Jesus Christ asked His church to pray that He would send laborers into the harvest fields. Evangelism Resources operates on the philosophy that this is best done by training indigenous people to complete the Great Commission in their own lands. Bypassing the commitment to support expensive American missionaries in foreign nations, ER focuses on equipping national Christians to reach their own peoples and tribes with the gospel. Founded in 1976 by Dr. Willys and Thelma Braun, ER has provided training for multiple thousands of lay pastors and evangelists who plant and lead churches in rural regions where often there have been none.