Meet Jonathan and Amy Postlewaites, IM Missionaries to Bulgaria
Jonathan and Amy have served as church planters in the country of Bulgaria since 2013. They currently live and with their three children in the city of Pleven, which is in the north-central part of the country. The church planting work which the Postlewaites are a part of includes ministering to people in the city, people living in the surrounding region, international students from the medical university, and minority groups. In all of these efforts, their mission remains the same: making disciples who are grounded in God’s Word and are eager and equipped to make disciples themselves.
The Postlewaites’ story
We want more people in this country who have never had an opportunity to hear the Good News to find hope, security, and purpose in Jesus Christ! After placing our faith in Jesus Christ at an early age and growing in our personal relationships with Him (before we knew each other), both of us started to become aware of how many people in the world had little access to the Gospel which had changed our lives. This burden pierced our hearts.
The Great Commission to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19) helped us understand that the hope we had found in Christ was not something we could keep for ourselves. We both knew that God was calling us to commit our lives to bring the Gospel to those who have never heard. After getting married in 2007 and serving in FWB churches for several years, we were appointed by IM in 2010 to be church planters in a part of the world we had least expected to find ourselves—eastern Europe!
Why Bulgaria?
The Lord quickly opened our eyes to gain a sense of the great spiritual needs which exist in the beautiful country of Bulgaria. Even though Orthodox Christianity is the official religion of the country, faith, Bible reading, and association with the church were strongly discouraged when the country was under Communist rule from 1946-1989. As a result, many Bulgarians now consider themselves atheists or practice Orthodox traditions without a full understanding of their meaning. Superstitions play a big role in the lives of many Bulgarians, as does fear. Because of challenges in the economy, many Bulgarians are leaving the country to look for work overseas. Lack of trust and unity have a major effect on many personal and professional relationships.
In the city of Pleven, where we currently live, less than 2% of the population are Evangelical believers. The villages in our region are other places where people have had little access to the Good news. In the majority of them, there are no existing Protestant churches. We have a desire to see that change! We are grateful for every opportunity that the Lord is giving us here to tell the story of Jesus, watch lives being transformed by Him, and equip others to proclaim His salvation to all of the world.
8 Unreached People Groups in Bulgaria
How they are ministering to people in Bulgaria
How you can pray for the Postlewaites
- Pray that the believers we disciple would become grounded in faith and equipped to share the Gospel with others
- Pray that God would open doors for us to minister in creative ways among population segments in our city and region who have never heard the Gospel
- Pray that barriers of spiritual opposition would be overcome and that those who hear the Gospel would respond with true faith in Jesus Christ
- Pray that a spirit of trust, unity, holiness, and love would characterize our churches, our personal walks with the Lord, our families, and our IM Bulgaria church planting team.
Jonathan and Amy Postlewaite
You can partner with the Postlewaites to reach people in Bulgaria with the Gospel.