From Student to Teacher

In our last post, we told you about Covenant Leadership Training Institute and Reach the Nations' partnership with CLTI in training Pakistani men for ministry in their country. Gary Finkbeiner, president of RTN, is a regular teacher at CLTI, and you read about that in his post last week.

The picture above shows the most recent graduating class from CLTI's Karachi campus. Seated on the left is Shakeel, a RTN pastor, evangelist, and leader. He is in this photo not as a student, but as a teacher. Shakeel was a CLTI student himself when there was no Karachi campus, and he had to go to Zambia for several months of training, leaving his new wife at home in Hyderabad.

Now Shakeel, in addition to his pastoral and church planting responsibilities in Sindh, teaches regularly at CLTI.

A couple of weeks ago, Gary was scheduled to teach a class, but, because of the wars in the Mideast, was not able to travel to Karachi to teach the class in person. So, he taught each day from his home in the U.S. and Shakeel served as his translator.

Unfortunately for Gary, he had to teach from midnight to 4 a.m. (EDT) in order to fit the time frame of the courses in Pakistan! But Shakeel stood in for Gary, translating the teaching and interacting with the students.

And here is Shakeel (on the far left) with the graduates at their celebration at Hawksbay Sea Side near Karachi.

Shakeel is a good example of the goal of RTN to train future leaders. He underwent his training years ago and now is a capable leader of the RTN ministry in Sindh as well as carrying many responsibilities at his home church and in CLTI.

Please pray for Shakeel, his family, and his various roles in spreading the Gospel message in Pakistan and in training future church leaders.

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” – Galatians 2:20

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A Word from Our President

It is our pleasure to share with you this report from Gary Finkbeiner, President of Reach the Nations Ministries, as he assesses the work of RTN in training Christian leaders in Pakistan. It is amazing to see the hand of God in the work as many are being moved to seek Him in times of turmoil in that region of the world.

By way of explanation: Gary first references Covenant Leadership Training Institute. This is a ministry headquartered in the USA that offers intensive training to Christian men who are called to preach and teach God's word. In addition to St. Louis, CLTI has campuses in Pakistan, India, Africa, and South America. RTN partners with CLTI in Pakistan to provide this training to young Pakistani leaders.

Now, the report from Gary:

One of many great privileges that we have as the Reach the Nations team is the training and development of future church planters, pastors, and evangelists in South Asia.

On Monday evening March 30, 2026, another class graduated from Covenant Leadership Training Institute’s Karachi, Pakistan campus. In this current class, there were two new leaders who were sponsored by RTN and who attended the four-month full-time training program. Ten men graduated in this new class bringing the total to more than 30 leaders and church planters trained by CLTI in South Asia in the past two years. 

The men who attend were purposely selected because they have a clear call from God on their lives for ministry. Their training at CLTI includes theological and practical discipleship as well as instruction in systematic theology, church history, evangelism, leadership, and church planting.

It is a great honor, by the grace of God, to help shape and instruct such a gifted group. These very capable and qualified graduates will, without question, advance the Kingdom of God and serve their local regions with the gospel. These men will face many challenges as they return to their local areas where, in some situations, there is persecution along with a significant amount of danger. However, none of them are fearful. They have a deep-rooted trust in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to protect them and make their ministries fruitful. They believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to break resistance and turn people to repentance and faith.

Difficulties in this region of the world due to war and other conflicts make evangelism a number one priority for our current church planters and this new graduating class. Without question, the Lord is preparing the hearts of many people in multiple nations for a massive harvest of souls for Christ’s Kingdom. The time is now. People from every walk of life and background are hungry to learn about Jesus and what the gospel provides. This is especially true of college students and young families.

People in all places are growing increasingly tired of harsh and cold religious practices. Many have a desire for the light of the gospel to deliver them from deep darkness. Such deliverance brings them to an experience of the love of God. They are hungry and, in some cases, desperate to hear about Jesus. This is no doubt the work of the Spirit of God. Believers are often sought out in coffee shops and marketplaces by individuals who are seeking for someone to answer their questions about the Lord and the Bible. Many have dreams in the night pointing them in the direction of Christ or instructing them to seek out a believer who will tell them about the Savior. Christians are encountering such people more frequently.

