Church Plant :

Our principal ministry is church planting.  We dedicate almost 100% of our time to helping new local churches become a reality.  Our current church plant is located in the town of Paraiso.  Paraiso is located 17 miles south of the capitol city of San Jose.  It is a town of over 50,000 and continues to grow. Paraiso has some of the most serious social problems we have every seen.  For a town it has large city issues with drugs, alcohol and sexual abuses.  You can walk at night to the central park and see teenagers smoking marijuana openly

 

We started our church planting efforts in Paraiso partnering with a Costar Rican couple and approximately 12 people in a bible study.  In April of 2008 we launched Iglesia Bautista Roca Viva, Living Rock Baptist Church.

Since that time we have faced some challenges like the loss of our national partners, no place to meet on Sundays but through it all God has provided over and over again, proving Himself faithful.   Right now we have a great new meeting place and another missionary couple to work along side of us, Dave and Monika Graef.   Partnering together since the spring of 2008 we have seen the group of 12 become over 50. 

 

The Model:

The ministry model is very simple.  Through evangelistic home bible studies, one on one discipleship, and leadership training we have seen God build His church.   Most of my after afternoons and evenings are spent with men and women in their homes, at their work place or in coffee shops, either studying the bible with people who have never heard the gospel or working through discipleship with families to begin living the truth.

 

One of our main focuses has been reaching and training men.  We know that if you reach the child you might gain the mother and if you reach the mother some where down the road you might get the husband but if you reach the man of the home you have the whole family. 

 

Dave Graef and I have set up a one year leadership training ministry that is focused on equipping men and women with the knowledge and skills they will need to carry out the work of the ministry. We are offering six courses using a module format.  The classes take place every other month and they meet Monday through Friday 7-9:30 at night.  There are three other churches from the same area that are participating in the courses.

Over the next weeks and months to come we will continue to prepare the church to stand on her own as well as look for a man to come and fill the position of pastor.  We hope to have the church recognized with the government by then and be able to hand over a church that is fully prepared to work along side a pastor to reach the province, the country and the world.