And pastors like Néstor, who serves the
Baptist Church of El Christo. Pastor Néstor
is older and more reserved. He carries
himself in a very serious manner. This
may be due to the fact that during the
early years of serving in ministry, he was
imprisoned and forced into hard labor in
the sugar cane fields because it was illegal
to be a pastor. He was separated from his
family for months at a time because he
would not turn his back on his faith or
calling. His congregation meets in a
traditional church building that is
spacious, but has a dirt floor. The ruggedness of the building has not deterred people from calling the church their home. As a matter of fact, during the Vacation Bible School that my traveling companions led, over 90 kids from the local community participated each day.
Did I mention that these pastors and others are making such tremendous impacts in their communities while facing multiple challenges? Problems like having out-of-date technology or no technology at all, a lack of consistent access to research resources, a lack of reliable Internet service, only having two-to-three people leading praise and worship and, all the while, they and the members of their congregations earn less than $25 each a month? And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. How many of us have had to face these kinds of difficulties?
Despite the multiple challenges they face, these leaders have big dreams for how God can use them in building the Kingdom. They each have visions of ministry that are much bigger than simply preaching to a crowd in their local church building. They each are hungry to better understand God’s word and share it. They seek to be in consistent fellowship with each other.
As has happened before, I left this trip having received more than I had given. I was reminded of the endless ways that God’s Kingdom is already visible through people who may not be as well off as I am and that their love and compassion can serve as examples for all of us to follow.
Terrell Carter is assistant professor and director of contextualized learning at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, Kansas, and pastor of Webster Groves Baptist Church in Webster Groves, Mo.
Note: This column originally appeared in Word&Way and is used here with permission.