“Are you willing to lead a big life, a life with a big kingdom impact?” Jake Duke, broker/owner at Duke Collective based in Bargersville, decided he was and so has served in religious missionary roles since August 2014.
As an international lead trainer and director of the Global Refugee Outreach (GRO) for missionary nonprofit Biglife Global, Jake serves in many countries alongside indigenous people, partnering with them to help reach people for Jesus. In essence, he trains them with reproducible tools they can make into their own to share God’s story. He says many times, his efforts are coupled with crisis caring for urgent needs, such as food and blankets.
"There are so many people in the world who are hurting, broken or searching for purpose and truth. God’s heart is for those people. He is near them. I want to be right there with Him. It’s not just overseas, but it's also in our own backyard. We're called to be His love right where we are in every moment," explains Jake.
Biglife began as a ministry using sports as a unique tool to share the gospel in restricted countries, and since has grown into a cutting-edge church planting and discipleship ministry with 20,000-plus churches established in more than 130 countries.
"Ever since I was 6 years old, the Lord has drawn my heart to be around people who've never heard the name of Jesus. That word spoken to my heart so many years before has never left," Jake recalls.
He says in 2014 he traveled with a group to a Central Asian country and personally witnessed the power of God in ways he never thought he would.
"God began opening doors in many places around the globe to share His amazing love story. Similar to the Book of Acts, we go and raise up local leaders who already know the language, culture and people. It’s important for sustained movement and healthy growth to simply pass along Biblical tools and principles, and not American-based models. In short, locals lead as we walk alongside as brothers and sisters. That’s why I love Biglife, because it's about advancing the Kingdom of God."
Nations that Jake has worked within span Cuba, Brazil, Iraq, India, Nepal, Jordan, Armenia, Moldova, Turkey, Greece, Syria, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Canada, United States, several Island nations and displaced peoples of various nations from global crisis zones.
"We're just as active in the United States, with a longing to see disciples of Jesus making more disciples of Jesus, and we have a large network of multiplying churches that gather from home to home in simple ways. It's such a joy as we go for people to see, maybe for the first time, that they have a Creator who loves them and has great purpose for them," Jake states.
For 2025, Jake says local teams are hosting a disciple-making training for those interested to grow in how to be a disciple who makes more disciples for Jesus. He concludes: "What it came down to for me is: Do I want to live a little life in my own little world? Or do I want to live a Biglife? A life that's not my own – but for Him."