God calls ministers to equip the Church for the work of the ministry. After many years of working in one local church, I experienced what I’ll call an ‘enlargement’ of my view of God’s calling. In preparing mission volunteers for work overseas, we equip the domestic church to do a better job of reaching its own community ed-italia.com. The mission volunteer teams then equip the foreign church to better reach its community for Christ. In both cases, the church is equipped. And, God is glorified through changed lives on the mission field, in volunteer mission teams, and in the domestic church!
The ‘centerpiece’ of my work through EquipUs is the Pastor Training Schools. This began in the city of Barahona, Dominican Republic. We teach 70-85 pastors and our approach is to “Entrust the Gospel to faithful men who will, in turn, entrust it to others.” God has blessed this work and the pastors have been faithful in implementing what they have been taught. Evidence of this is the increase in baptisms among these 50+ churches after one year of work with the pastors: an average of 44%! Currently, the churches are showing an average annual growth rate of 18.5% via baptisms. I believe our Prayer Teams are the first ones responsible for these results. God has answered through American pastors who volunteer to teach, and mission volunteer members who do construction work, medical clinics, sports camps, or any of several mission/evangelism outreach projects concurrent with our Pastor Training Schools. As Henry Blackaby said in Experiencing God, “See what God is doing and join Him in it.” YOU can make an eternal difference in someone’s life.
Recent Posts
God’s Tool Box – One Tool To Another
We don't think of ourselves as part of God's tool box. We should! Isn't He the Potter while we are the clay? Can He not form us as He chooses? See Jeremiah 18. OK, tool box is not a Biblical term but the idea is definitely present. We are vessels for God's use (see II...
Remembering But Pressing On
Remembering but pressing on is challenging. But the emphasis is always about pressing on if we are to be effective disciples. Still, we need those moments of recollection. So this 5th Birthday post will unpack that thought just a bit. With the hymn writer we will...
Celebrating The Gift Of Education
Thank you for the gift of education! That was the message that came with these pictures. And as we are celebrating the 'fifth birthday' of EquipUs it is good to showcase something that's usually done behind the scenes. The Gift Of Education Families in Belize have to...
Celebrating EquipUs – A Video Post
Celebrating EquipUs is really about giving thanks for our blessings! In the initial birthday post I promised to share some of the blessings we have received over these past five years. If you didn't see the birthday post, please use the link above and take a look. We...
It’s A Birthday – Let’s Celebrate!
It's a birthday, let's celebrate! The who and the how many may surprise you. But first, commemorating life events is helpful in many ways. A birthday celebrates God's gift of life. Anniversaries remind us of His other gifts like our spouse or the work He has given us...
God’s Army Of The Ordinary
God allowed me to make a recent trip to Sri Lanka with The Gideons International. Our task was a Scripture Blitz. We were truly God's army of the ordinary - men from all walks of life who are willing to give of themselves to share the Gospel of the King. While all did...
Top Bible Verses That Teach Us The Goodness Of God
How do we learn about the goodness of God? We have many Bible verses about God's goodness but there must be a beginning point. So, we teach our toddlers a couple of 3-word Bible verses: God is good (summary of Mark 10:18) God is love (see I John 4:8). These are easy...
Give Us This Day
Give us this day our daily bread. But what if you are giving the daily bread rather than asking for it? In part, this post is my Thank You for donig such a great job. But even the most sincere word of gratitude can contain a challenge for all of us! Seeing Your...
Treasure: How To Build It
Treasure is something most people would like to have in abundance. And accumulating treasure can be easy or difficult. It's your choice. Surprisingly, most people pursue the difficult treasure while overlooking the easy stuff. Where most go astray is the nature and...
Leader Loves – What They Tell Us
What does a leader love? The answer will tell you a great deal about the leader. Jesus said it this way, Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus was referencing heavenly treasure vs. earthly treasure. But the principle applies in a broad way....
25 Patriotic Truths to Celebrate on July 4
Patriotic Thoughts of Great Americans Feeling patriotic this July 4 season? What will you celebrate? Why do you celebrate? What will you teach your children and/or grandchildren? The reason I ask the questions is very similar to interpreting Scripture. We cannot fully...
Powerful Studies Of Blessings: Bible Benedictions
What are Bible benedictions? If you’re the twelve year old son of the pastor, it’s the last thing you have to sit through before getting out of the church service! My younger self didn’t appreciate those words of blessing. There’s humor in a child’s view of things....