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When I first came to Vanuatu over ten years ago, I met this man who had a deep desire to share the gospel with people throughout the country. His zeal for proclaiming Christ was inspiring, and after working alongside him, it became increasingly evident that God had gifted him for evangelism.

He was always eager to travel to new Tiale villages and neighboring language groups, recognizing their need to hear and understand the gospel clearly.

However, two major obstacles stood in his way. First, the local church was not yet mature enough to continue without his significant involvement. Second, and more importantly, his understanding of the gospel and his approach to communicating it needed further development.

After years of discipleship, systematic biblical instruction, and learning how to communicate the gospel faithfully within a shame-based cultural context, his understanding of Scripture has deepened considerably. We have also worked to replace ineffective and culturally inappropriate methodologies with approaches that communicate biblical truth more clearly. Today, the fruit of those years is increasingly evident in his preaching.

During those same years, we have been developing other leaders to help carry the responsibilities of the ministry. More recently, God has been maturing two men who are preparing to assume pastoral responsibilities within the village church.

Their development is creating an opportunity for this evangelist to pursue a desire he has carried for more than a decade (honestly over two decades).

His burden reminds me of the prayer traditionally attributed to John Knox: “Give me Scotland, or I die.”

He desires to spend the remaining years of his life proclaiming the gospel among people who have yet to hear and understand it.

Sadly, Vanuatu is a country often overlooked. Many have never heard of it, much less could locate it on a map. Yet within its numerous language groups are communities where the need for clear, sustained biblical teaching remains significant.

In the video, he emphasizes something particularly important: reaching these communities requires more than a brief visit or an isolated gospel presentation. His intention is to spend substantial time teaching Course One, a chronological Bible curriculum that traces God’s redemptive revelation from creation to Christ.

This is not a task accomplished in a few days. It requires patience, sustained teaching, and a commitment to helping people develop the biblical understanding necessary to comprehend the gospel.

For this ministry to move forward, the local church must continue maturing so that it can remain spiritually stable and function faithfully without depending on his constant presence.

Please pray for the continued maturity of these two future pastors, for the stability of the village church, and for this evangelist as he prepares to proclaim God’s glorious gospel among those who have not yet heard.

In communities influenced by cargo cult beliefs and the John Frum movement, material incentives cannot produce genuine faith in Christ. Neither persuasive techniques nor missionary methodologies can accomplish what only God can do through His Word and by His grace.

Our responsibility is to proclaim the gospel faithfully, explain it clearly, and patiently teach the Scriptures.

The gospel must be understood. The church must be established. And the next generation of laborers must be prepared to go.

https://youtu.be/R206GeMD-og?feature=shared

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu. Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.

Let’s talk about feet!

(Sorry for the longer post, but this topic needs some explanation. If you’re in Christian leadership, read it to the end. It may be worth your time.).

We should be willing to question everything we do in the church.

Not cynically. Biblically. Like a Berean.

Is this actually commanded by Scripture? Is it a principle derived from Scripture? Is it merely methodology? Or have we practiced something for so long that we now assume our culture inherited it directly from the apostles?

That question becomes uncomfortable when we come to John 13.

Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and then said:

“I have given you an example” (John 13:15).

I do not believe the strongest argument is that foot washing must therefore become a formal church ordinance. The greater principle is unmistakable: those who follow Christ should willingly take the lowest place and serve one another in humility.

And Scripture shows that Christians continued practicing it. Foot washing appears again among the recognizable works of Christian service in 1 Timothy 5:10.

The question, then, is not merely:

“Are Christians required to wash feet?”

A better question may be:

“What is the modern equivalent that I have become too important to do?”

Maybe it is personally serving widows, poor believers, and overlooked members rather than simply delegating their care to another ministry department.

Maybe it means quietly doing what receives no recognition, produces no platform, and generates no applause.

Interestingly, American churches have little difficulty implementing other practices that are not explicitly commanded in their modern form.

