Going Beyond...
Partners International Canada focuses on church planting and community transformation in our world’s least-reached or most persecuted places.
One in three people on the planet have limited or NO access to hear the good news of Jesus. There are no local churches in their language or within their region – they know no Christians personally.
Many of these people belong to one of 7,391 distinct unreached* people groups. These people predominantly live in regions such as the Middle East, North Africa and various parts of Asia.
Help plant the first seeds of the Gospel in the hardest places on earth…
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How it all Started...
In 1942, new government policies forced foreign mission organizations to withdraw their cross-cultural missionaries from China. Our founders heard a clear call from God at that time to invest in local leaders. Through the phenomenal vision of Calvin Chao, our first partnership grew to support 150 local evangelists in our first 6 years (1943-1949)
Cross-cultural missionary engagement was a priority of the Western Church in these early years. Yet our founders discovered two things that began a revolution in global mission:
- In countries closed to cross-cultural missionaries, it is necessary to partner with local leaders to share the good news of Jesus and establish churches.
- Working alongside local leaders is incredibly effective!
Our research indicates that Investing in local leaders means every dollar goes at least 13X further than other kinds of missionary engagement.
Research also indicates that nearly 99% of all global mission funding goes to parts of our world that would be considered “reached” - places where the church is strong enough to thrive and grow on its own. We prioritize the 40% of the world where this is not the case!
Duncan McRobers, Partners International's founding Field Director, wrote: “[local leaders] understand the mind of their own people, they have knowledge of their background and are familiar with their manner of reasoning. The [local leader] can easily win the confidence of [others] and plainly present the message of salvation.”
Our network of high-impact leaders are brave, bold and entrepreneurial. They work in places of our world that are in desperate need of the transformational power of the Gospel, where few others choose to go and where most can’t go.
There are more than 7,300 people groups representing over 3 billion people with little or no access to the transformative power of the gospel. With your help, we are focusing our attention on sharing the good news of Jesus and planting new churches amongst these people groups to establish a church among every tongue, tribe and nation.
We believe that the best way to advance mission is to enhance local vision.
We believe that the best way to advance mission is to enhance local vision. We IDENTIFY local leaders who are passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus and who are leading church planting and community transformation projects in the least-reached places.
We INVEST through deep and sustainable partnerships so that local leaders are equipped to boldly carry the Good News to difficult places until a thriving and sustainable local church exists.
We INSPIRE our local partners through encouragement and our Canadian donors through meaningful partnerships with ministries that are bringing people to Jesus, building the Church, and bringing lasting change to some of the most challenging places on earth.
We work in the parts of the world where few others focus.
Where We Work...
From our early days focusing on China, Partners International expanded across Asia, always driven by a passion for the world’s most challenging and unreached places.
In 1990, Luis Bush, then President of Partners International USA, introduced the term 10/40 Window—describing a vast region where millions had never heard the life-changing message of Jesus.
Many of those once-unreachable10/40 areas now have thriving, healthy churches, transforming lives and communities.
Yet, the mission is far from over...
Today, nearly 40% of the world—more than 3 billion people—still live without access to the Gospel or a sustainable local church. It is in these places, the hardest and most desperate, that we are called to serve. This is where we partner.
Join the mission to transform the most Gospel-starved places on earth...
Our Impact
Through strong partnerships and a shared local vision, we see a growing impact year after year. Communities are prayed for, needs are met, and lives are transformed. We meet people like Chir Chom, a destitute widow in Nepal now cared for. And Basim, a man in Pakistan once trapped in bonded labour, is now empowered through literacy and justice.
At the heart of every partnership is a commitment to sustainable local churches, sharing the message of Jesus through word and action. An impressive 82% of every project-designated dollar directly funds on-the-ground initiatives.
Look at the impact of just one year of meaningful partnership:
265,125
GOSPEL PRESENTATIONS
16,026
NEW BELIEVERS IN JESUS
6,899
PEOPLE BAPTIZED
3,202
LEADERS TRAINED
470,688
PEOPLE SERVED
Our Values
Our values are the foundation upon which we operate as a mission and team. They shape our culture and provide a focus for direction, strategy and action. They hold us accountable and they inspire us to be better than who we are today. They keep us focused on Jesus and our mission and they direct our approach.
It is only through a relationship with Jesus that a person is truly transformed. We rely on His power in our lives and in the lives of those we are reaching. Jesus’s love and power transforms the whole person, so we take a holistic approach, prioritizing the need for people to discover and embrace Jesus as the only way to lasting transformation. (John 3:16; Acts 4:12; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:1-2; 1 Tim. 2:5)
God wants all people to come to a saving knowledge of himself and His Spirit is already at work calling people to Himself in the most challenging places of our world. We want to follow God into these places and empower those who are making disciples, planting churches, and serving people there. We will share their stories and invite the church in Canada to join us on this mission. (Matt. 9:37; John 20:21; Acts 13:47; 2 Peter 3:9)
God loves the people of our world and has created every person in His image. We honour God when we respect one another. We will treat one another with honour, dignity and respect. We believe that when we become followers of Christ we become a child of God adopted into His holy family. We believe every person has an eternal destiny. (Gen. 1:27; Prov. 14:31; Isaiah 43: 6b-7; Rom. 8:29; Gal. 3:28)
God calls us to work together, and we best achieve our mission through meaningful collaboration with local leaders serving God in their own culture and environment. The body of Christ only succeeds when we work together to achieve God’s purposes. We partner with local indigenous leaders, Canadian churches and individuals, and as a team, to accomplish that which God has called us to. We freely share of our resources and pursue joint ministry projects with other kingdom-minded ministries.(Jer. 29:7; I Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Phil 1:5; 1 Thes. 2:8)
Bold faith is characterized by bold action. We believe leaders, led by the Holy Spirit, see the potential for an improved world and take action to make it a reality. We will take risks and courageously invest in, train, resource and encourage godly leaders serving in challenging places. We will model Jesus’ example of humble, sacrificial, and courageous leadership. (Joshua 1:9; Eph. 4:11-12; Ex. 18:21; 2 Tim. 2:2
We align our lives and our ministry around truth and honesty. We cultivate trust through integrity. We strive to do the right thing every time, both personally and professionally. We steward God’s resources diligently. We hold ourselves and those we work with accountable to live and act rightly. (Psalm 78:72; Proverbs 11:3; 1 Pet. 3:16; 2 Cor. 8:21)
We want to give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord and bring our best to our individual and collective work. God is honoured by whole-hearted service and promises to empower us to do even more than we could ever ask or imagine. We want to pursue growth and learning and embrace new ideas and innovations with courage. Doing our best often means collaborating, learning from one another and working together. We aim to serve our donors, churches and partners through our humble, whole-hearted and encouraging collaboration. (2 Chron. 31:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Eph. 6:6-8; Col. 3:23)
What We Believe
Make a World of Difference Every Month!
Join an amazing community of monthly donors who are contributing to the transformation of people and communities in some of the most challenging places on earth. By providing opportunities to hear the good news of Jesus and receive compassionate assistance, you are making a world of difference every month!