As I’ve traveled now to scores of destitute nations, it has been my privilege to meet some of the greatest servants of Jesus Christ to be found anywhere.  Their names are not familiar to you; they don’t have multi-million dollar ministries and their faces are not on the covers of Christian magazines.  They are the church’s hidden heroes.

These frontline shepherds minister in the underserved areas of our world.  Many of them are poor by financial standards.  Almost all of them are poorly trained.  They have few resources for ministry.  Yet their dignity in Christ, their grace under trial and their perseverance in the midst of struggles is beautiful to behold.

Of course, I go to equip and encourage them, but I also learn much from them and am encouraged by their unflagging commitment to Jesus Christ and His Great Commission.  This was the same dynamic Paul expected when he prepared to minister to the church in Rome.  Anticipating his ministry to them he wrote, “I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong – that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith” (Ro. 1:11-12, NIV).

By God’s grace, we leave a deposit of training, tools and a fresh touch of God’s Spirit wherever we go equipping servant-leaders.  But I am also greatly enriched by their lives of sacrificial faith and joyful service for Christ.  They are so much like the early Christians who “went out for the sake of His name, taking nothing from unbelievers” (3 Jn. 7).

What They Give Us

Frontline shepherds have given me many gifts to strengthen my faith.  Here are some of the most important lessons I’m learning from God’s servant-leaders on the frontlines of the church’s global advance.

Frontline shepherds model obedience.  They implicitly obey the Lord and quickly put into practice what they learn at Frontline Shepherds Conferences.  Christian leaders in developing nations know that obedience to God’s Word and His commands are imperative for fruitfulness in life and ministry.  They are committed to the Great Commission.  Like the first Christian believers, “they went out.”

Frontline shepherds show a great love for God.  They go out with the gospel “for the sake of His name.”  These hidden heroes bring me back to a pure love for God and His people.  Out of that love springs the motivation to serve Him and others joyfully.

Frontline shepherds teach me simplicity. Like early Christians, they take nothing from unbelievers.  They rely on the support of fellow Jesus-followers for their sustenance and for funding for the vision God has given them.  Even with very minimal resources, they have learned to be grateful, resourceful and productive.

Frontline shepherds exhibit great courage. I’ve met men and women in developing nations with bravery that would rival our greatest heroes.  Most of their stories of valor will only be told in heaven, and heaven is keeping an accurate record of each of their courageous deeds to advance the gospel.

Frontline shepherds exercise great faith. Through the years I’ve learned that God responds to my faith, and He is insulted by my fears.  I’m learning to speak the word of faith that His purposes will be accomplished.  Our brothers and sisters in destitute nations have learned to live with explicit faith in the promises of God.

Frontline shepherds show humility. The severity of their circumstances contributes to their brokenness and contriteness before the Lord.  Andrew Murray called humility “the mother virtue and the perpetual safeguard of the soul.”  Oh, what arrogant preachers in America could learn from these humble servants of Christ!

Frontline shepherds are teachable. They are so grateful for any scrap of material and any training we bring them.  You never encounter an “I deserve this” attitude.  These servant-leaders are constantly learning and devouring books and other resources they have.  My growing edge stops the moment I stop learning and realizing that I have much to learn from others.  God protect us from the epitaph:  “Here lies John Smith.  Expired, age 80.  Died, age 25!”

Frontline shepherds model tenacity. Those who ruthlessly pursue God and fight for the vision inspire and challenge me.  There are always plenty of reasons to give up on a dream.  These frontline shepherds just keep pressing on until their faith is made sight.

Frontline shepherds exhibit a willingness to suffer for Christ and for the gospel. Suffering for the cause of Christ is sometimes hard for Western Christians to embrace.  Yet we must have a heart that is willing to follow Jesus, no matter the cost and identify with Him in His suffering.

Frontline shepherds teach me a lot about lordship.  Many leaders in developing nations have a history of colonialism.  They understand what it means to live as a subject under a sovereign ruler.  If we’re not spiritually sensitive, our history of independence can impede our understanding of living under the absolute lordship of Christ.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful to God for our freedom and independence.  However, Paul had no problem calling himself a willing slave of Jesus Christ.  Neither should we.

What We Give Them

Just as frontline shepherds’ lives enrich ours, we have something to give them, as well.  John said, “We ought to support such men, that we may be fellow-workers for the truth” (3 Jn. 8).  We can support and strengthen our brothers and sisters on the frontlines of spiritual combat in the following ways.

We can impart vision in their hearts.  I am convinced that the cultural gift of the American church to the rest of the Body of Christ is the ability God has given us to impart vision.  I have watched in amazement time and again as the Holy Spirit literally births vision in the hearts of these hidden heroes as I minister to them.  God has anointed Global Advance to encourage these brothers so they leaven with a vision in their hearts.

We can bring practical training.  For many of these brothers and sisters, the training they receive at Global Advance conferences is the only training for ministry they will ever receive.  Simple, cross-cultural, biblically based training becomes a powerful asset for their future fruitfulness.

We can put tools in their hands. Although most pastors in developing nations are literate and multi-lingual, they seldom of any solid resources for ministry.  Our training materials have now been translated in over 20 languages.  The Global Advance Virtual Institute provides 100 hours of continuing training beyond our Frontline Shepherds Conferences.  Even in very remote areas pastors can access for free volumes of training from our www.2tim2.org multiple language training website.  The LifeBook series provides a full year of ongoing ministry training for these deserving hidden heroes.

We can minister a fresh touch of God’s Spirit.  An encouraging word from the outside – given to pastoral leaders who feel isolated and forgotten – can literally change their lives.  And when we lay hands on them and pray for a new enduement of power from the Holy Spirit, these humble servants of Christ are never the same.

Together, we can literally change nations for Christ by touching leaders’ lives.  We have received richly from their lives.  They desperately need what we can bring them.  And we labor together in a harvest that belongs neither to them or us.  We are workers together in His harvest.