I am excited to partner with Training Leaders International to help train the first generation of pastors in Mongolia this next year! TLI is a ministry out of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Mn. that sends people around the world to train local pastors in countries where those pastors do not have access to formal theological training. Of the 2.2 million evangelical churches around the world, 85% are led by pastors that have not had access to formal theological training. TLI is working tirelessly to address this massive need. I have been able to help train pastors on two continents through partnership with TLI. Not only was I able to see an impact while visiting, but through contact with pastors in those countries, and TLI updates from subsequent trips to those locations, I have seen the way this ministry is impacting local churches through training leaders.
Why Mongolia?
According to Operation World, 1.72% of the Mongolian population is Christian, with only 35,000 people identifying as Independent or Protestant Christians. Buddhism and Islam are recognized as the main religions in Mongolia, with a form of Tibetan Buddhism being the most predominant, but the Mongolian government is very open to outside religious influences. Being strategically located bordering Russia and China, the Christians in Mongolia have a tremendous opportunity to influence other non-Christian countries, especially considering the increase of Christian influence in the country. According to estimates, there were only 4 Mongolian Christians in 1989. It is estimated that there are over 40,000 Mongolian Christians today, and these Christian churches are maturing rapidly. While only one generation old, the Christian church in Mongolia has sent missionaries throughout the countryside to unreached areas of the country, which covers 603,900 square miles, and beyond.
Among the greatest needs of the Christian church in Mongolia, is pastoral training. This will directly impact the need for discipleship that has been seen within the Mongolian church through pastors being equipped to equip others. One of the problems that contribute to this is many missionaries that are sent are not culturally prepared to effectively minister in this cultural context. Mongolia has a rich and strong cultural heritage that is very different from that of the west. My aim, and the aim of TLI in going to Mongolia, is to equip cultural natives to be able to effectively ministry within their culture and in doing so, increase the effectiveness of ministry through equipping natives to that culture rather than outsiders needing to adapt to that culture.This site will be providing theological training to the first generation of Christians in Mongolia. Through this effort, we can help the church grow in strength and faithfulness by equipping pastors to equip other believers.
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How Can I Help?
Pray It's not cliche. It's needed. Please be in prayer for this site and this effort. Here are some specific things you can be praying for: 1) Pray for the leaders who will attend. Pray that God would enable them to come and that their time would be beneficial and they would leave better able to serve the church. 2) Pray for those going. Pray that God would prepare them and give them the tools and wisdom needed to minister to these pastors effectively. 3) Pray for financial support to be able to go. Pray for the funds to be raised through financial partners. 4) Pray about partnering to make this trip happen. Prayerfully consider financially supporting this effort.
Give Your financial support is a necessary element of this trip becoming a reality. Through your financial support, you will directly be contributing to training the first generation of pastors in Mongolia. You can give safely and securely by going to my TLI page and donating there. You can choose either a 1 time gift or a recurring gift. My gaol for Mongolia is to self-fund 50% and raise 50%.
Beyond this trip, my goal is to be able to go on 2-3 trips a year through raising $8,000/year. You can help accomplish that through ongoing financial support. We can meet this goal through 4 partners committing to $200/month, 7 partners committing to $100/month, 14 partners committing to $50/month, 27 partners committing to $25/month, or a monthly gift of any amount. I really appreciate your financial help in making this happen. You can partner through a monthly gift by going to my TLI donation page. You can learn more about this by visiting my support page.
Share If you are not able to support financially, but know someone who is, please share this page with them and let them know about this effort. Even if you don't have someone in mind, please share this page on social media and help get the word out. Also please consider sharing this with your pastor or missions committee. I would love to connect with anyone who is interested and give them more information. Please let me know if you know of anyone who would like to find out more.
If you have questions, or are supporting this through prayer or financial partnership, please let me know. I would love to chat with you about this and thank you personally for your support. You can also "like" my support network Facebook page for updates and content on future trips.
God is building his church and it is exciting to be a part of impacting generations of believers through equipping pastors to equip the saints for the work of ministry (Eph 4:11-12). Thank you for your prayers and for considering partnering with me to make this happen.