Latin America Spotlight: Interview with Honduran Trainers of Pastors

Do you ever feel overwhelmed in ministry? As though what you are doing does not really count for much?

A young couple from Honduras has encouragement for you. We encourage you to watch the below video interview and then for your further encouragement enjoy the written article further below. 

Pastors Kathy and Peter Hearne started ministry together 17 years ago (she specifically asked God that she would marry a pastor!). Today, in their region of Latin America, they are seeing more church planting than ever and more people saying “Yes” to God. They also see a tremendous need for pastoral training. “When you hear someone preaching something unbiblical, how do you take them back to what the Word of God says?” Kathy shares that this is the challenge they face as they serve and support pastors.   

When they first started training pastors, they didn’t have much money or access to pastoral training resources and connections, yet Peter and Kathy started with what and who they had, and that’s what they encourage anyone training pastors to do.

Even though what you’re doing may feel like one drop in a bucket, God will use every effort to grow His Church. “Every pastor counts,” Peter says. “The effects of one pastor being trained will be multiplied.” 

Today, they aim to personally train 10 pastors per year; Peter also speaks at training events attended by up to 100 pastors at a time. He and Kathy envision starting seminars connected with international pastoral training institutions, organizations and/or individuals for broader input. They even hope one day to open a seminary or Bible training school in their city.

You may be facing lack of funding, time or assistance as you train pastors. Or maybe you feel discouraged because what you are doing seems so little compared to the need. Watch/read our interview with Peter and Kathy. We think you’ll be affirmed and encouraged.

A written interview is below. We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel for future interviews.

Calling all trainers of pastors of Latin America and the Caribbean! The Lord willing, RREACH will convene a Global Proclamation Congress in Panama City, Panama, October 12-16, 2020, to help address the challenge to train more pastors better, faster and at lower cost in your region. We need your voice in the conversation! Check it out: www.GProCongress.org. 

GProCommission Written Interview

What is your role in pastoral training?

Our role is sometimes to be a bridge organizing training for other trainers, and other times I’ll  be invited to teach on a certain topic.

How many pastors are you committed to training per year?

I am committed to training ten pastors a year on a personal basis, but if I can, I also do other  trainings where there can be up to 100 pastors at a time. 

How long have you been training pastors?

We have been training pastors for 5 years.

Can you share one recent praise report/testimony from a pastor you trained?

Recently in Guatemala, a young pastor came up to me and said, “I can’t go back to study the Bible and preach the way I was used to. After this I can’t.”

Can you share one recent praise report of your own?

Every time I’m preparing myself to train other pastors, I grow in different ways.

How did God first call you to train pastors?

After being equipped through training in expository preaching, I said “More people have to know about this and get trained.”

Do you have a team that helps you? If so, how is it organized?

There are four people that help us.  They contact others and organize the events with us. 

What is a challenge unique to pastors in your region of the world and how do you address it?

There are two challenges that we face:

1) Finances: We try to provide as much as we can so that the material can be affordable.  

2) Many years of preaching with bad habits: We try to show pastors how to get deeper in the Word and how inductive Bible study helps us to do so.

What is your greatest overall challenge in training pastors?

Our greatest challenge is having enough money to keep training pastors.

What is your biggest concern for the pastors you train?

My biggest concern is the follow-up in training.

How would you describe your approach to discipleship?

Helping people learn how to study the Bible so they can understand what it truly is saying in order to apply it and then teach others.

What do you envision for the future of the pastoral training work that you are doing? 

I would love to have a seminar that is connected to another seminar in the States, so that we can have professors come and teach as well.

What is your plan to get there?

My plan is to get a masters and then a Ph.D. degree in theology. 

What advice would you give to an aspiring pastoral trainer who feels overwhelmed by the great need for pastoral training and feels like anything he could do would be a drop in the bucket and wouldn’t make much impact?

Our advice is to start with what you have and train pastors no matter the size of the group. Everything we do for pastoral multiplication helps in the long run!