Chet & Phyllis Swearingen
Missionaries & Revivalists

Chet Swearingen is a multi-generational minister who served 8 years in the U.S. Navy, during which time he was involved with a revival on board his first ship. After this he worked 12 years in power plants and industrial maintenance positions. During those twenty years he served in a variety of ministry-related roles, obtained his Ph.D from International Seminary, and served as a bi-vocational associate pastor.

From 1999-2009 Chet served full-time as an associate pastor at New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, IN. On May 17, 1998, Chet led his home church in the adoption of an unreached people group in a restricted-access nation.

In 2009, Chet & his wife Phyllis moved to that nation to work alongside local believers in initiating a church-planting movement among their home church’s adopted unreached people group. In just a few years the ministry in that country became very successful with 83 churches planted, plus an assortment of other missions related works started. All of this work is to be credited to the Indonesian church being partnered with. That church, which began in 2004, now has an attendance of over 2,600.

Though still highly involved with the work among their adopted unreached people group, Chet & Phyllis returned to the USA early in 2015 to unite churches in the tristate region of IN, MI, and OH for revival. This revival focus led to the creation of the revival ministry Beautiful Feet.

Chet & Phyllis were married on June 9, 1984, and have two grown children.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Home Church

New Hope Christian Center in Waterloo, IN

• Have attended our church since 1995.
• The Sr. Pastor (Ralph Diehl) has been there since 1980.
• Have served in a full-time staff position for 10 years at our home church.
• My wife and I were sent out as missionaries by our home church to live and work among our church’s adopted unreached people group.
• We are still highly involved with our work overseas and make return ministry visits.
• We occasionally preach at our home church.
• Our home church supports us financially in the work we are doing overseas as well as the work in the tristate area.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

List of Ministry Locations

(Some locations we’ve preached at multiple times.)

• • New Hope Christian Center (Waterloo, IN; our home church)
  • House of Refuge (Hillsdale, MI)
  • Rock Church (Defiance, OH)
  • Destiny Family of Faith (Kendallville, IN)
  • The Rock (Fort Wayne, IN)
  • Three Rivers Worship Center (Fort Wayne, IN)
  • True Believer’s Fellowship (Holgate, OH)
  • The Cupbearer (Auburn, IN)
  • Victory Center Ministries (Taylor, MI)
  • CHRISTfamily Church (Brownstown, MI)
  • Paulding Family Worship Center (Paulding, OH)
  • Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (Lapeer, MI)
  • Eastgate Community Church (Marion, IN)
  • Delphos First Assembly of God (Delphos, OH)
  • Oasis of Love (Coldwater, MI)
  • World Harvest Assembly of God (Quincy, MI)
  • Living Water Worship Center (Angola, IN)
  • Monroe Vineyard Church (Monroe, MI)
  • Templo Cristiano (Archbold, OH)
  • Temple of Praise (Defiance, OH)
  • House of Prayer (Montpelier, OH: Tri-State Revival Prayer Gathering)
  • Revival services for churches of Noble County Indiana (Kendallville, IN)
  • Churches Overseas (undisclosed location)
  • Lake Missionary Church (Angola, IN)
  • Word Fellowship Church (Centreville, MI)
  • Sozo Church (Hillsdale, MI)
  • Victory Fellowship Church (Newaygo, MI)
  • Freedom Christian Fellowship (Norwalk, OH)
  • Gospel Lighthouse (Coldwater, MI)
  • Calvary Baptist (Hillsdale, MI)
  • Paulding Church of the Nazarene (Paulding, OH)
  • First Christian Church of Paulding (Paulding, OH)
  • Hillsdale United Brethren (Hillsdale, MI)
  • Jamestown Church (Jamestown, IN)
  • Hillsdale Church of the Nazarene (Hillsdale, MI)
  • New Heart Ministries (Coldwater, MI)
  • Pathways House of Prayer (Battle Creek, MI)
  • Knox Evangelical Presbyterian Church (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Evangelical Friends Church (Ypsilanti, MI)
  • The Gathering Place (Defiance, OH)
  • Beautiful Feet Celebration (Paulding County Ohio–Wayne Trace H.S.)
  • Lifehouse Ministries (Tipton, MI)
  • International Restoration Church (Fort Wayne, IN)
  • Cornerstone Christian Fellowship (Lapeer, MI)
  • Lifesong Community Church (Osseo, MI)
  • Oasis Christian Fellowship (Wauseon, OH)
  • New Hope Church (Camden, MI)
  • The Ridge (Fort Wayne, IN)
  • Fayette St. Church of Christ (Hillsdale, MI)
  • Restoration Centre (Gnadenhutten, OH)

.

