We welcome you to browse this collection of our most commonly asked questions.  And if you don't find and answer to your particular question, please contact our
office right away. We would love to hear from you, and will add your question to
this list for the benefit of future visitors.

Questions About Empart

•  Why should I choose to support Empart?

•  What is Church Planting?

•  What is a Church Planting Movement (CPM)?

•  What does the name 'Empart' mean?

•  Why does Empart focus on Asia?

•  Can I work with Empart in Asia?

 

Questions About Sponsorship

 

•  Why don't the people in Asia support their own Church Planters?

•  Will sponsorship set up a dependence of the Church Planter on the West?

•  How can Empart support a National Church Planter for so much less per
    year than a Western missionary?

•  How will I receive information about my Church Planter?

•  Can I write to my Church Planter (or send a package or money)?

•  Am I the only sponsor for my Church Planter?

•  How long does a sponsorship last?

Why should I choose to support Empart?

Great question! Some of the main reasons why our partners have chosen to
support Empart include:

 

Value for money

For as little as $150 per month you can transform a community for now and for
future generations! By working through cost effective National Church Planters,
your giving has greater impact.

 

Our focus on souls

Empart's primary task is church planting. Therefore all our activities - including
all our social development work - move towards this end. Empart partners value
eternal dividends, not just immediate, temporal benefits.

 

Fruitfulness is a mark of our ministry

While we value faithfulness, we believe that where God is truly at work there
should also be fruitfulness.Empart partners know that they are connecting with
a vibrant, effective ministry.

 

Our commitment to our partners

We not only seek to provide excellence in our service, but we strive to add value
to our partners. This is achieved as we seek to understand your specific needs
within your context. Empart partners know that we will always go the extra mile to
give them the support they need.

 

What is Church Planting?

 

Church Planting is simply establishing a local community of believers. This is
done through sharing the Gospel, meeting together and discipleship. Some of
our churches meet in the homes of believers, while others are in buildings
designed for corporate worship. Some churches are small gatherings of 20 people,
others are over 500 strong. Our planted churches vary in appearance, yet all are
transforming communities by making God known through transformed lives.

 

What is a Church Planting Movement (CPM)?

 

“A CPM is a rapid and exponential increase of indigenous churches
who are planting churches within a given people group or population
segment.”     - Dr. David Garrison

 

The key characteristics of a Church Planting Movement are:

 

•  Exponential growth - growth characterized by each part multiplying itself.

 

•  Indigenous - generated from within or capable of originating from within
    the local context. 

 

 

Jossy Chacko     adds, "Nothing less than CPMs are going to enable the Great Commission to be fulfilled. If we are serious about 'making disciples
of all nations' then we must also be serious about:

 

•  Empowering national Church Planters, and

 

•  Facilitating organic, exponential multiplication of churches.

 

 

Church planting movements are about seeing the book of Acts repeated
all over again.  As such, in Empart we see:

 

•  Churches and disciples multiplying daily

 

•  No one able to predict where the next church is going to pop up

 

•  "Unusual" and "unexplainable" things expected and happening as norm

 

•  Believers' whose passion for the Lord and the lost is greater than anything
    else

 

•  An understanding that to give your life away for the gospel is not a cost -
    it is considered a privilege

 

•  New believers mobilized and making more disciples very soon after coming
    to Christ

 

...And the process continues until the whole region is reached with the gospel. 

 

 

Church planting movements are a work of God, with a supernatural force
and power all of their own. While there are strategies and structures in place these are only used to facilitate the growth, not to contain the movement. When these structures are re-positioned to contain, manage or control the momentum, the movement stops and starts to become a monument."

 

What does the name 'Empart' mean?

 

The name Empart is an amalgamation of two words - Empowering and Partnering.

 

Empowering

One of Empart's distinctives is that our entire model of ministry is about empower-
ing local believers, as opposed to controlling. Our task is to transform communities
by training local people to plant local churches in the local community. Local Church Planters are committed to reaching unreached people, restoring and resourcing them, then releasing them to fulfill the Great Commission.

 

Partnering

The only way that we are able to achieve the work of planting 100,000 churches is
to make sure we are all using our gifts to their maximum. All of our Asian Church
Planters know the language, culture, and are immediately effective in reaching
their own people. Our strength in Western countries is in our access to resources
and ability to pray. By combining the efforts of our Asian Church Planters and our
supporting countries, we have a very strong partnership!

 

Why does Empart focus on Asia?

 

With only 0.14% of the 800 million people of North India calling themselves
Christians, North India contains the greatest density of unreached people groups
in the world. We have chosen to pour our efforts into the area of the world that is
in most dire need of the gospel. Currently there are 500,000 communities in North
India that have no Christian witness at all.

 

Can I work with Empart in Asia?

