Many pastors in Costa Rica have either never received biblical education or have been slowly completing their degrees for the past 10-20 years. They often have little access and/or cannot afford the training they need.
We have been called to the region of Talamanca, in the province of Limon, to train, equip, and encourage these pastors and leaders. We primarily work with the Bribri and Cabecar Indigenous groups, 25% who are evangelical Christians. We also assist local pastors and evangelical churches in Valle de la Estrella, Limon.
Our primary activities include the following: discipling and training leaders, making certain the Bible institute is operating effectively, helping plant churches, and overseeing construction projects for local churches and public schools. Additionally, we provide scholarships for local pastors to attend Bible college, while also handing out study materials for them to teach sound biblical doctrine to their congregations.
We recently saw the first five Talamanca graduates with more to graduate soon! These graduates have expressed that they feel much more equipped to share the Word of God to their congregations and have already witnessed people come to faith.
For many years, we pastored churches in British Columbia and Alberta, then attended language school in San Jose, Costa Rica for one year, and felt called to serve as PAOC global workers in Mexico for three years. We focused on building relationships with local evangelical pastors and churches. We have now been ministering in Costa Rica since 2015 with many calling us “The Pastors to the Pastors.”