Almost fifteen years ago, after four years of Bible and cross-cultural ministry training, Beth and I became members of a mission organization called Ethnos360 (formerly New Tribes mission). Our four years of training included two years at Ethnos360 Bible Institute, a year break to get married and serve in our home church, and then two years at Ethnos360 Training. So, really, our relationship with the organization is over twenty years old.
Ethnos360 is all about partnering with the local church to see thriving churches planted among the world’s unreached and least-reached people.
Motivated by the love of Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, Ethnos360 exists to assist the ministry of the local church through the mobilizing, equipping, and coordinating of believers to evangelize unreached people groups, translate the Scriptures and see indigenous churches established that glorify God.
-Ethnos360 Purpose Statement
Those of you who have followed our ministry over the years may remember that we first set out to serve the Lord in church planting in southeast Asia but were shortly rerouted to Papua New Guinea (PNG). After a few years in PNG serving on a church planting team, the Lord once again changed our direction to Mexico. This past month marked nine years in Mexico! Both Jude and Iris spent time in PNG before we left, but for them, Mexico has always been their real home.
Here in Mexico, we support the work of church planting through leading and equipping. You might ask, “Isn’t Mexico already reached with the gospel?” After all, there are countless churches in Mexico and countless resources in the Spanish language to see people reached for Christ and discipled into maturity. There are Bible schools and seminaries dedicated to training local church pastors.
But did you know that while Mexico is the world’s most populous Spanish-speaking country, there are many people groups in Mexico that speak over 364 variations of 68 different languages? Ethnos México works shoulder to shoulder with the local church to train and equip church planters for cross-cultural ministry in Mexico and beyond!
Here in Mexico, we have seven different church planting works, with an additional work being engaged itinerantly. We have also sent Mexican missionaries to other countries. We have two two-year Bible institutes and one two-year cross-cultural ministry training program dedicated to training believers from local Mexican churches in cross-cultural church planting ministry. God is at work in Mexico, and we are privileged to have a part!
- Learn more about the work of Ethnos360 and Ethnos México (Spanish)!
- Follow Ethnos México on Facebook and Instragram!
[…] (Keep your eye out for an upcoming blog: What is Ethnos México, Anyways?) […]