In 1988, Ed Silvoso and Harvest Evangelism began partnering with pastors and ministry leaders in the northern Argentine city of Resistencia to bring the
kingdom of God to the city. At the time, there were only 5,143 believers attending church in the 70 congregations out of a population of 400,000. The city was known as a "spiritual cemetery."
As Ed records in both That None Should Perish and Prayer Evangelism, the process of reaching the city began with deep repentance with the Body of Christ as pastors and leaders dealt with long roots of division among themselves that had badly scarred the history of the Gospel in the city. This eventually led to them dealing with apathy and indifference, both toward each other and as a result toward their city.
In 1990, a mighty movement of intercession was initiated with the objective to "fill up the city" with the knowledge of the Lord Jesus by means of prayer for every inhabitant. "Lighthouses of Prayer" ("Casas Luz de Oración") sprang up all around the city where believers began praying for their neighbors - at home, in the schools and in the work places. Pastors began choosing professionals and political leaders as their "neighbors" to pray for them.
As all of this activity mounted, the kingdom of God began coming near to the city through miraculous answers to prayer. Public service projects, like the building of twenty-two ten-thousand-gallon water tanks for marginalized barrios, developed. Reconciliation took place with native Argentines, resulting in revival coming to two tribes, dramatic restoration of natural resources, and the restitution of lands of the part of the federal government. Unified simultaneous evangelistic crusades saturated the city, culminating in a united baptismal service for new believers led by the pastors of the city.
By the beginning of 1991, church population had increased by 102%. The mayor had come to know the Lord. Several court justices professed faith in Christ, along with other public officials and business people. Favor with the people tangibly increased and the Church began to be recognized has having significant value to the city. As a result, the mindset of the Church changed dramatically from ministering to the "fold" primarily - those that come into the building on Sunday - to ministering to the whole flock, i.e., the entire city and it's needs.
What was happening in Resistencia soon began to influence pastors and leaders in other cities in Argentina - Adrogué, La Plata, San Nicolas, Azul, and Mar del Plata, to name a few. Each city developed in a different way, but certain principles began to emerge as constants. Those principles and paradigms are developed in the book, Prayer Evangelism.
In Resistencia today, there are over 100,000 Christians in the city, and 220,000 in the province, making it the most evangelical province in the nation. Resistencia became synonymous with city reaching and laid the foundation for nation transformation.
The nation of Argentina has seen a 2,000 percent growth of born again Christians, according to Silvoso. In the early 1980's, evangelicals in Argentina numbered half of one percent, roughly 200,000 believers. Today, a minimum of 10% of the population, or four million people, are born again. In 1990 the gospel seeds had to be watered with tears as we plowed very rocky ground, but now the Church walks joyfully, 
carrying bountiful sheaves. Today there are cities where it is difficult for sinners to go to hell because the Church has learned to pastor entire cities."
What sets this transformation movement apart is an understanding of spiritual warfare which gets to the root of the problem, instead of dealing only with symptoms. United prayer evangelization has become a powerful key to the transformation. The move of God there is characterized by a passion for the lost, and an intentional networking among leaders. As people see dramatic answers to prayer, many come to the Lord.
Since 1990, Harvest Evangelism has hosted an international conference on prayer evangelism and city reaching, which has now expanded to include the discipling of nations. The purpose of the conference has been established to minister to the nation vs. ministering to the Church only.
Beginning in 2003, Harvest Evangelism has invested itself in developing an alpha prototype for nation and region transformation in Argentina. As part of the project a network of pulpit/pastor leaders has been established in each one of Argentina's 24 provinces - with offshoots rapidly expanding to neighboring countries Uruguay and Paraguay - and more recently marketplace leaders have been added to the mix through the formation of a Christian Chamber of Commerce. This Chamber, established with the blessing of their pastors allows marketplace ministers to internalize and apply the principles for transformation - especially those presented in Ed Silvoso's book Anointed for Business.
This two-prong thrust has bridged the traditional gap between the pulpit and the marketplace and deploy into the harvest fields a highly energized and capable workforce by shifting five key paradigms:
- The Great Commission is primarily about discipling nations, not just people.
