Jerry Schommer rode four hours through the mountains into an Asian valley where seven believers live among thousands of unreached people.
As rocks fell from the mountains above, he traveled down streets washed out here and there by heavy spring rains. Once the sheer mountain cliffs fade from view and the vehicle slows to a stop, a church planter greets Schommer. The first adults to trust Christ in that valley surround the indigenous pastor.
“They just learned about Jesus,” Schommer said. “But they got his mission.”
Despite their young faith, these new Christians already understand God’s will and their part in it. They told the Wisconsin native they believe they could spread the gospel to 15,000 unreached people in surrounding villages.
“It’s the indigenous leader that’s able to adapt and live off the land and make disciples,” he noted.
Making disciples where many of the world’s least-reached people live, work and worship is a supreme challenge. Disciples who are from such places already have an advantage. That’s why Converge utilizes another strategy for global evangelism: impact and initiative teams who embrace and elevate local leaders.
A lengthy flight redirects a long ministry
Schommer planted and served Converge churches for 33 years. Then, a 2014 visit to an Asian country with Converge partner organization The Timothy Initiative altered the course of his life.
“It just touched my heart deeply,” he said of the trip. “You just saw the raw needs of the country and people without hope [who are] far from Jesus.”
So Converge’s director of church planting partnerships started introducing churches to TTI as an additional way to make disciples among least-reached peoples. Converge emphasizes sending global workers to create a gospel movement among every least-reached people group in our generation.
“I’ve always had a heart for evangelism, and I’ve known that church planting is a good way to reach people,” he said.
He now connects hundreds of times a year with churches, pastors, mission teams and Converge’s U.S. regional offices so they can see the same tremendous need he encountered in 2014.
“When people catch the vision, they become partners,” he said. “When people see what God is doing, they want to be part of it.”
Small congregations help start nearly 150,000 new churches
A church of 100 people heard about forming churches among the least-reached people and decided to give sacrificially. The American congregation was so stirred they devoted an entire Sunday offering of $3,000 to create 10 churches.
“Any church can be involved in reaching the least reached through church planting,” Schommer said.
Related: American believers united to send 312 church planters around the U.S. by 2026.
David Nelms, who founded The Timothy Initiative, is confident Schommer has played a significant role as Converge churches helped plant more than 20,000 congregations across the globe.
“We’re pouring fuel on the fire,” Nelms said of indigenous peoples turning to Christ. “The fire’s already raging. We’re just pouring fuel on it, and we do that through the churches.”
When Schommer began his role seven years ago, 30,000 churches had been planted. Now, 142,000 churches have started, each with an attendance of around 20 people. TTI verifies and inspects new churches with appropriate scrutiny of conversions, baptisms, life transformation and biblical teaching.
In addition, The Timothy Initiative supports new churches and pastors with training so they can be disciples who lead others to follow Christ. That helps to advance Converge’s vision to have a gospel movement among every least-reached people group.
Related: Converge International Ministries’ bold vision
A business student seeking a better life
Schommer’s initial trajectory meant a business degree from the University of Wisconsin in Oshkosh. Once on the university’s campus, Schommer quickly realized many college students around him liked to party. He declined their invitations and graciously shared how he believed Christ had better plans for his life.
In response, college students gave three basic answers. Some thought he was missing out on something good, and others let him go his way. A third group wanted to hear more about Christ’s plans for people.
“I did a Bible study with them, and I saw a couple of people come to Jesus,” he said. “I kept reading the Bible and building into others and saw people move toward Jesus.”
Eventually, he surrendered to Christ’s life plan as he believed God wanted him to help more people meet, know and follow the Lord. So, he transferred to Crown College, finished his bachelor’s degree and then attended to Bethel Seminary.
After graduation, he started pastoring and planting churches. Then, four decades later, he took the trip to Asia that shifted his paradigm for how God wanted to use him.
At that point, Acts 1:8 took on new meaning as it spoke of Christ’s people as witnesses to the ends of the earth. Schommer had often witnessed Christ’s grace and truth near his home. Sometimes, he helped make disciples in the greater Minnesota area or a mildly cross-cultural setting, a “Samaria” within the Upper Midwest.
But that Asia trip in 2014 added a new layer to his life as a disciple-maker.
“I want to keep working in all four areas simultaneously,” he said. “I want to be a world Christian that way.”
Speeding love’s arrival deep into mountain valleys
For the last seven years, he’s been doing that despite least-reached people living where Westerners often can’t survive or do ministry. That’s the impact of churches that work together with humility and devotion to Christ’s deepest desires.
Such unity among disciples eager to make more disciples means Asian believers now exist in a valley that’s a four-hour drive through mountain passes.
Related: How your church can connect with other churches to fulfill the Great Commission
A plane can get him from America to anywhere. But even more remarkable is what happens everywhere the Spirit works: The world’s churches collaborate so Christ is exalted among the least reached.
Christ is why seven new believers and a pastor express devotion to sharing the gospel with the 15,000 people around them.
“We’re looking for people to come to know Jesus,” Schommer said. “I’ve been able to help accelerate some of the work around the world.”
Converge is asking God for a gospel movement among every least-reached people group — in our generation. Learn how we are playing a role in accomplishing the Great Commission and how you can be involved.