John Gunter

Life - Faith - One Bridge

Turkey, Ozgur & Gospel Friendship

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L-R: John, Ozgur, Owens from this week in the Tiranus office.

As I type this, I’m sitting outside of a coffeehouse across the street from the Mediterranean Sea. This historic body of water is about 40 yards away from me right now. My mind can’t help but to think about the book of Acts and how the Apostle Paul walked these streets. Somewhere along the shore line in front of me, Paul and Barnabus “sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:26-27) Incredible.

It’s BARELY warm enough to be outside, but it’s been a week filled with international flights and a few days of bitter cold rainstorms in Istanbul. We are happy to be outside and in the sun. We arrived here in Antalya, Turkey (Attalia in Acts) yesterday. After checking into our hotel, Owens Hall and I immediately went to the recording studio—tucked into the basement of an apartment complex—where we’ll be working throughout the week.

There’s something deeply exciting about being here. Not only because we’re in the city where Paul concluded his first missionary journey, but also because of the work we are engaged in this week.

This trip really does epitomize the vision and the three main “paths” of One Bridge.  Let me explain and even use this trip/project as a case study on why we are starting this new organization.

Why Turkey? Why now?

This trip to Turkey marks the first official project of One Bridge. How did we get here?

It all began with close friend and One Bridge partner, Craig Clarke. Craig knew I was planning an exploratory trip to Turkey and asked if I could check in on a friend of his named Ozgur—a “Turkish pastor who does all kinds of cool things.” Craig’s church regularly prays for and supports Ozgur and his family.

So, my friend Ru Sen—who serves with our partner ministry, Multiply—and I met Ozgur in the lobby of a hotel in Istanbul. From the very first conversation, Ru and I were struck by Ozgur’s vision, energy, and evident kindness. His passion for Jesus and his home country of Turkey was unmistakable. He longs for the Turkish people to encounter the Jesus who has so radically and wonderfully transformed his own life. It quickly became clear to both of us that Ozgur is not only a pastor but also a bold entrepreneur and a missional leader of the highest order.

During our meeting, Ozgur shared a powerful vision: he and several other Turkish Christian leaders were determined to “flood the Turkish internet with Christian content.”

Here’s why: Right now, if someone in Turkey searches online for questions like “What is Christianity?” “How do I become a Christian?” or “Is Jesus real?”—the results are almost entirely articles written by those hostile to the faith (primarily Muslim). Ozgur and his colleagues are passionate about changing that narrative, ensuring that seekers can find truthful, life-giving content about Jesus in their own language, by their own people.

That conversation with Ozgur happened in September 2022.

The creation of Tiranus

Well, in just over twelve months they;

  • started learning video production
  • raised funds and built a cost-effective, yet very impressive, audio-video studio
  • Enlisted some the best Christian thinkers and teachers in southern Turkey be involved

They started posting videos under the name Tiranus on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in late 2023. In less than 14 months, their videos have received over 3.5 million views—almost all from within Turkey! Once again, I say—incredible.

When I visited here in November of last year, I met with their leadership. 

“Is there anything we at One Bridge can partner with you on? Anything at all?” I asked.

Their response was immediate and very specific.

The building of a partnership

They were thrilled—yet a bit overwhelmed—by the incredible response to their video content. Millions of views! Suddenly, they found themselves engaging with an abundance of people, mainly Muslims, who were reaching out to learn more about Christianity. This response was beyond their hopes and dreams.

However, it also revealed a major challenge: Right now, Tiranus can only communicate through messaging within social media platforms. It’s painfully inefficient and incredibly time-consuming.

What they truly needed was a dedicated website—a place to point interested visitors where they could:

  • Learn more about Jesus,
  • Chat with a real Turkish believer, and
  • Find information about churches in their own hometowns.

For security reasons, the website had to be hosted outside of Turkey. It also needed to be robust and sophisticated—capable of handling thousands, even tens of thousands, of visitors while effectively presenting complex and deeply meaningful content.

