Celebrating Bruce and Lisa Triplehorn: 35 Years of Faithful Service
January 2025
“If the gospel is so accessible in the United States, why would we stay here?” That’s the question God used to lead Bruce and Lisa Triplehorn to the mission field. Now after 35 fruitful years of ministry with Encompass, they plan to retire at the end of January 2025. Originally an entomologist by trade—a scientist who studies insects—Bruce traveled to Latin America for his doctoral studies where he saw how open the people were to the gospel and how dire their need was for leadership training. After that, they felt God calling them to international missions and responded by moving to Brazil in 1990. In Brazil, the Triplehorns poured 25 years into church planting, discipleship, and leader development. “Ministry has to be in the hands of the people,” Bruce says with a passion for raising up local leaders. God used Bruce’s passion to develop leaders like Soares and Antonio. Soares was a former military police officer who led 17 colleagues to Christ and became a pastor, and Antonio was a physics teacher who mobilized evangelistic bike trips to remote villages. In 2013, Bruce and Lisa felt God shifting their focus to Africa, because of the urgent need for leadership training there.
Based in the U.S. but traveling frequently, Bruce became the director of a school of missiology and spearheaded the “Wake Up Project,” which equips local church leaders in Africa with practical tools to multiply disciples and build living churches. “Seeing living churches is one of the greatest joys of being a missionary,” Bruce shares. “Living churches are ones where people experience God’s presence and are transformed by His power.” Meanwhile, Lisa faithfully supported these efforts while finding unique ways to share the gospel—whether translating for patients in a dental clinic or mentoring women in ministry. God used her adaptability and servant’s heart to enrich every community they served.
Now Bruce and Lisa are retiring from their current roles, and transitioning to serve with Encompass on Special Assignment. This new chapter allows them to take trips, write material, and mentor leaders—but with less intensity and as volunteers. Bruce says, “Retirement is not sitting on a rocking chair on the porch—it’s a time to do the things you couldn’t get to before, and a time to hand off the ministry to the next generation.” We’re so thankful for the Triplehorns’ 35 years of service as global workers. They came to God with a willingness to “go,” and in exchange, He developed countless leaders through them on multiple continents. As Bruce says, “It’s such a joy to see the people I worked with now leading others to Christ.”
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