Through World Impact’s partnership with local leaders, long-standing relationships are becoming a network that encourages pastors, shares resources, and strengthens the Church in communities experiencing poverty.
Recently, around a table in Bangkok, 15 ministry leaders from seven Southeast Asian countries received a remarkable glimpse of what God is doing in neighboring Laos. According to a survey of Christianity shared during the gathering, the country had fewer than 15,000 Christians in 1990. Today, there are more than 250,000.
“That fact stopped us in our tracks,” said World Impact Ministry Mobilizer David Estrada. He had joined fellow World Impact leader Bob Engel and ministry partner Rev. Dr. Phu Pham for the region’s first Listening Summit, bringing together church leaders from across Southeast Asia to listen, encourage one another, and strengthen relationships.
For pastors and ministry leaders from India, Myanmar, Nepal, Laos, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines, the numbers are deeply encouraging. Many serve where Christians remain a small minority or face social pressure and government restrictions. Together, they marvel at another reminder that God is building His Church, often in communities experiencing poverty the outside world rarely notices.
They had come to Bangkok because of friendships Phu had cultivated over many years. By the end of the week, those friendships had become something larger: a network of leaders encouraging one another, sharing resources, and beginning to collaborate across borders.
Years of Friendship, One Room
For Phu, the gathering was years in the making. As a pastor and longtime ministry leader with deep roots in Southeast Asia, he had spent years getting to know church leaders one conversation at a time. The Listening Summit was the first opportunity to bring many of them together in the same room.
“The leaders really appreciated being able to share and listen to one another,” Phu said. “They found encouragement in knowing they were not alone.”
Throughout the gathering, leaders exchanged stories from their own countries, prayed for one another, and discovered challenges they held in common. Conversations that once happened one-on-one now included the entire room.
“Friends introduce you to friends,” David said. “Phu had built those relationships over many years. Bringing everyone together created opportunities that simply wouldn’t have existed otherwise.”
Also read: Philemon’s Story: God’s Timing at Work in Rural India to Grow His Church
Local Leaders, Lasting Impact
That spirit of mutual encouragement carried into another part of the trip: a Church Plant School in Hanoi, Vietnam.
There, 43 pastors and ministry leaders gathered to learn how healthy churches can be planted through local believers. By the end of the training, 13 church planting teams stood before the group to present the ministry plans they had developed together.
One presentation, however, drew smiles across the room.
Three women, all over the age of 70, stepped forward to introduce themselves.
“We’re the old ladies,” one of them said.
Rather than slowing down, they were preparing to plant a church among senior adults in their own community.
“That brings joy to my soul,” Phu said. “Even though they’re older, they still have the desire to serve God. They want to share the gospel with people their own age.”
Bob remembers their enthusiasm just as clearly.
“They were loud,” he said with a laugh. “They were strong. They were committed.”
The three women were not an exception. The work wasn’t dependent on outside visitors or imported strategies. Local believers were taking responsibility for reaching their own communities with the gospel.
That’s one reason Phu believes church planting has gained momentum across Vietnam and throughout Southeast Asia.
“Local leaders understand the language, the culture, and the people,” he said. “They know how to build relationships. They know how to disciple new believers. They know how to help churches grow.”
Also read: Bangladesh Report: A Healthy Church in Hard Soil
Strengthening What God is Already Doing
For Bob, moments like these reinforce what he believes about World Impact’s role.
“Our privilege is coming alongside faithful leaders with biblical training and practical tools that help them become even more effective,” he said.
Phu is already looking ahead. He hopes to see more Church Plant Schools across the region, more translated resources in the hands of local leaders, and more opportunities for pastors from different countries to learn from one another.
The network that gathered in Bangkok is only beginning.
Through the faithful partnership of donors, pastors and ministry leaders are being equipped with biblical training, practical resources, and relationships that strengthen their ministries. As they return home, those leaders continue encouraging one another, sharing what they’ve learned, and helping establish healthy churches in communities experiencing poverty.
The friendships continue. So does the work.
Please pray for these leaders as they return to their communities. And thank you for partnering with World Impact to equip indigenous pastors and ministry leaders across Southeast Asia. Together, friendships are becoming networks, and networks are strengthening Christ’s Church.
If you would like to help equip more indigenous leaders around the world, please consider making a gift today.
