I believe in the church. My work with Mission Global takes me to places around the world where I see God’s people in action—meeting social needs, proclaiming good news to the least reached, the vulnerable, the poor, and setting captives free. I see people who, having given up on themselves and the society around them, find a new dignity and destiny for their lives in Jesus and through His church. When God’s people understand their responsibility to be God’s agents of transformation, community development and hope, no institution in the world is as beautiful and effective as the church.
I believe in the church.
Antioch is the first place we see the word “Christian” used in the Bible. It described those who, scattered by the persecution of believers in connection with Stephen (Acts 11:19), had gathered in community—a local “church.” The leaders in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to encourage the believers, and in turn, Barnabas brought Paul (formerly Saul) to help him, and “for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people” (Acts 11:26).
This new local church in Antioch was God’s idea and is a model for every church everywhere. It was marked by diversity, with people from multiple nations and languages. It met regularly. People were coming to Jesus continually and joining the local church. Prayer was central. People heard and understood the voice of God. The presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit was powerfully evident. We read in the Bible that as they are praying and worshipping, the Spirit of God speaks to them and sets apart Paul and Barnabas “to do good works, which God prepared in advance” for them to do (Ephesians 2:10).
This newly formed vibrant community of Jesus followers became the nerve centre for the missional activity of the early church. Through the generations, local churches have remained God’s means of providing deep community, cultivating disciples whose hearts and minds are renewed, strengthening families, and sending His people into the world as instruments to transform communities. Here are three stories of the local church at its best.
The Local Church in Action: Hope Community Church, Zimbabwe
I recently received pictures from an “Anti-drug Youth Day” hosted by Hope Community Church in Harare. Thirty-two per cent of the 15 million Zimbabweans are between the ages of 10-24. 1 UNICEF describes drug abuse as “one of the most serious public health and socio-pathological threats facing adolescents and young people in Zimbabwe” 2 ; a threat to their long-term well-being and future.
The causes that drive these young people to drugs include dire living conditions, lack of quality leisure activities, lack of self-esteem, dysfunctional family dynamics, and a general loss of hope. The church has the answer. It offers the life-changing good news that Jesus died for our sins, and today, He reigns, seated at the right hand of God in power and standing in intercession for us.
Hope Community Church, home of the Zimbabwe Village of Hope and a school with excellent educational facilities, hosted the sports and activity day attended by hundreds of young people from the community, offering these young people an alternative to the destructive impact of drugs.
The Local Church in Action: Pentecostal Assemblies of Bangladesh
The house church movement in Bangladesh is called Talitha Koum3 (“Little girl, I say to you, get up,” Mark 5:41) and has over 3,500 house churches. They have responded to the needs of millions of Rohingya refugees and migrants from neighbouring Myanmar. In the name of Jesus, they provide clean water, food, clothing and Bibles. They have also entered communities throughout Bangladesh where the majority religion is predominant, and they have provided much-needed wells so families can have clean water for kids in school. Regardless of religious background, people have needs, and the church is best positioned to meet those needs. Talitha Koum also rescues young girls whose mothers sold them into brothels. The church creates a place of dignity where these girls receive an education, and their destinies are changed.
The Local Church in Action: Watoto Church, Kampala, Uganda
I recently attended the 40th anniversary of Watoto Church, Uganda. Two young Canadians arrived in Kampala at a time when the country was near its lowest point economically and socially. Gary and Marilyn Skinner, like Paul and Barnabas in Antioch, heard the voice of God and followed His call to this city at that time. God still calls people to very specific vocations and locations.
Watoto Church has rescued, raised and rebuilt the lives of thousands of children, releasing them back into communities as Christ-centred leaders and self-sustaining contributors to society. HIV/AIDS ravaged a generation of young families in Uganda and most of sub-Saharan Africa. Few families were spared, and thousands of children were left homeless, often trying to manage on their own. But the church stood up and Watoto Child Care Ministries bridged the gap. During that same time, over 250,000 children were abducted and forced to serve as child soldiers and sex slaves. When they returned home, they often found that their families were dead, their homes destroyed, and their society rejected them. Once again, the church stood up and bridged the gap. The church brought the healing message of the gospel and helped these former child soldiers and sex slaves find their place in society with restored dignity and destiny.
You can read this story in Gary Skinner’s book, Where Faith Lit the Way. In the book, you will find a beautiful, anonymous quote: “The church is the voice of hope, the hands of compassion, and the feet of action in community.” 4
There is no other institution that can offer the hope and help that is found in the church. We impact the world by establishing self-sustaining church movements that multiply while continuing to reflect the compassionate heart of Christ for their communities, nation and the world. We pray that, through the global church, Jesus Christ will be worshipped and adored.
I believe in the church, the hope of the world.
Murray Cornelius is the executive director of Mission Global.
This article appeared in the October/November/December 2024 issue of testimony/Enrich, a quarterly publication of The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. © 2024 The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. Photos © Mission Global. Header: Murray Cornelius at an ERDO well put into a M*slim community to help their children. Mid-article: A volunteer wearing an “Anti-drug Youth Day” T-shirt in Zimbabwe.
- “Zimbabwe 2022 Population and Housing Census Report” ZimStat, accessed August 3, 2024, https://www.zimstat.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/Demography/Census/2022_PHC_Report_27012023_Final.pdf
- “Understanding drug use and substance abuse by Zimbabwean adolescents and young people,” UNICEF, accessed August 3, 2024, https://www.unicef.org/zimbabwe/media/8871/file.
- Talitha Koum changed its name to the Pentecostal Assemblies of Bangladesh, while continuing to use Talitha Koum for social engagement. PAOC Mission Global and ERDO (Emergency Relief and Development Overseas) are its primary partners. Over 150,000 people have come to Jesus.
- Gary Skinner, Where Faith Lit the Way (Cobourg: Gary M. Skinner, 2024), 20. Copies of this book can be ordered by visiting https://watotocanada.myshopify.com