Jared Nelms CEO Timothy Initiative TTI Coalition of the Willing
Finish Line Podcast Episode 63

Jared Nelms, CEO of the Timothy Initiative, on Reaching Everyone in Our Lifetime Through Church Planting Data Sharing

Even if you care deeply about the Great Commission, you may still wonder what meaningful role you can play when the remaining gaps span thousands of villages, cultures, and languages.

But if the work depends on ordinary disciples, indigenous leaders, shared information, and coordinated generosity, could your part be more practical and immediate than you assumed?


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Meet your guide

Jared Nelms, CEO of The Timothy Initiative, has spent his ministry career focused on helping the gospel reach people and places with little Christian presence. After a formative experience in Zambia and missionary work in South Asia, Jared became convinced that one of the most effective missions strategies is to equip indigenous believers who already understand the language, culture, relationships, and challenges of their own communities.

The Timothy Initiative trains local disciples to make disciples, plant multiplying churches, and develop new leaders. Jared explains why ordinary believers, not simply professional missionaries, are essential to that work and how house churches and reproducible training can allow ministry to expand rapidly. He also shares how the Coalition of the Willing is helping ministries combine geographic data and field knowledge to identify villages where no Christians or churches are present and coordinate efforts around those gaps.

By the end, you may see the Great Commission as a shared assignment where your discipleship, generosity, and willingness to collaborate can help strengthen a much larger movement reaching every people and place.

What you’ll gain

  • Why indigenous leaders can reach their communities more effectively
  • How ordinary believers can become multiplying disciple makers
  • Why church planting does not require buildings or salaries
  • How shared data can reveal overlooked Great Commission gaps
  • Why collaboration helps ministries avoid duplicating the same work
  • How your generosity can help fuel indigenous church multiplication

Inspired? Take your next step

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Inspired? Learn how to partner with ministries well.

A compelling ministry story can inspire you to respond. But wise partnership often begins with better questions.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Focus

What is the ministry really seeking to restore?

Learn to look beyond visible needs toward people, context, relationships, and flourishing.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Fruitfulness

How do you recognize meaningful impact?

Consider how ministries learn, evaluate their work, and pursue lasting change.

Applied Generosity Intervention Partnership Faithfulness

What does genuine ministry partnership look like?

Explore how to foster trust, alignment, and shared mission in your giving.

In our Intervention Series on the Applied Generosity Podcast, we’ll help you become a more thoughtful, discerning, and faithful partner.

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Quotes to Remember

  • “When you can get behind strong local leaders, you can maximize the kingdom impact so much more quickly than if you are trying to do it on your own from scratch”
  • “The key to reaching the world is not through trained missionaries and professionals, it’s through the average Joe and Sue and any other local person”
  • “Most powerful testimony is the transformation from death to life”
  • “We’re not going after the result, only God can change the heart of somebody”
  • “The fruitfulness is in God’s hands; the faithfulness is up to us.”
  • “Every is believer called to be a disciple, every disciple is called to be a disciple maker”

Links from the Show

Bible References from the Show

2 Timothy 2:2 | Entrust to faithful men, who will teach others

And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.

Matthew 10:16 | Sheep among wolves

“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Matthew 9:37 | Harvest is plentiful, workers are few

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few”

Matthew 28:20 | Promise to be with us

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

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Have you considered the ways you are uniquely called into generosity? We’re not all called into the same adventure.
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Enter your information below and we’ll send you our free PDF guide to explore the specific adventure you were called into.
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