WEA Decade of Disciple-Making Update for Latin America

By David Kornfield

As an associate member of the Latin Evangelical Alliance and an extension of the WEA Decade of Disciple-Making team, the Ministry of Discipleship and Pastoral Pastors (DPP) is actively encouraging and strengthening Evangelical Alliances in Latin America. The DPP publishes biweekly news bulletins in Spanish.

Brazil

The Decade of Disciple-Making was launched in Brazil in May under the auspices of the Brazilian Evangelical Alliance through a National Consultation of 108 strategic leaders: denominational, organizational and disciple-making ministry leaders. The resultant leadership team meets monthly to promote the “Disciple-Making Decade” They share their best practices and needs for their disciple-making projects or movement, generating mutual growth. At least a dozen denominational leaders are participating in disciple-making microgroups as the basis for extending disciple-making into their denominations.

Venezuela

In a similar way, the Evangelical Council of Venezuela together with its department of Discipling and Pastoring of Pastors did an on-line national consultation on the decade of Making Disciples in August. Forty-eight of the 63 strategic leaders who participated in the four-hour consultation continued in another meeting to organize the leadership team and ongoing network. That team meets monthly and just had its first meeting of the larger network October 15^th. It has dates for meeting quarterly in 2021 and five objectives it wants to accomplish by the end of 2021. Cesar Mermejo, the president of the Evangelical Council (Evangelical Alliance) is an advisor for the movement.

Paraguay 

In March the Association of Evangelical Churches of Paraguay (ASIEP) did a national consultation on the Decade of Making Disciples (DMD). Thirty-five denominational and organizational leaders participating in the consultation were enthusiastic in favor of the vision, including the majority of the executive committee of ASIEP together with its president, Santiago Maldonado.

Mexico

Under the auspices of the Confederation of Evangelicals in Mexico (CONEMEZ), the Discipling and Pastoring of Pastors project was born at the end of January 2020, advancing at a slow pace but with solid steps in the formation of a national structure. At the beginning of 2021, a conference will be held to follow up on denominational leaders and local pastors who are accompanying the vision of discipleship.

Peru

On October 30^th, the Confederation of Evangelicals of Peru (CONEP) is organizing a three-hour virtual introduction to the Decade of Disciple-Making. The intent is to mobilize strategic leaders for a fuller DDM consultation six months later.

The Discipling and Pastoring of Pastors network has been catalytic in developing the DDM in these countries and five others in Latin America. In addition, the DPP does biweekly webinars (in Spanish), having finished its first series on the frequently asked questions about disciple-making. It is launching a new series on Tuesday mornings on the biblical vision for disciple-making as foundational.

For more information, see www.pastoringpastors.org (English) or www.pastoreodepastores.com (Spanish). 

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