World Missions

Triumph shares something in common with the rest of the Lutheran Brethren family. The most significant results of the one hundred years of Lutheran Brethren ministry is the impact of the church's missionary work overseas.

The Lutheran Brethren's first missionaries were part of the wave of missionaries that brought the gospel to mainland China in the early 1900's. Only God knows the fruit of these pioneering efforts. Lives were lost in the conflict arising from the communist take over in the 1940's. But encouraging reports indicate a growing national church movement in areas of China where Lutheran Brethren Missionaries first brought the Good News of Jesus Christ.

The emphasis in Asia shifted to Japan and Taiwan when China closed its doors to missionaries. The Lutheran Brethren continues a modest work of planting churches and teaching pastors in both Taiwan and Japan. There is an ever present need for short term missionaries who go to these places and teach conversational English as an outreach ministry.

The other part of the world that God has impacted through Lutheran Brethren Missionaries is the region of Africa that includes northern Cameroon and southern Chad. Early in the last century the Lutheran Brethren sent pioneer missionaries into these areas that were untouched by the gospel.

It was seven years before these missionaries witnessed the first conversion of an African national. But since that time the Lutheran Brethren Church in Africa has steadily grown to the point that today it outnumbers our North American Church tenfold.

The African church has been supported by the translation work of the Lutheran Brethren. Over the years a significant number of Bible translations have been produced for these people groups. The Lutheran Brethren continues its commitment to supporting the African church through seminary training.

On the horizon of Lutheran Brethren mission work in Africa is the desire to reach five people groups who are as yet unreached by the gospel. Triumph specifically supports Luther and Addie Mathison who are establishing a "base camp" for this new outreach. A team of six from Triumph traveled to Chad in January of 2000 to encourage this work.