Church-Building Ministry Launches Giving Program To Empower Believers
At a time when more than three billion people worldwide live without access to a local church, International Cooperating Ministries is inviting Christians to help bridge that gap.
The Virginia-based missions organization, which has helped construct more than 13,600 permanent church buildings in 110 countries, launched its new Community Impact Partners program on Aug. 18. The monthly giving initiative is designed to connect donors with on-the-ground church planting efforts led by indigenous Christian leaders.
For $29 a month, participants support not only church construction, but also a wide range of locally led outreach efforts — such as feeding programs, medical care, clean water access, and discipleship training for pastors and new believers.
READ: How Churches Help Local Public Schools in Various Ways
“Our vision has always been to place a healthy church within walking distance of every person in the world,” said Janice Rosser Allen, ICM’s CEO and president. “This program allows anyone to invest in transformation that doesn’t just last, it multiplies.”
Unlike traditional mission strategies that send foreign workers overseas, ICM partners with local believers who are already embedded in their communities and actively engaged in ministry. That model, Allen said, ensures both sustainability and cultural authenticity.
ICM said donors who join the Community Impact Partners program receive regular updates, prayer points, and stories of impact from around the world—giving them a direct connection to the fruit of their generosity.
“We don’t plant churches from afar,” she said. “Our partners already know the language, culture and spiritual landscape. We’re simply equipping them to do what God has called them to do — faster, deeper and with greater reach.”
Each church planted through ICM reflects what the ministry calls the “five signs of a healthy church”: Teaching Scripture, making disciples, serving the local community, growing through evangelism and multiplying through church planting.
The initiative comes amid a season of rapid growth for the ministry. ICM recently expanded into Chad and Lithuania and continues to gain ground in places like Vietnam — where more than 700 churches have been built — as well as Colombia and other parts of Latin America.
In many rural villages and urban areas, the church buildings constructed with donor support are often the only permanent structures in the area. They function as more than just places of worship, ICM said, but also serve as community anchors offering everything from Bible studies to food distribution.
In one coastal town in South Asia, a group of fishermen who had converted to Christianity were forced to worship outdoors after being rejected by local congregations. Over time, their beachside gatherings grew into a thriving fellowship. Thanks to ICM and its donors, construction is now underway for a permanent church building.
“We gave up everything to follow Jesus,” said Pastor Naraj, who leads a small congregation in Sri Lanka. “Now, God is giving us a place to belong—and a place where His church can grow for generations.”
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged.