Do you have a heart for mission as a small business owner?

Are you looking for funding opportunities and examples of sustainable ministry?

Discover how small businesses can be key to sustainable ministry and reaching people with the Gospel with the help of Global Disciples Canada.

Sempala is from Uganda. He leads a Global Disciples partner program that equips disciple-makers and church planters in small business training.

“God has not called us just to sit and wait,” Sempala said. “As God’s servants, we’re called to move out and get involved in business, while sharing the Good News and building relationships.”

In missional context, a small business can be a key to a sustainable ministry. In fact, we’ve seen this time and again with Global Disciples. A business gives a church planter a means of support. And the effects are transformative.

A person with a business can be viewed with less suspicion and connect more easily in the community.

A small thriving business provides an identity and a social hub in a community too.

Consequently, this is crucial in places with religious or social restriction or where there’s opposition to an evangelist or someone hoping to plant a church.

In Sempala’s training program, he trained 15 people to consider what God has placed in their hands that could be used for a business. And then he helped them create a business plan, develop a budget, understand the marketplace, and work through other key issues.

More importantly, they looked at how they can use their business to reach people with the Gospel by building relationships and opening up conversations about Jesus.

However, Sempala took a more direct approach with those he trained. He spent time developing their businesses, but he also engaged in focused outreach.

Consequently, he reported, “We went to two different locations—15 people gave their lives to Christ in one place. And 10 at second place, and a new fellowship was started. Our men and women are now sharing the Good News through their businesses. God is being glorified through the work of their hands.”

This combination of outreach with business is having a broader impact too, Sempala said. “The community sees that God can use what you have in your hands. We’re not called to just sit and wait! We have the desire to see Uganda come to Jesus Christ, and this is what we can do.”

May God raise up more people like Sempala to equip others and share the Gospel in the isolated and least-reached areas of Uganda…and around the world.

Could you get partner with Global Disciples Canada and help people like Sempala in their ministry?

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Manish was struggling to figure out how to serve God and make a living.

But in his setting in India, you work a job or you do ministry. You don’t do both. So what would he do?

Manish came from a Hindu family but his parents died when he was a child and his sister raised him. When she came to faith in Jesus, she learned about a Christian orphanage where Manish could get an education. He learned about Jesus and the Bible, came to faith, was baptized, and went on to Bible school.

Manish said, “I had all this Christian experience, yet I did not have a good personal relationship with God. And I wasn’t convinced about God’s call on my life.”

He finished Bible school, struggling and uncertain, and returned home. He heard about a local discipleship-mission training, launched with the help of Global Disciples. His pastor insisted he attends.

“It really opened my spiritual eyes,” Manish said. “I deepened my relationship with God.” Manish finished his training and outreach but then returned to his regular job.

“I was frustrated at what I should do. I thought nobody was interested in my future,” he said.

When he volunteered to help with Global Disciples training the next year, he said, “It really took me into God’s presence. I fasted and prayed. God spoke to me and His calling was clear. I left the job and joined in His work.”

Then God opened the door for Manish to take a Global Disciples small business training. He learned how ministry and business can work together to reach people with the Gospel.

This answered many questions and gave him new joy and satisfaction in fulfilling his calling.

He started a business that gives him opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus with five or six unreached areas.

Manish said, “By the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit, there are small groups of people starting to worship the Lord and study the Word, where there before were no believers or churches.”

Praise God, for answering Manish in his struggles and opening a way to fulfill his calling to work a job and to reach the least reached.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Biruk is a church planter in Ethiopia.

His local cluster of churches uses our Global Disciples approach to equip disciple-makers to go out and plant churches among least-reached people. And recently, they added our small business training to give their church planters a means of support and a tool for sharing Jesus Christ.

Biruk finished the business training with a clear vision for reaching people with the Gospel. He started a tailoring business, rented a machine, and [began] sewing for people in his community.

One day, a woman came up whose daughter was possessed by demons.

Biruk prayed for her, and the daughter was delivered by the power of Jesus.

The mother was so grateful, she helped Biruk find a place for his business. A space that he could also use for the new church!

When a local drug addict heard the message of Jesus, he put his faith in Christ. The Lord freed him from his addiction, and he was discipled by Biruk. He’s now a leader in the new church, an outspoken witness for Jesus. And Biruk helped him develop a shoe-cleaning business to support himself.

