by David Virtue, VOL
An exclusive interview with the Rev. Jerry Kramer of Love for the Least, a global ministry to the Muslim world
An exclusive interview with the Rev. Jerry Kramer of Love for the Least, a global mission to Muslims in the Middle East and East Africa. He and his wife Stacy have been actively serving as missionaries for more than 25 years. They were briefly in the US before returning overseas, where I had an opportunity to interview him.
VOL: It is growing clearer by the day that the West is spiritually dying—churches are closing, aging parishioners have dropped out, and “Nones” (people without Christian faith) are on the rise, with Western liberal Christianity on the wane. However, the Christian faith is finding its feet in the Global South with millions learning about and finding Christ. The Anglican Communion is said to top 100 million, with 85 percent claimed by GAFCON. You spend most of your time in the Middle East evangelizing Muslims. From a transnational perspective, how do you view all this?
KRAMER: First off, all glory to God. And hats off to the intercessors and generous givers. They’re the engine. Only God moves movements and He moves His gracious hand in prayer and fasting, I don’t have it all figured out. Here, I will describe what we’re seeing. This is more descriptive than prescriptive. Today we are living in the midst of the biggest move of God in history. What a time to be alive! What we’re seeing is unprecedented. And it’s happening all over the planet, largely in the same way. Through what we are calling Disciple Making or Kingdom Movements. Our little team, over the past three and a half years, now has a network of over 4,000 churches. In ten countries. And we’ve reached 14 generations of disciples and church plants. A disciple who has made a disciple who has made a disciple … to the fourteenth generation. A church that has planted a church that has planted a church … to the fourteenth generation. In three and a half years. That’s what Movement looks like. But this move is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. It’s simply about doing things God’s way. Following the New Testament pattern for Church. If you’re not willing to adjust to God’s ways and timing, the wave will pass you right by. I’m not saying you have to hide or water down your Anglicanism. Not at all. I’m a full throttle Anglican. But you do have to think it all through. And watch what God is doing, then join Him. We’re seeing huge renewed spiritual openness among the Zs. But you have to know how to engage them. Churches aren’t going to fill back up by osmosis.
VOL: In the U.S., only one percent of churches is doing evangelism, according to Ryan Burge and other demographers. Is this the beginning of the end if churches are not actively evangelistic?