Around the World
Why I Teach Church Planting Teams
By Nick Mahabir
Did you know that nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to “plant churches”? Then why do we do it?
New congregations are the fruit of evangelism! Jesus commanded His disciples to “go and preach.” As they went, they preached, and new believers were added to the church daily. From the many reasons we plant churches, allow me to share two: first, to make disciples, and second, to develop leaders. That is what I strive to do when I teach at the Global Church Planters Academy in West Africa.
If we are to be effective in church planting wherever we are, I suggest several important directives:
- Be personally committed. All of us must accept the responsibility to win the lost for Christ. No other activity should replace our desire and commitment to bring the lost to Christ. Evangelism is in the DNA of each believer. Having a passion for souls is not optional. It must be our mission. The prayer of John Knox, “Lord, give me Scotland, or I die,” reflects the passion and the burden he felt for the lost. (John Knox was the leader of the Protestant reformation in Scotland.)
- Preach it from the pulpit. No one comes to Christ except through the Word. Pastors must see as part of their responsibility the need to preach church planting and to challenge their congregations to respond.
- Teach church planting in our Bible schools. Ministers of tomorrow must learn the dynamics of church planting or they will not have the knowledge and skills to plant a church. At the Global Church Planters Academy, we prioritize what we call Four Dynamics: leadership, pastoral ministry, evangelism, and church planting techniques and strategies.
- Model it. Lectures are fine. Online learning has many benefits. But perhaps the most important method of teaching is to demonstrate by personal example. How powerful a message we send if a minister will organize an evangelistic team, provide appropriate training, go to an unchurched area in his “Jerusalem” (local community) and visibly demonstrate what evangelism is and how it works. One of the actions we require of all Academy recruits is that they go out and evangelize in the evening. The best way to learn the theory is to practice the principles taught. At the end of the mission, there will be added to the church many believers who will be nurtured, enabled, and sent forth to preach!
Is church planting just a slogan? In some cases, I fear so. It must become our mission. Evangelism and church planting must retain their rightful places in church activities. Open Bible is in existence today because hundreds of men and women heeded the call to “go out into all the world and preach the gospel,” and they planted churches. Missionaries to my birth country of Trinidad heeded the same call. I am a Christian because they did!
My present involvement as an instructor in the Global Church Planters Academy grew out of my commitment to church planting. I have been privileged to go to Ghana and Liberia to teach young pastors and evangelists how to plant churches. Already we are seeing the fruits of our labors. Four new churches are being planted in Liberia by Academy recruits, and a dozen or so have been planted in Ghana by Academy graduates. It is my fervent prayer that God will raise up an army of church planters to accomplish His will and purpose again here in Open Bible. The Academy exists to train up church planters and to support churches whose mission and passion is to plant churches.
It is also my joy to look back over the years and see the handiwork of God. One such memory revolves around a church I pastored while still quite young. That church today holds the distinction of being a “grandparent” in terms of church planting. We sent out and planted several churches; some of those churches planted others. We also recruited and sent to our Bible school many young people who themselves became ministers. It is always a joy to receive a call from one of those individuals who remind me that they were saved, challenged, trained, and sent out under my ministry. At sixty years of age, that church is still looking for opportunities to evangelize and plant new congregations! My reference to that church is not to hold them up as an example but to provide testimony to God’s faithfulness when we are obedient to the Great Commission.
I close with Jesus’ command:
“Pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his field”(Matthew 9:38, NLT).
About the Author
Nick Mahabir, a credentialed Open Bible minister who lives in Germantown, Maryland, is an itinerant evangelist, pastor, and teacher. He earned his master’s degree in leadership from Georgetown University and ministers as a leadership dynamics instructor for Open Bible’s Global Church Planters Academy.
Africa is experiencing a remarkable spiritual awakening. Even in countries where believers face persecution, we are seeing more people come to faith in Christ and churches continue to grow.
What do Chad, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda have in common? INSTE. In each of these countries, churches are using INSTE to disciple their congregations, equip believers to follow Jesus, and develop godly leaders.
