Receptive! Friendly! Challenging! Fruitful!

That’s how we would describe the mission field in Ecuador where most people do not know Christ as Lord and Savior. The Ecuadorians are open to studying the Bible and considering the cost of becoming Christ’s disciples. For this reason, we have chosen to serve Jesus Christ in the area of church planting.

   

Guayaquil, where we presently minister, is on the Pacific coast of South America and often remembered for its heat and humidity. Ecuador, named for the Equator which runs through it, is bordered by Colombia to the north and Peru to the south.

  

The People targeted for church planting are middle-class inhabitants of Guayaquil. Many people are self-employed while others are accountants, teachers, managers, office personnel, or taxi drivers. Most work very hard to raise their standard of living and that of their children. Ecuadorians have a nominal Roman Catholic background although many are not actively practicing Catholicism. Most Catholics place an emphasis on praying to Mary and a myriad of saints in order to procure good luck in the areas of relationships, finances, and health.

  

Our Purpose  is to plant culturally relevant churches among urban Ecuadorians by presenting the Gospel in an understandable way with the desire of persuading and nurturing them to be committed followers of Jesus Christ, gathering and organizing them under Ecuadorian leadership.

  

Progress is being made among the 3 million people of Guayaquil. There are presently five churches in varying stages of development: “Los Samanes” which began “Las Orquideas”, “La Fuente” which started “Los Vergeles”, and “Torre Fuerte”. The Los Samanes church is working in a new area of the city, Mucho Lote 2, to start another congregation, while the Las Orquideas church is starting a new work in a new area called La Joya. The churches are working hard in the areas of discipleship and leadership training, and each congregation has three or more men that rotate preaching.

  

The Challenge is to prepare, teach and motivate the Ecuadorians to plant more congregations.