Finishing Well: Encouraging Pastors to Persevere under Persecution

Jesus Christ quoted the Prophet Zechariah when He stated, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered” (Matt 26:31b). The Communist Cuban government has grasped this principle and has practiced it relentlessly toward evangelical pastors in an attempt to eradicate the power and influence of local churches. This policy has led to devastation in the area of pastoral leadership. Hundreds of evangelical churches in Cuba now have no pastor. The ability to plant and establish new missions and new congregations has been severely curtailed. This work pursues answers to these pressing questions: What are the factors that cause pastors to give up their calling and what can be done to mitigate those factors? What can the North American Church do to encourage Cuban pastors to remain faithful to their calling to serve and lead local churches in Cuba? Ultimately the purpose of this qualitative study is to discover the factors that enabled Cuban pastors to successfully persevere under persecution and to fulfill their calling as pastors in Cuba so that these principles may be applied to persecuted Christians worldwide.