Keeping Up with the Ludwigs
Michael Ludwig works with leaders of the Evangelical CHurch in the Republic of Niger (EERN) to use Community Health Evangelism (CHE) as a ministry that can help their nation, enhance relationships between Christians and Muslims, and provide a welcomed way of sharing the good news of Christ. CHE is a model that helps communities identify and respond to their greatest needs with their own resources. The CHE method is a very promising strategy for empowering pastors and evangelists, who then play a vital role in bringing about community transformation. CHE can be used with respect to literacy, education, health and general community development. CHE lessons include Bible stories that help people discuss a holistic definition of health and God’s desire for healthy relationships. Michael also trains future pastors and evangelists at two of the EERN’s Bible schools in subjects varying from CHE to English. Another part of Michael’s role is to help the EERN build their capacity for implementing a literacy and evangelism training program for their pastors.
The other half of this ministry team, Rachel Ludwig, focuses on homeschooling the couple’s children and developing relationships in their neighborhood and church community.
The Ludwigs have been Mission Co-Workers in Niger since 2014, serving at the invitation of the Evangelical Church in the Republic of Niger.
Contact: Michael Ludwig (michael.ludwig@pcusa.org)
Contact: Rachel Ludwig (rachel.ludwig@pcusa.org)
About Michael and Rachel Ludwig
Michael and Rachel work alongside the Evangelical Church of the Republic of Niger (EERN), helping them develop a literacy training and evangelism program. Niger is among the world’s poorest countries, has a literacy rate of only 29 percent, and experiences frequent famines. “It’s captured our hearts as a place of great need, where people with skills in language and teaching can make a huge impact in the lives of ordinary Nigeriens through literacy training and exposure to the gospel,” they write. “We believe this program will help the church grow in reaching out to its non-Christian neighbors, helping them physically through teaching and spiritually as they read the good news of Jesus.
Michael, a native of Holland, Michigan, was an associate pastor at Overbrook Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Ohio, for four years prior to entering mission service. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster in Ohio, and a master’s degree from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. He also has done graduate study in the classics at the University of Cincinnati. He is a member of Scioto Valley Presbytery.
Rachel grew up in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, and has spent most of her professional life as a middle school math and science teacher. She has taught in public school systems in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree from the College of Wooster and a master’s degree from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania. After graduating from the College of Wooster in 2001, she spent one year as a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Young Adult Volunteer in Guatemala and one year as an AmeriCorps volunteer in Cincinnati. Rachel is a member of Overbrook Presbyterian Church.
Please keep Michael, Rachel and their family in your prayers for the work they will be doing in Niger.
Learn More
To learn more about the Ludwigs, their ministry, subscribe to letters, and more, visit the Ludwig's Mission Connections page on the PC(USA) website.
Video: Listen as Michael and Rachel Ludwig share their sense of call to mission in Niger.