 At the very heart of RTN is a desire to equip and train leaders for this generation of young people and their families in various parts of the world to know the love of God and to be able to communicate it so that the hunger many have can be satisfied. Because of this grace from the Lord, we have seen in this past year multiple conversions and baptisms as well as new leaders presenting themselves for further training and equipping.

Currently, RTN is going into 20 additional outreach areas as we labor to see vibrant local churches planted in the future along with the seven churches that have been established.

Equally, we have put in place a literacy program with four centers which have graduated 100 students in the last two years. These students are now educated in reading and writing the Urdu language and practicing basic math skills. After they complete the approximate six-month basic program, the students move into a Bible reading class where they learn to read and study the Bible together. It is our goal to establish a literacy center alongside every new church that is planted. This program not only serves the families in newly planted churches but also helps to strengthen their local communities by providing a better educated population. 

I am so thankful for our USA team and for the leadership couples who are laboring in South Asia. We have very dedicated wives working along with their husbands serving in various ministries within the new churches. These courageous young couples are an incredible testimony to the work of Christ in their marriages and families. This year our trained leaders are reaching out to new communities of people and are often going house to house offering prayer and instruction in the gospel. They are finding many open doors and hearts.

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Sharing the Good News

We received a great report from Mehboob and his team this week. They are reaching into new areas sharing the Good News of the gospel to those who have never heard or understood what it means to know and follow Jesus. And they are continuing the work in the churches where they preach the Word, worship God, and encourage people to grow in their faith.

Here is the report in Mehboob's own words:

"Praise the Lord! We visited the Proppi Nagra area for  evangelism. We went door to door, meeting people in their homes and sharing the love of Christ. We had a wonderful time worshiping together with them and then shared the Word of God.

We thank God that the people were very happy, and many listened to the message with open hearts. It was a blessing to see them praising God and receiving His Word with joy. Many also expressed their gratitude to the Lord for His goodness and grace."

"We are also thankful for the Daska Church, where Brother Irfan is faithfully leading and sharing the Word of God. As we can see in this picture, people are sitting with great devotion, listening to the message. We thank God that He is expanding His work in Daska.

We do not have a proper church building there, but we do our  church service in different houses, and people gather faithfully in one place to hear the Word of God. Despite difficult weather conditions at times, they continue to come together for worship. It is a true blessing to see their commitment and love for the Lord. We give thanks to God for His ongoing work in this area."

"This picture is of Brother Abraham, who is faithfully leading church services in the area of Bajilee Mohalla and sharing the Word of God. We thank God for this region as well, where people come regularly with great faith to worship and listen to His Word.

Many times, Brother Abraham also shares personal testimonies, which become a blessing for others. They encourage one another and grow together in faith.

At times, counseling is also provided, addressing the needs and challenges of the people. We are grateful that God is working in this area, and many lives are coming to Christ. We believe that in the coming days, God will continue to expand His work even more in this region."

"We thank God for His faithfulness in the Dhamokay Church. It has now been one year since I have been serving here, and we are grateful for the wonderful time we have experienced. The people have warmly welcomed us, and they are joyful in worship and in hearing the Word of God.

We praise God that many people have accepted Christ this year, and we have also conducted baptisms. Some of these new believers are continuing to grow in their faith and learning more about Christian teachings.

We also thank God that there is a growing desire among people to read the Holy Bible. Many new believers are requesting Bibles, as they truly need them to grow spiritually.

The church is growing, and people are deepening in God’s Word. We believe that in the coming time, many more will come to Christ and be baptized."

Mehboob commented, as well, about the literacy class in Daska:

"We also thank God for Sister Rehana and the Adult Class, which is running successfully. We are grateful that many students are now able to read and write, especially the Holy Bible. We praise God for this progress and continue to pray that all the students will soon become fully able to read and write, so they can understand the Bible and also move forward confidently in their daily lives.

Please keep us and all these areas in your prayers, that God’s work may continue to grow and that we may faithfully share His Word with many more people.

Thanks for your prayers and support."

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. - 2 Timothy 4:2

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