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In the Philippines, church planters are Conquering the islands for Christ
By Jon Nelms
When I first visited the Philippines in 1992, I met a number of national preachers who were aggressively evangelizing their islands. One of those preachers was Joey Corpuz (pictured on the front cover). At the time, Joey did not meet our qualifications, since he had not personally started a church. However, his rejection for support did not diminish his zeal in the least. Since our first meeting Joey has married, and now has two children. He has assisted several friends in their church planting endeavors, and has started a church himself.
When I drove with Manny Quezon, the founder of the IBMA (Independent Baptist Missions for Asians), to Joey’s church, I was delighted to see a new concrete block building. A few Canadian churches had raised $5,800.00 for the project, and traveled to the Philippines to construct a shell of a building for the New Life Baptist Church. Since that time the new believers have finished the project by completing the inside and painting the outside. Joey and his wife now live in the back, in a building which was formerly the church facility. Their kitchen, an 8’x12′ bamboo structure, was for a time their house before the new building was constructed, and the church body was being developed numerically, to the point that they would no longer fit into the bamboo building. Still the family must share their outhouse with the church members and are only able to take “sponge baths” but they are remarkably clean and very happy with the blessings God has given them.
The IBMA currently has a fellowship of more than 178 churches and 300 fundamental preachers. Most of the churches would also average overseeing 3 to 5 missions, which are not yet financially able to organize as “a church.” These pastors share in educating their young people for the ministry. In 1983 the IBMA had one institute with fourteen students. By 1994 they had grown to 63 full-time students at their main campus, and a total of more than 300 students at their fifteen satellite campuses. Already, their alumni roll lists more than 300 graduates that have started more than 100 churches. Of those, fifty graduates serve as teachers at the various campuses.
Their goal is to eventually have 72 institutes (one for each province), and fourteen college-level campuses (seven already exist), and one post-graduate school. The IBMA has sought accreditation with the Philippine government and has received it in such fields as psychology, social sciences, and math. Their education majors are certified for careers in both private and public schools.
The goal of the IBMA fellowship is to have started at least 500 churches by the year 2000. They are on course to meet that goal and I believe it will be done.
Manny’s dream is not just to reach the Philippines, but also all of Asia. Several of their graduates have already left for missionary work in other nations, including Vietnam. In fact, in the last several years, the IBMA has raised more than $62,000.00 support for Vietnamese preachers. Half of that they raised in America and Canada, the other half, miraculously, was raised in the Philippine churches.
When I left Tarlac, the city which is headquarters for the IBMA, I traveled to Manila to catch a plane for Iloilo, located in the central region of the Philippines. Upon arriving, I was met at the airport by our national director of Thailand, Kiatisak Siripanadorn, the first Thai graduate of the Doane Baptist Seminary. He and his family were present for an alumni meeting at which I had been invited to speak. Kiatisak was also there to formalize an accreditation arrangement between Doane Seminary and the new Tribal Bible School he has started in northern Thailand. After several days of meeting with the leaders and spending time in their homes, it was evident that they fully understood our purpose, and felt they had some graduates who could meet our qualifications. On my final day there I met with this group. Of the more than 1000 alumni present, there were about 120 men who were likely candidates for our support. Since returning home, several applications have already arrived, so we are now gearing up to begin sponsoring more preachers throughout the islands, under the accountability of this fellowship, whose reputation throughout the nation is sterling.
After I discussed our program with these men, I sat and listened to them tell stories of different tribal groups they had reached with the gospel. Of persecution they had suffered and even of death threats. None seemed shocked at this, since they all know such events are common, but all seemed so elated when a brother would share about a new church planted or souls saved. This ministry has, over the past forty years, planted more than one thousand churches. They have set a goal for a total of 2000 churches to be started by the year 2000. As with the IBMA, there is no reason to believe it won’t be done.
