From November 1 to 12, a team from the Mesoamerica Region evangelism ministry conducted a training tour in Guatemala to strengthen and expand evangelism and church planting efforts.

During this period, visits were made to 10 districts in the country, providing training to pastors and local leaders in evangelistic skills and the vision of church planting. In each of the districts visited, between 30 and 50 people participated in the training. The participants were motivated to have and promote a unified vision and strengthen their commitment to the mission of the Church of the Nazarene to make Christlike disciples in the nations. 

Wilfredo Pec, superintendent of the Distrito Atlántico Norte, expressed his enthusiasm for the training, which came at a crucial time for the newly formed district.

“It was a joy for our district to receive this training,” Pec said. “We are very grateful to God and to the regional evangelism ministry for taking the time to teach us.”

The regional evangelism team benefited from the collaboration of Oscar Tista, a renowned church planter, who shared his experience and knowledge with the participants. The combination of experience and church planting strategy was a key factor in the success of the tour.

“We celebrate that more than 125 people have responded to the call to plant cells, youth friendship groups, and new churches,” said Jerson Chupina, a member of the regional evangelism team. “We ask everyone to join in prayer for the districts that have accepted this challenge, for their superintendents, pastors, and local leaders.”

Milton Gay, regional evangelism coordinator, stressed that the growth of the Church of the Nazarene in the Mesoamerica Region depends individuals’ commitment to an evangelistic vision and willingness to bring the message of Christ to their communities. The evangelism ministry, in collaboration with the JESUS film ministry, has developed a strategy for multiplying leaders with a focus on creating new pastors, leaders, and church planters.

“With this tour, we have completed a cycle of preparation, challenge, and vision for the multiplication of new churches,” Gay said. “It has been a blessing to see how the churches received the strategy with such enthusiasm. Both the pastors and district leaders, as well as the regional evangelism team, have committed to work together to achieve the objectives we have set. We thank God for this time and we trust that this will be the model for all the fields in Mesoamerica.”

Leaders hope the impact of this training tour will expand beyond the visits to the districts. 

--Church of the Nazarene Mesoamerica Region.