International Churches: A Prelude to Heaven

Suzanne Pearson • Nov 22, 2022

Imagine entering a place where people from many nations gather as one. The faces are a kaleidoscope of color. Multiple languages, cultures, and backgrounds find commonality in the Gospel.

This is the scene at international churches. Sounds like heaven, doesn’t it? Jeff Winters agrees. “There’s something so rich about having so many cultures in one place worshipping God,” says Jeff. “It’s a prelude to heaven when you go to an international church.” Jeff is a retired pastor who with his wife Judy served as an interim, or short-term, pastor at an international church in Turkey.

Jeff and Judy stepped in to fill that temporary but critical need in a unique way, and now their experience serves as a model for a new way that TEAM is partnering with international churches.

What is an International Church?

The term international church (or “IC”) is bit hard to define because it applies to churches that vary in size, style, and demographic makeup. Generally speaking, an International Church is one that predominantly consists of congregants who are “expats,” or people living in a country other than their own.

Sarah Reis is a TEAM Missions Coach who grew up attending international churches as her father served in foreign service in Israel, Korea, Panama, the Philippines, and Papua New Guinea. “When an international church comes to mind, you jump immediately to the typical expat church,” says Sarah. “So maybe military personnel, oil workers, or retirees – churches made up mostly of Americans, Canadians, Australians, British, New Zealanders.”

But the dynamic of international churches is changing, and these congregations now represent much more diversity. IC’s reach a wider scope of people groups living in a country that is not their own. “I would say the common thread of the international church now is people that are transitional or migratory, which is a growing population on the planet,” Sarah explains.

TEAM partners with many international churches around the world, predominately in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. “They [each] look so different,” says Bruce Taylor, former Director of International Church Ministries for TEAM. Some international churches are quite large, with a significant staff and as many as 40 or 50 different cultural groups within the same congregation. Others are small with only a lead pastor and perhaps a few lay people to help with music or children’s programming.

Every Winning Team has a Deep “Bench”

As TEAM connects with international churches, we ask, “How can we serve you? What resources do you need in the work of ministry?” A common thread arose – the need for someone to step in when the pastor needs to take a leave of absence for a home assignment, sabbatical, or to tend to health or family matters. A similar need exists when an international church finds itself between pastors, needing someone to take on a transitional role until the hire of a long-term pastor.

Particularly for smaller international churches, there may be no one equipped to step in and lead the preaching and teaching in the pastor’s absence. As this need became evident, Bruce found an ally in David Fresch, Executive Director of the Missional International Church Network (MICN) . As David and Bruce discussed addressing this need, they kept coming back to the idea of building a “bench.”

“If you think of a sport like hockey or football, you’ve got guys on the bench that you can just call in for part of the game,” explains Bruce. “Sometimes, you want a really specific skill set – to bring somebody in just for a piece of the game. That’s really what we want to put together.”

Andy Lee, TEAM’s new Director of International Church Ministries agrees. “Be ready and be alert,” Andy explains. “These are key attitudes for Christians. These are especially needed with international church opportunities. The bench will help TEAM, international churches, and candidates be ready to move into action.”

A New Partnership is Formed

From this idea, TEAM and MICN partnered together to develop an Interim/Transitional Pastors Program. The goal is to build a bench of experienced leaders who have a heart for missions and will consider a short-term assignment shepherding an international church on an interim or transitional basis. These folks might be retired pastors, retired missionaries, or others with pastoral ministry training or experience and the bandwidth to live overseas for a few months or even up to a year, depending on the need.

Worship during a church service.

TEAM’s “bench” will allow international church pastors to take much needed breaks while also providing ministry opportunities for those with a heart to serve in short-term missions.