Biruk thought this was a good start but he had a vision for more.

So, he built a team of disciples to take the Good News of Jesus to other least-reached communities. They planted 4 churches! And before he moved on, Biruk made sure that each new fellowship had a trained leader.

When he took his tailoring business to another community, he set up shop in the market and began sharing the Gospel as he worked.

He met several people who were caught up in witchcraft or possessed by evil spirits. When Biruk prayed for them in the name of Jesus, the demons were expelled, and the Holy Spirit came in power!

In just one day, 70 people put their faith in Jesus!

Biruk has now handed off leadership for this fellowship to another church planter from his small business training…and he’s ready to move to the next community.

He’s a man on a mission—using his small business to advance the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian missions organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

“If you want to do ministry, you cannot do other work! If you want to preach or evangelize, you must only do that! Not business too.”

Over and over, Saji heard this message from his pastor who, like many church leaders in India, believed that business and ministry don’t mix. You can’t do both the “sacred” and the “secular”.

But Saji struggled with this.

He was in his late 20s and had trained as an engineer.

God had given him a heart to share the Gospel with least-reached people. His family didn’t have money; his father was only a day laborer and they lived in poverty. His education had given him better job opportunities but the call to ministry left him feeling conflicted.

“One of my pastors said if I wanted to do ministry, I must leave everything else,” Saji said. So he resigned to minister through his church, but he had no means of support. He told his family nothing about his struggles because he feared his choice would offend them. “I didn’t have a single rupee for my personal use,” he said. “I relied on my friends to feed me and shelter me.”

One day, he was invited to a home group. There he met a young man who invited Saji to a small business training started with the help of Global Disciples.

“The very next month, I attended the small business training,” Saji reported. “It made me strong and gave me the courage to move forward. I learned many things about work and ministry, about Paul’s ministry and Peter’s ministry. I decided I could do any work at the same time as God’s work!”

Saji quickly caught on that you can do both ministry and business! Life, ministry, and work or business can be integrated for the glory of God and to reach others with the Good News.

Saji started a cell phone servicing business and used it to begin sharing the Gospel in a community where most people had little understanding of Jesus Christ. Within a year, God gave him success in both ministry and business.

“We now have 25 people worshipping every Sunday and an outreach to children. We have started three cell groups in this village. And we recently built a small worship center.”

Saji was able to marry since he now had a means of support. His relationship with his family was restored; they are happy to see how God led and provided for him. Saji said, “I am very happy with my work and ministry. I thank God for sending Global Disciples because they trained me and encouraged me.”

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian missions organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

We do it all the time. We meet someone new and within a short time, we ask, “What do you do?”

Some of us enjoy using that question to launch a conversation about what we value most. But eventually, we get around to our job. Whether we like it or not, we tend to link our vocation and our identity.

This tendency presents a problem for disciple-makers and church planters who go into villages, towns, or neighborhoods that are least-reached and may be quite resistant to the Gospel.

How do they explain what they do to their new neighbors and the people they meet and interact with?

They need an identity that makes sense to those who do not yet know Jesus. A small business can provide that, and Global Disciples provides training to churches to equip their near-culture workers to start a small business.

The economic advantage of a small business is obvious for a church planter. They can generate some income, especially when their sending cluster of churches is poor. But a vocational identity that’s understood by the community—a tailor, a shopkeeper, a farmer—is significant in building trusting relationships.

A Guiding Principle of Global Disciples states: “We value the Apostle Paul’s approach to mission as fitting for our time.” Paul made tents as he traveled to preach and plant churches.

As churches in slower economies around the world send out more and more near-culture workers, this principle frees them from the restraint of finances, so they can reach least-reached people.

Interestingly, these ‘co-vocational’ church planters tend to do better at multiplying new fellowships of believers because it’s easier to connect with people, and the model doesn’t demand as much financially as planting a church with a full-time church planter.

Like so many things revealed in Scripture, it’s hard to improve on what the Apostle Paul modeled. He was planting dynamic new expressions of the Body of Christ in places where people had not yet heard the Good News of Jesus. And so are we—as partners with you and with many churches near those who are least-reached.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

Peter is a big, burly man but tears filled his eyes as he told his story. He had been an angry, violent alcoholic and his parents-in-law had taken his wife and daughter away, fearful of what he might do to them. His life was in ruins.

