Bob makes the front page!

Bob was recently featured in Impact, Christ for the City International's quarterly newsletter. Below is the full article.

Christ for the City International brings training and tools to pastors in Nicaragua.

Pastoring a church is a great privilege and responsibility, however many pastors in Latin America are struggling because they lack both training and resources. As a young man, Julio Pavon Leiva served in his church while working as a gardener. After doing this for several years he became the pastor. As a new pastor with no ministerial training, he says, "I often felt like I was blind". Pastor Julio's testimony mirrors that of many pastors throughout Nicaragua.

Recently, Julio participated in a project directed by CFCI missionary Bob Thurlow called Pastor's Toolbox. The Pastor's Toolbox project equips pastors like Julio with training and tools so that they can effectively pastor their churches. Bob comments, "Julio is not alone, I have heard a similar story many times. It is safe to assume that approximately 80% of the pastors in Nicaragua are just like Julio."

In the course the pastors learn how to study the Bible inductively. “We teach the pastor to ask three basic questions about a Biblical passage, "What does the passage say?, What does the passage mean?, and "How can I apply this passage to my life?." "We keep the course very simple and practical”.

The instruction requires patience because many of the pastors have little educational background and do not understand the importance of preaching and teaching from the Word of God. “Studying is not part of their lifestyle. Although they can read, they have not been taught how to analyze what they read. Their church services focus mostly on worship and prayer, but hardly have any instruction from the Bible. So we must first teach them the importance of the Word of God and then teach them how to study it.”

Pastor Julio comments, "Before I took the class, my interpretation of the Bible was..., well I didn't interpret the Bible, I just said what I thought about it. Brother Roberto (Bob's name in Spanish) challenged us to correctly handle the Word of Truth. After the first session, I asked the Lord to forgive me for my ignorance of the Word. Now I am not the same with the Word. I read the Bible completely different."

Along with the course instruction, each pastor has the opportunity to purchase a Bible concordance and a Bible dictionary for a fraction of the cost. "Most pastors in Nicaragua do not have a single Bible reference book. To understand the importance of Bible-study resources, walk into your pastor's study in the United States and look around. In Nicaragua, resources like these are not easily available plus they are much more expensive. Pastors like Julio would have to spend the equivalent of 2 weeks pay in order to purchase these resources." Each pastor is sponsored by churches or individuals in the United States. In 2007, 29 pastors completed the course and received their study resources.

Pastor Julio adds, “The course has made a difference in my church as well. The brothers in my church said that they see a different pastor. I am full of joy and want to learn more!”