JMI’s work takes place in one of the world’s most isolated places, the Amazon River in Brazil. We have the privilege of working with local pastors who faithfully serve the river and indigenous communities, often in places accessible only by boat. We have seen faithful men and women provide pastoral care that extends far beyond Sunday morning services. Being a pastor there, especially in indigenous villages, means living alongside people every day, sharing in their struggles, challenges, and hopes.
Below are some of the ways these ministers are caring for the communities they serve.
Serving and Caring for Amazon Communities
Pastors in the Amazon are answering the Lord’s call to show His love and tell of His Kingdom to the river people. Access to villages is difficult, resources are limited, and isolation can be challenging. Yet these pastors consistently show up, choosing each day to be present despite the challenges. They are often the first people to respond when families face hardship, crisis, or spiritual need.
The care these pastors provide touches every area of life. It involves spiritual guidance and walking alongside people in every need they may have. They support families through illness, grief, and hardship, offering prayer, counsel, practical help, and daily support.
Because of their close ties within the community and the isolation of river villages, pastors often take on many roles. They may serve as counselors, friends, mediators in conflicts, and trusted sources of wisdom during difficult seasons. In places where many voices go unheard, they become people their communities know will truly listen.
Discipleship in the Amazon
Pastors in the Amazon are cultivating rich discipleship in the communities they serve, in ways that look different from those in America. Faith is often nurtured through small home gatherings, prayer, and Bible teaching adapted to local realities. They are invested in helping believers grow in their faith while encouraging communities to take responsibility for their spiritual journeys, as they serve so many different villages.
Many pastors are also committed to raising new leaders through their extended influence. They equip and teach others to serve, lead, and disciple within their own communities. As they develop leaders and strengthen families, they help build a foundation for lasting spiritual growth.
Ministry in remote villages calls pastors to adapt to the unique needs of the communities they serve. They work to understand cultural customs and communicate the message of the Gospel in a sensitive and contextualized way.
Faithfulness Throughout Challenges
Jungle pastors witness and endure a great deal because of the poverty, brokenness, and cycles of abuse present in many communities. They regularly walk alongside people through grief, conflict, addiction, family struggles, and other hardships while continuing to care for the needs of their churches and villages.
Even in the face of these difficulties, pastors demonstrate through their own lives what it means to trust in God. Their consistency inspires the community and strengthens their faith.
Serving in remote contexts requires sacrifice, resilience, and faith. Long distances, limited resources, and the constant demands of caring for others are part of daily life. Yet there is great joy in witnessing God’s work in such personal and tangible ways. It is a kind of reward that cannot be measured in numbers.
While much of this work happens quietly and away from public view, JMI has the privilege of walking alongside many of these pastors as they faithfully serve their communities. Through conferences, encouragement, and ongoing partnership, we seek to support the men and women carrying out this important ministry in some of the most remote regions of the Amazon. These gatherings offer pastors opportunities to receive training, connect with fellow church leaders who understand their challenges, and be reminded that they are not alone in the work God has called them to do.
May we continue to value, support, and pray for these pastors as they faithfully serve throughout the jungle. They bring physical, emotional, and spiritual care to places where few are willing to go.
Author: Davi Costa
Pastors & Field Assistant, Justice & Mercy Amazon
“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve.” 1 Peter 5:2
304 44th Ave. N
