How did Reach A Village get started as an organization?

In 2012, Rev. Bob Craft founded Reach A Village (RAV) to partner with indigenous Christians in countries worldwide. Having served as a missionary himself for many years, he recognized that there are places where foreign missionaries cannot go due to political, cultural, or geographical restrictions. Over 1 million villages still have not been reached with the Gospel. Hundreds of thousands of those villages do not have a single believer or even a single Bible.

Through decades of ministry, Rev. Craft has developed strong relationships with national Christian leaders who are eager to train and send local believers into the most remote, unreached villages in their country. But they lack tools, resources, and materials. RAV’s focus is to equip them with the training and materials they need to reach their own people with the Gospel, nurture new believers, and start churches.

What is the mission of Reach A Village?

Reach A Village is called by God to train and equip local believers, enabling them to reach the unreached and bring them into fellowship with Jesus Christ and His Church, through the power of the Holy Spirit. RAV’s U.S. staff and those whom RAV equips worldwide are inspired by Jesus’ words in Mark 1:38 (NIV): “Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach there also. That is why I have come."

Our driving force is to finish the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations. Thousands of lives and villages are already being transformed with the power of God’s Word!

How does Reach A Village go about reaching villages?

Reach A Village helps train, equip, and mobilize local Christians to go into nearby villages and reach the unreached with the Gospel. These believers interact with people in the community, doing evangelistic outreach. They engage new believers and seekers in discipleship Bible studies. The goal is to establish a new house church in the village within two years.

RAV’s international ministry partners provide mentorship and specialized, hands-on training that includes classroom and field learning. All of these workers receive Bible study materials and a supply of Scriptures. We aim to provide a Bible to everyone who completes the Bible study series. * Please note that Reach A Village ministry partners provide a wide variety of Scripture materials, including New Testaments and Whole Bibles. Our desire is to provide as many new believers as possible with a Bible, as resources allow. Currently, we see many more new believers coming to faith in Jesus Christ than we can provide Bibles for.

What ministry methods does Reach A Village utilize?

• Partnering with other national and international Christian mission organizations to extend our reach and multiply our ministry. Currently, RAV partners with Bible League Canada, Free In Jesus Christ Church Association (FJCCA) in Thailand, Philippines Values Education Program (PVEP), the Cambodian Christian Churches Network (CCCN), and many others. Across the nations where we serve, we partner with dozens of denominations and church associations. Equipping and empowering local believers to start churches in unreached villages is our primary objective.
• Helping existing churches grow and multiply their congregations through training in children’s Bible ministries and discipling new believers.
• Providing training, Bible study materials, and Bibles in the language people understand best. RAV’s local partners often operate in rural areas in developing countries. The level of poverty makes it extremely difficult for them to afford training and materials. We supply local congregations with Bible study booklets containing guided Bible lessons in their language that are specifically geared for their culture, enabling them to start small group Bible studies.
• Providing age-appropriate materials for children’s summer camps, children’s ministry in their local villages, and even programs in public or private schools. Upon completing the Bible study series, each child receives their own Bible, as resources make possible.
  
  

How do new believers get Bibles?

RAV is a church planting ministry among those who have very little to no knowledge of Jesus, the Gospel, or the Bible.  Our local partners must slowly introduce the Word of God to the people in the villages through tracts, testimonies, illustrations, Bible stories, and Bible study booklets. It may take months before they come to know Christ and experience His salvation. Contextualized materials are provided at appropriate times in this process.  Only the local disciple makers can determine the best time to give a New Testament or the whole Bible to a new believer.  It is our desire that the new believer will be at a point where they know how to read and study the New Testament, and especially the whole Bible. RAV must rely on our local partners to tell us what materials are needed, and we provide for the purchase or printing of those materials, from the smallest booklet to an entire Bible in their local language.  By doing it in this way, every person who gets materials has someone who is guiding them in the discipleship process. Someone who knows their name and needs.

Does Reach A Village provide care for people’s physical needs?

Reach A Village’s particular calling is to finish Jesus’ command to go and make disciples of all nations. When the Gospel arrives and people follow Christ, villages change as a result. As transformation begins in the heart and soul, people feel compelled by the love of Christ to help care for the physical needs of their community.