Upon getting back to the States in late November, I put out word over our very small, but quickly growing One Bridge network. Within a week, a world-class web design team had formed. They were eager to serve alongside Ozgur and the other Turkish leaders.

Zoom working group for the One Bridge/Tiranus project
Some of our Zoom meeting participants in December/January

We held several Zoom sessions throughout December and January as a team with Ozgur. And now, this week, two of us are here on the ground in Turkey, meeting extensively with their staff and team members. In two weeks, we’ll continue the work back in the States when Ozgur happens to be in Atlanta!

Our goal: To have the website fully operational within weeks. The potential impact is almost incalculable.

In one of the most unreached nations on earth, the people of Turkey will soon have far greater access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ—taught by Turks, for Turks.

How this fits in with One Bridge

I’m excited that this partnership between Tiranus and One Bridge is the first project of our new organization.This collaboration truly epitomizes what we hope to accomplish as a One Bridge network. As I shared in my last article, our vision follows three distinct yet overlapping paths: Increasing Resources, Curated Learning, and Engagement Opportunities.

One Bridge and Tiranus partnership meeting
Owens and some of the Tiranus team this week in their office

Increasing Resources

Tiranus is a ministry we deeply believe in, led by people we trust and admire. They are doing incredible work for the Gospel, and we are grateful to help them reach where God has called them. In this case, the key resource we’re providing is a world-class website—a tool that will expand their impact and connect more seekers to the message of Jesus.

Curated Learning

I can’t wait to record podcast interviews with Ozgur and many other Christian men and women here in Turkey. Their stories are powerful. As believers living in a predominantly Muslim society—most of them having come to faith from Islam—they have experienced incredible challenges and hardships. Yet, their faith, hope, and love are clear and inspiring.

We have so much to learn from them. On future trips, I look forward to exploring how we can share their wisdom with the American church. In fact, while Ozgur is in Atlanta, we’re planning a special opportunity for you to meet him and hear firsthand about the church in Turkey.

Please join us after dinner on March 3rd in Atlanta! I’ll share the exact location in the coming days.

Engagement Opportunities

The entire American team working on this project is thrilled to be serving alongside Ozgur and the leaders here. Each member is a skilled professional in web design and branding spaces. More importantly, they are faithful followers of Jesus who are passionate about using their talents for the expansion of the Gospel.

Time and time again, they’ve told me how excited they are to be part of this mission. Honestly, it has been a joy for me to work alongside them and witness their hearts for the Kingdom.

And this is what One Bridge does. This time, it’s building a website for the church in Turkey. Next time, it might be helping leaders in China pursue their vision for a hybrid online, underground seminary. Or partnering with an education center in Central Asia that’s reaching university students with the Gospel.

It’s going to be fun. Please join us in building One Bridge out!

(If you would like to learn more about this global partnership network/organization called ONE BRIDGE, please click here.)

What One Bridge does

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Picture from out of window here in West Asia
(This is the view from my window)

As I write this, I am at a conference center in West Asia, where approximately 500 Christian leaders from the Middle East and Central Asia have gathered. Most are local to these regions, as I am one of only a handful of Westerners present.

This gathering, held in a “safe location,” is a time of corporate worship, teaching, mutual encouragement, and collaborative planning. Participants seek new ways to partner in advancing the Gospel within some of the world’s most unreached and persecuted areas. I am grateful to be here, invited because of One Bridge’s mission to foster Gospel-centered partnerships. Meeting and interacting with these incredible men and women of God, representing about 20 countries, is a true privilege.

With this backdrop (and my lingering jet lag!),  I wanted to take the time to write another article regarding this organization named One Bridge. 

In my last article, I covered the needs One Bridge is addressing and the heart/motivation behind this new organization. Now I will speak to what we are actually going to DO as an organization. 

Overview of One Bridge

One Bridge is a network of committed Christian individuals, organizations and churches who are focused on growing the global body of Christ. Simply stated, One Bridge is about “connecting people and resources for the growth and thriving of the global church.” 

