2018 Ministry Update Video & Photos
Click below to watch our year-end ministry update video (1:50)
Steve Childers preaching in one of the most influential, underground churches in East Asia
Learn What God Did Through Pathway Learning in 2017 Below
The underground church in East Asia is facing increased persecution at frightening new levels.
While I (Steve Childers) was training church leaders recently, I heard first-hand accounts from leaders about their immediate family members being taken into custody from their homes and forced to undergo sterilization in a local hospital. And I just received an email from a former student serving there. He reports that one of his most faithful church members was just taken into custody and placed in an overcrowded, prison-style “re-education camp” known for brainwashing and terrible conditions from which many are never released.He asks us to pray:
Will you please stand with us in prayer for the millions of people we serve who are helpless- humanly speaking–facing oppression and injustice and sorrows with severe intensity right now?...Please pray for her (church member taken into custody) to be unafraid, as she wants to be, in confidence that Christ is with her. May she be rooted in strength and supernaturally bold to proclaim and display Christ in her life.
By investing in Pathway Learning, you can help thousands of underserved church leaders, like these, develop churches that transform lives and communities in East Asia and around the world! Learn more about how you can help make a difference in East Asia and around the world in 2018 below:
2017 East Asia Project Report: New Doors Opening!
Our recent major breakthrough in East Asia we’ve only dreamed about until now!
We've finally learned how to train indigenous "leaders of leaders" to teach all our courses without the internet or cell service!
The breakthrough we’ve only dreamed about for years, finally happened for first time when I was training leaders in the underground church in Asia recently. What happened? We finally learned how we can train indigenous "leaders of leaders" how to teach all our courses without the internet or cell phone service! Read on to learn why this is so significant.
More than 1000 people reported taking our first course in the underground church.
Spiritual Formation for Leaders, our first Mandarin course launched in East Asia, is reported to have already been completed by 1500 church leaders in the underground, house church movements in East Asia—all by word of mouth. For a closer look, read on:
Our courses focus on more than a leader's mind and skills--but also their heart.
If you look closely above, you’ll see this is one of the videos from our Spiritual Formation course in Chinese and English. In this video you can see I’m quoting Tim Keller on gospel repentance–with Chinese sub-titles.
Underserved church leaders include lawyers, educators, and business leaders.
These are some of the under-resourced church leaders we trained in the underground church in East Asia. They are in desperate need of training to develop churches that transform lives and communities.
Why a USA pastor will not pray for the underground church leaders' request
After spending 3 days teaching 22 underserved church leaders in the underground church, American pastor, Wayne Cordeiro, said he "fell in love with them." Before leaving, he asked them, “How can I pray for you?” They responded, "In America you can gather like we are now without any fear. Will you pray that one day we will be just like you." Wayne responded, "I will not do that." They asked him "Why?!" He responded,
Because you guys rode a train for 13 hours to get here. In my country if you have to drive more than an hour, people don't come. You sat on a wooden floor for three days. In my country if people have to sit more than 40 minutes they leave. You sat here for 3 days without air conditioning. In my country if it's not padded pews and air conditioning, people often don't come back. In my country we have an average of 2 bibles per family and we don't read any of them. You hardly have any bibles, and you memorize them from pieces of paper. I will not pray that you will become like us. But I will pray that we will become just like you.
After I watched this video, I thought of another contrast I observed firsthand recently while serving this same underground church. When they gathered to worship and hear me preach, they first dropped down on their knees, some looking like Muslims face down on the floor, crying out to God for help and asking him to glorify his name and advance his kingdom through their lives (photo below), In America, if we gather for worship, our prayers are normally very brief, comfortable and self-serving.
Extended times of prayer as Christians gather for worship in the underground church.
Beyond East Asia to the World in 2017!
By God’s grace, and with your support, Pathway Learning is now helping more church leaders develop churches with effective ministries of evangelism, discipleship and community transformation than ever before.
More than 400 church leaders have already registered for Pathway Learning courses from more than 20 countries, representing 150 cities, and 4 languages. Using our innovative online and onsite platform, we can now bring affordable, practical, seminary-level courses to church leaders where they live, in their language, and adapted to their culture.
Using our innovative online and onsite platform, we can now bring affordable, practical, seminary-level courses to church leaders where they live, in their language, and adapted to their culture.
In 2017, we launched new initiatives in East Asia, West Africa, Japan, Western Europe, and North America. And we're looking for partners to help us in 2018
This year, in partnership with indigenous denominations, mission organizations, and schools, we launched several new Pathway Learning projects–including not only,
The East Asia Project (above): in the underground church facing persecution, but also
The West Africa Project: Among the poorest of the poor on earth,
The Japan Project: In one of the most unreached developed nations,
The Western Europe Project: Where new movements are beginning in Italy, and
The North America Project: where the USA has become a new mission field.
Why you should invest financially in Pathway Learning
By investing in Pathway Learning, you are helping underserved church leaders develop churches that transform lives and communities around the world in 2018.
Few investments are likely to pay higher, more lasting returns. That’s because a healthy, gospel-centered church is the most effective evangelism, discipleship, and mercy/justice ministry under heaven. Your financial investment enables Pathway Learning to provide education pathways for underserved church leaders to start, develop, and multiply gospel-centered churches around the world.
Few investments are likely to pay higher, more lasting returns. That’s because a healthy, gospel-centered church is the most effective evangelism, discipleship, and mercy/justice ministry under heaven.
Thank you for your desire to partner with Pathway Learning in our global outreach in 2018. Your tax-deductible gift today will help make a significant difference in the world.