Strengthening the Church in Europe & Asia: Discovering the Reach of Whole-Life Worship

By Dwayne Moore

Reflections from our Europe-Asia Training Tour 2026

For years, I’ve heard about the tremendous need for the Gospel in places where Christians are few and churches face enormous challenges. I’ve prayed for those places and admired the missionaries and local believers who serve there faithfully. But I never imagined our ministry playing a significant role in such regions.

When I founded Next Level Worship International, I pictured our ministry serving primarily in the United States and countries where the Church was already well established. Our calling was to teach biblical worship and help Christians grow as disciples of Jesus. I assumed that meant serving where there were already many Christians to teach and encourage.

Lately, God has been expanding my understanding of our calling and the possibilities before us.

I’ve come to see more clearly that the message of whole-life worship is not merely relevant to established churches in predominantly Christian regions. It is fundamentally important everywhere, because God created human beings to know Him, love Him, and worship Him.

Psalm 96:3 tells us to “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”

A few verses later, the psalmist connects worship with proclamation:

“Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns!’” (Psalm 96:9–10, ESV)

What a powerful reminder. The call to worship and the call to proclaim God’s glory among the nations belong together. That certainly includes nations where relatively few people know His glory.

Here’s what I’m beginning to understand in a fresh way: In places where the Church is small, where Christians face significant challenges, and where the Gospel has yet to reach so many, strengthening the worship and spiritual lives of existing believers may be one of the most meaningful contributions our ministry can make.

We may not be called to lead mass evangelistic campaigns, but we can encourage and equip pastors and believers who are already there. We can help them grow in their love for God, deepen their understanding of His Word, and rediscover what it means to worship Him with their whole lives. As the Holy Spirit renews their hearts, we can pray their love for God will overflow into a greater burden for neighbors who do not yet know Christ.

We’re not changing our mission. We’re discovering more of its reach.

Over the past several weeks, our Next Level Worship International team has traveled thousands of miles across parts of Europe and Asia, ministering in churches, training pastors and leaders, and listening to Christians in Germany, Poland, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, with Bangladesh still ahead. We’ve encountered tremendous spiritual hunger, met courageous Christian leaders, and witnessed God’s faithfulness in ways that have deeply moved us.

We’ve also seen needs greater than any one ministry could address. As we travel, listen, pray, and learn, I keep returning to an important question:

What can our ministry uniquely contribute to strengthening the Church in this part of the world?

What We’re Seeing

One of the most encouraging discoveries has been the faithfulness and vision of local pastors and Christian leaders. Many serve in difficult environments, often with limited resources and opportunities for theological and leadership training. Yet they remain passionate about their congregations, communities, and the advancement of the Gospel.

Our host pastor in eastern Germany for this training tour now wants to partner with us to strengthen more churches across that atheistic region. In Pakistan, we’ve had opportunities to teach in multiple cities and connect with pastors eager for continued training and encouragement. In Sri Lanka, we’ve met church leaders who want to see their congregations grow in spiritual maturity and extend their influence into other communities. And in Nepal, we’re meeting leaders working to strengthen churches and equip pastors across the region.

600 Pakistan pastors and church leaders received WorshipLife in Urdu, made possible by Next Level Worship donors.

What strikes me is that these leaders aren’t simply looking for another visiting speaker. Many want meaningful relationships, ongoing encouragement, biblical resources, and practical training they can share with others. Case in point: Our hosts in Bangladesh—our final country on this tour—invited NLW International for express purpose of encouraging and pouring into their pastors. These godly leaders and in the trenches of ministry in difficult places. They carry significant responsibilities, often in circumstances very different from those most American Christians experience.

They don’t need us to arrive with all the answers. They need brothers and sisters who will come alongside them, listen, pray, encourage, and share what God has entrusted to us to help them fulfill their own calling.

The Connection Between Worship and Evangelism

Throughout this journey, we’ve been considering how our ministry’s particular calling relates to the tremendous need for Gospel witness in these countries.

NLW International is not primarily an evangelistic ministry. We don’t specialize in mass evangelism campaigns or direct outreach programs. Our calling is to help people know God and love and worship Him in their everyday lives. But I’ve become increasingly convinced that a church growing in authentic, biblical worship can also become a church with a renewed passion for reaching the lost.

Why? Because true worship is much more than singing songs or attending services. When believers encounter God through His Word and respond with surrendered hearts, the Holy Spirit can bring conviction, repentance, spiritual renewal, and deeper love for God. And as our love for God grows, so should our love for the people He loves.