Jeff and Judy Winters Paved the Way

It all started years ago in Denver, Colorado. Patrick and Ruth (names changed) served as interns at a Denver church where Jeff was the pastor. The couple later served with TEAM at an international church in Antalya, Turkey, but their friendship with the Winters remained. So, when Patrick needed to take a 4-month sabbatical to work on his PhD, Jeff and Judy graciously stepped in to fill the gap. “I have wonderful memories of being [in Antalya],” Judy recalls fondly. She says it was a challenge at first to find ways to serve, but soon found her purpose working with women and children. “The more I was able to get involved, the happier I was to make friends and get to know the area.”

“The blessing for me was to be in a culture we’ve never been in before, a Muslim culture,” Jeff says. “To see [people] who were raised in the Muslim faith respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to see them baptized and begin to serve Jesus – that was such a blessing for me.”

“Put Me In, Coach”

So how do people get on the bench? “It really isn’t a cookie cutter – it looks very different and diverse for whoever is involved,” says Bruce. “But we are actively recruiting people who have an interest in serving in this way. Anything from a month or two…to six months or a year, depending on the need.”

In today’s globalized context, North America is no longer the only place from which God is calling workers to serve in an interim role. “Most of our recruiting is North American but we are looking around the globe,” Bruce comments. “It needs to be global because the international church is global.” Bruce goes on to say that English is required for most international church posts, but he anticipates a growing need for languages like French and Spanish.

Another task is to help international churches become aware of the program, so that they know this is something that TEAM can help them with. “In my experience, international churches are always looking for qualified people and sometimes it’s just hard to find that right person,” Sarah shares. “The fact that we have this opportunity for churches is huge.”

Filling the Gap

Jeff and Judy are excited to see what God will do through the interim/transitional program. “I’m glad to hear that TEAM is building up a base of possible folks that can go out and do interim ministry,” Jeff shares. “The thought of having a pastor out there dealing with issues in their particular church and region, after a while, you need a break and to have somebody go in there and fill the gap for a time. Having that with TEAM will be a great benefit to pastors and smaller churches that [may otherwise] feel they are stuck. They can leave and feel confident that whoever comes in will be able to do the job.”

Sarah concurs. “This is such a huge way that TEAM can step up, partner with the Church, bless them, and equip them to train and disciple others.”