We Served as Missionaries with Pioneers Mission Agency

REFERENCE LETTER: The Pioneers Area Leader we served under wrote this letter to our home church upon our departure from  the area where we served. Names and locations have been changed.

From: Alan Jones [Pioneers Mission Agency Regional Leader]
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 5:21 AM
To: New Hope Christian Center [Waterloo, IN]
Subject: From Kumpai – about the Swearingens

Church Planter Preaching in a Village

Dear Pastors and staff at New Hope Christian Center, My name is Alan Jones. Before Chet and Phyllis Swearingen left Kumpai to return to the US, I had the pleasure of serving as their Area Leader with PIONEERS. I should’ve written you some time ago, but I did want to take the time now to write you about Chet and Phyllis.

I have been in Indonesia for just over 10 years now. I met Chet and Phyllis before they arrived here and then for the first few years I would see them in our leadership meetings where we (Chet and I) were both team leaders (TL). As a TL, I was quite focused on my work within my team, so I really didn’t get to know Chet and Phyllis and what they were doing until I became an Area Leader about 3 years ago. During that time and since, I have been deeply blessed by their faithfulness and the strength of their faith.

Meal preparation in a village close
to a jungle school we helped start.

Life in the Salau Province was not easy. Of all the places I visit across Indonesia, I think Salau is the hardest/ugliest place to live. I used to talk to Chet about what he and Phyllis would do for fun, or ways that they might find some enjoyment. Their response was always, “We didn’t really come here to have fun.” I thought that was just a ‘quip-ish” answer when I first heard it, but as I got to know them I realized that, indeed, they had come to dive into a work that was hard and they were ok if things weren’t ‘fun’. Often I would encourage Chet to get Phyllis out of town or do something where they could enjoy themselves from time to time, and they did when they felt like it was necessary. I learned from them (and others) that not everyone needs the same kind of ‘rest and renewal’ that I need. Chet and Phyllis are an example to me for what it means to be faithful.

Not only faithful, but Chet and Phyllis did an amazing job of working together with the Community of Light church. This is an area where, unfortunately, I have found much trouble among our workers. Chet and Phyllis knew how to work together with nationals in a healthy way.  I went to Salau a couple of weeks before the Swearingens moved back to the US. I wanted to be able to sit down with them and talk about their experiences in Salau, ways that I could’ve served them better, and how the future looked to them. We had a great day together remembering what the Lord had done in their lives and through their ministry, and talking about the next chapter in their lives. Another reason I wanted to go down to see them was that I wanted to be able to thank the nationals that the Swearingens had been working with. We went out to dinner with Pastor Y. A. and his wife. Pastor Y. A. had had some negative experiences with western workers in the past. He shared some of those experiences with Chet and Phyllis and I as we sat and ate. Then he said that not only were his experiences with the Swearingens positive, but that he was wide open to continue to work with others in our organization because of how much he respected and appreciated Chet and Phyllis. To me, this was one of the highest compliments that he could’ve given Chet and Phyllis.

Monthly Church Planter Meeting

In our line of work, most of us realize that the real ‘difference makers’ are our national partners. But in reality, all too often, we bring a lot of ‘diseases’ along with whatever we hope will be a blessing. I am on my way to a city next week to try to help negotiate a conflict between expats and an important national leader. Our western culture and much of the way we conduct our ministries actually has a way of creating a lot of problems rather than serving and being a blessing. I mention this because I think it’s important that you understand how the Swearingens were a TRUE BLESSING to those that will continue the ministry long after they’ve been back in the US. The ones that, undoubtedly, God will use to change the spiritual landscape of Indonesia and the world have been encouraged and empowered in deep and meaningful ways through the work the Swearingens did in the Salau Province.

Splinting broken leg
with strips of bamboo.

The spiritual fruit that is being harvested in Salau is unlike anything that is happening anywhere else in Indonesia. The Swearingens ministry partners are meeting new people every day who do not know the Lord and are inviting them into the Kingdom! In the last few years they have baptised close to 150 people and have been a part of seeing more than 30 new congregations started. Chet and Phyllis confirm that well more than 1000 new people in the last 2 years alone are worshiping Jesus for the first time! They will be quick to tell you that it wasn’t them that did the work, and of course it wasn’t. But the Lord has used them greatly in growing His kingdom in Indonesia, and I along with many others, have been deeply blessed by them.

I am writing to say thank you! Thank you to you as the leaders of their home church in the US. Thank you for sending quality people to the field who will leave behind a legacy of blessed and empowered workers! I’m also writing to help the Swearingens know how much they were appreciated both by me, and especially by those they ministered to and with.

For God’s glory!

Alan Jones

PIONEERS Area Leader of Kumpai