 

Empart is focused on empowering local believers to take up the work of reaching
their own people. This is the most effective and efficient use of training, time and
money.

However we do encourage everyone to participate in at least one short term team. Our short term teams are designed to minister to the local Christians and leaders, encourage our field workers as they carry out the Great Commission, and give opportunity to see the work of God around the world.

 

Why don't the people in Asia support their own Church Planters?

 

The truth is - they do! A large percentage of finances required by the churches
in Asia are met by people and organizations in their countries. However, it is
necessary to lend support from outside to these Church Planters who are
focusing on areas that are completely unreached, and establishing churches amongst those who are not familiar with the principle of Christian giving.

 

It is humbling to be in a village church and see the village people bring their
offering forward - rice, vegetables, eggs, coconuts etc. These people may not
have much but they learn quickly that disciples of Jesus Christ are called to generosity!

 

The sponsorship plan for our Church Planters spans seven years. In this time
the young church is usually able to become self-supporting. Until then, we believe
it is a privilege to partner financially with these extraordinary national Church
Planters!

 

Will sponsorship set up a dependence of the Church Planter on the West?

 

Empart is committed to empowering the people that we are reaching. We also
acknowledge the power of partnership - choosing to empower rather than control.

Empart encourages our Church Planters to be self-supporting within 7 years. In
the first three years of the Church Planter's ministry, the Church Planter is fully supported. This enables him to spend one year in training then two years pioneer-
ing the church. After the third year, the Church Planter's personal support is
gradually reduced, encouraging the young Church to become self-supporting
rather than dependent on the West. During these next four years sponsorship
will continue to support the Church Planter in other ways such as:

 

•  Ongoing training

 

•  Resources (books, Bibles and church materials)

 

•  Consultation and development of local leadership; and

 

•  Contingency fund for emergencies and special needs.

 

How can Empart support a National Church Planter for so much less per year than a Western missionary?

 

Not only do national Church Planters require far less financial support, nor are they pulled out of their ministry by the many issues that face cross cultural missionaries. Some of the benefits in this model are that our national Church Planters:

 

•  Do not need a visa, passport or international flight to reach the field.

 

•  Do not need to spend time and money learning the language. Many
    national workers already understand and speak 2-3 local languages.

 

•  Understand the culture and customs of the people, which allows them to
    immediately present the gospel in a culturally relevant manner.

 

•  Have a standard of living that is instinctively congruent with the people
    they are serving.

 

How will I receive information about my Church Planter?

 

We are committed to keep you informed about what is happening on the field. We
do this through our website, iWitness newsletter, receipt letters and email updates. Updated information and photos will be sent to you as they become available. This will include specific information about your Church Planter's ministry, family news,
and prayer needs. (If it has been more than a year since you last received a
progress report, please contact Empart. A sponsorship representative will be glad
to assist you.)

 

Can I write to my Church Planter (or send a package or money)?

 

We understand and appreciate your desire to do this, however Empart has a
policy not to allow it for the following reasons:

 

• Mail sent to many unreached nations is subject to monitoring by the government. Empart cannot risk the security problems for us as an organization or put our Church Planters' lives in danger.
  
  
• Few of the Empart Church Planters speak English, meaning that letters
  would need to be translated into their local language. In many cases this
  would involve translation first into a major language, then a second
  translation into a local language.
  
  
• There is a high risk of misunderstandings due to cultural differences. Obviously, the language barrier can also contribute to this.
  
  
• Postal regulations vary widely, are often complex and foreign items can
  attract exorbitant duty charges.
  
  
• Possibility of disunity created when some Church Planters receive letters, money or gifts and others do not.
  
  
• Difficulty getting packages to Church Planters in isolated locations (some
  walk for days to reach their villages).
  
  
• Our experience shows that direct contact between the sponsor and Church Planter can foster over-dependence, inhibiting Empart's policy to develop
  self-supporting churches.

Am I the only sponsor for my Church Planter?

 

Most Church Planters require support from $100 - $150 per month. We assign as many sponsors as necessary to ensure each Church Planter is fully supported.
While we encourage sponsors to undertake full sponsorship where possible, the
benefit of having more than one sponsor is that prayer support increases for the
Church Planter. It also shares the privilege/responsibilities of being a sponsor.

 

How long does a sponsorship last?

 

There is no specified time for a sponsorship to last, although most people continue
to be sponsors for many years. We understand that circumstances sometimes
change, and we simply ask that you let us know if it becomes necessary to change
your sponsorship. Sponsorship is not a legal contract, but rather a faith commit-
ment. At any stage, you can increase or decrease your sponsorship, or take on an additional Church Planter.













Do you have a question that wasn't covered here? Please call or
email our office right away! We would love to answer your question personally, and add it to this list for the benefit of future visitors.