(By Pastor Scott Thomas, with Pastor Mike Gunn)

“If you have pity for perishing people and a passion for the reputation of Christ, you must care about world mission.” –John Piper

Ten percent of Mars Hill Church’s general budget goes to fund the Acts 29 church-planting network. Acts 29 has helped plant more than one hundred twenty churches in the United States, but its work is by no means limited to our own country.

Here are some statistics to give you a better idea about the international work of Acts 29:

• Acts 29 is training pastors, planting churches, and financially assisting churches on three continents (African, Asian, European).
• Since January 2007, Acts 29 Network has trained 800 pastors in other countries.
• Acts 29 has trained pastors from approximately 1,000 churches and at least 100,000 people (most of whom have been saved out of Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam).
• Since January of 2007, we have conducted official “boot camps” (training and assessment programs for pastors and prospective church planters) in India, Pakistan, Thailand, Zambia, South Africa, and the DR Congo. In 2008 alone, Acts 29 will host at least five international boot camps.
• We are supporting church planting leaders in India, Nepal, Thailand, Zambia, the DR Congo, Uganda, Pakistan, Guatemala, and Ecuador, and we are currently planning potential boot camps in Brazil, Ecuador, Australia, Senegal, Uganda, London, Europe, as well as returning to Thailand, India, Congo, and Pakistan to conduct more training conferences and boot camps in other cities in these countries.
• Right now, all but two of our international church planters are being mentored and encouraged by other Acts 29 churches in the United States.
• We are forming partnerships with The Crowded House in Sheffield, England, and Redeemer Presbyterian (New York) in Europe and South Africa in order to more strategically distribute the workload and labor in concert with like-minded ministries around the globe. Acts 29 will partner with The Crowded House to host a church-planting conference in London this July.

Legalism, the prosperity gospel, and other false teachings are prevalent in many of the countries where Acts 29 is building a ministry presence. The populations within these same countries often suffer from extreme poverty and disease, such as HIV/AIDS. For the most part, the church in these areas—preaching a self-centered gospel—is weak and too impotent to do anything about the very real problems that afflict much of the globe. At the same time, Islam is gaining a massive foothold in this world while the church sleeps!

For any churches or individuals interested in active participation with Acts 29, the international missions opportunities are endless in countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Afghanistan, and Nepal. Those with interest in these ventures can email info@acts29network.org.

(Mike Gunn was a pastor at Mars Hill Church who was sent out to plant Harambee Church in Renton, Washington, through Acts 29. In addition to serving as lead pastor at Harambee, he is actively leading Acts 29’s international movement.)