Philippines and ABWE Canada

The Spiritual Need in the Philippines

The Philippines is a deeply religious country, 83 percent of which is Catholic, along with a very vocal 5 percent Muslim minority. In spite of their religious awareness and exposure to the gospel, and an estimated 12.3 percent of the Philippines’ 101 million people identifying as evangelical Christian, believers are in need of strengthening. Throughout its many scattered islands and regions, there is great need for evangelism, church strengthening, leadership development, and cross-cultural missions training in the Philippines.

For maximum effectiveness, our teams are working to improve our partnership with Filipino church leaders so together we can continue training and mentoring Christian workers for the Philippines and for cross-cultural ministry in other countries. We are also working to foster creative evangelism and church-planting, particularly in the challenging area of the prominently-Muslim southern region of Mindanao.

ABWE Canada in the Philippines

Our missionaries first arrived in the Philippines in 1927, and through our missionaries’ partnership with Filipino pastors and church leaders, more than 1,500 churches have been started over the last eight decades. In that time, Filipino believers have also been inspired to organize their own local and national organizations, establish many Christian schools, and start their own mission board — the Philippines Association of Baptists for World Evangelism.

Established in 1964, the Philippines Association of Baptists for World Evangelism is strategically sending missionaries to nearby unreached Southeast Asian countries. Our ABWE Canada missionaries continue to help the Filipino-led agency equip and train Filipinos for cross-cultural ministry.

We have helped establish two training schools to prepare Filipinos for church leadership – the Doane Baptist Bible Seminary and the Baptist Bible Seminary and Institute. These schools are now run by Filipino leadership, but our long-term and short-term missionaries assist with teaching. Additionally, ABWE Canada began a partnership with Cornerstone University in 1983 to provide graduate level degree programs for pastors, Christian workers, and professionals through the Asia Biblical Theological Seminary.

In addition to church-planting and training, medicine has been an important tool for evangelism in resistant and remote areas. Medical outreach began on the island of Mindanao, which has major surgical facilities, and it proved so effective that we established medical ministries on the islands of Leyte, Palawan, and Panay. Each location has led to many churches being planted and many lives being saved.

While ABWE Canada celebrates its rich history in the Philippines, its future has promise to be even better. The country is ripe for innovation and those eager to help the Filipino people carry the torch of missions forward.

Please join our team as we seek to find new and creative ways to reach the Philippines and the world for Christ.