Strengthen For Perseverance

Community members observe a new church preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. They question its future, as its followers have left religious cults and large denominational churches to follow Jesus Christ. The new church members believe in the forgivene...

An episode of the White Fields Ministry podcast, hosted by Stephen Wheeler, titled "Strengthen For Perseverance" was published on August 25, 2023 and runs 7 minutes.

August 25, 2023 ·7m · White Fields Ministry

Summary

Community members observe a new church preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. They question its future, as its followers have left religious cults and large denominational churches to follow Jesus Christ. The new church members believe in the forgiveness of sins and salvation through faith instead of payments required by existing religious institutions or activities to earn their way into heaven. The community wonders whether these followers can endure the persecutions and hardships ahead. White Fields and our partners aim to strengthen new churches, making them permanent members of the community. We have various strategies to achieve a sustainable church and to have a continued impact in proclaiming the gospel. Your support and partnership help us provide groundwork from the initiation stages to achieving a permanent presence in the community. The first step of starting a church is supporting the pastor’s family. The person giving leadership is the most important foundation to establish a solid church. We have local leadership at White Fields who provide encouragement and accountability to our faithful pastors. Monthly reports allow you to pray for our pastors, including second-generation pastors like Pastor Solomon and Pastor Lun in Myanmar (Burma). Their fathers were White Fields church planters, and these young men grew up serving with their father, starting a church. That is the best training you can receive, but additionally, both of these young men graduated from our Bible College and studied in seminary. In other countries, our local committee carefully and prayerfully chooses a qualified pastor to lead the new church. Once that pastor is in place, White Fields moves to other areas of support to help them successfully proclaim the gospel and disciple new believers. Those funding projects may include providing a motorbike so the pastor can travel between house visits in his village or assisting the local church in constructing a permanent building to gather for worship. For our projects in Uganda, our team takes the initiative to engage the local church in constructing a public gathering place. Our funding provides a solid concrete beam system reinforced with sturdy iron rods to ensure the structure’s resilience against storms. The church community actively contributes to the project by providing bricks to fill the walls, resulting in a highly successful partnership between our team and the local church members. There is a tremendous testimony to the members of the local community when these structures are built. Owning the property for local buildings is a powerful way for the church to demonstrate its care for the community. Through the joint efforts of local members and distant supporters, the building becomes a place of gathering and worship, a symbol of unity and faith. The community recognized that foreign partners love the local church in their village. They also see the local members laboring and constructing the building where they gather and worship God. So, the work is done by locals, and our partnership in providing materials shows love.

Episode Description