Stories

Stories from God’s Harvest: Pat Stark

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest to send more workers into His harvest field” (Luke 10:2).

We have been praying Luke 10:2 every day, asking the Lord of the Harvest for more workers. And God is answering those prayers by calling women and men into ministry.

Pat Stark (pictured above in the cowboy hat), Director of Church Planting for the Evangelical Covenant Church, recently visited the Northwest Conference and shared this powerful story. Life Covenant Church was planted by Tim Morey with the goal of being a multiplying church. They planted their first church when they were two years old and have planted seven total in the United States.

They also formed a partnership with Mozambique and Covenant global personnel Alex and Melanie Viana. As the church was helping with an orphanage, a pastor named John approached the mission team and asked for help with training. So they started a pastoral training school. And with support from Life Covenant Church, Pastor John planted a church in Mozambique with the same vision for multiplying leaders, pastors and churches.

Less than 20 years later, there are now 585 Covenant churches in Mozambique! They recently formed to become the Evangelical Covenant Church of Mozambique and elected their first president.

Tim Morey said the key elements were the vision for biblical multiplication and a willingness to say “yes”—even when it was hard. But most of all, it was a shared commitment to PRAYER. It makes such a difference when you commit to praying for the harvest of lost and hurting people who do not know Jesus—and then intentionally take action as a harvest worker (Luke 10:2).