The invitation call: Scripture commands repentance, faith, and gospel proclamation. It never commands walking an aisle, raising a hand, or coming forward during a hymn. Yet many churches have implemented the invitation so consistently that it almost functions as a formal element of church practice.

(The modern invitation system largely developed through nineteenth-century American revivalism, especially through Charles Finney’s “new measures,” and was later popularized by evangelists such as D. L. Moody, Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham. A practice not even 200 years old can become almost normative, yet a principle modeled and declared by Christ nearly 2,000 years ago gets benched?)

Get off the pew for the invitation. Stay on the pew for the towel.

See the problem?

Formal church membership: Scripture clearly teaches identifiable belonging, accountability, discipline, shepherding, and submission within a local congregation. Yet Scripture never commands a membership class, membership card, formal vote, covenant, transfer letter, or membership roll. Churches appropriately develop methodology to embody the biblical principle.

We apparently understand this distinction quite well when we want to.

Biblical principle can legitimately produce practical methodology even when the exact methodology is not directly commanded.

So why does John 13 suddenly make us nervous?

This passage has challenged me personally for years.

When I was young in Bible college, a close friend and I wrestled with this exact question. We could not escape what Jesus had done or what He said about His example. So rather than allowing our culture to decide the matter for us, we simply practiced it.

I washed my friend’s feet.

Many years later, we are still close friends, and it remains a privilege to serve him.

When my wife and I married, one of the first symbolic acts of our marriage ceremony was washing one another’s feet.

Before almost anything else characterized our marriage publicly, we wanted this to be visible:

Marriage begins with humility and service, not entitlement.

Then, years later, as several of the men I had discipled were approaching a major transition in their maturation and ministry, just before we entered a new phase of ministry among the Tiale people, I gathered them together.

It was late.

We had spent considerable time praying.

There were no cameras.

No pictures.

No social-media post.

No audience.

I washed their feet.

Not because I believed water on someone’s feet magically produces humility, but because sometimes a physical act forces us to confront whether we actually believe the principle we preach.

It was my responsibility to model that humility before them. These were feet that had walked barefoot since childhood, calloused, cracked, scarred, sometimes affected by fungus.

How could I teach these men about Christlike humility while considering myself too important to wash their feet?

Jesus is the Chief Shepherd.

Those who lead His people are supposed to be little shepherds beneath Him.

And our Chief Shepherd took the towel.

So perhaps American Christian leadership needs to ask an uncomfortable question.

We have institutionalized membership without an explicit membership command.

We have institutionalized invitation calls without an explicit invitation-call command.

We construct entire church methodologies from biblical principles, and often rightly so.

Yet when Jesus Himself gets down, takes a towel, washes feet, and says, “I have given you an example,” suddenly we become experts at explaining why the cultural form no longer applies.

Why?

Is washing feet really beneath us?

Or has American evangelical leadership slowly developed a concept of ministry where holding the microphone feels more natural than holding the towel?

I speak particularly to American Christians here because foot washing has largely disappeared from much of our church culture, while it remains a recognizable Christian practice in many other parts of the world.

Perhaps our discomfort tells us as much about American culture as it does about John 13.

Because if the towel makes you uncomfortable but the microphone feels natural, perhaps your understanding of leadership has been discipled more by Meta than by the Chief Shepherd.

And if our greatest ambition is to stand before the church where people can applaud us, rather than kneel before the church where nobody notices us, we should probably stop asking whether foot washing is culturally relevant and start asking whether our model of leadership is biblically recognizable at all.

https://youtu.be/v2GzSqZoxmk?feature=shared

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanautu. Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.

In your introduction, do you elevate yourself or Christ?

There is nothing unbiblical about the office of a pastor. There is nothing wrong with describing someone’s ministry as missionary work. My concern is something different: when did the work we do for Christ become a title attached to our names?

“Hi, I’m Pastor…”

“Hi, I’m Missionary…”

Before I have told you who I am, I have already told you my position. I have distinguished myself from you.

And this became very personal to me years ago.

