L and C
Ministry alongside the local church in Tbilisi, Georgia
Only 1.35% of Georgians are evangelical Christians. That’s only 50,000 people and the number is going down by 0.6% every year.
The evangelical church in Georgia is still young, since Georgia only emerged from the USSR in 1991. While there is some freedom for evangelicals to practise their faith, they still face opposition both from state and from family pressure. There is a tremendous need for churches to be planted across the country and for church leaders to be theologically trained.
The real heartbreak for us is that 80% of the population is part of the Orthodox church, but most are unlikely to have heard the Bible read or the gospel explained in a language they understand.
We are initially working in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, home to almost a third of Georgia’s population, partnering with an evangelical Baptist Church.
Why Georgia?
A country of wine, mountains and horses – that is how we were first introduced to Georgia, never thinking God would ever call us to go there.
But in 2022 we seriously investigated central Asian countries and Georgia was put on our hearts. After an initial trip, we fell in love with the country – but more importantly became acutely aware of the gospel needs in Georgia.
On our trip in 2022 we met a wonderful local Pastor and we were immediately struck by his warmth, as well as his devotion to the gospel and standing firm through suffering. We visited the church and were excited by their faithfulness, their love for one another, and the way they are reaching out to their community. We are really excited for the opportunity to serve alongside them.
We are really excited to serve alongside the church in Georgia
We aim to spend the first few years learning the language, so that we will be better able to serve this local church and communicate the gospel to Georgians effectively. After that, we hope to use our gifts of discipleship and training to strengthen the church.
L and C have two boys, X (4) and K (1). C studied theology in South Africa, where she grew up, before spending four years working at a church in London. L finished his theological studies at Oak Hill College in June 2023 and we moved to Georgia in October 2023.