Missionary Andy*, together with a team of African leaders, regularly trains INSTE group leaders serving Open Bible churches and other denominations throughout Africa. After completing their training, these leaders lead their own groups through INSTE’s biblically grounded and culturally adaptable program.
Training sessions are planned for leaders in Tanzania, Uganda, Nigeria, and Cameroon in the coming months. We believe these trainings and subsequent INSTE groups will help spark growth across these nations. The time is right. We see God moving throughout Africa and raising up a new generation of courageous believers who are prepared to advance God’s kingdom.
Here are two of the testimonies from the Ugandan students, facilitators, and pastors:
“Formally I suffered with prayer. I used to doubt while praying. But with the way the manual guided as I studied, I now pray with boldness. I feel confidence, accurate with my prayers and they are free-flowing. Even my ministry has changed, all thanks to INSTE Lessons.”
– Sister Hilda, a student from Luwero
“INSTE has exposed me to a desire to pray for people and share the Gospel. I find myself waking at night to pray for friends, neighbors, and church members as the Spirit guides me. The Lord has now sent me for street preaching in the middle of Kampala town Taxi-Park in the evenings for thirty minutes every evening. At the start I felt fear, then when I turned to the Lord in prayer, He literally referred me to the part of WITNESSING in the INSTE manual. I can’t be more grateful and honored to share the Gospel every evening!”
– David, a Group Facilitator
Reaching Difficult Places
Through Andy’s ministry, INSTE has also reached believers in some of the most challenging places to serve. Years of translation, preparation, training, and patient guidance are now bearing fruit.
This summer, Andy participated by Zoom in a Level 1 graduation ceremony in Pakistan. We are grateful to partner with our brothers and sisters there, knowing they endure significant hardship for the sake of the Gospel.
One Pakistani graduate shared:
“I was young when my mother passed away, so I was raised by my father and stepmother. Because of my stepmother’s harshness, I often felt unloved. I became discouraged and lost interest in spiritual matters. One day, a friend invited me to join an INSTE group. There, I experienced acceptance and encouragement from the other students and from the Word of God. I began growing in my faith and saw God answer our prayers. Today, after many years apart, I have reconciled with my father and stepmother.”
Through INSTE groups around the world, students experience more than spiritual growth. They also find healing, renewed hope, and restored relationships.
Ministry in Focus
Because Andy and Nancy* minister in sensitive areas, their faces are often blurred in photographs. Their commitment to building the Church, however, is unmistakably clear. They have served faithfully in many challenging places, and through INSTE they continue to equip believers, strengthen churches, and help reach nations with the Gospel.
$6,000 is needed in coming months to cover upcoming training trip costs in Africa. Would you consider partnering? Additional funds will help with future trainings throughout Africa. Your investment today can make a difference for tomorrow and eternity.
To participate, click below. Thank you for your partnership.
*Last name withheld for protection.
“We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation
to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wonderful works that He has done”
(Psalms 78:4 NKJV).
On March 1, 1967, Melvyn and Barbara Kelderman moved to Trinidad and Tobago. That step of obedience began a family legacy that decades later led us—their son and daughter-in-law—to return as full-time missionaries serving with the School of Global Leadership (SGL). Looking back, we see God’s faithfulness from one generation to the next.
Before being appointed as missionaries in 2024, we both taught secondary school while serving at Open Bible Church in Omaha, Nebraska. During those years, God gave us countless opportunities to grow in ministry and deepen our calling. Having served in cross-cultural ministry in several countries, we were grateful when He opened the door to join Global Missions full time. Today we serve with the School of Global Leadership, helping believers discover their role in God’s global mission and equipping those who are moving from called to sent.
School of Global Leadership
Since its beginning in 2010, SGL has helped revitalize the vision for missions within the Open Bible Standard Churches of Trinidad and Tobago. Their work in Trinidad and beyond has helped SGL to become a partner with the Global Missions department in helping connect, expand, and reach into other countries around the world with the Gospel.
