Bolivian Parsonage Construction – Building a Place for Bolivian Pastors to Call Home

The IEMB desperately needs help with parsonage construction. In Bolivia, the quality of parsonages available to the clergy declines as they move into the rural areas. While urban areas have housing that pastors can rent, in the rural villages scattered throughout the country, pastors and their families must depend on church-owned parsonages for shelter.

Unfortunately, these “parsonages” are merely a single room, squeezed out of a church-owned building. They’re sparsely furnished, with a kitchen stove in one corner and a bed in the other, and a desk for the pastor to read, study, and prepare his sermons.

There might be a small piece of floor where the kids can play. The bathroom is an unsanitary outhouse. Imagine sending your child off into the jungle after dark, just to go to the bathroom. That’s the scenario our Bolivian pastors live with every day.

Generally, a parsonage costs about $1,500 to build in the countryside. This pays for the tin roof, doors, windows and concrete floor. The local congregation provides all of the labor, donates the land, and makes the adobe brick for the walls.

Your donation can dramatically improve the life of one of our Bolivian pastors. They’ll be able to have a real home for their families, not just a tiny room sectioned off at the back of the church.

Every amount helps. Even just $25 will bring us that much closer to giving our pastors and their families adequate shelter in the rural areas of Bolivia.

For every church or individual who gives $1,000 or more to a specific church for a parsonage, there will be a steel plaque attached to the parsonage recognizing your support.

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