Background:

The Roman Catholic Church is the historic church of the Pet District of Northern Guatemala. It is common and strong in Guatemala and throughout Latin America. The missionaries from Spain arrived with expansionist goals as envoys from the King. Spain conquered and established colonies and the Roman Catholic Church was well established as a missionary church that later grew to significance and power.

The indigenous peoples of Guatemala were extremely pagan when the Spaniards arrived. They worshipped stone idols, sacrificed animals and even children. About thirty very advanced cities, and towns with elaborate stone buildings and temples were present in the Pet before 1000 A.D. However, this culture went into serious decline after 1000 A.D. They were further destroyed by the Spanish conquest of the 16th Century. Over time several other factors also contributed to the demise of the Mayan culture and civilization.

In the early Spanish period, Catholic priests were assigned to Christianize the Guatemalans and likewise the Peteneros (people of the Pet). To more easily convert the pagans, some of their customs and worship styles were accommodated and integrated in the Catholic Church worship. The Catholics had the Saints already and the converted pagans had their spirits. They were blended together to accommodate the desires and understanding of the pagans. This syncretism still exists today.

Today Latin America is culturally Catholic. This can be one step along the way toward Christian understanding, but is not adequate for clarity of knowing Jesus and accepting Him as Savior and Lord. There has never been enough Pet-based priests to travel to scattered villages and train catechists adequately for discipling the people. They remain undiscipled, and illiteracy runs high. In 2005, there were only 25 Catholic priests available for the vast Pet district.

The Evangelicals became active about 150 years ago and have had many strong ministries for over the past 50 years. Over 25% of Guatemalans are practicing Evangelicals. This country leads Latin America in evangelical fervor and achievement, influence, and number of evangelical people. There are ten evangelical denominations and several Christian organizations existing in the Pet. In addition, there are five or more Christian community development non-governmental groups. This indicates the presence of about thirty Evangelical organizational entities at work in the Pet.

There are an estimated 1,000 Evangelical churches in the Pet. Many of them have about 30 to 40 people. Most have church buildings (temples) which give them identity. There are five seminaries (Bible Institutes) in the Pet. They have from 20 to 80 students each. There are nearly 500 pastors with biblical foundation training. One branch of Misi El Calvario has 18 jungle village congregations of totally illiterate people with effective illiterate pastors. This creative and effective work is led by Pastor Geronimo Pop.

In contrast to the above group there is Monte Si Church. I have served as a mentor and encourager to Pastor Gabriel Recinos. In 2002 it was a successful congregation of about 250 members. During 2003 it began transitioning to become a cell-structured congregation. By December 2004 it had grown to over 850 people in 70 cells. This is a Church with which we have much collaboration and partnership in the gospel. Several of our national staff members are leaders in this congregation. We effectively partner in a similar way with nearly half of the Pet-based Evangelical denominations.

Evangelistic Strategies Always in Partnership

Calvary International is a major influence in touching the people of the outlying villages in the Pet. We cooperate with existing denominations. Calvary International’s entire ministry points toward evangelism, discipleship, church planting and multiplication of congregations. All of Calvary International’s strategies are part of Evangelical partnering in the Pet. Calvary International missionaries are committed to not simply hold events where Christ is confessed and then move on to another location with no follow up. This is why collaboration, cooperation and partnerships are so important. The goal is discipling the nations – the biblical mandate.

There are sufficient denominations existing in the Pet. Misi El Calvario was well established in the Pet way before Calvary International began ministry in the Pet. There was and is no need for Calvary International to start another denomination nor to plant independent congregations.

There is a great evangelistic fervor in the Pet, but discipleship training is not adequate. The people of the Pet are more open to the gospel and are being evangelized more rapidly today than any other time in history. This is truly the time of the Lord’s visitation to this jungle region.

Because we do not plant churches directly, and have not founded a Calvary International denomination, we are able to maintain partnership and cooperation. If we start a denomination, we will be viewed as just another denomination competing for a share of the people in the area. At least that is how we would be viewed by the leaders of the major Christian denominations and larger churches in the area.

Church Planting

The ultimate purpose of Calvary’s strategies is to establish congregations of worshiping disciples of Jesus. All of the activities are directed toward this important objective. Through collaboration with Evangelical denominations villagers hear, believe, confess, repent, are baptized in water and by the Holy Spirit, then discipled, trained to be leaders, and formed into worshiping congregations of disciples.

When our activities have this effect we are faithful and productive. This is what “coming alongside the local church” is all about in this context. Through collaboration we achieve this much better than trying to do it alone. However tracking numbers is not easy.

Strategies to Strengthen the Church of the Pet

The strategies utilized by Calvary International missionaries, national staff, and cooperating ministries are several.

  • CHE – Community Health Evangelism is utilizing community development in holistic integrated ministry to help lift communities. This is an international organization with very effective strategies.
  • LEI – Literacy & Evangelism is used as a means of building leaders and discipling believers through the power of the Word of God.
  • Community Transformation – we establish model villages in strategic locations as a demonstration of the grace of God. This is a demonstration of which other communities can model and use to transform their own lives and communities.
  • Community Outreach – conducting various types of outreaches into communities as a testimony of the love of Christ:
    • Mobile medical clinics
    • Lice treatment clinics
    • Children’s ministries
    • Pre-evangelism witness – Jesus Film
    • Community surveys
  • Community Projects – various village projects that focus on forming village committees and help the people initiate needed change. They must plan, participate and make measurable progress. Projects include:
    • Water catchment and improvement of access and protection of springs
    • Stoves for cooking that pipe smoke out of the house
    • Village gardens and fruit trees
    • Poultry raising for eggs or meat
    • Building latrines for improved sanitation
    • Hygiene and Sanitation Training
    • Literacy Training

Through CHE (Community Health Evangelism) a holistic approach is taken to transform the quality of life in villages, including evangelizing, making disciples and planting worshipping congregations.