Before my departure from Iloilo, I was able to go by boat to a nearby island to see the fruit of their church planting efforts. The Philippines is made up of more than 7000 islands. Any effort to reach this nation must include a boat ministry. For decades these men have traveled by boat taxis at great expense. If only they had a boat of their own boat, they would be able to reach anywhere, anytime. Such a boat could be purchased for only several thousand dollars. Teams of evangelists could travel and live on the boat for weeks at a time.
These long boats are suitable for sleeping, cooking, preaching, and just about anything else imaginable. I hope someone reading this story will feel led to purchase a “Gospel Boat” for these men.
Before leaving Iloilo, I went to visit Rick and Becky Martin, old schoolmates, who had shared a bus ministry and youth work with me in the mid-1970s. Their work includes numerous churches planted, a Bible school, tribal ministries, the only Bible Book Store in what seemed like a million miles, and on and on. Rick and Becky have served as missionaries with BIMI for nearly twenty years and have done a tremendous job.
Flying back to Manila, I met with John Honeycutt and his family. John had spent time in the Philippines as a missionary kid and has since returned to serve there. His wife and children are a tremendous asset to the ministry and were gracious hosts. I had traveled to the Philippines because of communication and accountability problems with two of the groups we have been assisting over the years.
John had for some time been aware of that problem and offered his services to help solve our dilemma. We are very blessed to have such a missionary help us, and the nationals who know him were happy for his involvement. John, though an independent missionary and not officially a part of the Final Frontiers staff, is now serving as our national director for the Philippines. Because the island is so spread out, we feel we needed a central office to coordinate the dispersal of funds and collection of quarterly reports. Though a great effort, John has volunteered to oversee This job for us at his expense, until such time as he can train a Filipino national to do so.
John’s ministry is one of church planting. He is truly one of the “miracle missionaries.” His efforts are tireless, and are not confined to the Philippines. In January he will travel with me to Thailand and Burma to teach church planters in those countries. He has developed a planting and discipleship effort that has resulted not just in churches being started, but also in developing church planters in each new work, who go out and do likewise. Many people talk about doing this. John does it. Last year alone, his teams started 100 churches.
As I talked with him, I learned that over the last fifty years, about 85% of all missions work done in the Philippines has been concentrated in Manila. But what about the rest of the nation? John shared with me that fifteen years ago, there were about 300 fundamental missionary families in the Philippines; five years ago there were about 120, and today there are only about 50. He believes that the primary reason for this is the retirement of older missionaries. Men are leaving and not being replaced. The second reason would be younger missionaries who never return after their first term of service.
Frankly, while we both view such shrinking numbers as a sign of a loss of burden for missions, neither of us are overly concerned. After all, if the Philippines is to be reached, it must be reached by the Filipinos, not by the Americans. Fortunately, there are thousands of Filipino preachers who are doing just that. Like national preachers in other lands, they are personally tired, but are nonetheless tireless in their evangelistic efforts. Their determination and optimism in saturating each province with the gospel is uplifting. It is our blessing as a foundation to be able to help them conquer their islands for Christ by offering financial support to those church planters who meet our qualifications in morals, doctrine, and ministry experience. If you are interested in supporting such a preacher for $30.00 monthly, please contact us. If you would like to help but cannot afford that much, then consider joining our Philippine TEAM. Your monthly support of as little as $5.00 will be combined with others like yourself who share a similar burden. Together, these funds will be used by the Filipino preachers to effectively advance the gospel.
Missions Family Night
A Nation Of Islands
by: Lewis Nelms
Some children in the United States have never seen an ocean. For them, it is only a dream to think of such a large body of water, to hear the crashing of the waves upon the shore, or to sink their feet in the soft sand. Other children have had the opportunity to see the ocean and have even been on an island, but it is still difficult to imagine a nation like the Philippines. This small nation is made up of 7,250 islands. Every part of it is surrounded by water!