Reach A Village has established a Village Aid Fund to help care for our partners and their communities during natural disasters or war. Donors who feel compelled to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people facing such a crisis may give to this fund.

Where does Reach A Village work?

Reach A Village is currently working with global ministry partners who share the Gospel in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. Specifically, RAV is present in Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Thailand, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Eleven of these nations are considered to be part of the 10/40 window.

Does Reach A Village support children’s ministry?

Children matter to Jesus, and they matter deeply to us. Since its founding in 2012, Reach A Village has been committed to helping our partners conduct children’s ministry around the world. Working with our ministry partners, we provide age-appropriate materials for children’s summer camps, and even programs in public or private schools. Upon completing the Bible study series, each child receives their own Bible, as resources allow.

In the Philippines, RAV is partnering with the Philippines Values Education Program (PVEP) to send trained volunteer teachers into the schools. They teach Values Education classes, based on Christian principles and the Bible. Students also receive their own copy of the Bible/NT as resources allow.

In 2023, Reach A Village released a children’s mission and Bible curriculum for kids in the U.S and Canada called The World’s Greatest Rescue Mission. The goal is to help kids understand the Gospel and the Great Commission, learn about other nations, and grow in Christian character by emphasizing five biblical values. Kids can also participate in an international mission project, B4NB, while learning.

We designed this curriculum for use in various children’s ministry settings, including VBS, Sunday School, Christian school missions, homeschool missions, social studies classes, chapel, devotions, and kids’ church.

A sample lesson plan is available to view or download from our website. You can also order a complete curriculum kit online. Kits contain the teacher’s guide and all the supplies and resources needed to use it. We do not sell the kits, but donations of $40 or more are accepted to help cover our costs.

What is Reach A Village’s statement of faith?

The principal tenets of our statement of faith are listed here. To view the entire statement, please go to http://www.reachavillage.org/about-us/statement-of-faith.

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.

We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory.

We believe that the eternal salvation of lost and sinful people is brought about only through faith in Jesus Christ through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

Is Reach A Village affiliated with a particular denomination?

Reach A Village is a non-denominational organization. To accomplish our mission and fulfill the Great Commission, we partner with local believers and ministries in the countries where we serve. We also collaborate with other international mission organizations that have a similar vision.

How can I get involved in the ministry of Reach A Village?

We need the prayers of God’s people to accomplish the mission God has given us. You can help by interceding in prayer for our ministry.

We also need financial resources to bring the Gospel to unreached villages. You can supply someone with their own Bible for as little as $7 or reach an entire village with a donation of $1,200. Please note that these are the averages and costs vary based on location. Whatever the amount you give, God multiplies these gifts for His glory.

Another way to get involved is by telling friends and family members about the work of Reach A Village or inviting a speaker to come to your church, Vacation Bible School, or other event.

Does Reach A Village have a program my church can get involved with?

Yes, Reach A Village has a very special ministry opportunity designed for churches and small groups. We call it B4NB, or Bibles 4 New Believers. The demand for Bibles is always greater than our ability to meet. We developed B4NB to help churches, in particular, get involved in the ministry of placing Bibles in the hands of new believers. There is no cost to participate in B4NB, as a generous and mission-minded donor has provided all of the materials!

We can send you a kit that contains everything you need for a professional and eye-catching table display showcasing this project. B4NB provides a small, cardboard Bible bank box for every family or church member who wants to participate. The Bible box can be set out somewhere in the home, such as on a kitchen counter or table. As family members are able, they can deposit their loose change or bills into the Bible bank, saving up money that will help provide Bibles for new believers in rural villages across the world. The church then collects the money from the people, totals the donations, and sends that amount directly to RAV.

Does Reach A Village have any speakers or presenters available to help educate my church about this ministry?

RAV does have speakers available around the nation. Our team is always ready and eager to tell others about our mission!

Schedule a speaker to visit your congregation or to speak via Zoom and other video communication services. We are always excited to share with your group about ministry developments in modern missions, fast-growing church planting movements taking place across Southeast Asia, and inspiring stories of how Jesus is transforming lives. Go to https://www.reachavillage.org/get-involved/request-a-speaker/ to request a speaker.

