Chaz Nichols was a teenager when his aunt shared stories about her trip to African countries, prompting him to immediately tell his family, “I’m going to do that someday.”
The 14- or 15-year-old wasn’t even a Christian yet, but he was exactly right about God’s plan, except for one detail: the continent. When he became a Christian at 17, Nichols heard of Hudson Taylor, the missionary to China.
“That lit me up for working overseas in a Christian capacity and missions in China,” the Massachusetts native said.
His appreciation for China deepened over the years. At the same time, his concerns for all Asian people grew as he invested the decades of his life in ministry and business in several Asian countries.
In November, Nichols became Converge’s regional director for the movement’s ministries in Asia.
“My role is to share my life with whomever I can, wherever I am,” he said. “That’s just part of life — sharing Christ as you go.”
Now, he oversees Converge’s initiatives and Impact Teams in Japan, China, Thailand and the Spice Islands. He’ll visit and meet with those teams in 2024 to reflect on their strategy for making disciples in those least-reached nations.
He said his goal is to use the ministry and business skills the Lord has given him to help Converge global workers in Asia see their prayer for gospel movement realized in our generation.
Those skills include building relationships as he travels. He wants to disciple people and mentor and coach leaders into greater fruitfulness. His previous role at Westwood Community Church, which lasted 10 years, utilized his business and ministry experience so Westwood’s missions program could know where it was going and why.
For his time at Converge, he prays that he will use his comfort and familiarity with many cultures for the Lord’s glory and for growing His kingdom.
Did you know that 70,000 people die daily without a chance to hear a credible gospel presentation? Converge International Ministries is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group — in our generation.