Christ in Community and Community in Christ

This concept leads individuals and communities to:

“Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed to that which is the perfect and acceptable will of God.”

This includes transforming not only individuals, but total communities. All projects, outreaches, and programs are done in concert with a denomination that is planting churches in the area where the ministry is conducted. In this way, “Calvary International truly comes alongside with the local church and denominations to reap a global harvest.”

Cooperation among Missionaries:

There exists a precious spirit of cooperation among the 30 Evangelical missionaries in the Pet. In the first two years of meeting together, eating, praying and worshiping together a wonderful thing has taken place. The Calvary Training and Ministry Base (GTMB) is an effective gathering place for missionary fellowship, sharing and collaboration. The bi-monthly assembly of missionaries is appropriately named “The Gathering,” taken from the Scripture “We are gathering together unto Him.”

While there is a larger missionary presence in the more populated upland regions in other parts of Guatemala, the combined efforts of the small missionary force in the Pet is having a very positive impact.

The “Gathering” is to the Pet, what “Intermissions” is to collaborative missionary relationships through out the country. The annual Intermissions Conference is essential to learn from each other and be encouraged by the discipleship force to the “nations” within Guatemala and beyond. Calvary International has invested financially to help make Intermissions possible.

Converts or Disciples – which?

To a short-term visitor it may appear that we should be more active in direct evangelism. We don’t hold crusades, huge concerts, or large preaching campaigns. On occasion others do this type of ministry which we welcome when it is done appropriately for the culture.

In the Central area on the South Shore of Lake Pet (Itza) there are occasional larger events like are common in Guatemala City. Since our focus is in the distant and often unreached rural villages, our approach to ministry is different.

A village ministry plan begins with the end in mind – discipleship! That end is when all ministry works toward the establishment of a worshiping congregation of disciples. This is why collaborative ministry is so important. This is the only way to transform a village.

This focus results in a greater degree of discipleship rather than making converts. The desired end is disciples, not converts.

Key point: Through collaboration, all ministry is planned in concert with an existing denomination present in the locale of ministry. In this way all ministry is done to help these leaders establish a ministry that lasts beyond the involvement of Calvary missionaries and short-term teams.

In this type of ministry designed for equipping and enabling ministers, it is a little difficult to count numbers of raised hands, converts or baptisms. Our goal is to leave behind worshipping congregations under apostolic and pastoral care before we jump off to yet other exciting locations.

SHORT TERM TEAMS – LONG TERM MINISTRY GOALS

Each year we host 10 or more short term teams. This is really a great part of Calvary’s ministry in this region. The lives of visiting team members are impacted and a genuine benefit occurs in the villages where ministry takes place.

Each team contributes to part of a larger picture than the 7 – 10 days of the trip. Each successive short-term groups ministry adds upon the ministries of the previous group, resulting in an upward lift of the spiritual understanding and quality of life of villagers and elevates the level of hope of a better future.

Key point: Short-term teams help reach long-term goals.

Ministry Distinctive: Striving to make disciples, resisting the easier route of making converts who may have limited understanding of the reason they raised their hand.

Ministry types vary according to each visiting group. The village visits are scheduled to specific villages to try to sequence the help provided in a more or less organized fashion.

Through environmental respect, land use is monitored and somewhat regulated to reduce the damage to the biosphere of the Central American jungle. Christian missionaries must advocate environmental respect, especially in this location that effects weather patterns all over the North and South American countries.

Summary

Through collaborative efforts, the church of the Pet is advancing.

The ministry of the 30 missionaries in missionary agencies is multiplied through collaboration.

The fellowship, cooperation and collaboration among missionaries has been observed by local denominational leaders and has become a model for them.

Focused strategies serve to help plant worshiping congregations of disciples.

Even though the Pet climate is harsh and the area was ravaged by a 36 year war, a stable population now exists.

The church of the Pet is marching forward at an unprecedented rate. (en la marcha)

Through collaboration, mutual respect and wise strategies, the Church and its influence will continue to multiply, strengthen and impact people in towns and tribal villages throughout Guatemala’s Northwest frontier state. Whereas the missionary and denominational church planting strategies in the Pet may vary from those in other parts of the country, the strong collaborative efforts are resulting in rapid church expansion in the area.

The major centers or municipalities (counties), contain roughly half of the people of the Pet. These centers are the most highly developed, highest literacy rate, and the availability of more medicines and other services than the smaller villages.

Since the primitive villages suffer so much from underdevelopment, this neglected and sometimes rebellious population sector has become the focus of several missionary groups and Guatemalan Evangelical denominations.

As collaboration continues and increases, the Church of the Pet will continue to advance as darkness is dispelled by the light of the Kingdom of God which enlightens every heart. Hope then arises unto continuing praise to the Lord Jesus Christ as His grace, mercy and peace rests upon us all.

To God be the Glory – Great things He has done!