One of the things I set my heart upon when I began serving the Tiale people was to build as many bridges as I could, to relate to them and serve them. Early on, I noticed a strong status bent within the culture: titles, hierarchy, position. Titles could give people authority they did not necessarily deserve, while also subconsciously creating a rift between them and others in the community.

Over 10 years ago, in my personal studies, I discovered this “slave” mentality taught throughout Scripture.

So, over the years, I intentionally divested myself of titles: pastor, missionary, advisor, etc. Instead, I emphasized their kinship terms: brother, son, uncle. Eventually, it settled into their minds: I did not want those other titles among them. I wanted the familial ones.

Years later, after teaching for some time and nearing the end of a four-week course on the Christian life, I explained to the class the biblical concept of being a slave of Christ.

One of the students astutely raised his hand and asked:

“Can we call you slave?”

Knowing that I had stopped them from using other titles in the past, I smirked and replied:

“This one title, you can.”

He nodded, turned toward his fellow classmates, even the Tiale pastors, and began talking with them.

And almost in unison, they got it.

It clicked.

Why mention myself above Christ?

And if you come to Tiale land, you might even hear some of them call me “slave” when we talk.

That word is stronger than our English translations sometimes make it sound.

The Greek δοῦλος (doulos) fundamentally describes a slave, someone belonging to another. Paul repeatedly reached for this language when identifying himself: “a servant [δοῦλος] of Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:1; Titus 1:1). Paul and Timothy were “servants [δοῦλοι] of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:1). James did the same (Jas. 1:1). So did Peter (2 Pet. 1:1) and Jude (Jude 1).

They certainly possessed offices, gifts, and authority. Paul could even identify himself as an apostle when the context required it.

But there is something profoundly Christian about slave.

“Pastor” can shift attention toward what YOU do for Jesus.

“Slave” demands attention toward what JESUS did for you.

Pastor describes a ministry.

Slave describes ownership.

One tells you something about my work.

The other tells you everything about my Master.

The issue isn’t whether you are a pastor, missionary, teacher, evangelist, or whatever ministry God has allowed you to perform.

The question is why we are so eager to put our ministry in front of our names.

Maybe Christian ministry needs fewer introductions designed to establish our status and more introductions that make people wonder about our Master.

Because Christianity was never supposed to be about making my name larger.

“He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John 3:30

https://youtu.be/2OCzYRda6wQ?feature=shared

Your feet (and slave) to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu. Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.

https://youtu.be/lHtR8TjIuQA?feature=shared

Back in Vanuatu! 🇻🇺

The moment your feet touch the soil, ministry is “on”!

From stepping off the plane and talking with customs agents who know you work in the “jungle,” to purchasing enough supplies to last an entire month (don’t forget anything, because it’s a three-hour drive each way!), the work begins immediately.

Then come the deliveries to people for whom you’ve brought equipment from the States, since many things simply aren’t available here. Add to that picking up food, gasoline, and supplies for various work projects, including an upcoming water project that F.I.A. is beginning among the Tiale people.

Needless to say, the ability to juggle responsibilities, adjust plans, and remain flexible is essential!

And then there’s the rain!

Rain is always a lingering concern for people in Vanuatu, especially those living deep in the jungle who must cross rivers to reach their homes.

Once the rain begins, the race is on to beat the rising rivers. Sometimes, an hour makes the difference between sleeping in your own bed or spending the night in your truck beside a flooded river, waiting for the water to subside the following morning.

After ten years in this country, my heart rate still rises every time I cross those rivers! Even the Tiale people, who have crossed them their entire lives, still get nervous. You never take those crossings lightly.

But amidst the travel, supplies, projects, and challenges, the greatest joy is seeing what God continues to accomplish through His Word!

Although our Bible school students still have several weeks of lessons remaining, we kept the previously scheduled ceremony date to accommodate visiting families.

The students were excited to celebrate the completion of one season of learning, yet equally eager to continue into the next. That desire to keep learning Scripture is especially encouraging!

