It is not easy to communicate the significance of what is happening in the Czech Republic. In a nation that has experienced decades of profound spiritual apathy, religious confusion, and gospel opposition, ministry is hard and often discouraging. But with years of gospel seeds sown, we pray that a harvest is coming.
Previously, the largest conference ever hosted by our training center, the Czech Bible Institute (CBI), saw about 200 attendees. CBI planned a gospel conference with Paul Washer in February, expecting around 400 attendees, and we asked for your prayers. What transpired was truly groundbreaking.
The Lord brought not four but over six hundred people to the conference! Lance Roberts, missionary and dean of CBI, writes: “Never in our 15 ½ years of ministry in the Czech Republic have we seen so many people come to a non-denominational conference, especially one focused solely on preaching. No smoke, no mirrors, no rock bands, and they came to hear preaching for three days! We’ve never seen such a hunger for the truth!”
CBI has been busy making the necessary preparations to receive more students than ever before. At the conference, they unveiled a new full-time Master of Divinity program, which will commence in August 2017. Thirteen men have already expressed serious interest in it. CBI is also praying about launching an extension campus in the western part of the country to improve accessibility for church leaders in that region. These developments come on the heels of a growing appetite among Czech churches for pastoral training and sound doctrine. One prominent denominational leader recently encouraged churches in his denomination to send their people to CBI. The Christian Fellowship in the Czech Republic has enthusiastically decided to do the same, even expressing hope that CBI become the crystallizing point for sound doctrine in the nation!
We present these updates to you both as an encouragement and out of a spirit of gratitude. Your support, prayers, and generosity help make stories like these become a reality. May God continue to bless these efforts to see pastors and church leaders equipped for gospel work; and may Christ be exalted in strong churches where His Word is taught and lived out by His people.
