about_us

Zane and Cindy Edwards

Personal Details:

Zane: Born October 9, 1954
He came to know the Lord in seventh grade.
Surrendered to ministry in his Junior Year of high school
Graduated from: Baptist Bible College, 1976 BS Theology
Surrendered to New Zealand while pastor of West Side Baptist in 1992
Arrived in New Zealand October 1994
Dad pastored 21 years of the Independence Ave Baptist Church

Cindy: Born October 17, 1954
She came to know Christ her senior year of high school.
Raised on the mission field of Beirut, Lebanon
Her parents were: Clyde and Lola Aynes, retired BBFI missionaries.
Graduated from: Baptist Bible College, 1976

Our Children: Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Edwards living in Missouri

Our Ministry in New Zealand:

When we arrived in New Zealand, we went to a church that had been established 17 years earlier by a former missionary. The church ran around 40 people with many problems and discouragement. We began to rebuild with those 40 people and God began to bless. We began to see souls saved and the church grow. In the ten years we ministered there, we saw the church grow to an average of 290. We had several people surrender to ministry so we started a Bible Institute. From this church we have been able to establish three new churches. The three churches are: Calvary Baptist, pastored by Pule Pailate, established August 2004; Cornerstone Baptist, pastored by Clifford Wadsworth, established August 2005; Manukau Baptist, pastored by myself, established October 2004. We have been privileged to send another two young couples out to help in the establishment of two other churches. God has been good.

In the last five years of ministry in New Zealand after facing many trials both personal and ministry related, God has placed a burden on our heart to establish a new ministry. During the times of difficulty that we faced, we felt that we were very much alone in trying to deal with our problems. Through this experience God touched our heart about starting a ministry that would minister to those who are in ministry. The name of this ministry is" Mended Wings". We want to offer a place for those who are in ministry to come to and be ministered to. We want it to be a place where they can find strength and renewal for their own spiritual and physical lives. We do not want any minister of the gospel to feel the loneliness that we felt when we were in deep waters and trials.

I would like to share with you some statistics to help you understand the need for this type ministry.

Pastors today are faced with more work, more problems, and more stress than at any other time in history of the church. This is taking a frightening toll on the ministry, shown by the following North American statistics:

  • Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention in their churches.
  • Eighty percent of pastors and eighty-four percent of their spouses feel unqualified and discouraged in the pastorate.
  • Fifty percent of pastors are so discouraged that they would leave the ministry if they could, but have no other way of making a living.
  • Eighty-five percent of pastors said their greatest problem is that they are sick and tired of dealing with problem people, such as disgruntled elders, deacons, worship leaders, worship teams, board members, and associate pastors. Ninety percent said the hardest thing about ministry is dealing with uncooperative people.
  • Eighty percent of pastors' spouses feel their spouse is overworked.
  • Eighty percent of pastors' wives feel left out and unappreciated by the church members.
  • Eighty percent of pastors' spouses wish their spouse would choose another profession.
  • Eighty percent of pastors' wives feel pressured to do things and be something in the church that they are really not.