By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
By Suzanne Pearson 23 Feb, 2024
Justin Burkholder, pictured here with his wife Jenny and their daughters Isabella, Olivia, and Zoey, has recently been named as TEAM’s next International Director. On February 19, 2024, with much excitement and gratitude to the Lord, TEAM announced that Justin Burkholder will become our organization’s new International Director, effective July 1, 2024. Justin, who is currently TEAM’s Executive Director of Global Ministry, will assume his new role upon the retirement of the current International Director, Dave Hall. ( Read the full press release here. ) We sat down recently with Justin to learn a little more about his background, his family, and the journey that has led him to TEAM. Q: Tell us a little bit about your “origin story” - Where did you grow up? What was your family like? A: I grew up in Mexico City as a missionary kid. My parents were focused on church planting. We were very close as a family. Both of my parents are still alive, and my dad serves as a pastor in southern Florida. I have one brother who is a pastor in Wisconsin, and the most special individual in my family is my sister, Amber. She was born with a very severe case of cerebral palsy and is entirely dependent on my mother...who is extraordinary! The three most impactful forces that have shaped who I am (outside of God’s grace) are growing up in Mexico, having parents who loved and planted churches, and sharing life with someone with a severe disability. My parents belonged at the time to a church and denomination that came with quite a bit of legalism and performance-oriented Christianity. Grace was a challenging concept to grasp. While I had an awareness of my sin and need for redemption, it wasn’t until I attended Moody Bible Institute that I began to grasp the fullness of God’s grace and His delight in His children. I have continued learning and trusting in the Gospel through formal education, like completing my M.Div., and through spiritual practices in community. Learning the Gospel and believing the Gospel has been a daily exercise. The Gospel is as beautiful and multi-faceted as a diamond! At an individual level, it is simple enough for us to live convinced that “Jesus loves me, this I know.” At a corporate level, it becomes the foundation that forms and informs our life as a spiritual family. At a cosmic level, it is redemption that reaches as far as the curse is found. It is hard to even grasp the multiplicity of goodness found in the Good News. Q: Share a little bit about your family life now. What does a typical day look like in the Burkholder household? A: My wife Jenny is my high-school sweetheart! She brings joy and kindness wherever she goes. She’s the best listener I’ve ever met, and we love spending time together. We have three daughters. Isabella is ten, Olivia is seven, and Zoey is four. Each of the girls is unique and has taught us a lot in our process of following Jesus together. We like to go out on walks and go to the park together. Once a month I try to get some alone time with each of my daughters which usually includes bowling or trampolines. A typical day in the Burkholder house starts around 5:00am. Because of traffic here in Guatemala City, we have to leave early for school. After school, the girls come home to different activities - sometimes swimming class, sometimes piano lessons. Four or five nights a week we have dinner together where we usually talk about our high and low moments of the day. On weekends, we enjoy time together, playing outside, or watching sports together. Go Cubs and Go Buckeyes! Q: What are your interests and hobbies? If you have the day off, what are you likely to be up to? A: I enjoy physical activity, running, strength-training and following sports. I also love music and, truth be told, am a bit snobby about my taste in music! I also am a very curious person and love reading just about anything that passes through my hands. A day off is usually an opportunity for time with family. Jenny and I like to cook something interesting together on our days off. Often there is time for some reading and watching some type of athletic event. Q: How did God lead you to TEAM? A: My wife and I were working in the Chicago suburbs. I was a youth pastor and she was a Spanish teacher. When we got married, we had already sensed God’s direction to serve cross-culturally, but it was a matter of discerning when and where. There was a driving desire in me to see a church deeply love the Scriptures and at the same time, be deeply engaged in loving and serving their city and the most vulnerable among them. As God directed our paths, we visited a variety of places and made some friends in Guatemala who opened up the path for us to serve here. While we were exploring, we knew that the International Director of an organization called TEAM happened to go to our church, so I decided I should probably invite him out for breakfast - his name was Charlie Davis. Charlie was extremely thoughtful, passionate about disciple-making, and very gracious in creating space for us as we stepped into this endeavor. Charlie connected me with Steve Dresselhaus, a fellow TEAM global worker who was at that time serving as the Senior Director for the Americas. I cannot express the debt that I owe Steve. He walked closely with me in the transition, encouraged courageous thinking about the church and her role in society, and blasted open the doors for us to serve in Guatemala. After meeting Steve, we spent some days praying about joining TEAM. One thing I will never forget – one night during the process, I found myself wide awake in the middle of the night. A peace like I have seldom experienced passed over me confirming that we should join TEAM. There is no doubt in my mind that God tied all of these pieces together to bring us into the TEAM family and community. Q: What roles have you held in TEAM? What have been the milestones in those roles? A: The most important role I have held in TEAM is that of a global worker. God in His grace has allowed us to help plant two churches here in Guatemala, serve in leadership development, counseling, and discipleship. Our greatest joy has been found walking with those who are learning to follow Christ more deeply. I served as the Ministry Area Leader in Guatemala from 2016 to 2019. We helped to establish and lead this ministry area as it grew from just four global workers to over 15. I then served as Senior Director for Mexico and Central America from 2019 to 2021, Regional Executive Director for the Americas in 2021 and 2022, and then transitioned to the role of Executive Director of Global Ministry which I’ll continue in until the end of June. Q: What do you love most about being a part of TEAM? Why TEAM rather than other organizations or job opportunities? A: The TEAM community is full of people who have faithfully served God’s mission and have given up a lot to do so. It is a privilege to know many of our global workers and be counted among them. I am also fascinated by the fact that TEAM has existed now for more than 130 years! There is something to be said about the resilience and faithfulness of an organization that has continued to impact the world for so long. The rest of our conversation with Justin will be coming soon on blog! We’ll hear more about how God called Justin to the role of International Director, and what Justin sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church.
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