Spotlight: A rut-less church in South America

SANTIAGO, Chile — Churches of Christ can easily fall into a “rut,” said Bob Young. The Oklahoma minister and missions consultant to Spanish-speaking nations has seen it happen repeatedly. Churches reach a plateau of 50 to 75 members and stop growing as “satisfaction sets in,” he said.

“The church is seeking more shepherds and is constantly seeking to expand ministry.”

The elders of the Nogales Church of Christ in Chile’s capital didn’t want that to happen, Young said. So, about 10 years ago, they “committed themselves to shepherding and asked the members to accept responsibility for the daily function of the church. The preaching task at Nogales is now shared by a number of brothers. The ministries are overseen by a group of brothers who serve as evangelists. The church has committed itself to evangelism and to discipling new members.”

The congregation has grown from 80 to about 200 members in the past decade, Young said, adding that church members are effectively sharing the Gospel with native Chileans plus economic refugees from Haiti and Venezuela. The Nogales church also partners with more than a dozen Chilean congregations to evangelize South America through a ministry called “Mission Chile.”

“Here is a model church that is continuing to develop,” Young said of the Nogales congregation. “The church is seeking more shepherds and is constantly seeking to expand ministry. One of the biggest challenges they face right now is that they have simply outgrown their building.”

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