Globally, we connect resources with strategic partner ministries working in unreached areas. Domestically, we foster spiritual growth among American Christians and churches by engaging them with the global church. Our work unfolds through three distinct but interconnected paths: Increasing Resources, Curated Learning, and Engagement Opportunities.

Path 1: Increasing Resources

Addressing the problem of DISCONNECTED RESOURCES, One Bridge proactively surfaces opportunities for Gospel advancement in unreached areas and matches these needs with willing partners.  We are “connecting the dots” from people, places and organizations of abundance to those with specific needs in getting to their God-given visions. 

We are primarily asking two questions;

  • “What is happening in the unreached areas of the world?” 
  • “Who would like to be involved?”

One Bridge is proactively “matching needs with those who want—and would be blessed by—giving.” We firmly believe that many people in America and the West have a deep desire to be a part of the expansion of the Gospel in regions like Central Asia and the Middle East. Often, we simply don’t know how to get involved. 

In places across the unreached world—like where I am now, in Turkey, where there are just 8,000 Bible believing Christians among 86 million people—there are faithful leaders laboring for the Gospel. Many could be greatly helped with just a little more support: technology, skills, finances, or other resources.

There are people, churches and organizations in places like Los Angeles and Atlanta which are teaming with said know-how and resources. However, they have no way of knowing the needs and opportunities to be meaningfully engaged. One Bridge is working to help bridge this gap.

Additionally, we believe that in being involved in these works, getting to know Christians from around the world, serving places of need through our gifts will in fact be good for “the giver.” I know personally, I am a way better person in all aspects of my life for serving in these areas, with these ministries, and alongside these Christians around the world. I learn from and grow through this process personally, and have seen this to be the case with many others, many times over. 

For instance, just a few hours ago, I had dinner with two Christian leaders from Kazakhstan. After discussing partnership potentials for an hour, I simply asked them how they became Christians. For the next two hours, I was mesmerized by their stories of faith in Christ! Both of them had come out of Islam to embrace Jesus in their 20s. Each had endured severe persecution for their decision to become a Christian. One was beaten by family members, while the other was attacked by members of the community—beaten within an inch of his life. The second had even been jailed.

I walked away tonight deeply and profoundly encouraged in my own faith, having sat with these dear brothers—whom I had never met before just a few hours ago. Their examples to be of faithful obedience to me taught me in new and fresh ways. I long for this type of learning for our entire network of One Bridge.

Yes, there are ways that One Bridge can—and, I pray, will—help these men and their strategic, well-run ministries. However, what excites me most is all that people like me and my friends throughout America can learn from brothers and sisters in Christ from places like Kazakhstan—just as I did tonight.

This moves into the second path of One Bridge; Curated Learning.

Path 2: Curated Learning

Did you know that some of the most influential theologians alive today are not from America or Western Europe? I firmly believe this to be true. For example, Pastor Wang Yi, a Chinese theologian, has written an exceptional book—Faithful Disobedience. It was translated into English about two years ago. Despite its profound insight into the theology of suffering, very few people are aware of this book or its author. I consider it to be one of the best works on this subject of suffering in print today.

Did you know that while the church in America is shrinking, the church in regions like the Middle East is experiencing historic growth? Over the past two decades, more Muslims have come to Christ than in the previous several hundred years combined—perhaps even more than in all of history prior to the year 2000!

Did you know that in the past 130 years, South Korea has witnessed the largest percentage-wise expansion of the Gospel in the history of any country or people? In 1890, there were only an estimated dozen Christians in the country. By 1970, over a third of South Koreans were Bible-believing Christians. Today, South Korea sends out the highest percentage of missionaries of any country in the world—by a wide margin.

Capturing (and curating) the real-life accounts, lessons, and theology of the global church is the second path of One Bridge. The American church is in a state of struggle and confusion. We are grappling with challenges in all aspects of life and society, unable to provide the godly answers and care that those around us who are in desperate need. We find ourselves at a loss when it comes to offering clear and honest answers to the legitimate questions that our friends and children have about faith and Jesus in relation to their lives. Now, more than ever, we need the wisdom of the global church.

