As we enter Giving Tuesday, we invite you to glimpse what God is doing through faithful partners in one of the least-reached regions of the world. Central Asian pastors, many of whom experience persecution on a regular basis, are embracing the Word in ways that are only possible through the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. Viewed through the eyes of one of our trainers, you’ll read of real transformation taking place in real churches because believers like you have invested in training pastors to handle Scripture with clarity and conviction.
Throughout Central Asia, most pastors have drawn on inspirational stories instead of God’s Word for their sermons. Even when they read a text, they often drift quickly away from the Word. But that is changing across the region. Pastors are beginning to grow in their ability to study God’s Word, and preach Christ-centered, expositional sermons.
The pastors are preaching sermons built on the main idea of the book, something they’ve never considered before. They first identify the message of the whole book, then preach individual sermons that fit within that message. The last time I was with them, I heard a level of clarity in their exposition that I had never heard in this region. It is affecting pulpits everywhere. As the pastors begin to understand the Word, many are starting to speak openly about false teaching. Some of the pastors explained, “We’ve needed to understand the Word because we did not previously know how to distinguish false teaching.” That’s all changing as the truth of God’s Word shines from the pulpit.
During a recent trip, one pastor’s wife who has been a believer for years told us, “I’ve never heard preaching like this until you came and started training.” This is biblical exposition taking root.
As a growing number of pastors are graduating from our Core Training, they’re now teaching the Dig & Discover Principles. There are at least five groups spread across one small country, and people from many of the churches are gathering to learn together. One pastor now has seven house churches working through the principles. He is faithful, slow and deliberate. He keeps training people to study God’s Word and discipling them to rightly understand and handle the Word.
They want this to spread. The Lord is using national leaders to carry the work forward, and it is encouraging to watch. Pastors are identifying others who have never been exposed to the training. People are asking to join new groups. Local pastors are leading, and they are figuring out how to fund the work as it multiplies. The nationals are the ones driving the multiplication.
WordPartners’ focus is now on connecting strong trainers across borders. I am taking skilled trainers from one Central Asian country with me into another. The goal is to build teams that are predominantly Central Asian, and they are eager for it. They want to share what they have learned with brothers in neighboring countries. This is a new level of multiplication. When pastors see other Central Asians leading the training, something ignites. There’s a unique flame when they see this kind of cross denominational training run by Central Asians. It creates vision, sustainability, and a sense of shared mission.
This is our goal: ownership by indigenous pastors. And that is what I’m seeing. I’m hearing a change in their preaching. I’m hearing evidence from other native speakers of specifically expository preaching. They’re hearing preachers who now preach the Word with clarity and conviction. It’s a beautiful thing to see.
On this Giving Tuesday, will you help multiply this work by giving a special gift to equip pastors in restricted access and persecuted contexts like Central Asia? Your generosity strengthens leaders who are hungry to preach the Word with faithfulness and power. Every gift expands this work into new churches, new regions, and new generations of pastors. If you are giving for the first time, your one-time gift or any new recurring gift through August 2026 will be doubled up to $200,000. Thank you for standing with them.
