The Great Commission

The call to action for every believer

At Petros Network, we are genuinely passionate about the Great Commission—the final instruction of Jesus to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19-20). This command emphasizes the responsibility that all believers have to spread the transformative message of the Gospel to the ends of the earth. For Petros Network, this is not only our call to action but also the core of our mission and the driving force behind what we do.

In today’s interconnected world, the Great Commission’s relevance and urgency are more pronounced than ever. While many churches, organizations, and individuals have made great strides in taking the gospel to the whole world, forty-two percent of the world remains unreached—an unacceptable reality.

As believers, this call to action extends beyond our neighborhood and community and challenges us to engage with diverse communities across the globe. This is why we believe that where a person lives should not limit their access to the Gospel. For that reason, we envision a church within walking distance of every believer. This is our calling. But this divine calling is not limited to a select few like us; it is a collective responsibility for all who follow Christ.

A Mandate for All

Regardless of background or expertise, every believer has a role in fulfilling this divine command. We are all called to spread the Gospel, the transformative message of Jesus Christ’s love and redemption, to every corner of the earth. That is why, at Petros Network, we believe it is strategically important to support the efforts of indigenous Christian missionaries working in the world’s hardest-to-reach, most persecuted areas. This support is not just a charitable act but a direct response to the Great Commission and a vital part of our Christian walk. By backing the indigenous missionary efforts, we enter a Great Commission partnership with Christ’s Global Church, whereby we all participate in God’s plan to bring hope, transformation, and salvation to all the world.

Strategically partnering with the Church worldwide to share and show the Good News among the unreached, we play a part in something bigger than ourselves. We join God in His redemptive work and play a significant role in the global story of salvation. When we invest in missions, we invest in the eternal destiny of individuals and communities. Our support empowers indigenous leaders to bring the light of Christ to the darkest corners of the world.

This investment goes beyond financial contributions; it encompasses prayer, encouragement, and active involvement in mission-related activities. Supporting missions fosters unity within the body of Christ. As we partner with indigenous church leaders, we build bridges across cultural and denominational divides. This unity strengthens the Church’s witness and effectiveness in spreading the Gospel and is a crucial aspect of our faith and practice. It expresses our obedience to Christ’s command and our compassion for those who have yet to hear the Gospel. We believe that every prayer, every dollar, and every act of service in support of our work for God contributes to advancing His kingdom on earth.

Indigenous Church Planting a Strategic Approach

Recognizing the church as the body of Christ and an agent of change, Petros Network believes in establishing local churches as centers for discipleship and community transformation. We believe that the church—the spiritual community of Christ-followers in a particular place—is the most compelling expression of Jesus a village will ever witness.

Our organization recruits indigenous Christian missionaries to plant churches and reach the unreached in the rural areas they serve in East Africa. We believe God has called us to move the world through the local church, and we believe that Indigenous leaders, deeply rooted in their own cultures and communities, with a unique understanding of the local language, customs, and social dynamics of the rural communities they serve can do just that! Their local knowledge enables them to communicate the Gospel in culturally relevant and easily understood ways. By training and supporting local Christian leaders, we help establish churches that are not seen as foreign implants but as organic, integral parts of the community.

Our focus on indigenous church planting also encourages the development of contextualized theology and worship practices that are biblically sound. This ensures that the expression of faith is biblical and resonates with the local culture. Such contextualization is crucial for the Gospel to take root and flourish in different cultural soils.

Moreover, indigenous church planting fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility among the local believers. When community members lead churches, they are more likely to be self-governing, self-sustaining, and resilient. These churches can effectively address their communities’ specific needs and challenges, leading to a profound and lasting impact on individuals and communities.

Our strategy includes identifying and sending out local missionaries—providing them with training and church planting resources and supporting the sustainability of their communities through education, healthcare, agriculture, and economic development initiatives. This approach of empowering local leaders to establish and grow churches within their cultural contexts is our mission strategy’s cornerstone. We believe that indigenous church planting is effective and essential for the sustainable and authentic growth of the Christian faith in diverse communities worldwide. It helps us establish vibrant, self-sustaining churches that are deeply connected to their local communities and relevant in various cultural settings.

The Impact of Local Church Planting

At Petros Network, we have witnessed firsthand the profound impact of local churches on rural, unreached communities and the individuals they serve. Church planting is much more than establishing a church and creating a location for worship; it is about creating a vibrant community of believers who can grow in their faith and positively influence their surrounding community. The ripple effects of planting a new church are far-reaching and transformative, both spiritually and socially.

Planting local churches in rural, hard-to-reach villages provides a platform for sharing the Good News of Jesus with those who may have never heard it. As churches grow, they become places of hope in their communities, drawing people into a life-changing relationship with God and leading to spiritual transformation.

Beyond spiritual change, church planting leads to community development and social change. Local churches often become centers for education, agricultural training, healthcare, and other social services, especially in underserved villages. They are crucial in addressing poverty, food insecurity, water issues, and health crises. By meeting tangible needs, church planters demonstrate the love of Jesus in practical ways, earning the trust and respect of the entire community.

As people from diverse backgrounds come together to worship and serve one another in areas often torn apart by conflict, barriers of ethnicity, class, and social status are broken down, and unity and collaboration are fostered within the community. This unity strengthens the community’s social fabric, promoting peace, understanding, and mutual support. Churches often become catalysts for reconciliation and healing, addressing deep-seated conflicts and bringing people together under the banner of Christ’s love.

Church plants also provide leadership development. New churches allow emerging leaders to be trained, mentored, and equipped for ministry. This leadership development is crucial for the church’s and community’s long-term health and growth. As leaders grow in their abilities and spiritual maturity, they become instrumental in guiding the church and impacting the broader community as leaders in their villages.

The impact of church planting efforts is multifaceted and profound. Through our efforts, we create opportunities where individuals encounter Jesus, grow in their faith, and become agents of change in their communities, providing spiritual and physical transformation. The transformative power of church planting is a testament to the life-changing message of the Gospel and its ability to bring hope and renewal to people and places in need.

Our Holistic Approach = Redemptive Lift

This hope and renewal come from our holistic approach to church planting and community change. Our local Christian missionaries work hard to show the love of Jesus by helping to address the entire village’s needs—offering spiritual nourishment and tangible help in areas like education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, agriculture, and community development. This approach yields eternal dividends, resulting in transformed lives and communities.

We call this community transformation Redemptive Lift. When the Gospel comes to a village, and believers begin to live out Kingdom principles as living proof of a loving God, entire villages, communities, and cities are transformed from places of hopelessness to places of peace and opportunity.

The Great Commission: Sharing, Showing, and Spreading the Good News

The Great Commission is about sharing, showing, and spreading the Good News of Jesus with the world. It involves preaching, evangelism, teaching, mentoring, and nurturing individuals in their faith journey. It consists in living out Kingdom principles and being the hands and feet of Jesus to the local community. It also means engaging with diverse cultures and languages and contextualizing the Gospel message to resonate with people from different backgrounds—breaking down barriers and building bridges of understanding and trust.

The Great Commission is at the core of everything we do at Petros Network. It drives our passion for evangelism, our dedication to discipleship, our commitment to church planting, and our passion for unreached people. By embracing this mandate, we join with believers worldwide in the transformative work of spreading the Gospel and making disciples of all nations.