Global Church Multiplication August 2019

“A people movement… where there are no roads”

David Livingstone, a Scottish physician, pioneer Christian missionary and an explorer in Africa, once said,

This quote captures the spirit of The Timothy Initiative (“TTI”) leaders and church planters in the Lugoba region of Tanzania located in East Africa. Through the two-year discipleship process and the power of the Holy Spirit, they have planted churches where there are no roads. Let me tell you their story and share pictures of a few of their churches.

TTI opened the first training center in Lugoba, Tanzania in 2016. The first two graduating classes (2017 and 2018) totaled 58 church planters who planted 224 churches in the region! A house church averages about 20 people.

Then in 2018 from these new churches, 6 more training centers were established in that locale. To date, these church planters have already planted 101 churches in the area. That makes for a total of 335 documented house churches in a three year timeframe!

Here are a few pictures of the churches we visited.

Church #1 Launch site of the first generation training center. "Timothy's", the church planters along with the vision team members.

Church #3 This third generation church is the one that Charles planted. Please watch the 3-minute video (below) for the amazing story of his conversion and becoming a church planter.

Church #4 This fourth generation church was established among the Maasai people.

This group of over 300 house churches in a 3 year period could be considered a Church Planting Movement. A Church Planting Movement (CPM) is defined as the rapid and exponential increase of indigenous churches planting churches within a given people group or population segment.

The stories of transformation abound - families who abandoned witchcraft and now worship Jesus; a drug addict was controlled by his addiction until Jesus set him free, and then he led his family to the Lord!

There were 28 of us who participated in the July vision trip to Tanzania  We travelled in several vans to see the four generations of new churches - first on bumpy and clogged Tanzania roads for four hours, then through the brush and forest on a “new road” carved out by the churches. These church leaders and new believers demonstrated great love, work and sacrifice for us so that we could come and visit them.  They greeted us with joyful song, smiles and gifts.

I continue to be amazed by what my eyes have been privileged to see.  God is at work in human hearts in remote and unreached places in this world. As David Nelms, President and Founder of TTI, said to me after reviewing the churches, “This is the best evidence we have to offer,” meaning, this disciple-making and church-planting process is working - proof of concept is all around us!

The Converge Mission Statement is: “We are asking God for a gospel movement among the least reached people groups in our generation.”  When you or your church invest resources with the Converge/TTI Global Church Multiplication fund (450008), these are the kinds of disciples-making-disciples results you help make possible.  Let us continue in prayer to “ask God for gospel movements” around the world.

https://converge.org/giving-campaign/global-church-multiplication

“Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.” He is the pathway to eternal life, bringing godly direction in this life to those who follow Him.

Better together,

Jerry Schommer

Director of Church Planting Partnerships
612-386-9486
https://converge.org/give/66758