Support A Native Pastor/Evangelist

Every day, hundreds of thousands of native pastors and evangelists boldly proclaim the Gospel in the world's most persecuted nations. They are often in great personal danger and serve knowing they may be beaten tortured, or even killed for their work. ICC works with these persecuted Pastors by providing monthly financial support, Pastoral training, Bibles, and bicycles for them. In these countries, there is no social standing in being a pastor. They serve God with great dedication, often in the face of great danger with amazing results.

Most of ICC's Supported Pastors are in the 10/40 Window
Did you know that 97 percent of the world's un-reached peoples live in the 10/40 Window (a rectangular shaped area on our globe extending from West Africa to East Asia, from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator). The Window encompasses the majority of the world's Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. In this part of the world, millions live with little or no chance of ever hearing the Gospel.

Although 97 percent of the world's un-reached live in the 10/40 Window, less than 5 percent of missions' resources from the West are being sent to help share the Gospel in the 10/40 window. That is one reason why ICC is strongly committed to supporting pastors/evangelists in persecuted areas in the 10/40 window (China, Vietnam, India, Nepal). In fact, most of ICC pastor support goes to this 10/40 area although we do also support pastors in Cuba.

Effectiveness
Today, over 85 percent of Asian countries do not allow western missionaries to come and freely preach the Gospel and plant churches. In the eyes of the people, Western missionaries represent a foreign country or a strange religion. Native Pastors already know the language and can easily learn a local dialect. They can run circles around Western missionaries. They know how to avoid arrest and they know how to speak to their people. 

Did you know that in Cuba, a group of just 10 of our pastors saw over 1,000 people come to Christ in just a year? We're not talking about people who said yes to Jesus and then were never seen again. We are talking about 1,000 new believers who became baptized and who attend Church regularly.


Need
However, many of these pastors struggle to feed their families because there is no local church to support them financially. Many serve in areas where there are few or no Christians; hence no local support base. When you sponsor a pastor or evangelist, your gifts will help cover his living costs--food, shelter, clothing, etc. In this way, you are covering the costs of sending a pastor/evangelist into the harvest field, who will be able to serve the Lord full-time.

We generally support a pastor for a year or two depending on what their in-country administrator recommends. We want to give them enough time to build a functioning church that will support them financially. They are hand picked, locally managed, held accountable, and mentored. This is not a welfare system but rather an investment in God's Kingdom with incredible returns. 

The best thing is that since they don't live in the West, they can live on a fraction of what a Western missionary would cost. In fact, you can support one of these pastors on a monthly basis for only $35 month.


Ready To Support A Pastor?
If you are ready to provide financial support to a persecuted pastor, then click on the link below.
You will go to the donation page.

Once there, choose "Monthly Pastor Support" from the drop down menu next to "Fund".
Just decide how much you want to give per month, choose "Monthly" or "One Time" from the "Frequency" drop box, and then and then give us your contact and credit card info.
 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Pastor Support Program

Below are answers to common questions asked about sponsoring a native pastor/church planter.

How Long Is The Pastor/Evangelist Supported For?
We will support our pastors for 1.5-2 years depending on their situation. The goal is to support them while they are being developed as pastors and until they can develop a flock that will support their work. At that time, we withdraw their support and give the support that was going to him to another pastor. This also guards against the foreign Church becoming dependant on the West. Too many Christians and Churches have been taught to depend on Western money rather than developing their own flocks and teaching them to give sacrificially. As a result, our good intentions have ruined many overseas bodies.

Can I write to my native missionary?
Because of security reasons and the enormous overhead it would create, we are unable to allow direct correspondence with your native missionaries. Most have little or no knowledge of English, and ICC does not have sufficient staff to translate thousands of personal letters. Most importantly, this would put most of these native missionaries severe risk in terms of security.
 

How will I receive news from my missionary?
It is our sincere desire to keep you updated on what is happening on the field. We do this through our "Concern" magazine and monthly letters. You will also receive an annual update regarding our pastor support program.

Will $35 per month be enough to fully support my missionary?
It takes anywhere from $25/mo. to $110/mo. to fully support a native missionary, including family support and ministry expenses. We generally assign several sponsors to each missionary in $35 increments to reach their full support. Distributing a missionary's support in this manner provides for greater prayer support and prevents the complete loss of income in the event a sponsor is forced to discontinue.

How much of my donation will reach the Pastor/Evangelist?
ICC  sends your gifts to the in-country Church overseers who are responsible for distributing the funds among his workers. ICC takes out 5% of each donation to cover the costs of administering the projects (i.e. flying in-country). That means that 95 cents out of every dollar you give goes directly to the overseas pastor/evangelist. ICC is a member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability, and our annual audited financial statements are available upon request.

Is ICC against sending Western Missionaries?
By no means. In countries where there is no established local Church, outside missionaries must lead the way and seed the Church. Once the Church is established though, ICC believes it is best for us to let the locals lead and our part is to equip them.