2,000 attendees

Verbo Nicaragua took a giant step forward in its work of preparing true Christian disciples for their work of service to the world and the Church when ministry leaders from around Central America convened to name almost 70 new church workers, including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers at a gala massive national event in Managua recently.

Bob Trolese, who with his wife, Myra, and a team of young Guatemalans founded the Nicaragua mission in 1980, hosted the event at which he was named an apostle according to Verbo’s understanding of Ephesians 4:8-16. Under Bob’s care, the original church has blossomed into 16 congregations throughout the country, plus schools, orphanages, agricultural outreaches and social services.

Nearly two thousand Verbo members and friends joined in worship in Managua, Nicaragua, during ceremonies in which nearly 70 new ministers from deacons and deaconesses to apostles were recognized from almost all the 16 Verbo congregations in the nation.

We experienced a tremendously recognizable blessing that seemed to profoundly touch everyone.  We had a beautifully broad representation from all the Nicaraguan Verbo churches, even including the naming of an elder from our largest of five churches on the Rio Coco, bordering Honduras. It took the people from this Miskito Indian church almost two days to travel by boat and bus to the capital city of Managua.   We spent months in preparation, not only at the site of the celebration, but in the countless hours we spent considering the men and women to be ordained as elders, deacons, and five-fold ministers.  Then, with broader counsel from among Verbo leaders outside the nation, we reevaluated the candidates to arrive at the final list. Perhaps one of the highlights is that there are many other men and women who, though they weren’t recognized at this point, are still growing in godliness and service and many of them will eventually be publically recognized.

Some Verbo members from Miskito Indian congregations on the remote Coco River traveled nearly two days to participate in the recent spiritual celebration in the capital city of Managua where elders, deacons, apostles, prophets, teachers, evangelists and pastors were formally recognized amid joyful worship, preaching and a lunch for the nearly two thousand attendees.

Two other presiding elders, Oscar Aguilar of Somoto (4 years) and Ed Jaentschke of Bluefields (22 years, and previously recognized as a pastor) were recognized as evangelists. Dr. Arturo Hall, director of our Bible Institute (4 years) was recognized as a five-fold teacher. Ricardo Hernandez, who  leads the 1,300-member Managua Verbo Central congregation received our blessing as a prophet. Presiding elder Earl Bowie of Puerto Cabezas (19 years) and I were named apostles. Under Earl’s care, the original church on the Atlantic Coast has expanded to included two schools, an orphanage, a restaurant, a home for young adults who are studying or working in the area, and a growing family of churches, social outreaches and schools in nearby rural areas and along the Coco River—sure signs of his apostolic anointing.

Ricardo Hernandez (with his wife, Leyda) was recognized as a prophet in the recent Managua celebration. He is the presiding elder of the the largest Verbo church in the nation, the 1300-member main congregation in the capital city. Ricardo was first ordained a deacon about 20 years ago, and has been a member of the ministry's international council.

Our common understanding, with the additional 50 men and women now ordained as elders, deacons and deaconesses, is the absolutely necessary heart of service that must underlay all of our activities.  We also confirmed our traditional position that all churches must be actually governed by a council (board) of elders. In our particular case all the men ordained to five-fold responsibilities in our churches also serve as presiding elders, except for Dr. Hall who oversees the Bible Institute and me (my functions include general oversight of the Nicaragua churches and work on the Verbo regional and international councils). However, we are both honored to sit on the elder’s council of the central church in Managua.

Bob and Myra Trolese, founders of Verbo Nicaragua in 1980 and missionaries in Central America since 1976, are the principal overseers of the nation's 16 Verbo congregations, schools, orphanages and social works. Bob, a member of the International Council, was recognized as an apostle. They participated int he recognition of the nearly 70 men and women called to formal ministry during the recent celebration.

In the Epistle of Ephesians we find in verse 11 that, “He Himself [Jesus] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ…” The word, “equipping,” in this case actually has a closer relationship to the original Greek of  “repairing,” rather than “prepare,” “equip,” or “train.” The original Greek idea was taken from the concept of mending fishing nets.  Since the perfect Church doesn’t actually exist at this moment, the fivefold gifts might be better understood as simply a means of equipping or ‘repairing’ people in very specific areas where they have needs, so that that might work more effectively in their gifts and callings. This is in contrast to trying to fit the fivefold ministers into the broader nature of actual church government when they might not be necessarily gifted in that type of leadership.

Newly ordained elders and deacons from almost all the 16 Verbo churches in Nicaragua joined the existing ministerial staff in a massive celebration in Managua recently. Members of the ministry's Central American regional council, headed by Director Daniel Garcia (at right), officiated the recognition ceremonies.

Daniel Garcia, director of the Verbo Central American churches and also of Verbo Guatemala, recognized the Bob Trolese (accompanied by his wife, Myra) as the ministry's first apostle in Nicaragua. Earl Bowie (not shown) who directs the Verbo works on the north Caribbean coast and among the Miskito Indians on the Coco River, was also named apostle.

The Church was meant by God to be a prophetic movement with a relevant message to the nations.  Prophets reveal God’s will in heaven for his Kingdom on earth. Unfortunately Christians have reduced this role to preaching within the comfort and protection with in the four walls of their buildings.  Another part of the prophet’s job is to identify and announce the direction and walk the Lord is delineating for individual churches.  We feel that Ricardo Hernandez will be of much more use to the Body in this function. We also feel he has the ability to greatly assist in the identification and raising up of others with similar callings.

Finally, our recognition celebration seemed to grow far beyond our broadest, and deepest, expectations.  It felt as if a genuinely Divine approval was being stamped on us.  I felt the experience was remarkably similar to our very immature feelings of guidance and assurance as the original Verbo team journeyed to Guatemala in 1976 as a divine response to the needs of a nation destroyed by a massive earthquake. Perhaps now--because of our endurance through many radical ups and downs over these last years--the God of heaven and earth is entrusting us with a much deeper understanding of His love and mode of adornment  of The Bride of His Son.

The directors of Verbo Central America met in Managua, Nicaragua, to participate in the recognition of new elders, deacons, and fivefold ministers at a massive celebration recently. They also discussed how to better equip God's people for their work of ministry. The team is (left to right) James Jankowiak, International Director Emeritus; Daniel Garcia, Central American and Guatemalan Director and International Council member; Ricardo Duarte, Costa Rica representative; Bob Trolese, member of the International Council and founder of Verbo Nicaragua; José muñoz, Honduras representative.