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September 2011
Partners in Ukraine's Multiplying Ministry,
When Jesus said that the branch connected to the Vine would produce "fruit...more fruit...much more fruit" (John 15:1-8), He must have been looking ahead to Reach Out's Ukraine ministry!
What makes Ukraine a beautiful expression of Reach Out's multiplying ministry? After Eric Ball and I spent three days in Phoenix, Arizona with Doug Landro, our Ukraine leader, the answer was clear: They do ministry the way Jesus did ministry!
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A beautiful expression: kids following Jesus |
Multiplying Growth
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The Landros |
It begins with our Ukraine team's strategy to create a national movement of churches coaching other churches, who then coach other churches--multiplying Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry. The result: in the last three years, the multiplication process has produced two, then four, eight, and today...20 churches!
In the 20 churches which our Ukraine team coaches...
� 563 teenagers gave their lives to Christ last year
� 281 young people are being discipled
� 161% average increase per church in adults called to work with kids
� 359% average increase of kids in youth ministry
Coaching Leaders
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Vova |
Vova Bilik, like Jesus' disciples, began his ministry ingloriously. His youth ministry collapsed doing it the "old traditional way." But once he caught the vision of doing ministry like Jesus, his ministry quickly grew from no leaders to five who discipled 30 teenagers. After becoming an Eagle Leader (an experienced Reach Out trainer) he began coaching two Catholic churches in Kiev. One of the churches had no teenagers. They now have six leaders who disciple 20 teens and 40 kids have received Christ in one year. The other church's leadership team and youth ministry doubled in a year.
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Kristina |
Then Kristina Oleksyuk, one of our Eagle Leaders, joined Vova and started coaching The Church of the Living God in Stryi, Ukraine--a war-torn, Soviet dominated town of 58,000. Initially they encountered youth leader burnout and a dwindling group of six kids. Yet the leaders embraced Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry when they saw the fruit that could come from a ministry based on prayer, leadership development, disciple-making and evangelism.
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Alyona and Igor |
Just halfway into the one-year coaching process five leaders have deepened their relationship to Christ and have discovered how to pray with passion. The youth ministry has grown to 35 kids--a 500% increase. Next they will begin to disciple their students. The pastor now desires to coach other churches to reach every teenager in Stryi. And The Church of the Living God denomination has officially adopted Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry encouraging all of their churches to go through the coaching!
Beautiful Expression
What is happening in Ukraine is no accident! Our leaders--Doug Landro, Igor Minenko, Vova Bilik, Kristina Oleksyuk, with 11 Eagle Leaders and 18 in training have hit many snags and experienced some failure. Yet today each church they coach is multiplying exponentially. Truly a beautiful expression of producing "fruit...more fruit...much more fruit"--just like Jesus told us to do!
Click here to see the Ukraine ministry in action.
Every prayer you pray and gift you give to Reach Out goes to expand Jesus-Focused Youth Ministry in Ukraine and in 30+ countries around the globe.
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A beautiful expression: multiplying leaders |
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