Outreach To Asia Nationals

Outreach To Asia Nationals OTAN exists to train and equip persecuted Asian pastors to reach their people.

The mission and vision of Outreach to Asia Nationals is to serve, train, equip, and empower national Christians in Asia to plant and develop evangelistic, disciple-making, and reproducing churches among least-reached and unreached people groups. At OTAN, we believe that training nationals to reach nationals is the most effective method of bringing the Gospel to the “uttermost” parts of Asia. It is

also the method modeled by the apostle Paul in the Book of Acts as he traveled from city to city and country to country training the nationals to do God’s work. Rather than creating a culture of dependency on churches in the United States, OTAN strives to empower local Asian churches to flourish and grow in faith, knowledge, and maturity.

Over the last two years, our Chinese pastors have been reporting increased surveillance, harassment, and threats. They t...
06/11/2026

Over the last two years, our Chinese pastors have been reporting increased surveillance, harassment, and threats. They trust in the Lord, but they also fear for their families and their congregations.

These leaders love Jesus, and their deep desire is to see their own people come to know Him. Many of them travel to other villages and towns to teach and support new believers and new house churches. That travel often exposes them to more surveillance and questioning.

Today, would you pray for these pastors? Ask God to protect and guide them. Ask Him to give them the strength and the boldness that they need. And ask Him to help them find their rest in Him.

While you're praying, take a moment to thank Him for the many comforts and freedoms that you and your family enjoy.

"Diana" has been serving as part of OTAN's China in-country team for several years. She recently wrote to share this bea...
06/05/2026

"Diana" has been serving as part of OTAN's China in-country team for several years. She recently wrote to share this beautiful observation:

As the weather has been getting better, I have been trying to walk more. I live in a city that has a number of parks. My favorite is the park along the river.

I paused for a bit and just watched as many fished.

I noticed a few interesting things. Everyone fishing had most of the same equipment, with a few differences like the size of rod or kind of bait they were using. Most people were sitting on the edge of the pond in their folding chairs, slowly casting out their lines and then waiting patiently and watching They would bring their line back in and cast it out again.

Two people were doing things a bit differently. One had an inflatable chair--more of a platform--and he went a few feet into the water and cast his line in, getting farther range. He kept his platform tied up to the shore so he didn’t drift off.

The second was a man who was standing on a pier over the water. There was an area of weeds and some sort of water grass, but you could see the fish coming to the surface and looking for food. I watched him bait his hook, then slowly lower it down to the surface of the pond. There was no big cast or grand gesture to make the line go way out, just patience and understanding of the area he was fishing in.

As I stood there and watched all of this, it made me think about how we are all called to be fishers of men, yet the Son does not give a specific way or a formula in His Word for how to do it exactly. He just calls us to go.

It also got me thinking about how we are all called out in different ways. Some are called to be on the shores casting out “close to home." Others are called into gaining new tools, maybe taking classes, getting special training, and wading out into different waters--but still tied to the shore where we are always connected and supported. Then there are others who go out to areas that seem impossible and don’t always make earthly sense.

As you go out and about during your day-to-day, look around and see to whom you could cast out your line...and how. Look into your life and see what tools you might need to build upon so you can cast out in different waters. Or maybe He is calling you into harder areas.

Trust in the Father to lead you!

*For security, names and images are representations only

In 2020, studies showed the worldwide breakdown of religions. Among many numbers, 1.9 billion claim to be unaffiliated, ...
05/28/2026

In 2020, studies showed the worldwide breakdown of religions. Among many numbers, 1.9 billion claim to be unaffiliated, coming in third-largest, with two-thirds of that number stemming from China alone. The country identified as having 89.6% with no religion, 3.7% Buddhist, 3.0% Other, and Christianity and Islam tied at a whopping 1.8%.

With a then population of 1.41 billion, approximately 1.26 billion people in China were nonreligious as of 2020. What a shocking number, right?

This weekend, join us in prayer for the people of China and other unbelievers all across Asia. Pray that the light of Christ would shine into their worlds, that the Holy Spirit would help bridge the gap between human words and Christ’s finished work, and that hearts would be made new.

Data source: Pew Research Center (2025) via Our World Data - Religion.

Our Chinese pastors are precious to us. They work long days at menial jobs and then bear the many responsibilities of te...
05/21/2026

Our Chinese pastors are precious to us. They work long days at menial jobs and then bear the many responsibilities of teaching the Word and ministering to their people. They do all this in an environment that seeks to stop them.

Get the latest news from our China Ministry Manager and from some of the national pastors that OTAN trains and serves here: https://otan.org/resources/otannews/ (Remember to click the bottom of that page to read more.)

Today, take a moment to pray for these leaders and for our brothers and sisters in countries where the good news of the gospel is treated like an enemy. Thank you for your prayers and your support!

Training and equipping our Asian pastors is our first priority. As oppression and persecution increase, we sense the Lor...
05/14/2026

Training and equipping our Asian pastors is our first priority. As oppression and persecution increase, we sense the Lord opening a new door: a designated training center located in Asia!

This concept drawing depicts a training center in an open Asian country where our pastors and leaders from the nations we serve could meet and learn in safety. Over the last year, our leadership has prayed, traveled, explored, inquired, and prayed even more over a few property options that could meet this need.

As we narrow the choices down to one, we're grateful for our "ground floor givers" who are stepping out in faith with us to make this center a reality. Thanks to many generous hearts, we've reached the $20,000 mark of our start-up funds goal of $50,000. We're so grateful!

To honor our founders Otis and Roxann Goodwin, we're naming the center after them. Give securely online and learn more about the Goodwin Asia Training Center here: https://otan.org/labor-of-love/. See how your gift can provide crucial "ground floor" funds. Thank you for praying and for giving.

