Jonathan Anderson 1

Pastor Austin Gardner and Missionary Jonathan Anderson discuss the ministry that he has started in Toluca, Mexico as well as the great need in Mexico and in Latin America as a whole. Introduction Jonathan and Rebekah Anderson  Serving as Church-Planters in Toluca Mexico for 7 years Now on Furlough  How did you get saved? Saved […]

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Pastor Austin Gardner and Missionary Jonathan Anderson discuss the ministry that he has started in Toluca, Mexico as well as the great need in Mexico and in Latin America as a whole.

IntroductionJonathan and Rebekah Anderson Serving as Church-Planters in Toluca Mexico for 7 yearsNow on Furlough How did you get saved?Saved at the age of fiveGrew up hearing the GospelRealized that I was a sinner Went to my parents bedroom at 2 amI knew that I was a sinner They showed me in the Bible how I could be savedI was baptized not long after thatHow did you meet your wife?My dad and I went to help an event at a Spanish churchI met her thereHow did she get savedShe was also 5 years old She got saved during a missions conferenceWhat is Toluca like?It is an hour away from Mexico City which as 25 million peopleToluca has 2 millionThe city is growingThere are lots of young people moving there It is a great opportunity to start churchesWhat would you say to someone who thinks Latin America is reached?There definitely have been lots of missionariesBut there are 130 million people in MexicoWe need 40 churches in Toluca alone if we had a church for every 50,000 peopleThere is still such a huge need for Gospel preachersWhat percentage of people have heard the Gospel and are saved?Probably 9 out of 10 don’t really understand the GospelThey might talk Christian and act like they know the BibleBut they really don’t understand the GospelHow Many Gospel preachers?Probably 5-6 baptist churches in the city that our doctrine would be similar tooAfter that, you get into groups that consider themselves Christian, but we don’t agree with at allWhat percentage is not Catholic?The city is 80-85% CatholicSo about 15-20% non-CatholicCatholicism is based on works Every false religion is based on works The only way to heaven is through faith, not worksThat is why we don’t accept CatholicsThat’s why we don’t consider them truly savedHow long have you been there?Since 2012 so seven yearsI had to learn the language so we spent two years learning firstMy wife already knew it, because her family were missionaries in MexicoWhat has God done in Toluca?We started our first church in May of 201428 people came to our first serviceWe started by spending five weeks straight going door to door and handing out invitationsThey were for a church service, not an English classWe focused on discipleship from the beginningI spent 25-30 hours a week discipling peopleAfter about two years, we had a good idea of who would stickChurches after two yearsNot everyone has all that after two years It is much harder in some places than othersWe should not compare ourselves to othersJust work hard and stick with itWhat happened next?In 2015 we started a Bible InstituteThen we started a seminaryWe just call it that to make it feel more formalHow did that get started?Our focus was to train menIf you don’t have a focus, you won’t go anywhereI was always trying to be around menThe seminary gave me an organized study time with themI got to be a kind of father figure to themWhat were the guys like?Two are in their mid-twentiesThey both are pastors at the first churchThere is an older one and his wife who also are enrolledIn May we’ll have 5 graduatesHow about your second church?We wanted to start the second church out of the firstWe rented a building, and furnished it through the first church50 people came to the first service of that oneMexicans funded that church?Yes they paid for everythingWe aim for the indigenous principleSelf-governingSelf-supportingSelf-propagatingHow much did it cost to start?It was very affordable Only about $600-$700The rent was about $150 a monthWe could fit about 40 chairs in itSometimes missionaries think you need to go bigUsually cheaper is a lot betterWe probably have as many as 30 adult men that regularly attend.We even have 9 missionaries supported through the churchWhat happened with Cuba?God allowed us to meet a Mexican who was burdened for Cuba I got to visit Cuba with him and see the needNow we support him as he works with a Cuban to try to start a church Vision is trying to take a group of youth leaders to Cuba Make a plea for MexicoPray and ask God where He would lead youConsider the need in Latin America There is so much work to be done in Mexico with millions of people It is not already evangelized America is not evangelized, yet we have more Gospel maybe than anywhere elseClosing Remarks You can reach Jonathan at projectwinmexico.com or [email protected] November 5 is the World Evangelism Fellowship We will have meaningful discussions about missions and ministrySign up now, and you can register for only $20 at wefellowship.us 

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