The Philippines is inhabited by approximately 60 million people. Even though they speak many languages, most of the people (95%) are of Malay-Indonesian descent. There are also tribal peoples (80 different tribes in the three major islands), Chinese, Vietnamese, and even some Americans who help populate this nation. For a small nation, they are densely populated, having as many people per square kilometer than in the United States! Nowhere is this dense population more evident than in the city of Manila, where the population now exceeds 10 million people!
The people are hard workers, but lack the resources available to many other nations.
Target: Philippines
Therefore, the average Filipino makes only about 6% of what is made by the average American throughout the year. In most cases, they will only make about as much as the average American pays in sales tax. In addition, widespread corruption, political unrest, and a series of natural disasters have made life in the Philippines even more financially difficult. Over the past few years, the unemployment and inflation rates have risen dramatically, making poverty both widespread and brutal.
In desperation, many Filipinos look to their religion for hope. Though a majority of the people in the Philippines are Catholic and have heard of Christ, for the most part, they would lack a clear understanding of the gospel. The structure of their belief system is based upon faith in their own works, rather than faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. And though they may place great hope and confidence in their religion, it cannot bring salvation. It would be easier to jump from one island to the next throughout the Philippines, than to span the chasm of sin that separates mankind from God through any other means except repentance of sin and faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Pray for the Filipino people that many more will come to salvation and be used to reach their Asian neighbors.
How to use the Missions Family Night…
The Missions Family Night is designed to be a teaching tool for the entire family. Each month one nation or people group will be targeted.
- Designate one meal per month to celebrate missions by using the Missions Family Night materials.
- Use the Recipes to create an authentic FOREIGN meal. Your children will be excited to help in the meal preparation.
- Remove and use the Missions Placemat (pgs. 11 and 14) during the meal. Copies may be reproduced as needed.
- During the meal, lead your family in prayer for the targeted nation or group.
- After the meal, let the children color the Coloring Sheet and encourage them to participate in the monthly coloring contest. (See below for rules.)
- Complete the other activities in the MFN and read and discuss the stories from the Missions Progress Report.
Let’s Get Acquainted
The purpose of this feature is to introduce our readers to approved preachers who are not yet sponsored. It is our hope that their testimonies will verify their worthiness and need, and will lead to prayer and support on their behalf. If you are interested in supporting this or another national preacher, please refer to the “Now it’s your turn” section on page 23.
Preacher’s Name:
Nemlin Joseph Youkou
Wife’s Name:
Konan Adjduh Amelia
Country:
Ivory Coast
Number of Children:
2
Testimony:
I met the Saviour during the end of 1970. I was not born into a Christian home with religious thoughts practiced. My life had been very hard. Suffering and pain tore into my heart. Completely discouraged, I wanted to commit suicide. In that same week, I met a young Christian who talked to me about the peace of Jesus. After hearing these words and reading and re-reading the tract, my heart was broken and I gave my life to Jesus. He saved me and freed me from the bondage of sin. I have given my life to serving Him.
My wife was saved out of a family of sorcerers. She had been promised, as a child, to be offered at Satanic activities. Later, when she attended a fundamental Baptist church and, after several weeks, she accepted Christ as her Saviour, and He turned her life around. Together, we work very hard for the Lord.
I have been a pastor for seven and a half years, and now I am a missionary in my own land to the Muslim people. Besides starting two churches, I have led 300 people to Christ and baptized 200 of them. Every day my wife and I do door-to-door evangelism. In addition, I also teach Sunday School and lead the music in our home church, and I counsel with believers and unbelievers.
Our income from our church does not meet our needs, so my wife and I work in the fields for five hours almost every day. With your financial help, we will be able to work less in man’s fields and more in God’s fields, and have a harvest that counts for eternity.