Jesus connected the greatest commandment: to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, with the commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves. Those commands belong together.

As Christians learn to worship God with their whole lives, we believe that worship should overflow into how they treat their families, serve their communities, care for those in need, and share the hope of Christ. Gospel witness is not something separate from a worshiping lifestyle. It is one of the natural outward expressions of a life surrendered to God.

Dwayne teaches prayer to a packed room during Europe-Asia Training Tour 2026

No conference, curriculum, or training program can manufacture genuine spiritual transformation. Only the Holy Spirit, working through the Word of God, can change a human heart. But we can faithfully teach Scripture, encourage spiritual disciplines, and help leaders create environments where believers are challenged to respond personally and obediently to God. We can pray the Lord will use those efforts to awaken His Church.

Strengthening Those Who Are Already Serving

As we listen to our brothers and sisters in Europe and Asia, several opportunities are beginning to emerge. We see a need for accessible biblical training that helps pastors and church leaders grow in their understanding of whole-life worship and spiritual formation. We see opportunities to equip worship leaders to become spiritual leaders, not merely musicians who lead songs.

We also see possibilities for mentoring relationships that provide ongoing encouragement, accountability, and practical ministry guidance. And we see ways to help pastors disciple their congregations (children, young people, families, and adults) so worship becomes a way of life rather than simply a weekly activity.

Years of ministry in Africa have taught us that a conference can be a wonderful beginning, but lasting impact usually requires more. Relationships matter. Follow-up matters. Local leadership matters. Our most fruitful ministry happens when we invest in leaders who can continue teaching, discipling, and equipping others after our visiting team has returned home.

Some leaders we’re meeting have expressed interest in more concentrated training, ongoing coaching, and opportunities to equip other pastors in their networks. Those conversations are exciting, and they require prayerful discernment. We don’t want to transport our African ministry model into other continents and assume it will work the same way. Every country, culture, and church context is different. We want to learn from those who live and serve here and work alongside them to find approaches that are genuinely helpful and sustainable.

From Renewed Hearts to Renewed Churches

One possibility that especially excites me is helping local pastors strengthen their churches through biblical worship and discipleship.

Imagine a pastor freshly encouraged in his own walk with God. He begins teaching his congregation that worship is not confined to Sunday morning but should shape every part of life. Church members develop deeper habits of prayer, Scripture reading, obedience, and love for others. Families grow stronger. Relationships begin to heal. Believers become more attentive to the spiritual needs of their neighbors.

As their love for God grows, so does their burden for those around them who don’t know Him. What might God do through a church like that? Now imagine similar renewal in many churches, led by local pastors who know their cultures and communities. That is the kind of possibility that captures our hearts.

Attendees gather for an NLW conference in northern Nepal.

Learning Where We Can Help Most

After nearly ten years of ministry through NLW International, we’ve learned that every open door isn’t necessarily an assignment for us. The opportunities in Europe and Asia are enormous, the needs can feel overwhelming, and our personnel, finances, and capacity are limited. So we’re asking the Lord to give us wisdom.

Where are there trusted local leaders who share our heart and vision? Where can our resources and experience fill a meaningful gap? Where might a modest investment in training and mentoring produce lasting fruit through local leadership? And where might we best encourage others already doing good work rather than starting something new?

We’re not looking to build an American ministry presence in every country. We’re looking for opportunities to strengthen the Church that is already here. Our role is to serve, encourage, equip, and, where appropriate, walk alongside leaders over time. The churches belong to Jesus, not to us. The mission is His, not ours.

A Growing Burden and a Continuing Journey

As I reflect on these past several weeks, I feel gratitude, excitement, and responsibility. We’ve seen God open doors we could never have opened ourselves. We’ve met believers who have challenged and encouraged our faith. And we’ve been reminded that the Body of Christ is much larger and more diverse than our familiar surroundings. That is what we’re praying about as we continue this journey. Our desire is not merely to reach more countries or train larger crowds.

We want to help strengthen worshiping disciples, encourage faithful leaders, and equip churches whose love for God overflows into love for their communities and a passion to share Christ. Perhaps the Lord is showing us that the message He entrusted to our ministry nearly ten years ago has a place in regions we never expected to serve. God’s glory is worthy to be proclaimed among all nations, and His people are called to worship Him wherever they live.

Please pray with us for wisdom, discernment, and the faithful leaders we are privileged to serve. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue His transforming work in the hearts of believers and churches throughout Asia, and that we will recognize and faithfully fulfill whatever part He has for us in that work.

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This article was prepared with AI assistance.