One Bridge seeks to work with a broad network of individuals, churches, and organizations to curate the voice of the global church by;

  • platforming the resources of the global church which already exist, yet are difficult to find
  • developing original content from global partners
  • providing learning opportunities such as trips, events, and online discussions

Honestly, I only have vague ideas of how this is going to unfold. After ten years of serving in executive leadership within the American church, though, I feel strongly it must happen. 

We as the American church desperately need the global church to teach us in so many areas, even if we don’t yet realize this. There are groups doing excellent work in this space already. Groups like The Center for House Church Theology, Help the Persecuted, Cru City Global to name a few. 

Despite the excellent work of these and others organizations like them, it remains largely unknown to the broader American Christian community. Additionally, each of their efforts are often confined within the scope of their respective organizations. I am hopeful that One Bridge can at least contribute to a larger effort in helping the American church learn from the global church.

Path 3: Engagement Opportunities

This is the aspect of One Bridge that ties it all together. This addresses the need of DISCONNECTED RELATIONSHIPS. We are bridging the gap through creating high-touch opportunities for faithful partners to engage deeply with the global church. Through meaningful travel, direct interaction programs, and a variety of connection avenues, One Bridge strives to foster vital relationships within the global church.

One of the best ways to serve those in difficult and unreached areas is simply through building genuine connections—sometimes even lasting friendships. 

I remember like it was yesterday meeting with a very effective, yet often persecuted house church pastor in Asia over tea. At that point, he had already been arrested three times.  I told him about a small church in South Carolina that knew of him and his congregation and that they were praying regularly for him. I thought this would encourage him, but I was unprepared for the depth of his response. His eyes welled up as he expressed how deeply moved and relieved he felt. It was as though the weight of his burden had been lightened, just by knowing that others, halfway across the world, cared.

From that meeting on, I have consistently seen just how lonely many of these leaders are and, conversely, how uplifting it is for them to receive prayer and kindness from Christians from around the globe. This is why One Bridge is committed to building real relationships of mutual care and learning through various and sundry ways with Christian leaders among the unreached.

Ultimately, my hope is that you, too, will experience what I did just a few hours ago with my Christian brothers from Kazakhstan. By engaging in mutually giving and committed relationships, we all grow stronger in our faith and mission within the global church.

Conclusion (from Asia)

So this is what One Bridge does. We are “connecting people and resources for the growth and thriving of the global church.” We are doing this through three distinct, yet overlapping paths; Increasing Resources, Curated Learning, and Engagement Opportunities.

Let’s do this together! Your partnership in this network begins here.

(If you would like to learn more about this global network/organization called ONE BRIDGE, please click here.)

Heart and motivation for One Bridge

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Pastor friends during my recent trip to Central Asia. For more content like this, follow on Instagram

Why One Bridge?

After my last article regarding my new calling, One Bridge, I wanted to follow up with an explanation of both the heart behind it and more specifics on what we will be doing. In this article, I will focus on the first: the heart and motivation behind One Bridge.

Personal Story

I grew up in church but never truly understood or embraced the Gospel of Christ Jesus until college. This upended my world in all the best ways! Through this, I became convinced of a few core pillars in my life—pillars upon which I have tried to base all my major life decisions.

I believe the Bible is true. I believe Jesus is real. I believe that true life is found in Christ Jesus and His completed work of salvation on the cross.

There have been times in my life when I have lived out these realities well and times when I have struggled deeply. I have experienced times of Godly zeal as well as times of apathy and even active rebellion. I have walked through joy and through depression, through seasons of great faith and seasons of doubt and confusion. Yet through it all, I have done my best to hold fast to the person and work of Jesus Christ.

The Story of One Bridge

With my personal story as a backdrop, I first began to dream of this ministry in 2009. Thankfully, we now have a team of individuals, families, and churches working together to form this network/organization called One Bridge. Additionally, several world-class mission agencies, both big and small, are partnering with us in building out this network.