- The Marketplace - the heart of the nation - has already been redeemed by Christ and now needs to be reclaimed by the Church.
- Everybody is a minister 24/7 and in such context labor is the most visible expression of worship when done unto the glory of God.
- The main charge given to Christians is not to build the Church - something that Jesus reserved for himself (Matt. 16:15)- but to take the Kingdom of God where the Gates of Hades are to see them crumble.
- Transformation must be tangible and the premier indicator on a social level is the alleviation and/or elimination of systemic poverty.
The shifting of these paradigms and the synergism between pulpit and marketplace ministers has resulted in the emergence of a strong national thrust to see the Argentina, not just its people transformed. Ministers have expanded their vision to include the city as an integral part of their pastoral responsibility. In Argentina, for example, it is not uncommon to hear pastors describing the size of their congregation in terms of the population of their city. By working in unity and equipping the saints - mainly marketplace Christians - to do the work of the ministry, some cities - such as Mar del Plata and Adrogue - have experienced powerful changes in their spiritual climate. As a result police stations, hospitals, factories, businesses, school campuses, banks, etc. have been impacted by Christians that see them as their place of ministry Monday through Saturday, something that is catching the eye of the government and causing it to welcome the Kingdom of God in its midst.
At the very heart of this thrust is a clear understanding that the Church must operate 24/7 all over the city and that labor is the most tangible expression of worship when undertaken for the glory of God. Even though churches have grown significantly, the change in the spiritual climate is not due so much to their size but to the fact that the church - the people - are disseminated all over the city - like light and salt - taking the presence and the power of God to the marketplace, the heart of the city and the region.
To accomplish these objectives, a National Pastors Reference Board for Implementation representing all 24 provinces is providing constant guidance to the national vision. A nation-wide "canopy of prayer" has been set in place to continuously pray for the nation as a whole. At the most recent conference, 260 foreign delegates and 1,500 Argentines also established a National Christian Chamber of Commerce for business, government and professional people.
There is tangible evidence that the church is taking the kingdom of God to the marketplace. After receiving Christ, the president of a political party invited Jesus to be head of his party. One of the most influential couples in the nation received the Lord and invited Jesus to be the CEO of their business group. The founder, president and dean of a leading university "invited Jesus into their lives and onto the campus, acknowledging Him as the Headmaster. The speaker of the house in the most powerful provincial government received the Lord, and the next day she opened the door of the government to Jesus, acknowledging Him as its head.
Ed Silvoso says, "The recent breakthrough in Argentina has exceptional potential because in the same fashion that Resistencia made city transformation credible and subsequently widespread, it could turn the discipling of nations into 'the' premier focus of the Church. Its most unique feature is the salvation of influential leaders who once inside the Kingdom immediately enlist in the 
nation transformation movement, displaying a willingness, even an eagerness to do extraordinary things for God.
"... In Argentina, these new believers did not just accept Jesus in their hearts, they also invited Him into their corporations, political parties, Congress, city hall, etc., because they understood that salvation has come to their house, not just their soul. Because their house -- their sphere of influence -- is so vast, they have been able to open doors for us to minister to the Vice President, to captains of industry, and to politicians. By impacting the marketplace - the heart of the nations - God's kingdom became evident in places where until recently the Gates of Hades had ruled unimpeded. As a result of this, today, we stand on the verge of seeing not just one city, but an entire nation transformed. What an awesome prospect!"
The strength and the vitality of the emerging Argentine prototype has impacted many cities and nations as a result, Harvest Evangelism is now engaged assisting emerging prototypes in Hawaii and Minnesota in addition to soon to emerge ones in other parts of the USA, Canada, the Caribbean region, Mexico and Africa. Furthermore, Harvest Evangelism has received requests from people in authority to assist in the launching of transformational thrusts in Uganda, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Bermuda, Paraguay, Brazil, Philippines, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Singapore. But at the very heart of Harvest Evangelism is the transformation of the Bay Area, the organization's own Jerusalem which is key to the USA.