Click here to find some brief informational videos on our YouTube channel.

Does Reach A Village have any resources for children?

In 2023, Reach A Village released a children’s mission and Bible curriculum for kids in the U.S and Canada called The World’s Greatest Rescue Mission. The goal is to help kids understand the Gospel and the Great Commission, learn about other nations, and grow in Christian character by emphasizing five biblical values. Kids can also participate in an international mission project, B4NB, while learning.

We designed this curriculum for use in various children’s ministry settings, including VBS, Sunday School, Christian school missions, homeschool missions, social studies classes, chapel, devotions, and kids’ church.

A sample lesson plan is available to view or download from our website. You can also order a complete curriculum kit online. Kits contain the teacher’s guide and all the supplies and resources needed to use it. We do not sell the kits, but donations of $40 or more are accepted to help cover our costs.

Does Reach A Village offer mission trips?

Because our ministry is carried out through local believers reaching their own people for Christ, Reach A Village does not send out traditional short-term mission teams. At times, we offer vision trips so donors can see firsthand the impact their partnership is making for the Kingdom.

What are some projects or ministry areas I can help support through Reach A Village?

Reach A Village has MANY projects and ministry areas that we invite you to participate in. Major ministry areas include church planting, providing Bibles for new believers, children’s ministry, persecuted and vulnerable believers, and research and mapping.

Some examples of projects in these areas include:

• Starting a new church with a gift of $1,200
• Providing Bibles for 10 new believers with a gift of $70
• Reaching a classroom of children in the Philippines with a gift of $55
• Reaching a prison inmate in Poland with a gift of $26
• Helping locate and map unreached villages with a gift of any amount designated for that purpose

Regardless of your ministry passion, Reach A Village has a project you can join to impact God’s kingdom!

How much of my financial donation actually goes toward ministry?

Good stewardship of the gifts you entrust to us is essential to Reach A Village. Of the funds we received in 2024, 85% went directly to on-field ministry programs. Our mission is to reach as many of the 1 million unreached villages of the world as possible. To accomplish this goal as quickly as possible, we are committed to being good stewards of the funds God graciously provides through our donor partners.

Reach A Village continues to be accredited by ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability) and has a 4 out of 4-star rating on Charity Navigator. As an even greater means of accountability, the most recent IRS Form 990s are posted on our website at https://www.ReachAVillage.org/about-us/financial-accountability-annual-reports/

How is it possible to help start a church for just $1,200?

$1,200 is the worldwide average cost to help start a new house church. A house church can be just what it sounds like: a fellowship of believers meeting in someone’s home. Prayer, worship, fellowship, biblical teaching, communion, and baptism are cornerstones of a house church.

They can meet in a wide variety of locations, depending on the country and the environment. The house church may not look like a typical Western church, but it is a highly effective and necessary part of reaching unreached villagers worldwide with the Gospel.

In Thailand, for example, it is common for house church fellowships to gather outside in the shade of palm trees or under open-air pavilions in the center of a small village. In mountainous areas, house churches usually meet inside the house. In delta lands, as in parts of Cambodia, they tend to meet in dwellings on stilts to avoid flood waters in the rainy season. Or for security purposes, they might gather in the space under the house.

Your gift of $1,200 provides the training materials and Scriptures needed to help start one of these new house churches, which may have 15-20 believers. Essential elements of the house church are established leadership, regular meeting times, and practicing the Lord's Supper and baptism.

How can I know my gifts to Reach A Village are making a difference?

We receive reports and testimonies regularly from our field partners. We share many of these testimonies on our website. We encourage you to visit often, read about the great things the Lord is doing worldwide, and see the impact of your giving. We also share updates and information daily on our Facebook page.

We send out three Within Reach reports and an Annual Report each year. These reports share additional testimonies and ministry impact.

It is so important to us to keep in touch with you and let you know the many ways you are helping change lives through God’s love, with the power of the Holy Spirit. We invite you to contact us any time if you have questions about your gifts or a particular area of ministry. You can reach us by phone at 833-412-4253 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.