Church Planting

We arrived in Bolivia in 2013 and spent our first three years here helping revitalize 3 churches in the capital city of La Paz. These churches were at risk of closing their doors. We worked with them by guiding them through their internal doctrinal struggles, supporting them during some dark days. Praise the Lord, none of those churches closed their doors, and they are still sending forth the gospel today.

We then moved to the city of Santa Cruz where we currently reside and continue to work. It was here that the Lord showed us what we believe to be our vision for the church planting ministry He has placed us into.

Our intention is to replicate what Nehemiah did when he rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah labored with the families of Jerusalem when he helped them build their own wall to fortify their city. Our mission is to apply that same principle and build a wall of churches around our city. God has shown us how to work this process and it has proven to work quite well. We rely on Him to show us a man desiring to serve the Lord with his whole heart, and a community within which we can work to establish a local body of believers who will work together to become a fully autonomous church.

To apply our “Nehemiah vision”, we partner with the national whom God has brought to the forefront. We begin canvassing in the community, holding Bible studies and conducting other outreach activities in order to bring a base of new believers together. Everything we do is focused on converting this small group of people into a local church. We must look for and secure the property that God has set aside for them, work through that purchase process, then prepare to build just a basic structure in which they can begin holding services. This moves them a long way towards being independent.

As we work with one national and one group of people to establish a church, we are simultaneously preparing the groundwork for the next church. We are continuously encouraging each national to move toward taking on the role of leadership, and as he does so, we walk with him. Since most men in this position have not already served as a pastor we are there to guide him in leading the services, becoming disciplined in the ministry of tending to the flock, and taking on the many other responsibilities of a pastor. We will continue to support him and the people by providing Scripture, tracts, Sunday School material and the other items needed to function efficiently as a local body of believers. Our final objective is that when we step away, the national will continue as the pastor and he will be fully equipped to lead this church for years without needing outside support. By applying our “Nehemiah Vision” and working through this approach, we are not adding churches but rather multiplying them. We believe we are seeing more souls saved and that in itself makes a greater difference for the Kingdom of Heaven. But we need help. We would like to ask you to partner with us and have a part in building a greater wall?

Iglesia Bautista Monte Carmelo

Our family met Francisco Lopez and as we labored together in a local church, he began to share his burden and desire to start a church on the north side of our city. Our family caught his burden as well so in April of 2018, we started working with him and his family. Together we built Mount Carmel Baptist Church in a community for which the church is named. The people in this area are very religious but confused. They are willing to accept any religion that sounds good and most have already been involved to some degree with Catholicism, earth worship, Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witness or any number of other false religions. This has made winning souls more difficult, but it has been an exciting opportunity to be able to share with people that it isn't about a religion. It is about a relationship with the Savior. By August 2019, Mount Carmel Baptist Church was operating independently with Francisco as its pastor.

Iglesia Bautista Sembrando La Buena Semilla

In November of 2018, we met Rogelio Torrez and his wife. They had been leading a Neighborhood Bible Club for the children in a small community. Rogelio had the desire to grow this children’s ministry into a church but was unsure how. We stepped alongside to help him fulfill this dream. The people in this community are more open to the gospel than in Mount Carmel. Together, we have spent hours in people’s homes creating personal relationships and sharing the gospel. Pastor Rogelio has a great connection with his people because of the time taken to gain and build their trust. Due to these strong relationships, and Rogelio’s love for his people, we have been able to see several people saved and begin to follow the Lord. As of September 2021, this church is also operating independently with Rogelio as their pastor.

Iglesia Bautista Vida Eterna

In January of 2021, the Lord showed us a struggling ministry that had its beginnings sometime before the pandemic surfaced. With the health crisis and a 6-month government mandated shut down, this ministry was devastated despite the hard work and dedication of those who started it. 

We partnered with Arturo Cazón and his family to revive this outreach to their community. The people, being somewhat more reserved than in other neighborhoods, graciously accepted us, and we were able to reach them with the gospel of Christ.

We continued to assist the Cazón family until this church was firmly founded and had their own property. As of November 2023 this church became autonomous with Arturo as the pastor.