It was also a tremendous joy to watch the other four teachers stand before the students and offer their own words of encouragement, challenge, and warning. Seeing these men take increasing responsibility for teaching and strengthening others is one of the most rewarding aspects of this ministry.

Please continue praying for the following:

1. Our Bible school students: Pray that they remain faithful to the Scriptures they have learned, not merely retaining knowledge but demonstrating obedience in their daily lives.
2. Their families and communities: As these students return home, pray that they will faithfully represent Christ and become lights among their own people.
3. The Tiale ministry team: We are now discussing and developing strategies for future outreaches, the continued growth and maturity of the churches, and upcoming youth programs. Pray for wisdom, unity, discernment, and faithfulness to Scripture as we make these decisions.

There is much work ahead, but it is encouraging to see the ministry increasingly carried forward by the very people we came to serve.

Thank you for your continued prayers and partnership in the work God is doing among the Tiale people!

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu. Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.

I just spoke at a missions conference.

Now I’m at the airport, heading back to Vanuatu.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” (Colossians 3:16)

We can own multiple Bibles, hear preaching every week, access sermons instantly, and still treat the Word like a supplement instead of the substance of our lives.

Meanwhile, millions live with radically less access to Scripture.

That disparity should disturb us.

If the Word truly dwells richly in us, it must reshape our appetites, our schedules, our money, how we raise our children, and what we consider important.

We cannot gorge ourselves on biblical abundance while remaining indifferent to spiritual starvation.

The question is not merely, “Do you have the Word?”

The harder question is: Has the Word taken enough possession of you that you care who still does not have it?

Thank you for your prayers and partnership!

https://youtu.be/LOsxK6Wt5mE?feature=shared

Your feet to the Tiale people in the country of Vanuatu. Seth, Nicole, & Selah.

Why do the unreached stay unreached?

One reason is painfully simple:

“Long-term missions is dying because fewer people want to commit long-term.”

Bible translation, language acquisition, discipleship, and establishing a mature indigenous church cannot normally be accomplished during a summer trip. Sometimes the work requires one, two, three, even four decades.¹

“You do not reach the unreached in two weeks. Sometimes it takes a lifetime.”

Short-term missions can accomplish legitimate good. But I wonder whether we have also created a generation willing to visit missions without giving their lives to missions.

There is another major problem:

“We have forgotten what ‘unreached’ actually means.”

Unreached is not simply a synonym for neglected, unusual, disadvantaged, or insufficiently evangelized. In historic missiology, the term concerns ethnolinguistic peoples lacking an adequate indigenous Christian community capable of evangelizing their own people.²

And Scripture access must remain central.

A church may initially begin through oral witness or another language, but without God’s Word understood clearly in the heart language, how will that church independently teach doctrine, correct error, disciple believers, train pastors, and reproduce for generations?

“If they cannot understand the Word of God in their own language, the missionary task is not finished.”

Perhaps the unreached remain unreached because reaching them requires two things we increasingly avoid: precise understanding of the task, and a willingness to give decades to finish it.

References

1. Ethnos360, “Translation Questions,” accessed September 8, 2026.
2. Joshua Project, “Definitions,” accessed September 8, 2026.

https://youtube.com/shorts/oPK5SEc0BFo?feature=shared

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu, Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.

Do not build your faith on anyone. Do not build it on a pastor. Do not even build it on the people you love most.

Build it on Christ and His Word.

On our wedding day, I told my wife in front of witnesses, “I will fail you. Do not rely on me. Rely on Jesus.”

That principle reaches far beyond marriage.

Biblical ministry should never make people increasingly dependent upon the minister. The servant should become less necessary as Christ becomes more clearly known: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

The goal is not to build your name, platform, reputation, or legacy. Serve faithfully, even if that means disappearing into obscurity.

The gospel does not exist to make us known. It proclaims Christ.

If people leave your ministry impressed with you but still dependent upon you, did you actually point them to Jesus?

https://youtube.com/shorts/ngJGlsyG4Zw?feature=shared

Your feet to the Tiale people and the country of Vanuatu, Seth, Nicole & Selah Stokes.