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TRAINING LABORERS
IN ASIA
By David Harris
Steven Maldoff, BIMI Southeast Asia Director,
said, “Missions is not just preaching and
evangelism and church planting. It also includes
the establishment of seminaries, colleges, and
institutes to help propel national believers into
being better equipped and trained for God’s
service.” This is so true and is a vital part of the
work of missions around the world. In Asia
there are several examples worth noting of
training laborers by BIMI missionaries.

second largest unreached people group in the
world and remains in great need of preachers
and missionaries. We must remember that
those who do come to Christ are often very
dedicated and faithful servants of the Lord. It is
worth everything that we can invest to see more
laborers enter this needy harvest field. Japanese
believers and those trained for ministry often
give their entire lives to the proclamation of the
Gospel in difficult and obscure places.

Because of our years in Japan, we are most
familiar with the Kansai Independent Baptist
Bible School (KIBBS) in Kobe, Japan. This
ministry was started by Don Sisk, Ron White,
and other missionaries who understood the
need to train new believers. Now for 54 years,
this ministry continues through dedicated local
pastors and missionaries who devote their time
to teach the next generation.

An example of this comes from the very first
graduating class of KIBBS. Though this was
many years ago, this ministry continues to be
very fruitful. Back in the early 1970s, there were
three men who graduated in the first graduating
class. To date, after more than 54 years, these
men are still pastoring the same churches and
have been used of God to see scores of people
come to Christ and many laborers trained
and sent into the harvest. Men such as Pastor
Ogawa, Pastor Omote, and Pastor Uehara are
legendary and wonderful examples of Christ-
like leadership. In addition, all of these men are
blessed that their sons are trained and in place
to continue their ministries in the future.

Japanese pastors with Don Sisk & Ron White
front: Pastor Omote, Pastor Uehara, , Pastor Ogawa
back: preachers & pastors trained at KIBBS
In the early days, some of the students were
actually kicked out of their homes by their
parents after placing their faith in Christ.

KIBBS, as it is called in the English-speaking
world, has produced over 200 of the most
committed and finest missionaries, pastors, and
ministry personnel in the world who are now
proclaiming the Gospel of Christ throughout
Japan and the world.

Despite much effort in evangelism, Japan is a
difficult field for seeing results by those in the
West, but for those of us who labor (or labored)
in Japan, every soul saved reminds us that there
is great rejoicing in the presence of the angels
when one comes to Christ. Japan remains the
12 In the Philippines there has also been a great
emphasis by BIMI missionaries to train
laborers for the harvest. One of the most
amazing ministries is that of Rick Martin. The
ministry of Iloilo Baptist Church and their
training of laborers for the harvest is a story
that needs to be told.

Iloilo Baptist Church, Iloilo City, Philippines



In a recent visit to a pastors’ conference, Brother
Martin challenged men who had been trained
in soul winning out
of Iloilo Baptist Col-
lege to continue to
win people to Christ
and to start Bible insti-
tutes and colleges in
their own ministries.

Many of their gradu-
ates start churches as
BIMI Missionary
Rick Martin
well as Bible institutes
and colleges to train
others for the harvest. Because of Brother Mar-
tin’s great vision and his challenge to the pastors,
there have already been over 2,000 churches
started in the Philippines and missionaries sent
around the world. I was amazed to hear Brother
Martin challenge the pastors at that meeting that
over the course of the next 10 years, their vision
was to start 1,000 new churches.

The vision of seeing 1,000 new churches started
is not just wishful thinking but a sustainable
reality. Iloilo Baptist Church presents a guitar
to all the men heading out to start a new
church. It was explained to me that in order
to remember who has received a guitar, a list
of names is kept. Brother Martin has shared
that list with me for several years containing
an average of 25–50 names each quarter of the
year—a minimum of 100 men going out to
start new churches annually!
Iloilo Baptist Church works diligently to bring
in young people who have dedicated their lives
to Christ and trains them in soul winning and
discipleship. Their students go soul winning
almost every day and they are challenged to go
out into the harvest and bring in those they win
to Christ. In any given service, time is allotted
to recognize visitors. Those who brought them
stand and introduce them to the church. After
the message those same workers who brought
visitors are leading them to Christ. After four
years of such training, many of these Bible college
students graduate and go to start churches back
home or wherever God may lead.

Other men such as Bruce Rice and Doug Sisson
in Mindanao, the Denisis in Cebu, and others
have trained scores of laborers through their
Bible colleges and institutes. Mel Brown also
made it a point to train his men in ministry
in the areas of soul winning and discipleship.

He went further to teach them that each one
should establish a Bible institute in their
ministry to train their people for the harvest.

The five churches he started are now over 100
churches who continue to do the same. Is it any
wonder that the Philippines has become a great
missionary sending force around the world?
BIMI Missionary
Bruce Rice
One other ministry deserving mention is a
newer ministry in Mongolia. Jason Ritchie has
been in Mongolia for a brief 10-year period,
but they are actively involved in training their
believers in a new Bible college that began a
little over a year ago. Two other BIMI families,
the Webers and the Kubiks, are aiding in this
great work. Their goal is to train laborers to
reach Mongolia for Christ.

BIMI Missionary Chuck Weber
teaching young people
Jesus said, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the
labourers are few (Matthew 9:37). What a great
blessing it is to see God blessing His work when
His people are trained for the ministry! The
work of missions is not complete until we train
others and send them out into the harvest. W
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