The Church, the Gospel, and Community Transformation

Posted on July 08, 2020

There has been a great tug-of-war throughout the history of the church. At times, the church has focused on evangelism to the neglect of community transformation. At other times, it has swung to the extreme of focusing on acts of service to the exclusion of evangelism.

But Jesus modeled a balance of these two extremes. He healed the sick, ministered to the marginalized, fed the hungry, and boldly proclaimed the truth of the Gospel wherever He went. Jesus calls His church to follow His example.

We are thrilled to announce that our president, Dr. Rick Thompson, recently completed a new capstone course for our pastoral training program entitled, “The Church, the Gospel, and Community Transformation.” This new course, written in collaboration with Costa Rican pastor Roy Soto, presents the strong biblical challenge to be transformed by the Gospel, to proclaim the Good News, and to be the hands and feet of Christ by meeting tangible needs in the community.

Little did Rick and Roy realize when they first began writing this course that the world would be plunged into pandemic and turmoil, exacerbating the urgent needs of the poor. But God knew, and our team is poised to begin equipping leaders to meet the spiritual and physical needs of their communities more effectively than ever before.

Your prayers and ongoing financial support make all of this possible. We are so grateful for you, our partners in ministry! You can help hurting communities today and train leaders to impact their communities tomorrow by giving now.  Together, we can make a lasting difference for a world in need.