programs create spaces where people encounter Christ and begin lifelong journeys of faith.
These efforts naturally extend to church planting. OMS has helped establish at least 18 denominations worldwide, some of which have thousands of congregations. In South Asia, for example, one OMS-related national church has grown to more than 10,000 churches and has a bold vision to reach 100,000 by 2056.
Today, OMS increasingly focuses on multiplication movements. Across Africa, more than 900 training centers in 38 countries equip church planters through multi-year programs. The results include thousands of new worshiping groups and hundreds of thousands of baptisms and decisions for Christ each year. In Thailand, among the unreached Isan people, missionaries are witnessing new believers, healings, and the formation of house churches— signs of a growing movement now turning toward local leadership development.
That focus on leadership is essential. Through theological schools, training programs, and global partnerships, OMS equips leaders to guide churches and sustain growth for generations. With 37 theological institutions supported worldwide, OMS ensures that emerging leaders are grounded, capable, and ready to guide future generations of believers.
Equally important is sending. OMS is expanding its missionary base beyond traditional Western hubs to include South Korea, East Asia, and South Africa, mobilizing believers from anywhere to reach the unreached. In West Africa, local believers are being trained to serve in closed countries as professionals who live out their faith in challenging contexts.
Yet faithfulness comes at a cost. Some serve in dangerous conditions, even giving their lives, as in the case of a recently graduated village church planter in Nigeria. Others remain steadfast amid conflict from Ukraine to the Middle East. Choosing to stay even when leaving would be far easier, their witness points to an enduring truth: though the world is broken, hope remains.
As a beloved story says,“ there’ s some good in this world … and it’ s worth fighting for.” For faithful people, that“ good” is Emmanuel, God with us. He is the source of grace, the reason for the mission, and the promise that light will prevail even in darkness.
And so, the prayer continues, that faithful people, empowered by a faithful God, would carry that hope to the ends of the earth.
photos, page 5, top; Somos Nós ministry in Mozambique bottom, left; English camp in Latin America bottom, right; Graduation from a theological school in Asia
5