OUR STRUCTURE

THE STRUCTURE OF OUR MINISTRY

I am sent out, as a missionary, by a local Baptist church. As a missionary I run the day to day operations of our ministry, work with the national pastors, and take two trips a year to the Middle East. On these trips, I serve the churches that we support and make sure that the pastors are being held accountable.

In order to provide accountability and direction to the ministry of Light of Life International, we have a board of directors that is made up of local church pastors (one retired), a Christian businessman and myself. The board provides oversight and guidance, both financially and practically, by making sure that I am working within established guidelines, maintaining exceptional personal work ethic, and possessing the Christlike character necessary to be directing this vital ministry.

I receive a pre-determined salary to direct the ministry.  As our ministry grows, all new support is used in two ways. First, to help support more pastors in the Middle East. Our goal is to have as many church planters as possible, since we work in such an unreached area, with so few churches. Second, the finances will sometimes be used for special projects—mainly outreach projects to refugees.

The board also stewards all finances. Even though I am the director of ministry, I am unable to either write or cash any checks for the ministry. This is only to be done by our treasurer or secretary. This ensures a system of checks and balances. We also believe that being sent out by a local church, while also having an independent board which oversees the ministry, is an excellent way to keep all costs of ministry low. Currently, we average 5%-7% yearly on administrative costs. Because of our structure, more of the money given to missions ends up on the mission field. All of our board members serve as volunteers.

OUR BOARD MEMBERS

PASTOR SCOTT BLANCHARD

Board President
Lake Point Church

Born in Royal Oak with an 80% hearing loss, Scott has overcome his handicap to inspire people of all ages with practical truths from God’s word. After graduating from high school, Scott went to Bible College in Florida and earned a degree in pastoral ministries. In 1999, Scott joined the pastoral staff at Marcus Pointe Church in Pensacola, FL for ten years. While serving at Marcus Pointe, Scott met Karen and they were married in 2001. After serving for ten years, Scott and his family moved back to Michigan to start Lakepointe Church in 2009. They are blessed with two beautiful children, Nathan and Abigail.

IRFAN ABDULLATIF

Board Member
Light of Life Intl.

Of course I’d recommend Light of Life as a ministry worthy of support, but it runs very deep for me personally. This spot on the globe is a spot I feel called to explicitly. I could serve in no other place but the Middle East. It is personal. As someone who was born in Iraq and who comes from a Muslim heritage, I have a deep and burning passion for all the people of the Middle East. This is a labor of love. Every person we see come to Christ thrills me in a way that I never knew was possible before I became involved in Light of Life. 

In a place that is stricken by war, hunger, and trials, the only hope for the people we serve is Jesus. They will likely always deal with problems you and I can never truly understand, but when I see someone in the Middle East become new in Jesus, we have transcended those earthly trials and given to them life everlasting.

On top of that, I get to work with some of the most amazing men as I train and labor with national pastors. My respect and love for these men grows year by year as I see their commitment to sharing the gospel regardless of the circumstances. These men are heroes to me. Sacrifice is a daily exercise for them and they do it gladly. I am honored to be a part of Light of Life International because I know we are sharing light in the darkest of places. What a blessing to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Middle East.

PASTOR BARRY BEDWELL

Board Member
Faith Baptist Church

As pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Canton, MI, I appreciate anyone who has a heart for mission work in Muslim countries around the world. God is using Irfan in many new and exciting ways. He is an impressive and articulate speaker who understands the needs of the Muslim world. Irfan has a heart of compassion to win souls as he supports churches in many areas of the Middle East. I highly recommend him as an outstanding preacher…one worthy of your support. It is a privilege to serve as a board member for Light of Life International!

PASTOR JEREMY SCOTT

Board Member
Faith Baptist Church

Jeremy is the Lead Pastor at Memorial Baptist Church in the Madison area of Wisconsin. He grew up in a Christian home and at an early age had the desire to pastor a church. With this sense of calling, Jeremy entered Bible College after high school and earned a B.A. in Biblical Studies. His postgraduate work has led to two Master’s Degrees (M.A. & M.Div. both in Theological Studies) and a Doctoral degree from Southern Seminary (D.Ed.Min).

