A ChangeMaker in the Middle East

by Charlie Costa

Church planting in the Middle East requires more caution than it does outside the region. Middle East Coordinator Charlie Costa works with ChangeMakers who serve in those countries, one of which is Egypt. The following is Costa’s story of an Egyptian ChangeMaker.

“We have been working with Pastor A for the last fourteen years and in that time he has planted three of Egypt’s seven BMA churches, two of which he was involved in personally and three where he mentored church planters. 

He attended the Baptist seminary in Beirut (Lebanon) for three years until graduating with his degree. He was one of my students, and it was immediately evident that his heart was geared toward church planting. During his time in seminary he started a house church for Egyptian workers in Lebanon and pastored that group until he graduated.

He then left for Algeria (North Africa) where he started church planting until he was thrown out of the country by authorities for trying to evangelize Muslims. His only option was to return to Egypt. So he went back to his hometown to help and mentor and continue church planting. 

Soon the house church he started there grew into a full-fledged Baptist church, then built a building that expanded the church’s ministry. 

While pastoring that church, he began planting a church in the next town over.  That one grew, so he sent one of the young men working with him to pastor that new church plant.

Another church in Cairo (not his hometown) is under his responsibility, and he mentors the church planter there who recently baptized ten new converts. Ten other new Christians are now waiting to be baptized. 

He and his wife are heavily involved in the church’s ministries, which include men’s and women’s discipleship, children’s club, and youth group.” 

(Costa says the difference between serving the Lord in Lebanon and serving in Egypt is simply that he has to be more cautious in his native country. Difficulty is apparently not a hindrance to his mission to GO.DISCIPLE.PLANT.REPEAT.)