Mission

Southern River is the sending church for Reformed mission work in Lae, Papua New Guinea. The Mission Board of the Free Reformed Church of Southern River oversees the work on behalf of the Free Reformed Churches of Australia, supporting missionaries, training local office-bearers, and building up the church in PNG.

Reformed mission work in Papua New Guinea began in the 1980s and has grown steadily since 2000. Today missionaries sent from Australia, Canada, and New Zealand labour together under “Reformed Ministries,” working alongside the national pastors and congregations of the Reformed Churches of Papua New Guinea. The Free Reformed Church of Southern River serves as the sending church for the Australian effort, relying on the support of cooperating churches so that the work may continue.

The aim is straightforward: to encourage, assist, and equip the Reformed Churches of PNG to grow in maturity and to spread the Reformed faith. In 2019 the mission adopted a ten-year plan, praying that by 2030 the Lord would establish five instituted churches, ten church plants, and fifteen national pastors. That work goes forward through the preaching of the Word, the training of office-bearers at the Reformed Churches Bible College in Port Moresby, the planting of churches in the Highlands and Morobe, and regular outreach at local markets. Papua New Guinea is a country in great need of the gospel, and amid much brokenness the Lord continues to open doors. “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few” (Matthew 9:37).

The work on the field is carried by our missionaries and support workers:

Rev. Ryan & Ruth deJonge — Missionary
Rev. David & Erika Pol — Missionary
Rev. Tim & Alana Slaa — Missionary

The work is overseen by the Mission Board of the Free Reformed Church of Southern River, with members drawn from across the Free Reformed Churches of Australia.

We warmly invite you to share in this work. Pray for our missionaries and their families, and for the believers gathering in Lae. Follow the progress of the mission through Mission News, published bi-monthly, and through the Tulait magazine, the Facebook group, and the YouTube channel. For enquiries, the Mission Board secretary may be reached at secretary@frcmissionpng.org.