Update on the Honduras Church Planting Movement
In the last blog I gave a report from our recent short term trip to Honduras. In this report I want to update all our readers about the progress of the project. God is truly doing something in the mountains of western Honduras.
First a little background. This project is a very recent outreach. In September 2006, Randy Travis, our missionary in charge of the project, and I attended a seminar on church planting movements taught by David Watson. At that time we began to discuss what a cpm project might look like in Honduras. In November and December of 2006, Randy and his son Keith, along with WME missionary Richard Crowder, did an exploratory trip in Honduras to assess the need and opportunity for a cpm project there. On that trip the region where we would begin the work was decided. In January 2007, Randy presented a preliminary strategic plan for HCPM to me and I presented it to the WME board of directors, and the decision was made to move forward.
David Watson and the team from Cityteam ministries has been an immense blessing to myself and this project. Through the training received from them our team has received great mentoring in cpm principles. Our whole Honduras field team received more training from them in April 2007 at a cpm seminar that WME hosted. Then Randy and family moved into western Honduras in June 2007. The next several months were spent by the 2 Travis families getting established in Honduras, setting up the base where church planters would be trained, and recruiting our initial team of Honduran cpmers.
In May, 2008 training of our Honduran team began. The training lasted for 2 months and in July, 2008 our church planting team began to travel to village areas and conduct access ministries. In doing this they began to look for men and women of peace with whom Discovery Bible studies could begin.
A key moment in the last year was last December, 2008 when David Watson and Paul Watson came to Honduras and spent several days with the team. The training that they gave to the team was simply critical to the success that we have begun to see. A number of important principles were highlighted and our team readjusted some of our tactics as we entered into the new year.
In March, 2009 we began to see the new Bible studies multiply into 2nd generation studies. Although there were some 2nd generation studies before this, they were few in number. Beginning in March the numbers of studies multiplying increased significantly.
When our short term team was there the first week of June, we saw the fruit of the multiplication. Things were happening so fast, that we did not know at the time how much was really happening. I asked Randy to make a special assessment at the end of this month and I have just received the numbers.
At present there are a total of 73 ongoing Discovery Bible Studies. They are 3 generations deep.
There are 24 first generation studies, 32 second generation groups, and 17 third generation study groups. Several more of the 2nd generation groups are about to multiply, and some 4th generation groups are about to begin, we believe.
In one case, one of our cpmers, Adiel, entered a village only approachable on foot or on horseback. There is no evangelical church at all there. Having made some initial contacts, he was invited to return and thought had a good chance to begin a study there. When I was in Honduras the first week in June, Randy pointed to a mountain in the distance from the village where we were and told me that after I and the team left, Adiel would return to that village and try to begin there. Well...he did...and when he got there about 2 weeks ago he found a discovery study already begun...by someone from another one of our village studies. We tried to start a 1st gen study and found that a 2nd gen study had already reached them before our team could! Praise God!
Well, that is as current as I can be on the report. This is the state as of today. Please pray for this beginning movement, especially over the next couple of months as these studies introduce the people to the gospel of Christ and obedience to the Word of God. Pray that God moves and these studies become a powerful church planting movement.
First a little background. This project is a very recent outreach. In September 2006, Randy Travis, our missionary in charge of the project, and I attended a seminar on church planting movements taught by David Watson. At that time we began to discuss what a cpm project might look like in Honduras. In November and December of 2006, Randy and his son Keith, along with WME missionary Richard Crowder, did an exploratory trip in Honduras to assess the need and opportunity for a cpm project there. On that trip the region where we would begin the work was decided. In January 2007, Randy presented a preliminary strategic plan for HCPM to me and I presented it to the WME board of directors, and the decision was made to move forward.
David Watson and the team from Cityteam ministries has been an immense blessing to myself and this project. Through the training received from them our team has received great mentoring in cpm principles. Our whole Honduras field team received more training from them in April 2007 at a cpm seminar that WME hosted. Then Randy and family moved into western Honduras in June 2007. The next several months were spent by the 2 Travis families getting established in Honduras, setting up the base where church planters would be trained, and recruiting our initial team of Honduran cpmers.
In May, 2008 training of our Honduran team began. The training lasted for 2 months and in July, 2008 our church planting team began to travel to village areas and conduct access ministries. In doing this they began to look for men and women of peace with whom Discovery Bible studies could begin.
A key moment in the last year was last December, 2008 when David Watson and Paul Watson came to Honduras and spent several days with the team. The training that they gave to the team was simply critical to the success that we have begun to see. A number of important principles were highlighted and our team readjusted some of our tactics as we entered into the new year.
In March, 2009 we began to see the new Bible studies multiply into 2nd generation studies. Although there were some 2nd generation studies before this, they were few in number. Beginning in March the numbers of studies multiplying increased significantly.
When our short term team was there the first week of June, we saw the fruit of the multiplication. Things were happening so fast, that we did not know at the time how much was really happening. I asked Randy to make a special assessment at the end of this month and I have just received the numbers.
At present there are a total of 73 ongoing Discovery Bible Studies. They are 3 generations deep.
There are 24 first generation studies, 32 second generation groups, and 17 third generation study groups. Several more of the 2nd generation groups are about to multiply, and some 4th generation groups are about to begin, we believe.
In one case, one of our cpmers, Adiel, entered a village only approachable on foot or on horseback. There is no evangelical church at all there. Having made some initial contacts, he was invited to return and thought had a good chance to begin a study there. When I was in Honduras the first week in June, Randy pointed to a mountain in the distance from the village where we were and told me that after I and the team left, Adiel would return to that village and try to begin there. Well...he did...and when he got there about 2 weeks ago he found a discovery study already begun...by someone from another one of our village studies. We tried to start a 1st gen study and found that a 2nd gen study had already reached them before our team could! Praise God!
Well, that is as current as I can be on the report. This is the state as of today. Please pray for this beginning movement, especially over the next couple of months as these studies introduce the people to the gospel of Christ and obedience to the Word of God. Pray that God moves and these studies become a powerful church planting movement.
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