In the Andes Mountains of Venezuela, a church is full of “walking Bibles,” where believers as young as five years old are able to confidently tell complete Bible stories. We call it a Heart Bible for the Nations Church, and Heart Bible for the Nations flourishes there in ways that the team hopes to replicate around the world.
Amidst crippling inflation, food shortages and blackouts, La Iglesia Montaña de la Salvación (Mountain of Salvation Church) awaited the arrival of materials for their weekly children’s program. The materials never arrived, but church leaders remembered Heart Bible for the Nations, which Equipping Evangelist and his wife had introduced to them 10 years prior. They realized that the Bible itself could be their curriculum.
There are more than 500 stories in the Bible, and for more than five years, La Iglesia Montaña has been adding these stories to their collective Heart Bible.
The children of La Iglesia Montaña de la Salvación are eager to share the Bible stories they know.
“What marks our conferences as different is that we talk Bible, not about the Bible,” Equipping Evangelist says, which means that no one needs theological training to master Heart Bible for the Nations — they only need the Bible.
Even the children there engage in discipleship with each other as they progress through the method: learn, tell and teach. More than 600 children can learn, tell and teach six stories from the gospel of Mark.
Earlier this year, 54 leaders from 18 surrounding churches attended a level one Heart Bible for the Nations training led by Pastor Felix. Equipping Evangelist attended as well to see how the ministry was progressing.
At Heart Bible for the Nations conferences, participants take turns sharing Bible stories.
At each training, participants are invited to stand up and share the Bible stories that they learn there. The children often volunteer first, followed by the women, while pastors are most hesitant to try, Equipping Evangelist says.
“It humbles people,” he explains. “It puts everyone at the same level.” Despite theological training, a pastor might find that he is no more (and possibly less) adept at storytelling than a 13-year-old. Because of this, Equipping Evangelist rejoiced when one key leader got up to share a Bible story, and one by one, the other pastors followed his example.
Fifteen of the 18 churches are now actively practicing what they learned, and Pastor Felix has selected leaders from these churches to form a team dedicated to multiplying Heart Bible for the Nations trainings throughout Venezuela.
Pray with us …
- That all 18 churches might flourish as they hide God’s Word in their hearts.
- That the team Pastor Felix has assembled will be wise, bold and diligent in sharing Heart Bible for the Nations.
- That God would replicate what is happening in Venezuela all over the world.
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