At its core, One Bridge is an expression of both the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8-9) and the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:36-40) of Christ Jesus. As the Christian church, we are called to care about “every tongue, tribe, and nation.” At the same time, we are called to simply love Jesus and love our neighbor wherever God has placed us. With this in mind, One Bridge exists to address two critical problems in the global Christian church today: disconnected resources and disconnected relationships.

Disconnected Resources

One of the sad realities that has shaped my entire Christian life is that very limited resources are being directed toward the most unreached and difficult places in the world. Over 40% of the world’s people groups remain unreached (less than 2% Christian), yet less than 1% of church resources in America and the other “reached areas” are devoted to these areas and peoples. This should bother us and move us to action!

It was this reality that first inspired me to dream of an organization like One Bridge in 2009. That dream has only grown stronger over the years.

Simply stated, One Bridge longs to see Christians and the work of the Gospel flourish everywhere—especially in those places where believers are few in number and often persecuted. This is our heart: bridging the gap between resource-rich areas like America and unreached places where resources are scarce.

Disconnected Relationships

It is my joy and privilege to be close friends with some of the most faithful Christian leaders in some of the most unreached and persecuted areas of the world. What they may lack in “freedom” and physical resources, they more than make up for with extraordinary faith in Christ, belief in the veracity of the Bible, and an unwavering commitment to love those around them—even those who actively persecute them.

Personally, through the ups and downs of life, my faith has often been sustained by knowing and learning from these dear brothers and sisters in Christ in places like China, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkey. Over the years, I have lost close friends to death. I have seen the dismantling of my church family in Los Angeles. I have experienced broken relationships that I once thought would lead to marriage. I have watched friends walk away from faith (and/or from me). I have witnessed the deep suffering and struggles of some family members. I was forced to leave a country I had come to love. After that, I had to leave a city and community in America that had grown to love as well.

Through all of this, one of the greatest factors in sustaining my own faith—and in the lives of dear friends who have remained steadfast in Christ—is the meaningful connection we have with Christian brothers and sisters around the world. We have consistently witnessed faith lived out through the eyes of persecuted Chinese pastors. We have seen the joyful sacrifice and deep contentment of Central Asian and Middle Eastern sisters in Christ who continue to thrive in faith, hope, and love, even in the midst of hostile societies. We have been encouraged and inspired.

The American church is increasingly isolated from the global Christian community at a time when the global church is dynamically growing and producing extraordinary leaders. At One Bridge, we believe that one of the best ways for the American church to rekindle faith, hope, and love is by learning from our brothers and sisters around the world.

It is my hope that One Bridge will serve as an instrument to bridge the relational gap that exists between the global church and the U.S./Western church. We in America and the West have so much to learn from our brothers and sisters in places like China and the Middle East.

What Now?

In my next post, I’ll share more about how One Bridge plans to address these issues of disconnected resources and disconnected relationships. For now, I simply wanted to highlight the underlying issues and the heart behind our mission.

If you would like more details about the work of One Bridge, please fill out the form here. Because of security concerns, we have a separate email for those within the One Bridge network. It is not wise or safe to share specifics publicly.

(For more article about ONE BRIDGE, please click here)

My major career change!

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After dreaming about it for 15 years, spending two years planning, and working full-time on it over the past 5 months, I’m thrilled to share that I’ve made a big career change. I’m returning to  directly working with some of the most unreached areas of the world!

I, along with a group of individuals, churches, organizations, and seminaries, am helping to launch a new ministry/network called One Bridge.

The vision for One Bridge began in 2009, when the concept was first birthed in my old East Asian home. It was further refined in Los Angeles, and in the past 13 months, it has been solidified and further developed. Starting in December 2023, I was able to go part-time at Atlanta Westside Church, and since August 1st, I’ve been working full-time to build out One Bridge. 

Over the last 13 months, I’ve given around 150 presentations, and we’ve gone through four different names for the organization. I’ve met with the leadership of about 40 organizations, seminaries, and churches. It’s been a journey, but God has been faithful every step of the way!

