The McIntoshes

Tim & Debbie, Joel, Elizabeth & Andrea

March 2010

Dear Praying Friends,

Greetings from Wheaton where we have entered the final two months of Debbie’s studies. She will
have to do some more hours of counseling for her internship after graduation but the end is in sight. We are
looking forward to what the Lord has in store as far as her counseling ministry is concerned. Tim was in Peru in
February and checked out some possibilities for her and we are encouraged.
While in Lima, Tim and Enrique Fernandez presented the ministry of ProMETA (LATN) to the annual
meeting of all the theological education institutions in the country. It was held at the Evangelical Seminary of
Lima where Tim has taught in the past and will again upon our return to Peru in August. The response was
very encouraging as there was a warm reception to ProMETA and distance education in general.
Earlier this month the ProMETA team hosted a summit in San Jose, Costa Rica that was attended by
numerous pastors and leaders from the U.S. A. Pastor Lee Heyward made the following comments on his blog
about ProMETA and gave us the permission to use them. Read and rejoice with us:

Ripple Effect
For two days I’ve been in San Jose, Costa Rica learning about a ministry that’s
pioneering new and creative ways to train and equip church leaders throughout the
Spanish-speaking world. It’s called ProMETA and the word “ProMETA” is a Spanish
acronym for Programas de Maestria en Estudios Teologicos Accesibles. In short, it means,
Master’s Programs in Accessible Theological Studies. All the study programs offered
through ProMETA are conducted entirely through the Internet. They are leveraging
technology to create virtual learning communities all around the Spanish-speaking
world. Not even ten years old, ProMETA is already successfully training experienced
and seasoned leaders in 24 different countries with minimal overhead and impressive
results.
Thorough research indicates that Christianity’s center of gravity has shifted
dramatically in the past fifty years from the northern hemisphere centers of influence
(North America and Northern Europe) to the southern hemisphere centers (Asia, Africa
and Latin America). In 1980 there were roughly 17 million evangelical believers
throughout Latin America. Today there are more than 60 million evangelicals. Studies
indicated that everyday throughout Latin America some 8,000 people come to faith. If
you do the math, that’s a staggering statistic. But here’s the challenge. While the
Spanish speaking church has exploded with growth, there is a disproportionate growth
in leadership to meet that growth demand. And unless there is a strategy of
multiplication, that disproportionate statistic is likely to increase.
A strategy of multiplication works like a ripple: a small drop of water released into a
larger pool, creates a ripple effect. The larger and weightier the drop of water, the
 larger the ripple. This week I’ve heard numerous examples of the power of this ripple
effect. I met a young Venezuelan leader named Samuel. His English was certainly
better than my Spanish, but through an interpreter his story managed to move me
deeply and illustrate the “ripple” of multiplication. Samuel is a key Latin American
leader in his country. He is enrolled as a distance learner in ProMETA and recently took
an online Master’s course in church planting. He ministers in a city with a population of
1 million people. After he completed the course he decided to take what he learned and
share it with 100 pastors whom he oversees in his denominational setting in
Venezuela. Samuel reflects the Apostle Paul’s strategy, “The things you have heard me
say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to
teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2). They met for a week, unpacked the principles of church
planting, discussed strategies, videotaped each session, closed with prayer and
returned to their homes. Days later someone suggested they place the training on
YouTube. Within days Samuel was flooded with over 500 requests throughout his
country to come and conduct the same training in their area. He did and as a result of
multiplying his influence, 20 new churches sprung up on Venezuelan soil. That’s the
“ripple” of multiplication. Technology has not only created a “flat” world, it has created
an “open” world too.
It is true that sometimes technology can be used in ways that actually detracts from our
message and hinders our effectiveness. But before throwing the proverbial “baby out
with the bathwater,” I need to reflect about all the ways technology is helping to
advance the Gospel and strengthen the church across the world. And a good
place to begin is to consider ProMETA (www.pro-meta.org).
I learned this week that when godly men and women blend the
science of technology with the truth of Scripture powerful
Kingdom-sized ripples result.

Speaking of technology…. I think I’ll sign off,

Lee Heyward
Dr. Lee Heyward (D.Min.) is Executive Director of BrookLink, an international ministry that equips pastors and
leaders in the Majority World with resources that promote healthy multiplying churches. Lee blogs regularly
and to learn more about BrookLink please visit: www.brooklink.org.

Thanks for being part of our team.

Tim & Debbie McIntosh
1716 Lakecliffe Drive, Apt. D
Wheaton, Illinois 60189
717-489-1539 (home), 717-418-3814 (cell)
Email: timothy.mcintosh@efca.org debbie.mcintosh@efca.org
www.latn.org www.pro-meta.org

Serving with the Evangelical Free Church – Reachglobal

901 E 78th Street, Minneapolis, MN 55420