One of SGL’s greatest joys is hosting teams from Open Bible Churches in the United States. These short-term ministry experiences allow participants to encounter Trinidad’s diverse religious landscape, including Muslim, Hindu, and African-derived faith communities, while discovering how God may be calling them to serve. SGL also equips future missionaries through online courses and hands-on training. Whether you’re exploring God’s call, preparing for long-term service, or simply wanting to learn more about His work among the nations, we’d love to help you take your next step.
Looking to the Future
While Trinidad remains our training base, we believe God is expanding this vision. Our hope is to establish SGL training hubs in Europe, Asia, Latin America, and Africa so that future leaders can be equipped within their own languages and cultures. As we continue partnering with Global Missions, we believe God will open doors to train and equip missionaries from everywhere to everywhere.
We are deeply grateful for the churches and individuals who pray for us and faithfully support this ministry (Philippians 1: 3). Together we are helping prepare the next generation of workers who will carry the gospel to the nations. Just as others invested in us, we now have the privilege of investing in those God is calling today – and we believe He will continue telling His story from generation to generation.
About the Authors
Brent and Sara Kelderman are pastors and missionaries with Open Bible Churches USA. After serving as teachers at a public high school in Nebraska and as associate pastors in their local church, God expanded their calling into full-time missions. Throughout their marriage, God has woven a passion for the nations into their hearts. They currently serve within the School of Global Leadership (SGL) in Trinidad and Tobago. Their ministry includes hosting missions teams, leading missions training, and partnering with local churches. They are grateful for all God has done and look forward to all He will continue to do in and through their lives.
In parts of Nigeria today, land is no longer just a livelihood – it’s a battleground. In search of increasingly scarce water and grazing land, semi-nomadic Muslim herdsmen are moving their flocks south into areas already inhabited by Christian farmers. This encroachment has intensified conflict, resulting in thousands of deaths, the displacement of millions, increased kidnappings, and deepening ethnic tensions. This is the environment in which Open Bible’s ministry continues day after day.
Despite these challenges, the Gospel is advancing.
Okon Obot, Open Bible’s Superintendent in Nigeria, shared the following story with me:
Recently we held an evangelistic crusade in one of the affected regions. Despite security concerns, people came looking for hope and peace. Evangelistic crusades remain a powerful and effective way to share the Gospel in village communities where fear and uncertainty are a part of daily life.
The theme of the crusade was “Arise and Shine,” and over 300 people gathered. By the end, sixteen people had given their lives to Jesus and fifteen were immediately baptized and welcomed into the church, each a testimony to God’s faithfulness.
A high point of the crusade was the reconciliation of a family of brothers divided for five years. Under the conviction of the Holy Spirit as the Word of God was shared, they chose forgiveness and were restored to one another. They returned to their homes with joy and peace.
In response to God’s work in their lives, the brothers donated a large piece of property in their village, Mbabuu, for the construction of a church building.
This is where the 2026 Global Harvest Offering, “Build Hope for Africa,” comes in. When we reach our goal of $200,000, Nigeria will be one of the recipients. Open Bible will partner directly with Pastor Okon to build a new church building in a place like the village Mbabuu.
This is more than a construction project – it is the next step of what God is doing. Despite hardship, churches in Nigeria are growing and new buildings are needed to serve expanding congregations and reach their communities.
Your gift to “Build Hope for Africa” can help provide a visible witness of Jesus in a region marked by instability and equip local leaders like pastor Okon to continue evangelizing where the need is great.
In a place where land is fought over, God continues to build His Church!
Snapshots of the vibrant ministry happening in Nigeria:
About the Author
Tammy Swailes is passionate about cross-cultural Christian education, so working with INSTE Bible College to disciple and equip leaders throughout Europe and beyond is a great fit! Tammy has lived in Europe since 1999 – first in Hungary and now Ukraine. Before that, she was in Japan, as well as Spokane, Washington. She now serves as INSTE regional director in Europe, assisting INSTE programs in five languages. Tammy has her undergraduate degrees in both Missions and Christian Education and a MA in Intercultural Studies. Photography, good coffee, multi-cultural experiences, and the family’s Yorkie are some of Tammy’s favorite things.