One Bridge has two main objectives:

1.     Increasing resources (people, money, skills, and technology) into some of the most difficult, underserved, and often persecuted areas of the world.

2.     Creating opportunities and platforms for Western/American Christians to learn from the global Church and its leaders. Many of our global partner ministries, while under intense personal and corporate pressure and persecution, are led by some of the most talented, godly, and kind men and women I know. There is so much the American Church can learn from these global movements and leaders.

I’ll share more details about One Bridge in an upcoming article (or two or three) in the next few weeks/months. However, I did want to get an initial “announcement post” here and now before One Bridge “goes public.”

How You Can Stay Connected

Until I write another article or two here that more comprehensively explains One Bridge and my role, please check out our website. I’d also love for you to sign up at the “Get Involved” section to receive regular updates as I begin writing for One Bridge. Finally, if you are on Instagram, please follow along there for pictures of places we are partnering (or investigating) and resources from the global church.

Thank you following this blog/website over the years. I’m humbled that you care to read my thoughts. I really am. 

I’m excited about the journey ahead, and I look forward to continuing this journey together with this community in the days, months, and years to come!

(If you would like to learn more about this global network/organization called ONE BRIDGE, please click here.)

Tom Priest: remembering my friend

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(This is the last pic I have with Tom. He is sitting to my left. It was over Korean BBQ celebrating Sam Shin’s birthday about 18 months ago.)

Tom Priest was one of my oldest friends. We celebrated his life yesterday and grieved his sudden and unexpected passing. Though he passed into eternity a month ago,  I’m still in shock.

We went through elementary school, high school, and college together. We traded baseball cards in 3rd grade. Ran for student council together in 8th grade. We started Georgia Tech on the same day. Played intramural basketball, including some epic battles with the BSU (we triumphed). Post college, we would get meals together whenever we found ourselves in the same city. Tom gave me my most helpful advice when I was considering business school. I followed it to the letter. I’ve been grateful since.

When I moved to LA, Tom came through town a few times on business. Those times were highlights for me. He was kind, intelligent, loyal, and always hilarious. He was a man of deep faith. We always checked in on how we were processing Christ and the things of life whenever it was just the two of us.

Though Tom was one of the most accomplished, gifted and talented people I have ever known, he was also among the most humble. He was ALWAYS present, engaged and caring. I was in a better head and heart space whenever we parted. I ALWAYS wished we had more time. I ALWAYS looked forward to our next meet up.

Tom and I were texting each other on a Saturday a month ago. We were making jokes at the expense of a mutual friend (sorry Andy Hamilton) and trying to set up a time to connect. It had been way too long. Around a year and a half since our last meal. I was looking forward to seeing him soon.

About 72 hours later, Phil Autry called with the news. I cried. I hurt for his wife and three kids. My first thought was, “I can’t imagine life without Tom in it.” I was deeply sad. I still am.

This weekend was truly a celebration of Tom’s incredible life. Dear friends flew in from around the country. It was wonderful. A few went to the Georgia Tech game on Thursday night. We wept at a beautiful service of remembrance yesterday morning. We had a cookout at my house last night. It was wonderful.

Constantly humming in the forefront of my mind, though, was “this is great. I wish Tom were here with us to enjoy it.” He would have been the one smiling the biggest, laughing the loudest, and enjoying it all the most.

Tom Priest loved his wife and kids exceedingly well. I admired him immensely for his depth of care, tenderness and commitment he had for them. He revered his three older brothers. He was a world class leader of industry, as was evident of his accomplished career. More so though, his impact was clear by the scores of his employees and colleagues who showed up for his funeral yesterday. 

Tom was a true follower of Christ Jesus.

Tom Priest was my friend. My life is better by a long way because we had a lifetime of friendship. I am grateful beyond words for Tom, his life, and the joy he brought to me and so many others.

I will miss Tom. I look forward to seeing him again.

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