Braunings’ By-Lines

MULTIPLICATION OF MINISTRY

Greetings to our friends, prayer partners and supporters!

Lately, I have had several people ask me what I do. I love that question, since it gives me a chance to share what the Lord is doing through the Christian Reformed work here in the Dominican Republic.

But at the same time, I find it hard to be concise when I answer. One way I can put it is this: the Christian Reformed Church in the Dominican Republic has about 180 congregations and about 9,000 affiliated. The Christian Reformed Schools in the DR have 21 schools and over 5,000 students. Christian Reformed World Missions has a grant budget for these ministries of nearly $400,000. a year. When we first arrived in the Dominican Republic in 1991, there were about 16 CRC missionary families in the country. Today, there are three. Does that help you imagine what I do? Maybe not. Maybe I could better explain it by explaining “multiplication of ministry”.

During the same time that the missionary team has been shrinking, the church, school, and community ministries have expanded many times over. That is because more and more leaders are being trained and mobilized today through the Christian Reformed Church in the Dominican Republic, through the Christian Reformed Schools, through the Strategy for Transformation, and through other partners. They are doing what missionaries used to do. Our role as missionaries has changed too, as now we work at building the organizational capacity of our national partners. So the ministry is actually multiplied many times as the level of grows.

Monica Medina is an example of multiplication of ministry. A leader of the Christian Reformed women’s board, she has been dreaming about helping pastors and pastors’ families better respond to the pervasive marriage and family problems in the society, communities, as well as within the Christian Reformed church and leadership. Having been trained in psychology at the Evangelical University in Santo Domingo through a scholarship from Christian Reformed World Missions, and a pastor’s wife herself, she felt that the Lord was prompting her to promote the starting of a marriage and family counseling department in the church.

Back in the summer, a number of pastors and their wives participate in a Family Life Ministries overnight conference. Then this past month Monica organized a special day for 25 pastoral couples to renew their marriage vows during a whole day event including workshops and a fancy romantic lunch. There is on-going training being planned, so that the ministry can be multiplied among the pastors of the denomination and beyond. Through this, it is hoped that the Lord will bring about healing and strengthening in marriages and families. It’s already starting! And this is being done without direct missionary involvement.

Other ministries that have been multiplied:

Christian Reformed schools started in the early 1980’s with a handful of missionaries teaching in a few church buildings. Now there are about 200 Dominican teachers in the 21 schools with 5,000 students.

Over 1,200 people have been benefited in 29 communities with literacy, income generation, and other projects. This is all done with national community development partners and staff.

Finally, Steve’s role with church growth has always had to goal of mobilizing believers to evangelize and disciple. This past month, we held a cell group training workshop in the Los Angeles Christian Reformed Church, with 19 participants. One was Masiel, who received Christ just last month in our local church. Now she is leading a small group evangelistic Bible study, supervised by our evangelism team! Since 2000, over 1,250 evangelists and disciplers have been trained.

Join us in prayer and thanksgiving for the exciting multiplication of ministry!

Thank you, and may the Lord bless.

Steve and Sandra Brauning and family