Church Planting in Colombia
An update from Jacobis Aldana, Lead Pastor of Iglesia Bíblica Soberana Gracia in Santa Marta, Colombia…
“And the word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly” (Acts 6:7)
When we first started hearing terms like “biblical churches,” “gospel centrality,” and “expository preaching” in Colombia, no more than 12 years ago, it sounded strange; it seemed novel, yet appealing. We never imagined that one day this would become common language and that, years later, churches would proudly bear the title “Biblical Church” on their signs.
After a long process of transition as a church in Santa Marta—which is a story for another time—in 2018, the Lord allowed us to plant a church in Barranquilla: Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad (City Biblical Church). Ángel Miranda and I were convinced that one of the most important cities in the Caribbean (the northern region of Colombia) needed more churches, but especially churches that could interpret the reality of their surroundings, their culture, their society, and that were deeply rooted in the gospel.
The church in Barranquilla was born and grew during the pandemic. In December 2020, we ordained its two pastors, Ángel and Alejandro, and by 2022, nearly 200 people were attending.
But our hearts beat (and still beat) with a desire to see more churches planted in the Caribbean, so, with the help of Joselo Mercado and Sovereign Grace Churches, we started a conference called “Centrados” (Centered). The purpose was to promote the centrality of the gospel as a concept and its application in various areas of life, leadership, the church, and in aspects of worldview.
At the 2022 conference in Barranquilla, we welcomed people from different cities across the country, especially from the Caribbean region. Among them was a group of about eight people who found out about the conference through social media and traveled from Sincelejo (four hours away) to join us. They told us that they had been praying for about eight years for a church to be planted in their city, but they saw it as something very difficult. Sincelejo is a city of about 350,000 inhabitants where there were no biblical churches exerting any influence at the time. We had been praying for these opportunities; we dreamed of seeing at least one biblical church in each Caribbean city (there are seven cities), so their need and our desire made us quickly understand this as God’s leading.
The conference was in December 2022, and in February 2023, I travelled to meet with some members of the group in Sincelejo who had attended the conference. We listened to them more closely, toured the city, knew what the Lord wanted, but still didn’t know how to make it happen. So, I started traveling once a month from Santa Marta (six and a half hours away) and we began a virtual meeting where we studied the Bible on Thursday nights.
In May 2023, Ángel and I travelled together for the first time, and that is how Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad and Iglesia Bíblica Soberana Gracia began our cooperation to make the church in Sincelejo a reality.
In July 2023, the Lord brought conviction to Ángel to relocate to Sincelejo and become the planting pastor. Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad, where he served as pastor, decided not only to let go of one of their pastors, but to support part of his salary for two years. Likewise, from the Sovereign Grace Churches, we received the promise of additional support, enough to trust that the Lord would take care of the rest.
In August 2023, the trips became more frequent (two Sundays a month), and we continued to sustain the Thursday Bible study virtually. In December, we held a conference where Manolo Quintal was our guest. At this point, we realised that we not only had desire, but we now also had significant momentum.
By early 2024, Iglesia Bíblica de la Ciudad was sending one of their pastors or leaders to preach three Sundays a month, and the church in Santa Marta covered the other Sunday, therefore covering all four Sundays of the month. Finally, in June 2024, Ángel said goodbye to the church in Barranquilla, moved to Sincelejo with his family, and was formally installed on August 18, 2024.
This has been exciting.
We have no doubt that the hand of the Lord has gone before us, has brought conviction to our hearts, the desire to see His Kingdom grow, and what is needed to make it happen. Our dream now burns even more intensely than ever.
We desire to train more church planters with a clear vision of the gospel and the church, but also of missions and the understanding of the cultural reality that surrounds us.
We desire even more biblical churches in the Caribbean, not only in urban contexts but also in rural areas, where the impact of the biblical gospel is almost non-existent.
We desire to continue organizing events that serve as meeting points for many who, perhaps, are praying like those in Sincelejo, but whom we do not yet know.
We desire that not only in the Caribbean but throughout the country, we can see more churches being born with robust theology, but also with the clarity of the gospel necessary to apply it to the various areas of life.
But, above all, we need the Lord. We need to keep our faces to the ground, recognizing that the gifts are from Him, the flock is His, the strength comes from Him, and the glory is all His!
