URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East. URGENT MESSAGE: Your immediate support is crucial as tensions escalate between Israel and Iran. Click to donate today to change the course of this conflict and foster peace in the Middle East.
We don't just
tell stories of
the underground
church, we are
the underground
church

About
GCM

We don't just tell stories of the underground church,
we are the underground church

Roots of the movement

Our journey begins amidst the strict rule of the Ayatollah in Iran, expands within the grip of the Taliban in Afghanistan, and now, within the heart of Islam in Mecca, the holiest site, echoes a bold cry of Maranatha. Here lies our greatest challenge, where the radical influence of Wahhabism took root, shaping minds behind atrocities like 9/11, presenting a modern-day Goliath. Our determination to spread discipleship in this hostile environment is a courageous act—a declaration that no stronghold, no matter how daunting, is beyond the transformative power of Jesus.

This mission requires courage akin to a sheep among wolves, defying conventional wisdom. We live among enemies, turning even persecutors into disciples through the power of sacrificial love. This is not a call to arms but a call to worship. Driven by our intimacy with God and our belief in the redemption of every soul, His Kingdom extends to every nation, tribe, and tongue.

Jesus’ Disciple-Making process transcends borders, genders, and cultures. In places once plagued by hostility, communities now unite through shared struggles, experiencing encounters with the Holy Spirit, leading to movements of disciple-making. Persecutors, touched by those they sought to harm, find themselves loving a Jewish Messiah. From the sands of Mecca to rural Ohio, from an Imam to a homeschool mom, disciples emerge from unexpected places, bearing witness to the cry: He has come, is here, and is coming again. We willingly lay down our lives as sheep among wolves.

How we started
In response to the Church’s sudden ban in Iran, the house-church network swiftly grew to 829 churches within a few years, all filled with devoted disciples of Jesus. Despite facing persecution by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, these radical disciples persevered, transforming into empowered disciple-makers. The movement extended into Afghanistan, with leaders planting 400 churches and rescuing over 3,000 individuals in 2021, all amidst the challenges posed by the Taliban.

May 2014

GCM Launches

Starting in Iran, God’s movement grew into Afghanistan.

Dec 2019

Sheep Among Wolves 2

Studio produced film highlighting GCM’s team in Iran.

Jan 2021

Going Worldwide

Coaching made available worldwide, from East to the West.

Aug 2021

Afghanistan Rescue Operations

GCM helps rescue over 3,000 people, while evading Taliban detection.

Dec 2023

Providing Safety

Officially moved our last safe house family out of harm’s way in Afghanistan.

Feb 2024

Moments to Movements

A fresh message to build intimate moments with God that catalyze global disciple-making movements. Now in 71 countries and growing.

Moving in the
Underground

Defying Persecution to Save Lives
within the underground church

In Southeast Asia, the journey of unwavering faith has seen a profound sacrifice, with 144 disciples laying down their lives amidst severe persecution. Among them, 37 disciples were ambushed, losing their lives while en route to a baptism, demonstrating remarkable courage and dedication in the face of relentless hunting.

At the heart of this struggle stands the leader of these believers, a disciple-maker whose faith has made her the nation’s most dangerous figure, guiding a movement of over 60,000 disciples. Amidst this turmoil, hope endures as the message of faith continues to transform lives, proving that God’s love and perseverance can triumph over despair.

We honor our fallen brothers and sisters in faith, praying for their mental health and well-being as they navigate this arduous journey for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Fueling the pursuit of disciple-making

Global Catalytic Ministries (GCM), is an impactful disciple-making nonprofit organization with an active presence as the underground church among many other countries. Our mission is to make disciples in some of the world’s most challenging places and beyond. Through ministry strategies, we focus on meeting needs and building relationships with the lost, and guiding them to salvation in Christ. Reflecting Jesus in the disciple-making process, we coach believers, leading to gatherings that lead to church plantings that create movements. Drawing on wisdom gained from operating within environments with fierce persecution of Christianity, we share our knowledge though coaching to strengthen churches in the west. Our goal is to empower believers to discern God’s voice, exhibit high obedience to Christ, stand strong, and foster multiplication. Together, we strive for the global mission of making disciples in every nation and baptizing the lost in His name.

Grateful for
the many
reasons others
chose to
give

We long to be a part of what God is doing. Your work moves us deeply and we want to be a part of it since we believe God is in it all.

statements of faith

WE ARE SHEEP AMONG WOLVES.
We are servants who seek the altar, not the stage.

WE OFFER OUR BODIES.
To love Him so much that nothing else matters. He is worth it all.

WE WILL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO REACH THE UNREACHED.
To reach people no one is reaching, we’ll have to do things no one is doing.

WE ARE HOLY THROUGH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT.
To be set apart with integrity honors God and inspires people.

WE GIVE UP THINGS WE LOVE FOR THINGS WE LOVE EVEN MORE.
It’s an honor to sacrifice for Christ.

WE EXIST FOR GOD AND PEOPLE.
If we don’t love God radically, we have nothing.

WE ARE FAITH-FILLED, MULTIPLYING, OBEDIENT RISK-TAKERS FOR JESUS.
We won’t insult God with small thinking and safe living.

WE WILL LEAD THE WAY WITH PROFOUND GENEROSITY.
Unconditional love is the heartbeat. Unconditional generosity is the blood flow.

WE THRIVE IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.
Whether well fed or hungry, rich or poor, in persecution or freedom, east or the west, we will be content in Jesus and make disciples.

WE MAKE FAMILY, NOT DESTROY THEM.
Family is not an important thing. It’s everything.

WE WOULD RATHER NOT MOVE IF HIS PRESENCE ISN’T WITH US.
Everything we do is guided by continual, heartfelt communication with God, shaping our life and guiding our journey.

WE WILL PUT PEOPLE BEFORE OURSELVES.
We’ll forgo seeking human validation and selfish gains, living in faith, and trusting God to provide all we need.

Scriptures and God:
We believe the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments, are inspired by God and serve as the infallible, authoritative rule of faith and conduct. We believe in one eternally existent God who reveals Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:15-17, 1 Peter 1:21, Deuteronomy 6:4, Luke 3:22)

Jesus Christ and Salvation:
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles, atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension, intercession for us, His present rule as Head of the Church, and His personal return in power and glory. We believe that salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ, resulting in regeneration by the Holy Spirit and justification by grace through faith. (Matthew 1:23, Luke 1:31, Luke 24:47, John 3:3)

Humanity and Eternity:
We believe in the creation of mankind in God’s image, the fall of man, resulting in universal guilt and total depravity, and the necessity of redemption through Christ. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved to eternal life with the Lord, and the lost to eternal punishment. We also believe in the spiritual unity of believers as the body of Christ, the Church, tasked with preaching the Gospel to every person. (Genesis 1:26-27, Genesis 2:17, Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43-48, Ephesians 1:22-23, Ephesians 2:22)

Disciple-Making in every nation, tribe, and tongue by reaching the lost in the most unreached and persecuted places and by coaching believers to reach their families and neighborhoods.

Leadership

God is tired of people doing works in His name, but not in His character. We must stop seeking the stage for mans approval and validation, but seek the altar as a life laid down.

Mike Patino
CEO