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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