I met Kang Songhwan when he and his wife, Miran, visited our church near Philly. Songhwan already had a seminary degree and almost ten years of pastoral experience. But the shocker was that they were considering moving temporarily from South Korea to the U.S. to attend our Pastors College. I remember being struck with the sincerity and humility of this couple—they were willing to make some serious sacrifices to go where they believed God was leading them. I’ve met few people like the Kangs.

Songhwan and Miran did move to Gaithersburg in 2008, and we were privileged to have them at the Pastors College. Songhwan did a remarkable job of navigating an intensive ten-month study program in his second language. (I mean school was always a challenge for me in my first language!) Songhwan graduated in June of 2009 and moved back to Seoul to plant a church.

Fast-forward to today: There are about 30 adults in Lord’s Grace Church, meeting in an English-language school in central Seoul. Songhwan recently finished teaching a series on foundational doctrines and commitments. On the final Sunday of that series, the church’s first members made a public commitment to the church, and everyone celebrated with a shared meal afterward. It’s no megachurch, but numbers aren’t what Songhwan is aiming for. A recent email from him says that the church “is growing continuously and happily in God’s mercy and grace.”
 
Now that’s good news.
 
Would you pray with us for Lord’s Grace Church? Please pray:

• that God would grant the church favor in their community
• that the church would share the gospel effectively and many would be saved
• for financial provision for this brand new church as it gets started in an expensive city
• that God would give grace and wisdom to the Kangs as they lead this church
  

Thanks for praying for believers in Seoul!

If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.

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Dave Harvey leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.

If you want some serious encouragement, check this out. Remember those small churches in south central Burma I posted about a few weeks ago? We recently received another email from David, the Pastors College student I talked about in that post. He sent some further prayer requests, and included a few photos from these remote churches that are safe to share online.

David writes,

Believers continue to meet faithfully even in the midst of some severe pressure….Our church plant in the Delta continues to witness to the gospel to the…people and many more families send their children to our preschool, even though the majority of these parents initially rejected us. Our churches in [another region] also continue to witness some growth.

Please continue to pray for [our church-planting center]. Many of these works are now taken up by…senior students. We now begin to see the fruit of the training we provided.

Believers meet in a house church

A local pastor prays

Praying for fellow believers

Will you pray with us for these brothers and sisters in Christ? Please pray that the gospel will continue to advance in Burma. Pray for wisdom and boldness for David and the pastors he works with. Pray that many would be saved to the glory of God.

If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.

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Dave Harvey leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.



As this blog post gets published, I’m hopping on a flight (along with about 7,000 others) to the Together for the Gospel conference. Maybe you’ll be there too. But while we’re enjoying three packed days of teaching, nestled in hotel and air-conditioned meeting spaces, let’s not forget to pray for pastors who serve in challenging places outside the U.S. Some of these guys may never attend conferences like this.



For example, we recently heard from some pastors that we work with in south Asia. Would you join us in praying for them?
 


India



Our friend Wilson leads a network of around 350 churches in western and northern India. The pastors of these churches are boldly preaching the gospel of Christ in many settings, from remote rural villages to the slums of a fast-growing industrial city. Some of them have been imprisoned, or beaten, or seen their church buildings torched. But you know what? They are seeing conversions and many churches are multiplying. One pastor reports that 20 people are meeting weekly; another church has 24 people who usually attend, four of whom are not yet believers. Other pastors are spearheading a children’s education program in a slum area, in partnership with a church there that now has 60 believers.
 


Wilson also leads a school for pastoral ministry. In December, he hosted pastors Greg Gill (Grace Community Church, Kingsville, MD) and Joel Rishel (Sovereign Grace Church, Joppa, MD) to teach a week-long session on biblical leadership and pastoral ministry. Sixty pastors from eight Indian states attended the course. Now that may not seem like a large crowd compared to T4G, but this “small” class in western India was equally strategic. It provided not only pastoral equipping in gospel truths, but also an opportunity for these pastors to be encouraged through fellowship with each other. 



Sri Lanka

For several years we’ve had the privilege of working with a small number of pastors in Sri Lanka, who together lead more than a dozen churches. Instability in Sri Lanka has made ministry difficult, and the churches are facing persecution. And it’s not just hardship from without; one of these pastors is caring for his wife as she is suffering severely from a terminal illness. 
 


But in spite of these challenges the gospel of Christ is advancing, and churches are growing as people are being saved. For example, an inner-city church was recently planted that already has 60 new believers.


It’s hard to believe we get to partner with leaders throughout the world who are making a vital difference through the gospel. If you’re wondering how you can support their cause, let me offer one simple word: Pray

How to pray



When it comes to prayer, specifics help. So here goes.