Since Jeremy is originally from Michigan, he is an avid fan of the University of Michigan – a lonely calling in the heart of Badger country. Previous ministries have included Jeremy pastoring in Rhode Island and Illinois. He feels honored to serve the Lord at Memorial and is thankful for God’s mercy and grace that has been abundantly given to him. When asked about hobbies, Jeremy says that he likes to spend time with his best friend and wife Anouk, as well as with their children, Michaela and Isaiah. If there is any time left over he enjoys reading a good book or watching sporting events.

SCOTT CHIVERS

Board Member
ABM Operations Manager

Scott works at ABM Industries as the Operations Manager in the Healthcare division. He oversees all hospital parking operations in Chicago, IL. His unique background with experience in both pastoral ministry and the business world make him an asset to our ministry in many ways. Scott is married to his wife, Melissa, and they have 4 children. They currently reside in Joliet, IL. He currently serves as the lead elder of Grace Pointe Church in Plainfield, IL. Spending time with family, watching sports, and relaxing with friends are some of his favorite things to do in his free time. It is an honor to be involved in the work of such an amazing ministry!

IRFAN’S ROLE AS DIRECTOR OF MINISTRY

As the director of the ministry, I am involved in almost every aspect—from choosing whom we will support, maintaining the website, to writing the newsletter—I do a little bit of everything.

One of my essential duties is choosing who it is that we will support as national pastors. I take this task very seriously and work closely with the men before I choose whom we will support. I make sure that all those we work with are doctrinally sound. I do this not only by speaking to them but by listening to them teach the Scriptures. I also spend time with them (often several weeks) getting to know them as individuals as well as getting to know their families and lifestyle. The process of choosing whom we will support is a rigorous one, and we undertake it with the utmost responsibility.

Twice a year, I visit our partner pastors. These trips usually last somewhere between 4-6 weeks. The purpose of these trips is to make sure that we are spending the resources the Lord is providing in the correct fashion. We want to make sure that what we are told by our partners is actually being done. We believe one of the keys to working with nationals is providing accountability.

Some have wondered what I do with the rest of my time if I am only in the Middle East for a few months. One of the great responsibilities I have is getting the word out about our ministry. Since we work in closed countries with heavy persecution, almost everyone who becomes aware of our ministry does so through me directly. In fact, many people have no idea that you can do church planting where we are doing it. This makes it very difficult to do church planting.

Because of this, I travel and speak in many churches. In the last year alone, I spoke in almost 30 different churches. Some of these churches were new churches that were considering our ministry for support. Many were churches that wanted updates on the ministry. Because I live stateside, many churches which support us have me in often, some every year, to update them. I relish these opportunities as I want our supporting churches to be aware and praying for our ministry.

I also travel to raise support for our partners. We currently have 6 pastors that we partner with, but our goal is to have many more. The irony of the situation is that there are many churches who want to support missions to the Middle East, and there are also men willing to plant churches; however, there is no way for them to meet. That is where I am of help. I work as an intermediary to help national pastors get sponsored to minister to the people of the Middle East.

Finally, even when I am stateside, I am in contact with our partners, encouraging them, receiving reports, and discussing the course of the ministry.

WHY WE USE NATIONAL PASTORS TO MINISTER IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  • We operate in the Middle East, often in areas where the community is hostile to the gospel, making it very difficult for an outsider to minister effectively

  • National pastors do not have to face the barriers of language and customs. Language training can often take years and be very expensive. Often, even after several years, it is difficult for a traditional missionary to fully understand the customs of the country they are in.

  • National pastors are already in the areas we want to be. We use pastors who are reaching their own people.

  • It is cost effective. We are able to support a national pastor for a fraction of what it would cost to support a missionary in the traditional way.

  • It gets results! Almost every month we see people accept Christ and follow him in baptism.

CONNECTING THOSE WHO HAVE THE GOSPEL WITH THOSE WHO DON’T