Starting a global gospel movement
East-West began because two men saw a need for the gospel in unreached and restricted access areas of the world. In an act of bold obedience to Christ’s command to go and make disciples of all nations, East-West was launched in 1993 by John Maisel and Bud Toole. What informally started behind the Iron Curtain in the 1980s became a missions organization with a zeal for empowering national pastors and local believers to transform their communities by making disciples and multiplying churches. Our passion for Jesus, grace, spiritually dark places, and bold action is the heartbeat that continues to sustain our ministry as we rely on God to use us to reach the unreached. Today, our organization is made up of thousands of believers from around the world who are committed to starting church planting movements in more than 60 spiritually dark nations. |
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1985 |
John Maisel travels behind the Iron Curtain for the first time |
1993 |
East-West Ministries International is founded |
1995 |
East-West expands ministry beyond Russia |
1997 |
East-West creates a plan to mobilize believers to put their faith in action |
2003 |
East-West begins ministry vision to share the gospel with 50 million people in 10 years |
2007 |
East-West launches church planting movement strategies on the mission field |
2010 |
Kurt Nelson becomes Chief Executive Officer and President |
2012 |
East-West narrows its ministry focus to disciple making strategies |
2013 |
East-West begins a vision to multiply 1 million disciples in 5 years |
2017 |
East-West church plants surpass 171,000 during its 25-year history |
2018 |
East-West celebrates 25 years of ministry and begins a vision to multiply one million disciples in 3 years |
Core valuesOur distinct values are at the very core of our ministry and influence our decisions and behaviors in pursuit of expanding the Kingdom of God expand in unreached places. |
statement of faithWhat we believe about God's heart for the nations is directly tied to what we believe about the triune God, the Bible, and other core doctrines of the Christian faith. |
impactStarting in 1993, East-West is committed to God's great call to make disciples, and he graciously uses our ministry to impact some of the spiritually darkest areas of the world. |