Using innovative strategies to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus, CRM works to create movements of committed followers of Jesus that spread contagiously along relational and cultural lines—believing these gospel movements have the potential to transform whole towns, cities, and nations.
Here are a few places around the world that we are seeing these gospel movements take shape. We thank God for all he’s doing, and pray for more!
Eastern Europe
In multiple regions of Europe where CRM has staff, less than 2% of the population follow Jesus, and ministries that focus on discipleship and multiplication are lacking. This year 30 missionaries and national leaders from nine European countries came together in Budapest, Hungary, with trainers from CRM to explore Disciple Making Movement strategies. The gathering was open to leaders across Europe, but the majority came from Eastern European areas—Hungarians, Serbians, and Poles. The four days of training in DMM strategies inspired these leaders to return to their contexts with greater authority and expectation of God’s work among them as well as a fresh desire to see more Europeans experience and build God’s Kingdom in the love, grace, and boldness of the gospel.
Indiana
A gospel movement that began in one jail in Indiana has spread to at least six other prisons, with hundreds of conversions among prisoners (both men and women), ex-prisoners, and their families. CRM staff mentored “prisoners of peace,” who then led Discovery Bible Studies with other inmates, resulting in many people giving their lives to Jesus. The movement continues to expand in the prisons among both men and women, and ex-prisoners who discovered Jesus through Discovery Bible Studies behind bars are now starting Bible study groups outside of jail, continuing to invite the people around them to find life transformation in Jesus.
Lebanon
In the past few years, we’ve seen a broad and powerful gospel movement spreading to nearly a dozen nations across the Middle East. New disciples have multiplied rapidly as they have taken simple Bible studies and prayer into their family and social networks, driven by a passionate love for the Jesus they’ve just discovered. In Lebanon, we see a surprising dynamic: rather than planting a church and bringing people into it, people are finding Jesus through scripture outside of a church, becoming passionate disciples, and gathering together in greater and greater numbers. From the beginning, seekers in these Bible studies are introduced to rhythms of prayer, fellowship, discipleship (obedience to God), and sharing God’s truth, practices that will naturally develop into healthy and fresh expressions of the Church.
The Continent of Africa
This past spring, over 30 leaders ministering in nearly 20 African nations gathered with CRM staff in Kenya to learn about Disciple Making Movements and develop a strategy to reach the whole continent of Africa. They set a goal to reach a tipping point (unstoppable momentum) for reaching all of Africa (all 990 unreached and unengaged people groups) by 2020 and mapped out action steps to actually reach that goal. Despite facing numerous challenges, including famine, wars, robberies, and opposition, these leaders are passionately working toward reaching their goal.
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