We just returned from leading Catalyst Community #1 in El Salvador with 16 church teams representing four different denominations. We often say that Central America can be a hard slog, because there is so much tradition and legacy Catholicism, but I left El Salvador feeling like we had accomplished a lot.
Nepal: A Nation Rich in Religion and Cultural Identity Nepal is 81.3% Hindu, 9% Buddhist, 4.3% Muslim, and a smattering of other belief systems. The percent of the population that is evangelical Christian is statistically considered “unknown”. There are 270 known […]
The Unique Culture of Brazil’s Southern Cone We recently returned to the Southern Cone of Brazil to lead Catalyst Community #2 (CC2) on developing Missional Culture in our churches, in Porto Alegre and Florianopolis. Southern Brazil’s culture is distinctively unique in […]
with Pastor Leriel in Cuba a couple of years ago. Colin led Catalyst Community #1 there in November 2019 before the pandemic. Since then there have been 12 new churches planted and 40 new community groups started! Cuba just opened back up a month ago and we were able to visit again to lead Catalyst Community #2.
One week from today we will be back in Pakistan! We made our first trip there in January of 2020 and were able to work with 400 church leaders from around the nation. Our return trip has been repeatedly delayed, but we are now set to lead two additional Catalyst Community #1 (developing leaders) events. We are planning to return again at the start of next year to lead Catalyst Community #2 (missional culture).
Jonathan Matthews grew up in Brazil where his parents served as missionaries. As an adult, he returned to Brazil to follow in their footsteps. We partnered with Jonathan and the Southern Cone Initiative for our recent Catalyst Communities in Brazil. Here’s what Jonathan had to say about Catalyst Community:
We spent 11 days in Brazil doing ministry training events in three different cities (Port Alegre, Florianópolis, and Criciúma). We held two Catalyst Community #1 (Developing Leaders) events, led a denominational pastor training event, and trained the broader leadership teams of two strategic partner churches.
The Southern Cone is a geographic region in South America located east of the Andes Mountains and south of the Tropic of Capricorn that encompasses Argentina, Uruguay and Southern Brazil. It’s people are primarily of European descent and are considered to be mostly least-reached.
I am always encouraged when I hear stories of how God is at work in the lives of the leaders we get to work with around the world. I was talking with my dear friend Rolly from the Philippines this week and I realized that I needed to share his story with you. Rolly’s story is one of many, but it’s a really good story, so enjoy and be encouraged!
Western Europe was once the center of worldwide Christian missions. This region has been saturated with the message of Christianity and the influence of the church longer, and with more intensity, than any other region of the world.