From the Mailbag
Last quarter:
Support received – $75.00
New villages evangelized – 2
Churches started – 2
Souls saved – 8
Number baptized – 8
From: P. Yohan
Sponsored by: Mr. and Mrs. Lester Fluth, MN
“I am happy to inform you that during last month four young college students came to my church and requested me for Holy Bibles in our native language. They walked all the way for ten miles to reach me to receive the Word of God. At that time I did not have any money but I asked them to wait and we all spent some time in discussions and in counseling and in prayer. While we were in prayers, the mailman knocked on our door and gave your support. This is a miracle. It is unbelievable, but true. Immediately I purchased Bibles for them and donated on your behalf. It is a strange thing that the next Sunday they brought nearly 25 people to my church, not for Bibles, but to know about Jesus Christ. I explained to them about the simple way of salvation and encouraged them to attend my church regularly. Please pray for them. This way your money helped me not only for my maintenance but also to provide the word for the thirsty and hungry people. Thank you very much.”
Last quarter:
Support received – $75.00
New villages evangelized – 0
Churches started – 1
Souls saved – 5
Number baptized – 5
From: Efrain Casco
Sponsored by: Mr. Richard Percy, IA
“I wish the many blessings from God are upon you. My family and I are fine, thanks to the Lord. I have been very busy in the ministry of God’s Word.
During the second quarter of this year, I was invited to preach at three churches. My church is proclaiming the gospel and God has blessed us much because a good group of people have come to Jesus Christ.
We have had baptisms programs, Holy Suppers programs, and personal evangelism.
Sunday School is 113 of average.
Thank you very much for the economic help that I got from you. It’s a big blessing to me because it makes it possible for me to move to preach in other places far from my town also. I feel like if you are with me on each of my activities to guide souls to Christ.”
A report from TEAM Ghana
From: Daniel Sapper
Location: Accra, Ghana
Date: October 31, 1994
What was the total amount of TEAM funds received?
$64.00
What were these funds used for?
A – Operational needs – postage, stationeries, and photo copies
B – Sponsored 2 children who attended Children’s Camp held by the CEF
Do you have any special needs we can pray about?
A – Planting of a new church and need for a meeting place
B – Purchase of 50 chairs, Bibles, and Hymn books
C – Portable electric typewriter
Below, please write a short letter of appreciation to your TEAM sponsors:
Dear God’s People,
Your TEAM support fund has once again been received with much thanks. Just imagine what will happen if this support did not come. Our work will be greatly hindered. With your support, we are gradually advancing the ministry. We do remember you always in our prayers and trust that God’s blessing will be yours even as we are blessed through your generous giving.
Remember it is through your regular prayer support and gifts that we are surviving in this great work.
Sincerely in His service,
Daniel Sapper
The Jon Nelms Family Report
In our cover story this month you will read of my trip to the Philippines. Before I left the islands, I broke my left ankle again. I broke it the first time several years ago in Bangkok, Thailand. I didn’t learn that it was broken for several weeks, and fortunately, it did not require a cast.
From Manila, I flew to Singapore to speak with several pastors. Singapore is the most fascinating city I have ever seen. It is clean, modern, and wealthy. I did not go there to arrange to support preachers, rather I went on behalf of the tribal churches in Thailand. The Singapore churches had offered to buy them land in northern Thailand for the construction of a Tribal Bible School. In their discussions, something had “gotten lost in the translation,” so they asked if I would help to get the ball rolling. I found the believers in Singapore eager to give 80% of the value of the land if the Thai churches would raise the other 20%. They offered the same arrangement with the construction costs as well. The trip was a great success, and I was pleased to see that American believers are not the only ones who are both financially blessed and spiritually motivated to use their funds for God’s glory.
As we closed our records for 1994, we ended with a total of 687 national church planters on our support list, and 78 TEAM sponsorships. (Actually more than that have been sponsored, but we don’t put them in the computer until the first support check arrives.) During the year we took on more than 200 additional preachers. We also learned that during 1994 we had a total of 1,351 churches started, 3,814 new villages evangelized, 33,592 professions of faith, and 10,741 baptisms. Every 7 hours a church was started. Every 2 hours and 18 minutes a village was evangelized. Every 16 minutes a person was saved. Every 50 minutes a person was baptized. Thank you for helping to make all this possible.