In 12 Asian countries where OTAN serves, believers like these Nepali villagers can gather to hear the Word of God taught...
05/07/2026

In 12 Asian countries where OTAN serves, believers like these Nepali villagers can gather to hear the Word of God taught by a pastor that you have helped to train.

Some meet in the fresh air of the mountains. Others gather in homes. A few are blessed with church buildings. Some can sing along with worship leaders and instruments. Many sing in soft a ca****la tones, hoping not to be reported by neighbors.

Wherever they gather, they give praise to God in their own languages and with grateful hearts. And if they could, they would greet you with deep gratitude and a warm embrace. Your prayers and gifts make gatherings like these possible.

Today, we just want to say, “Thank you!”

“Wow! Forty years of ministry! As Otis would say, ‘Praise Jesus!’”So says Roxann Goodwin, wife of our late founder Otis ...
04/30/2026

“Wow! Forty years of ministry! As Otis would say, ‘Praise Jesus!’”

So says Roxann Goodwin, wife of our late founder Otis Goodwin and co-founder of Outreach To Asia Nationals.

“I am grateful for Otis’ vision,” Roxann says, “and to all the faithful and generous supporters from the beginning. Thank you, Lord, for the faithful, Godly, courageous national pastors. Without them we would not have a ministry!”

As OTAN celebrates our 1986 founding and 40 years of reaching nations by equipping nationals, would you consider becoming an OTAN World Impact Partner with a monthly gift of $19.86, of $40.00, or of any monthly amount?

Give securely online today. Choose the “Give” tab at www.otan.org, then choose “World Impact Partner” from the giving menu.

We’re so grateful for your gifts and your prayers for Outreach To Asia Nationals.

"My father was a bitter and broken man. He turned to alcohol, which was very common among our people during that time. T...
04/27/2026

"My father was a bitter and broken man. He turned to alcohol, which was very common among our people during that time. The alcohol made him mean and angry. One time he became so angry with my mother that he..."

This Vietnamese national remembers what family life was like before Jesus changed everything. Read the 1-minute story in our spring Vietnam newsletter here: https://otan.org/resources/otannews/

And remember to pray for this "miracle family" as they serve Christ and share the gospel in Vietnam.

OTAN's in-country ministry managers have often told us, "As China goes, so goes Asia."For several years, our missionarie...
04/20/2026

OTAN's in-country ministry managers have often told us, "As China goes, so goes Asia."

For several years, our missionaries and Chinese nationals have been reporting an increase in oppression and persecution. We sense the Lord is opening a new door to address this changing reality: a training center located in Asia!

The center would not take the place of our current in-country trainings, but would provide a safer, designated location in an unrestricted Asian country where our leaders can meet. Future phases of the center would also enable us to offer beneficial English-language studies and much-needed opportunities for young missionaries.

2026 marks our 40th year of reaching nations by equipping nationals. In honor of our founders, Otis and Roxann Goodwin, we are moving forward in faith to establish the Goodwin Asia Training Center.

Learn more about OTAN's 2026 Labor of Love project--the Goodwin Asia Training Center--here: https://otan.org/labor-of-love/. Find out how your gift can provide crucial start-up funds to make the center a reality.

The center would not replace our current in-country training, but would provide a safer, designated location in an unrestricted Asian country where our leaders can meet. Future phases of the center would also enable us to offer beneficial English-language studies and much-needed opportunities for young missionaries.

As I write this, I’m in the beautiful country of Nepal, where we’ve come to do an OTAN women’s training. Before coming t...
04/09/2026

As I write this, I’m in the beautiful country of Nepal, where we’ve come to do an OTAN women’s training. Before coming to Nepal, we met with the wives of pastors from the Lahu people group in Thailand. There, in that amazing mountainous region, a long drive up a very winding road led us to a picturesque place and a beautiful people group that loves Jesus and loves to learn about His word.

When we go and train these women, we are reaching a culture. Remember, it’s the women who build a culture in a community. It’s the women who make all the wonderful food, isn’t it? They’re the ones raising the children, and it’s the women who bring the generations together to celebrate life.

When we reach the women, it’s a special way to reach into and impact an area and a community for eternity.

When these women come to OTAN trainings, they get intense, focused studies on topics like how to study the Bible, teaching children, foundational truths from Genesis, and women of the Bible. They will be with us for 5 or 6 days, and then they’ll go back to their little villages all across Asia. They will gather other women together in their kitchens or around their humble homes, and they’ll share what they just learned in training. They’ll discuss it together and expand upon it, and that’s ministry multiplication! It’s so beautiful!

These women have joined their husbands in ministry in some of the most suppressed and persecuted areas of the world, and to them, it’s worth every sacrifice. It’s worth laying it all down.

Thank you for helping us reach a culture—one community at a time, one village kitchen at a time. Training women is a wonderful ministry, and we’re so thankful and blessed that your prayers and your generosity help to make these amazing opportunities possible.

From Joy, Director of Women's Ministry, during this spring's training in Nepal and Thailand.

Passionate about training women?
Fill out the “Contact Us” form on the "Connect" page at www.otan.org, and let’s start a conversation. We’d love to connect with you and talk about it.

How can you be praying?
Today, take a moment to pray for the wives of our pastors and leaders in these restricted countries and for all the women who come to OTAN trainings. Ask God to strengthen their faith and protect them and their families. Ask Him to help them grow in the Word as they serve.

Address

PO Box 2440
Winchester, VA
22604

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15406656418

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Outreach To Asia Nationals posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share