Then Peter met a disciple of Jesus Christ. He discovered that Jesus could change his life in ways that his Hindu gods could not.

His family was reconciled and Peter found a fullness of life in Christ that he never imagined possible. His new church asked him to take the discipleship–mission training they had developed with Global Disciples and then commissioned him to plant a church in an unreached village.

Peter needed a way to support his family, so he also took the Small Business Development training developed by his church with the help of Global Disciples. When asked the question, “What’s in your hand?” Peter thought back to his boyhood experiences on a farm.

To support himself as a church planter and have an identity that made sense to the people in the village to which he was going, Peter developed a business plan for pesticide spraying. The guidance and support he received through his church from Global Disciples were enough to get a small loan and purchase a backpack sprayer with a small gasoline motor.

In the last several years, Peter has planted five churches in surrounding villages, building relationships through his business. He has been able to support his family and earned enough money to buy a small field to raise crops of his own. Now his face glows with delight.

Recently Peter was able to buy a second backpack sprayer, but not expand his own business. He’s giving the new sprayer to another church planter who recently completed the Global Disciples training and is now going to make disciples and plant new churches in unreached areas.

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

A leader with the right heart for God and His mission can see great things happen!

Some people want to be leaders because they want to be in charge, to call the shots, to be the “big man.”

Others desire to serve, to guide people, or develop new initiatives.

And some become leaders because God simply has called them, and given them a clear vision for what He wants to do through them with His people.

Sam and Chris fall into this third category of leader. They’re gifted, called, trained, and with the right heart. But most of all they have a vision for leading beyond themselves.

Both are Nigerian church leaders and working with Global Disciples to equip a new generation of serving leaders with a vision for reaching least-reached people with the Gospel.

Sam said, “The leadership training from Global ‘lifted my lid’ and got me out of the box I was in.” He’s broadened his focus to equipping leaders who are disciple-makers, ready and able to plant new churches.

He and his church cluster have added discipleship-mission training, equipping future church planters. And small business development—SBD—gives church planters and new fellowships a means of support.

What started as leadership development has broadened to include planting 7 new churches. “In some of our churches,” Sam reported, “we have a senior pastor and an assistant. That helps the assistant be prepared to take on a new church as we multiply.”

Chris has a similar story; for several years, he’s been training leaders with the help of Global Disciples. But his vision to develop leaders has gone beyond his own network of churches to other groups and fellowships.

“The training is spreading throughout our region,” he said. “My passion is to see leaders well-equipped. I want to do more to train disciple-makers too, so they can multiply and plant churches.”

As Global Disciples, it’s a joy and a privilege to partner with leaders like Chris and Sam, helping them to equip a new generation of men and women to guide and multiply the Body of Christ in Nigeria, and around the world!

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective training and coaching strategy, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!

“Last year, we could not train due to Covid-19 restrictions. But God’s work did not stop. It went on in ways we did not expect.”

Prior to COVID-19’s most recent devastating sweep across South Asia, Global Disciples program directors had opportunities to gather in small regional groups to pray, fellowship, and share reports on the past year. While acknowledging disappointment over discarded plans, they expressed their joy, wonder, and gratitude at the powerful hand of God.

“God’s work did not stop,” Jai said. “To have regular fellowship and evangelism, we divided our congregation into 24 house fellowships.” The money they had budgeted for training went to help church planters and many needy people in their community.

“We challenged our believers to win 300 people for Christ this year, and everyone is playing their part!” Jai said. By the end of the initial lockdowns, this local fellowship had grown to 500 believers. God is at work!

Suchi leads a small business development training which sent out 20 church planters to do ministry through business. “During the lockdown,” Suchi reported, “I lost my first-born baby and tested positive for Covid—it was a very difficult time.” Yet God was at work. One of the church planters had started a vegetable business—a business allowed to continue during lockdown. He helped many families in need, and by living out Christ-like compassion, ten people accepted Jesus! He’s planted two small fellowships.

Another church planter had a tailoring business. During lockdown, she led 12 people to Christ, and started two new fellowships. God’s work does not stop!

In a community where believers faced intense opposition and arrest, God did a wonderful work. Surya, a high-caste man from a wealthy background, saw the sign board for a local fellowship. “I feel that somebody is forcing me to come here,” he told the pastor.