Please pray:


• that God would protect believers in India and Sri Lanka and grant them boldness to proclaim the gospel of Christ
• that God would open doors for the gospel among Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, and that many would put their faith in Christ
• that God would grant wisdom and strength to pastors in India and Sri Lanka
• that stability, peace, and justice would increase in both of these countries
  


Thanks for remembering them by praying with us!
 
If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.

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Dave Harvey leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.

You may have seen reports of the murders of three people associated with the U.S. Consulate in Juárez, Mexico, earlier this month. Sadly, these are among the latest of thousands of murders in the city of Juárez and elsewhere in Mexico as the country battles drug traffickers. The weekend of the Consulate shootings, 28 other people were murdered in Juárez alone. Stunning doesn’t quite capture it; it’s devastating, a social shock to the people of Juárez.

We recently received some updates and prayer requests from Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez, the Sovereign Grace church in that city, and wanted to pass them along to you. Will you join us in praying for believers in Juárez?

First, some more specifics. As Mexico’s war on the drug cartels continues, the city of Juárez is embroiled in violence. On average, at least seven people have been murdered every day since 2009, including more than 500 murders since January. The violence is not limited to those involved in drug trafficking—innocent bystanders, including children, are among those killed. In addition, the city is facing a crime wave in which anyone can be a target of kidnapping, armed robbery, and extortion.

This ongoing social catastrophe has far-reaching effects. About 5,000 businesses have closed, and some estimate that as much as 15–20% of the city’s population has left. Those who remain face the daily threat of ruthless violence.

Carlos Contreras is senior pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Cd. Juárez (Sovereign Grace Church of Juárez). For more than 20 years this church has been a faithful gospel witness in their city. They have trained a number of pastors and leaders and in 2006 planted another church in Aquascalientes, Mexico. And they’re continuing to preach the gospel faithfully in spite of the trials they’re facing.

After describing the violence in Juárez Carlos writes,

But there is good news also. The church in the city remains strong and has apparently become the only remaining source of hope for many people. We all pray and we pray a lot, and we pray boldly and we pray publicly for God to intervene in a miraculous way to change things and to do justice. But mostly we pray for revival and for the salvation of thousands.

Under the leadership of their pastoral team, Iglesia Gracia Soberana is taking the gospel to the streets. The most recent session of their Alpha class (an introductory class on the gospel) graduated 63 students, more than they’d ever had. The church is airing evangelistic programs on local TV. Earlier this month, 150 church members went to two busy intersections, handed out about 800 evangelistic tracts and about 200 New Testaments, and prayed for about 300 people. On Saturday they hit the streets again, handing out 6,000 invitations to church, 300 copies of the Gospel of John, and 200 New Testaments—and praying for 1,300 people.

Here’s a slideshow of their outreaches: 

My friends, this is authentic Christianity.

Carlos’s email continues,

What is most encouraging to me is to see our dear church steadfast in Christ while enduring faithfully in the midst of all this. Christ is certainly our solid rock, there is nothing more to trust in. Scripture has been our guiding light in the midst of great darkness and our fellowship is a constant source of joy and encouragement….My main job is to serve them by almost daily having the privilege of pointing their eyes to Christ and away from the despair surrounding us.

So here’s our appeal: Will you join us in praying for our brothers and sisters in Juárez? Please pray…

• that God would grant wisdom and strength to Carlos Contreras and other pastors in Juárez

• that God would give sustaining grace to Iglesia Gracia Soberana and the other churches in this city

• that the gospel would be clearly preached and many would put their faith in Christ for forgiveness of sins

• that peace and justice would be restored to Juárez

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

For more about the Sovereign Grace churches in Juárez and Aguascalientes (as well as in Bolivia), see this 35-minute film produced in 2007.

If you’d like to support Sovereign Grace Ministries’ work outside the U.S., you can make a designated gift by clicking here.

There’s a group of 15 believers in a remote village in south central Burma (or Myanmar) somewhere near the Irrawaddy Delta, who are quickly becoming some of my spiritual heroes. Unlike me, these men and women are consistently facing opposition as they seek to plant a gospel-centered church. Opposition for me is the weird look I occasionally get when mentioning I’m a pastor.

But listen to how my friend David describes this group of people:

Our church plant continues to meet on a regular basis, but with significant pressure from both local and religious leaders. At first, we had informal gatherings, but when [the authorities] see a pattern of our folks worshipping on Sunday morning and that our church planter is going from house to house, they accuse us of “changing their religion” and “creating problems” in their village. But the believers have all agreed and confess boldly that they have been changed by Jesus…

Western Christianity is much different than this; stories like this can sometimes be difficult to connect with. But there’s more. The cloud of oppression for this small group of believers changes their actual meetings. During worship, they sing softly. When they’re taking requests before their Heavenly Father, it’s barely above a whisper. Why? They don’t want to draw unnecessary attention resulting in targeted persecution. They live out a Christianity where that possibility is never far from their minds. The pastor of this small church spends each week encouraging these believers to hold fast in their faith. The current study diet: “to be strong in the Lord.”

