Shahbaz Masih is a pastor, elder, and teacher from Pakistan, serving in a local church in the USA as well as training the Pakistani-American diaspora to minister to Muslims.
When did you trust Christ?
I am from Pakistan, and before the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947, there was a mass conversion to Christianity during the People’s Movement. Most of my family were only nominal Christians. I accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord in 1995 through a Bible extension course based on the Gospel of John.
What have been the defining moments of your Christian walk?
After I accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord, God gave me a burden to bring my whole family to Christ. After they came to Christ, I felt God leading me to bring more people to Christ, and He has intensified my burden for the lost.
What do you hope to gain from participating?
I want to learn what God is doing globally and how I can apply that to my context. I want to see more churches planted in my country and overseas. I hope to learn from like-minded people as well as share experiences. I desire to grow as a leader and church planter, with a focus on unreached people groups.
What is your ministry?
While I am in the USA doing my doctoral studies, I am also serving in a local church and an Indian-Pakistani church, where I am an elder and teaching pastor. I train the Pakistani-American diaspora on how to reach out to Muslims in our area, and I give talks at other churches and seminars. My wife and I also minister to youth and women. We regularly go to Pakistan, where I have served as a church planter, missionary, and teacher. This summer, we had a fruitful ministry tour, visiting many churches and reuniting with many leaders there.
What is your leadership role or what were your past leadership roles?
After my conversion to the Christian faith from a Hindu background, I served as a youth pastor for six years. Then I was sent as a missionary to Peshawar City, close to the border of Afghanistan, where we planted a church. I served as pastor there for five years, until we were called to train new pastors and leaders at a small Bible school in Pakistan. I served as a teacher there for over 12 years, as well as serving a church in a leadership role.
Why should someone invest in your ministry?
I want to learn, as well as teach others, how to plant churches, especially among unreached people groups. We have over 400 people groups to whom the Gospel needs to be preached and churches need to be planted.
