In the mountains of rural Indonesia, JNB Assembly of God stands as a lone stronghold for Christ. Anto* and Tutik,* husband and wife, have been shepherding the JNB congregation for more than 40 years. Today, their congregation consists of more than 160 people. However, this did not come easily.

In Indonesia, a country with the largest Muslim population in the world, religion is as hereditary as eye color. Anto grew up in a Muslim family. When he was 17 years old, he received a government identification card to show he was a Muslim. Culturally, this was his affiliation, but Anto never truly connected to Islam.

During his teenage years, the ministries of local churches drew Anto to Christianity. “I saw churches that prayed and helped people through life,” Anto remembers. He became a Christian and made that his goal, a commitment he holds today. Anto humbly follows the Lord and supports others where they are. Though Anto’s family was Muslim, his steady way of life as a follower of Jesus slowly won them to Christ.

Anto started JBN church in 1982, before he married Tutik. Growth was slow. By the time the two married, there were 15 congregants. Money was tight, and there was not enough for a parsonage, so Anto and Tutik slept in a small room inside the church, that now serves as a sound booth.

There was an initial — though very hesitant — openness to the church from the surrounding Muslim neighbors. Locals were willing to attend special events when invited. However, this openness would not last.

In 1986, the government decided, by law, that no one was allowed to invite or be invited to events held by other religions. This mandate against mixing religions made growing and developing the JNB ministry difficult. Community leaders even brought Anto and Tutik to court and interrogated them for their ministry.

Despite these intimidations, their small congregation continued to hold services. Sometimes they were in danger, but God was with them through every difficulty.

The real danger came when Anto shared the gospel. Anto had always had a heart for reaching those without access to the gospel, bringing light to some of the spiritually darkest places in Indonesia. He began ministering among people in rural areas, some of which posed more threat than others.

Anto remembers praying for someone’s father and hearing footsteps behind him. When he said, “Amen,” he opened his eyes and saw a weapon pointed at him. Despite the danger, the Lord always helped Anto share the gospel among the lost.

During this period of evangelism, a change occurred at JNB that would impact the community in ways Anto and Tutik couldn’t imagine. While on a trip, Anto became ill. Despite barely being able to move, he forced himself to return home, because there was no one to lead the church while he was gone. “I could only manage to sit or lay down, so I spent my time praying,” he says.

On a Friday evening, five church members gathered at the church to pray. While they prayed, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they started speaking in tongues and worshipping the Lord. The next day, some of the youth gathered, and they experienced the same outpouring of the Spirit.

Every night for about a year, the congregation had these spontaneous services where the Holy Spirit fell on them. This did not increase the congregation size, but they grew spiritually stronger and more courageous. The Lord was using the local church to display His power in the community.

Anto, Tutik, and church members began seeking people who needed healing and prayed for them. In one case, a young man had completely lost hope. He believed he would die. In his community, they have a tradition where others gather around a dying person and wait for him or her to pass, because no one wants to die alone. Anto says, “Three times I led a prayer team to pray over this boy while he waited to die.” However, after that, they heard nothing. Local news does not spread quickly in rural Indonesia.

Sometime later, a church member was in the hospital for surgery. A fellow patient was one of the sick boy’s neighbors. He told how the young man had been healed after Anto and his team prayed for him.

This was not the only healing. This small, rural church had become famous for being a place where prayer brings miracles.

When Anto was about 40 years old, he felt drawn to ministry outside pastoral work. He wasn’t sure what that entailed. In Indonesia, there are only two options for people graduating from Bible college: professor or pastor.

There’s got to be something else, Anto thought.

He knew he felt a specific call to love and reach his Muslim brethren. “I began waking up before the Muslims do so I could pray for them before they said their first prayers of the day,” he says.

He continued to pastor until he turned 60. At this time, Anto transferred the leadership role of JNB to Tutik, who had been preparing for this transition and God’s call on her life.

Anto received confirmation from the Lord about his next steps. In 2016, he began serving in the Gereja Sidang-Sidang Jemaat Allah Department of the Unreached (GSJA). GSJA is Indonesia’s Assemblies of God network. In 2018, Anto officially became assistant director of the department and has been there since.

Anto travels with Tommy,* AG World Missions global worker and Anto’s ministry partner, to rural areas of Indonesia to reach unengaged unreached people groups. These groups have no/few known believers and no way to hear the gospel without outside help. Anto and Tommy hope to raise new global workers from Asia to minister in other parts of the world, such as the Middle East, where Asians are more easily accepted than Westerners. They believe that Indonesia is a strategic mission field and a key piece in reaching the whole world with the gospel.

Anto’s vision in ministry is to help others grow and become more effective in what God has called them to do. Anto and Tutik have embodied this vision in Indonesia for decades and will continue to do so while God gives them opportunities.

JNB, which began as a small local church, has become a place known for miracles. Anto and Tutik have pioneered ministry in not only their community, but in new places across the country. God is moving throughout Indonesia, and the gospel’s growth in this nation is far from over.

*names changed for security

By Jaron Lussier
Intern, AG World Missions Communications