That’s serious stuff. When we talk about church-planting difficulties in the States, we rarely see seminars on how to avoid arrest or suffer persecution for God’s glory. And yet, when you interact with David and this church, you find a group of people who are less aware of suffering than they are of the Savior. I want to be like that.

In Sovereign Grace, we’re thinking a lot about people like this group in south central Burma. We’re also thinking a lot about the 41% of the world’s population that still exists unreached by the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we need your help.

David is a pastor from Burma who graduated from our Pastors College. He’s got serious game when it comes to planting churches and a real heart to see the gospel preached in his home country. In fact, he is responsible for leading and directing a well-known church planting center, as well as a portion of the teaching. The guy never stops! Currently, David is looking to plant another church near the Irrawaddy Delta in a village largely unengaged and unreached by the gospel. As an inroad, he’s starting a preschool there. It’s crazy stuff, but we’re excited to partner with David to make it happen.

But there’s even more. We continue to look at other areas of the world where unreached people groups exist. We’re considering involvement with unreached Muslims in an African nation. We’re supporting translations work and other ministries that work on the front lines. There are also men related to these ventures that we’re considering for the Pastors College.

These are all exciting updates that appear to change on an almost daily basis. And each day, we’re reminded that what we need more than anything are your prayers. As you read this, a few Sovereign Grace pastors are visiting this small church in south central Burma to encourage the believers in their faith. Pray that God would use these men in mighty ways. Pray that more would be converted in this small village. Please pray for David. Pray that God would soften the hearts of those unengaged among the Karen people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for the selection of leaders for these churches. Pray that the gospel would go forth and many would be saved to the glory of God. Pray that we would play our part in Sovereign Grace Ministries and that every dollar spent would be multiplied so that God’s kingdom would expand.

May God bless the advancement of the gospel in Burma, North Africa, India, and among the unreached people groups beyond our borders!

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Dave Harvey leads international expansion and church planting for Sovereign Grace Ministries and is based in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania. For more information about the Sovereign Grace church-planting process, click here.

Cedric Moss was the senior pastor of Kingdom Life Church in Nassau, Bahamas long before he ever heard of Sovereign Grace Ministries. One day, wanting to better understand the gospel personally and to more passionately preach it to his church, Cedric searched online and stumbled upon Sovereign Grace Ministries. In 2004 Cedric attended our pastors conference as a visitor, hoping to observe from a distance.

In reflecting upon the trip Cedric says,

I was a pastor who was weary in the ministry and skeptical about church associations and networks, having been closely associated with a few and having given up on them. However, to my surprise, in Sovereign Grace I found men who were genuinely interested in me as a pastor, not the size of my church, or getting my church’s name on a list.

During our 2009 Pastors Conference, Cedric shared the rest of the story, which you can hear in this 16-minute recording:

Download MP3 (3.7 MB)

Hearing updates from various pastors was a personal highlight at our recent Pastors Conference. Over the next few days I will have the privilege to share these testimonies with you.

Among these men was Wolfgang Wegert, senior pastor of Arche Church in Hamburg, Germany. In his update, Wolfgang highlighted a recent trip by Dave Harvey, Jeff Purswell, and Pete Greasley to Hamburg as Sovereign Grace considers how to best serve the Arche Church and the region of central Europe.

But I was unprepared for the concluding words of Wolfgang’s update. The concluding words are the words of a humble man. And his update left me humbled and deeply affected.

With his son Christian providing translation, you can listen to Wolfgang’s complete ten-minute update here:

Download MP3 (2.4 MB)

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Related post: For more information about Wolfgang Wegert and the church in Germany, see this video, part of the 2008 Sovereign Grace Mission Presentation.

Welcome back to my interview with Gareth Lloyd, the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Read part one of the interview here and part two here.

Gareth, what single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your leadership?

The experience of God’s work upon your own soul is the best qualification to lead others.

Where in ministry are you most regularly tempted to discouragement?

This is a tough one!

For many years I regularly experienced debilitating discouragement ministering in an atmosphere which was not grace centered but where believers were constantly heaping burdens on themselves and beating themselves up with guilt for their sin (myself included). I recently sat with a number of guys who are all ministering in that same environment and each one, in turn described how they were suffering the discouragement of ministry as though that were a natural part of the deal of being in ministry.

I am so grateful that for the past four years I have enjoyed being part of a new church plant where I have experienced and enjoyed a grace centered community. I get to do life with the most grateful, encouraging people I have ever known!

Do you exercise? If so, what do you do? If not, why not? (Please be specific.)

I play soccer for an hour once a week and over the last month have been spending an hour on a treadmill and cross trainer two days a week.

Currently, what sport do you like to play and/or watch?

