Who We Are

The Story of Harvesters

The vision for Harvesters Ministries was sparked in 1998 when Steven Loots – founder and CEO – was flying over the Malawian terrain. “I am barely aware of the familiar hum of the Cessna Cardinal 177 engine as I look at the shadow the airplane casts on the earth below,” recalls Steven. “Every now and again the shadow would cut across a small rural village and every time the same prayer echoed in my heart: Lord, give us that settlement…”

“The prayer in that tiny airplane over Malawi gave birth to a vision of such magnitude that at first I thought that it was an impossible dream,” Steven explains. “But slowly, as I prayed this over and over, asking the Lord for these small African villages, He confirmed what I was to do for the next few decades.”

‘Plant one million churches, train one million pastors and evangelize and disciple one hundred million people’, became the vision for our ministry. By 2000 the first churches had been planted in Malawi and Zambia.

Over 20 years later Harvesters is still pressing on with the goal. It has grown from a small family ministry to a global movement that expands the Kingdom of God in 43 languages and in over 50 countries. With offices and staff spread over 5 continents, more than 70,000 churches planted globally, 32,000 student pastors in training and over five million new disciples spread over the face of the earth.

“Now we look forward in faith, toward planting another 25,000 churches where there were none before. New pastors will be trained, new converts will be won, and new disciples will be made,” declares Steven. “We are humbly grateful for the grace and favour of the past twenty years. We celebrate that. But now we look up toward the horizon and we invite you to continue to journey with us, pray for us and support us, for the work is not done.”