Ministry in the Altiplano

A church leadership training program is helping strengthen indigenous congregations in the highlands of Bolivia

The three elderly women faithfully attend church every Sunday in their small, rural community. But once there, they are unsure of what to do. There is no pastor, and no worship leader. In fact, there is no one else. They are the only three members. Since they can barely read, it is difficult even to study the Bible together.

According to local inhabitants, just a few years ago most members of the community professed faith in Christ and attended services on a regular basis. Today, the church is all but dead.

The scenario is all too common in remote Aymara villages throughout Bolivia’s altiplano.

“The highland region has been largely neglected by the mainline denominations and churches of the principal cities,” said a staff member from the Samaritan’s Purse office in Bolivia. “The rural, indigenous church is struggling. Most churches have little or no priority on discipleship and leadership development. When their pastors and leaders grow old, there is no one to take their place and the church dies off. As sad as this may sound, it is the reality. It is the outcome of every church that does not take to heart its fundamental roles of reaching the lost with the Gospel, discipling new believers, and training leaders for a life of ministry.”

Samaritan’s Purse has launched a program to strengthen the indigenous church and reverse the trend. We are working with 33 churches in the highland region, conducting training in evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and ministry. The goal is to raise up new leaders, equip congregations to reach the lost, and to help them be effective in ministries that help believers grow in their faith.

The program is beginning to produce results. Nine new discipleship groups have been inaugurated this year, and three new churches are being built. In the past few months, 82 people have received Christ as their Lord and Savior. Several churches have begun to conduct outreach activities to get out of their four walls and take the Gospel to their communities.

Samaritan’s Purse also is helping 46 indigenous church leaders receive training in Nazarene and Assemblies of God seminaries in La Paz, to strengthen their knowledge of the Bible and help them be more effective in their ministry.

The local leaders are grateful for the help as they strive to breathe new life into their churches.

“A number of mission organizations have worked in this area in the past, but we have never received the kind or training and equipping for Christian ministry as your organization is giving us now,” Felix Casas, co-pastor of the church in the Tincachi community said after a session in the use of discipleship material. “We are very thankful.”