men bearing sticks asked them to leave or suffer a beating.
“That was somewhat deflating,” Perdew admitted. “We’d prepared with the Illinois church to go into that community for months, and before the work could even begin, it was stopped.”
Not for long, though. One of the teams met two Christian women who pointed them to a church where Shem was the pastor. The South Asian man couldn’t contain his excitement when Perdew visited. Shem, a brick layer by trade, moved to this community with the sole purpose of spreading the Gospel. Perdew asked how he could best help the church of about 30 people.
“If you trained those foreigners to come to a hard place like this, can you train us too?” Shem asked.
Perdew did one better. He brought the church mission team to teach the evangelism training — providing both churches opportunity to learn and grow. Canders and his partner encouraged attendees to practice their Bible stories and testimonies with a neighbor or family member. Several came to faith through these practice sessions. However, all practices didn’t go exactly as planned.
Two South Asian women from Shem’s church passed a temple on their way home from the training and decided to proclaim the Gospel. It upset the community and they roughed up the local Christians. They dragged the women to Shem’s house where they beat the pastor, too. Then, community leaders decided the entire church could no longer draw water at the community source. They also forbid the pastor from any more foreign visitors.
The Illinois team was eating dinner in another part of the city when Shem called with the news.
Perdew wept for his friends. Canders sat shocked.
Shem asked the Americans not to be sad. Persecution was a good thing for his church members. They were excited to be sharing the Gospel for the first time and emboldened like never before.
“That was my first example of a real-life Paul in Acts experience,” Canders recounted. “My American mind said it was time to quit but Shem was celebrating because it meant the Holy Spirit was working.”
Canders returned to the U.S., committed to staying involved with the work in South Asia.
In cover of night
Meanwhile, Perdew was trying to figure out how to work with the ban of foreigners in Shem’s village. Perdew suggested he meet the South Asians for more training at a neutral site. Shem had a different plan. He suggested the missionary come see him after it got dark. He instructed Perdew to wear a long-sleeved jacket, gloves and to keep his helmet shield down.
Perdew rode up to Shem’s home. Shem opened the door and motioned him to roll the scooter directly into the living room.
“There were 30 members of his church packed in there, waiting to be taught,” Perdew said. More showed up for this training than the previous one, despite the persecution and threats.
Perdew continued training the small South Asian group in the cover of night while the Illinois church prayed from the U.S. and gave to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, a way to financially support the IMB ministry. Within six months, the South Asians planted five new churches in areas that didn’t have a church.
When Perdew’s family unexpectedly had to spend time in the United States, the Illinois church stepped into a new role. They went from helping the missionary to mentoring the South Asian church.
Churches mentoring churches
This was always the goal, Perdew admitted. In his decades as a missionary, he found most Southern Baptist churches want to be directly involved in ministry strategy. By the Illinois church taking on the task of mentoring this South Asian church, it allowed the Perdews to move their focus to a less developed area.
“American churches can help encourage boldness, especially in evangelism,” Perdew said about the need for mentors. “Seeing this in action really helps the South Asian believers because they realize they can do the same thing.”
Canders’ church, which runs fewer than 200 people on a Sunday morning, has made nine trips so far to encourage, train and mentor the South Asian church. They also keep in touch through phone calls and texting. Knowing that persecution is likely in the region hasn’t stopped them.
In two and a half years, the Illinois church has taught classes for their sister church on topics like evangelism, discipleship, starting new churches, doing ministry as a lay person and how to share the Gospel at work. Shem’s small church has grown and expanded their efforts. Close to 35 new churches have started in surrounding communities.
The mentoring partnership has worked both ways, though. The Illinois church uses the same evangelism and discipleship method as the South Asians. After praying for and celebrating the growth in South Asia, the Illinois congregation shared in its own community with the same conviction and excitement. They even have members who are in the IMB pipeline to become full-time missionaries.
“Connecting people on the field with churches has been extremely effective for us,” Canders said. “Missionaries aren’t faceless to us now. Missions is no longer a concept that someone else is doing. It’s now something we do. We own it.”
To find out how churches can partner with Christians and missionaries around the world, visit https://www.imb.org/get-involved/church/.
Some names have been changed for security
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