The Global Christian Book Fund (gcbf.org) recently featured PPI training in its summer newsletter. GCBF has its roots in Christianbook Distributors and its nonprofit organization, Christianbook International Outreach (CIO). Since 2022, CIO (now GCBF) has provided a generous grant to PPI to help us purchase Bibles and other ministry resources. Their newsletter (reprinted below in its entirety) gives another – and encouraging! – perspective on our work in Haiti. To God alone be glory!
More Than a Bible: Training and Equipping Haiti’s Pastors by Daniel Henderson (GCBF)
Haiti is the poorest and one of the most underserved nations in the Western Hemisphere, and its pastors among the most overlooked. Thousands of church leaders across the country shepherd their congregations with little formal training and even fewer resources. Yet their hunger for God’s Word and for genuine equipping is remarkable. That’s where Partnership of Pastors International (PPI) comes in – and where Global Christian Book Fund is proud to walk alongside them.
Training That Goes Deeper
Established in 2019, PPI has built something remarkable in Haiti: a training program that inspires but also requires something of its participants. Across six courses, church leaders receive 16 -18 hours of foundational ministry training. Pastors complete individual and group assignments and engage deeply with Scripture. These aren’t passive conferences. Pastors attend every session. They do the work.
The results speak for themselves. Church leaders leave PPI training more encouraged in their identity in Christ, more committed to walking in obedience to His Word, more confident in understanding and applying Scripture, and more skilled in leading their churches. As one Haitian pastor put it, “Everywhere in Haiti, pastors are running after PPI training!”
The Challenge of Getting Bibles There
Getting training materials into Haiti is no small feat. PPI has literally loaded Cessna aircraft – two flights worth – with 28 boxes of Thompson Chain Reference Bibles and course materials just to reach church leaders in the south of the country. Each Bible weighs nearly 3.3 lbs, and with 8 Bibles per box, those 28 boxes carried 224 Bibles – over 740 lbs of God’s Word alone. Logistics that might be routine elsewhere become genuine acts of determination in Haiti.
Global Christian Book Fund helps make that possible. Through our ongoing partnership with PPI, we support the supply of Bibles and resources that fuel this training, because we believe that getting the right book into the right hands changes everything. Ken MacGillivray, PPI’s director, said,
”Without GCBF’s partnership, the number of pastors we equip, the number of cities we impact, and the number of Bibles we provide would be significantly curtailed. We SO appreciate GCBF’s encouragement and generosity in this Kingdom venture!”
The Thompson Bible: More Than a Gift
There is a moment at the end of PPI’s Course 1, “The Message and the Messenger,” that captures why this work matters. Every pastor who successfully completes the course earns the Thompson Chain Reference Bible he or she used throughout the training.
For most of these leaders, this is the finest study Bible they have ever held, and the joy on their faces shows it. It is not handed out freely. It is earned through hours of faithful study and commitment. That makes it all the more meaningful. Church leaders in Les Cayes and Jérémie lit up with joy when they completed the course and received their Bibles. This is what faithful investment in pastors in developing nations looks like.
Why It Matters
When a pastor in Haiti is trained and equipped, his entire congregation benefits. The good news is proclaimed courageously and accurately. Families are shepherded more faithfully. Scripture is taught more clearly. Churches are built on firmer ground. Communities are impacted more holistically. Global Christian Book Fund exists to make moments like these possible – putting books and Bibles into the hands of those who will use them to build the Church.
Would you partner with us to keep this work going? Your gift today helps ensure that the next generation of Haitian pastors receives the training and the tools they need to lead well.
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