Jon and Jennifer Dahlager have been serving in Costa Rica since the year 2000, and the theme of their ministry is “Raising up the next generation of men and women of God in Costa Rica to touch the world.” They see themselves as strategic investors, identifying underserved segments of society and investing in those God is calling. This has turned into several major areas of service:
1. Ministry Training. They serve as directors of the central Bible School in San José, teaching and mentoring the next generation of pastors, teachers, global missionaries, and marketplace Christians. Jon also helps lead the AG international undergraduate and graduate-level education ministries.
2. Pastors’ Kids. Since the beginning of their ministry, they have worked with the children and families of national pastors, first in Costa Rica and now internationally. PKs have unique advantages and challenges, and it has been their joy to be Uncle Jon and Aunt Jennifer to hundreds over the years and support them as they grow into what God has called them to be.
3. Cabecar indigenous outreach. Indigenous populations tend to be the poorest people in Latin America, often living in remote regions and practicing subsistence farming, bound in superstition and manipulated by political forces. For over nine years, the Dahlagers have participated in a ministry that has built a church and brought holistic ministry to a region that had previously had no gospel witness.
4. Church planting. They have helped launch several new churches, most recently Emaús Community, a project led by a group of millennial Bible School students who work in the artistic community of San Jose. Upon returning this summer, they will be planting another church in the heart of the business district of San José, with a population of 300,000.
5. Missions mobilization. The national churches in Latin America and the Caribbean have sent over 1,000 global workers around the world to help plant the church where it does not yet exist. Latin workers are spiritually mature and are often able to live in difficult conditions. Costa Rica currently supports 30 families, and the Dahlagers are working to help create pathways for many more to help meet the needs of the world.
The Dahlagers thank you for being partners in their ministry.