Yours for souls,
Jon Nelms
Proverbs 14:21
“He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth; but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.”
News received from the Final Frontiers indicates that since last month’s report there were:
96 New Churches Started
285 New Villages Evangelized
2,019 Professions of Faith
765 Believers Baptized
Total churches started to date:
3,288
… other news …
In China, there are 34,000 known Christians who worship in a single city in Anhui province, using 67 different meeting places. They have only one pastor and four elders. In the province of Zhejiang, the house churches have commissioned 150 evangelists. They have established 60 churches and baptized 33,000 new believers. In the province of Henan, there are an estimated 8 million believers. In 1949, at the Communist take-over, there were an estimated 500,000 Christians. Today, the estimate is as much as 75,000,000.
In Manchuria, more than 5,000 people viewed the Jesus film. The impact was so great that the film was shared in seven counties by 300 churches. Thousands were saved as a result.
MINISTRY INFORMATION
The Mission Progress Report is a free, monthly publication of the FINAL FRONTIERS FOUNDATION INC., whose purpose is to effectively take the Gospel to the more than three billion souls, who have never before heard. Currently, we are ministering in Latvia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, India, Vietnam, China, Philippines, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, and the West Indies. These are countries and peoples which are primarily closed to the traditional missionary outreach, but open to us because of our unique method of missions.
We believe that the training and subsidizing of national preachers is the most efficient and effective method of global evangelism. Thus, we seek to raise prayer and financial support from believers in America for God’s servants abroad, who are actively involved in church planting and discipleship.
Selection of those we sponsor is dependent upon their doctrinal beliefs, need, and reputation. We support only those who are serving by faith, never those who are waiting for a salary in order to serve. Worldwide, the average preacher in a third-world country needs as little as $30.00 each month to support his family and ministry.
All those subsidized through this foundation are involved in church planting. Their various outreach ministries include Bible translation and distribution, radio and television broadcasting, camps, Bible schools, outdoor and film evangelism, educational and health programs, blind and leper ministries, orphan and children’s ministries, feeding centers, and refugee ministries. The foundation also offers assistance in missionary training; and we provide mission trips for American believers who want to examine the ministries of the national preachers.
Current ministries available for support are:
- Sponsorship of a national or native preacher ($30.00 monthly)
- Sponsorship of a TEAM of preachers in a given country ($5.00 minimum per month)
- Sponsorship of an orphan through our CHILD CARE subsidiary ($30.00 monthly)
- Sponsorship of our radio evangelism ($30.00 monthly for free radio distribution)
FINAL FRONTIERS, as a non-profit, religious corporation, is governed by those serving on the Executive Board of Directors: Rev. Jon Nelms (Founder, Chairman, and CEO), Dr. James Mastin (Vice President), Rev. Mack Nelms (Treasurer), Rev. Gene Carpenter, Rev. Michael Corsini, Rev. Jimmy Scheffield, Mr. David Fluth, and Dr. Dan Burrell (Secretary). Further council is provided by those serving on the Board of Advisors.
Contributions and gifts to this ministry are tax-deductible and are applied to the ministry’s evangelistic outreach. FINAL FRONTIERS is classified as a 509 (a)(1) public foundation, under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Regional Offices:
- Office of Ministry Expansion and Development, Sioux Falls, SD
Executive Director: Rev. Lewis Nelms - Office of Publications, Des Moines, IA
Director of Publications: Mr. Bryan Jones - Office of Asian Expansion, Akron, OH
Director: Dr. Minh Dang - Office of Refugee Ministries, Long Beach, CA
Director: Rev. Rick Davis
International Offices:
International offices are maintained in every country of service for accountability purposes and are staffed by national and regional directors who are elected by the supported pastors and approved by the Executive Board of Directors.
For further information concerning this ministry and its various programs, please call or write to the home office:
Home Office:
Final Frontiers Foundation
P.O. Box 158
Bartow, GA 30413 USA
