CENTRAL AMERICA'S NATION OF EL SALVADOR: HOME OF ELIM
Mario Vega shepherds Iglesia Elim, a cell church model that has spread into many nations as well as embracing a significant part of the population of El Salvador. It was formed with nine people in 1977. In 1981, Pastor David Yonggi Cho's book came to the nation and the cell church vision was grasped. By 1985 the church had reached 3,000 members and acquired land to build its own buildings.
By 1987 the church had grown to 10,000 members. It had taken 9 years to reach the first 3,000, but it tripled in only two years! In 1988, 25,800 attended a mass meeting held in a stadium. In 1989, a civil war broke out and the cells found themselves ministering in the midst of the poor quarters of the city being bombed.
Pastor Vega became the second pastor, set apart on April 20, 1997. By the end of 1999, the cells contained 100,000 souls and three stadiums were simultaneously filled for their annual mass meeting. In 2002, the mass meeting numbered 150,000.
Today, Elim has 6,889 cells, representing 7% of the total population of the metropolitan area of San Salvador. Six Sunday services are attended by 36,000 people. The church has branch churches in 12 nations, including the United States, Europe and Australia.
Radio stations owned and operated by Elim have linked together the cells in El Salvador's various cities and villages, and soon a Christian television station will also serve them.
Joel Comiskey's book Elim can be secured by clicking here. |
SOUTHEAST ASIA'S INDONESIA: HOME OF ABBALOVE
EDDIE LEO CONSTANTLY DEVELOPS MEN IN THE UPPER
ECHELONS OF BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT.
Eddie Leo copastors one of the leading churches in Indonesia of more than 25,000 local church members. With Christian Men's Network He mentored more than 150,000 men in five years including winning thousands of Muslim men for Christ through more than 50 nation and worldwide "men's centers".
He created a national movement that reaches the upper echelons of business and government.
Many years ago, Eddy Leo grasped the concept that the Basic Christian Community is the present body of Christ. He chose the name "AbbaLove" and founded a Cell Group network that has spread across Indonesia and other nations. He has also founded the Lighthouse Equipping Theological School and has authored many books.
This massive congregation does not have a central building for Sunday worship. Instead, several dozen rented facilities in Jakarta (usually hotel ball rooms), are used for the public services attended by cell group members. Some of these locations are used many times each Sunday to accomodate the thousands who attend.
AbbaLove's equipping track for discipling new believers has been extremely effective and has been adopted by churches in Indonesia, Philipin, Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, USA and elsewhere. Effective training has also been developed to train cell leaders, coaches, and pastors.
|