I play soccer once a week as part of our local church outreach and also for the church team. (We are currently the UK Sovereign Grace Churches champions having beaten all the opposition!)

I watch soccer whenever I get opportunity on TV and watch one of local teams live with my sons a couple of times during the season. I also enjoy watching rugby.

What do you do for leisure?

I love listening to music, walking with Angela and the children and watching movies.

If you were not in ministry, what occupational path would you have chosen?

I spent some years prior to ministry in property management and before being encouraged to consider ministry was training towards teaching.

Thank you, Gareth!

Welcome back to my interview with Gareth Lloyd, senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Read part one of the interview here.

Gareth, if you could study under any theologian in church history (excluding those men in Scripture), who would it be and why?

Jonathan Edwards just because he is the theologian I have spent most time reading of late! I love his grand vision of God and his desire that God be known not only with the mind but experienced (loved and enjoyed) in the heart.

What single piece of counsel (or constructive criticism) has most improved your preaching?

Don’t leave the scaffolding up when you get to the pulpit—the scaffolding is for the study alone! In other words, don’t bore a congregation with all the detail of your exegetical work, however fascinating it has been to you.

What books on preaching, or examples of it, have you found most influential in your own preaching?

The Supremacy of God in Preaching by John Piper.

Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture by Graeme Goldsworthy

Examples: Tim Keller because of his gospel-centredness and his consistent awareness of the unbeliever every time he preaches.

John Piper because of his elevation of the glory of God.

You C.J., because of the permeation of grace in all of your preaching and your ability to help the believer connect the dots from the gospel to life.

What single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?

This has been an area where I believe I have been weak, always being busy but often falling due to poor planning and prioritizing. I have recently been helped and provoked by the Sovereign Grace Leadership Podcast on the subject of “The Pastor and His Time.” The encouragement to set aside 30–60 minutes on a Monday to plan priorities according to my roles has been beneficial.

Join me next time for the third and final portion of my interview with Gareth Lloyd.

Meet Gareth Lloyd.

Gareth, who is 37 years old, is the senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. He graduated from the Evangelical Theological College of Wales with a B.A. in Theological Studies. Gareth and his wife, Angela, have been married for 18 years and have seven children.

Gareth, thanks for your time! Please describe for us your morning devotions. What time do you wake up in the morning? How much time do you spend reading, meditating, praying, etc.? What are you presently reading?

I wake at 6:30. While Angela is caring for our newborn baby and toddler I get ready with four of our other children for an hour and a half drive to school. The outbound journey is spent mostly listening to and singing along to worship songs and on my home journey each day I listen to a sermon usually connected to one of the books I am currently reading in my devotions. At present I am using the Robert Roberts daily reading plan.

Of late, I have been reading through the book of Numbers and I have been listening to some messages by Iain Duguid. When I get home I usually spend approximately an hour reading and praying before launching into my work for the day.

I usually change my devotional reading plan each year. In the past I have used the Robert Murray McCheyne Reading Plan along with D.A. Carson’s notes. Last year I took just three Bible books for the year and worked through them slowly asking the usual questions as I read: What did the writer want the original reader to know? What significance does this have for us today? What difference is that going to make?

I try to pray through the Scriptures that I am reading, pursuing fellowship and intimacy with God before praying for family, the local church and the town of Merthyr.

What book(s) are you currently reading in these three categories: (a) for your soul, (b) for pastoral ministry, or (c) for personal enjoyment?

I’m not sure I have been as clear as to categorize them in this way! I guess there is something of an overlap between categories in the books I am currently reading:

Religious Affections by Jonathan Edwards.

Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture: The Application of Biblical Theology to Expository Preaching by Graeme Goldsworthy.

Daniel Rowland and the Great Evangelical Awakening in Wales by Eifion Evans.

George Whitfield: The Life and Time of the Great Evangelist in the 18th Century Revival by Arnold Dallimore.

John Wesley by Iain Murray.

Since the beginning of the year I have been planted in the early 18th century for much of my reading and am finding it a most exhilarating experience!

These are the books that I am reading through in a progressive, consistent manner. There are many more that I will dip into and skim through from time to time.

Apart from Scripture, what book do you most frequently re-read and why?

The Memoirs of Jonathan Edwards. It consistently stirs in me a passion to pursue holiness and experiential Christianity.

Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace. This book has helped me with my inclination to drift back into legalism. It is a great reminder to me of the implications of the gospel of grace.

C.J. Mahaney, Humility. Likewise, I have a horrible inclination to make me, myself, and I the object of my attention.

When you finish a book, what system have you developed in order to remember and reference that book in the future?

I really need to be more systematic in order to retain more of what I read. However, I always read with a pen, underlining and making notes in my books. I then skim through the book after reading and jot down highlights in a personal notebook.

Join me next time for part two of my interview with my friend Gareth Lloyd.