Partnership Overview

Elvin Buenviaje is the Executive Director of Empowered Christians in Partnership & Ministries (formerly Emmaus Church Planting Ministries). He is on the full time staff of ECPM directly overseeing the operation of church planting activities and at the same time is involved in teaching church planting teams.  He also visits church planting teams on the mission site to provide pastoral care and to coach the team in implementing the church planting programme. 

Elvin has a vital role in every church planting project of ECPM in partnership with the local assemblies.  His basic responsibility is to ensure the effiicient implementation of the programme that will result in the birthing of new churches.  His influence and encouragement to the team who are in the frontline of gospel proclamation is invaluable.

He is also often invited to speak at evangelistic and leadership seminars during which he contributes to the spiritual and skill development of many church leaders.

History of Partnership

The partnership goes back to the days of Len and Mary Savill being missionaries in the Philippines. They introduced us to ECPM, a church planting movement. BHW has been supporting this partnership for a number of years. Elvin is the leader and supporting him provides stability and leadership to the ministry.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries are Elvin and his family and indirectly those he leads.

What We Like About The Partnership

There is a clear church planting and growth outcome in ECPM. Elvin provides some of this but every year new initiatives are commenced and churches are planted. 

Elvin is passionate about the planting of a sustainable indigenous church in the Philippines as 86% of 80+ million people have not heard a meaningful presentation of the Good News.

He is very highly respected by the wider church and the people on his team.

Key People

Leadership Profile

Elvin is married to Fritzie (a school teacher) and they have three children, Amzi Tiel, Ezek Omri and Jazer Peter.  They live about an hour from the ECPM office.  During the first quarter of 2007 he suffered a stroke but fully recovered from this and was again actively back to work, overseeing the ministry of ECPM and providing pastoral care and mentoring to the church planting teams. Elvin is passionate about training and growing church leaders.

In 2014 Elvin had a more serious stroke and has been sidelined for many months. However, he is slowly recovering again. 

Vision And Annual Strategy

ECPM is committed to partnering with the local churches in equipping potential church leaders and in planting new assemblies in unreached communities. ECPM’s vision is to establish a campus ministry training programme. This is also in partnership with the assemblies and with the same aim of providing training opportunities to young leaders and to strengthen their youth ministry outreach programme.

Note

On 3 August 2016 Elvin sadly passed away following suffering a heart attack. ECPM are very thankful to the Lord for Elvin’s passionate contributions in church planting and praise the Lord for the many communities that came to know the Lord through ECPM while he was Executive Director.

After much prayer and deliberation, the ECPM Board have decided to continue providing financial support to Elvin’s family for a further two years to assist them in adjusting to the loss of their beloved husband and father and the financial implications of this. Elvin had given almost 27 years of his life to this ministry and he made ECPM very much a part of his family so it was considered appropriate to continue their financial support for a period.