Surya had lost everything, his wife was working as a housemaid, and his young son was possessed by an evil spirit. They had a temple in their home that people came to visit. “I have tried everything to get rid of these problems,” he said, “and now I come to you.”

The pastor prayed with him, and Surya accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. God also delivered the son from the evil spirit; Surya’s son and wife joined him as believers in Jesus and demolished the temple at their home. The pastor rejoiced, “God did this miracle in the same place where believers were persecuted!”

In these desperate days, millions in India and around the world are looking for hope, for comfort in the face of death and despair. God’s work doesn’t stop, and neither do His people.

What’s in your hands? This question has been the title of our Small Business Development (SBD) curriculum for more than 15 years. SBD training has helped disciple-makers and church planters launch several thousand small businesses in the last five years.

These small businesses give disciple-makers an identity that makes sense in a Muslim village or a Hindu neighborhood and provide support for their family. Through their businesses, at least 43,667 people have come to Christ in 1,407 newly churches planted.

Starting a business based on what’s in their hands has borne much fruit. This strategy makes sense. And the small business/church planting stories that have emerged are fascinating and inspiring.

“What’s in your hands?” is a good question for each of us to consider. Recently one of our Global Disciples Facilitators from Ecuador was sharing the perspective his church has on reaching least-reached people.

He said, “We tell the people of our church that everyone works in the mission: the knees of those who pray, the hands of those who give, and the feet of those who go. No matter what area of the mission you are involved in, either praying on your knees, opening your hands to give or moving your feet to go, it must be done sacrificially. Sacrificially pray, sacrificially go, and sacrificially give to reach the unreached people.”

What is your role in reaching the one-third of our world that has never had the opportunity to respond to the Good News of Jesus? What is in your hands? The Bible reminds us that God our Savior “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).

It is inspiring to read stories of the early Church after Pentecost. “They were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:45). Their engagement in God’s mission began with what they had in their hands. It’s a great place for each of us to start making God’s glory known in the nations.

Pastor H leads a Global Disciples partner program in South Asia, training local believers in discipleship-mission and small business. He sent along this story. 

This year, as we were conducting our training, the Holy Spirit spoke to us to take the Gospel to the ‘rejected and neglected’.  We didn’t understand, but we kept on praying, asking God to guide us to the place He wanted us to take the living Word.”

The Lord answered their prayers and directed them to a community with no witness for the Gospel. As they entered the village, they saw a group of women sitting outside their houses.

‘The Lord led us to share the love of Jesus with them,’ Pastor H said. ‘All were eager to hear the Gospel of Jesus, of His deliverance and acceptance. When we began to pray, several started crying and confessing their sins.’  The disciple-makers learned that twelve of these women were involved in prostitution, with about 14 children between them.

‘The Lord put a burden on us to counsel these women and help them come out from this evil experience,’ Pastor H said. For a month, the disciple-makers counseled and prayed with them, showing them how Jesus offered life and freedom. Finally, all twelve surrendered their lives to Jesus and accepted Him as Lord and Savior! A church was planted in the community and these women are now engaged with the new fellowship, growing spiritually.

As new disciples of Jesus, this group of women knew they needed a different way to support themselves and their children. With help from Pastor H’s church, each was given a sewing machine and a teacher came to teach them.

 ‘They have learned to sew,’ Pastor H shared, ‘and they are taking care of their families with their daily earnings. Before they start work each day, they have time for prayer and Bible reading. Kindly pray for them, and for the entire village that we can win the lost in this area.’ This is the redemptive mission of Jesus: to seek and save the lost, to set the captives free, to bring hope, dignity and life eternal to those trapped in sin. And a dozen women, with their sewing machines, can tell you how that mission transformed their lives. 

Global Disciples Canada is a Christian mission organization that trains local leaders living near least-reached communities to multiply disciples for Christ. One-third of our world hasn’t heard the Good News of Jesus. Yet. Global Disciples refers to these as “least-reached” people, and fewer than 10% of all missionaries work among these groups. We live in a time where many of these people are within reach of a local church. Through our simple and effective strategy of training and coaching, believers share the Gospel in their own nations and cultures. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” and we’re committed to doing just that. If you are looking for a Christian mission organization to partner with to become a better disciple and help make disciples, connect with us today!