World Prayer Line
January 1999
The Encounter Movement--Powerful for Urban Church Growth
Prayer, teamwork, and a passion for the lost in Lima, Peru, 25 years ago launched an evangelistic campaign that continues today. "Lima to an Encounter with God" began with a vision for intensive evangelism that reach the city, even with a handful of leaders through what was then Lima's only Alliance church, the Lince Church.
This first church grew from 180 people to 900 in the first 15 months. In 1975 the Pueblo Libre Church was planted. "Both churches experienced explosive growth and began to hive off (daughter) other churches," reports Rev. Bill Mangham, corrdinator for the Latin America Encounter program, now a growth movement across Latin America.
Twent-five years later, simultaneous citywide evangelistic campaigns were held at all 40 Alliance churches in Lima, and "Hundreds of people rsponded to the invitation to receie Jesus Christ."
In November two evangelistic services ata civic center to conclude the twenty-fifth anniversary celebration opened with a parade led by children carrying sign with the church name from the 40 Encounter churches. Evangelistic messages were preched to 17,000 in attendance, and 260 people responded to the gospel invitation. Later in the service 50 people stood to mark the first service of a new daughter church, bringing he total number of Alliance churches in Lima to 41.
A key to the Encounter strategy is to pray fervently before two weeks of continual evangelism. this is followed by two weeks of discipleship classes and churches planted in stategic locations.
With each church plant the spirit of unity among believers grows. Leadership training begins and more daughter churches are planted. this has become a powerful formula for urban church growth.
Today the vision is for reaching the entire continent and the world for Jesus Christ. The next Encounter congress, held every three years, will convene in June in Bogotà, Colombia. The Encounter movement is now active in 11 Latin American countries and in Spain.
Pray for bold goal setting for the future and a renewed vision for the Encounter movement. Pray also being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philipplians 1:6). Praise God for the harvest in Lima.
For more information, please visit the official C & MA web site. C & MA
