For more than three decades, pastor and anti-child trafficking advocate Troy Brewer has stepped into some of the darkest places on Earth.
He has helped rescue nearly 13,000 children from traffickers across multiple nations. Yet after decades on the front lines, Brewer believes the greatest obstacle isn’t a lack of awareness.
It’s the silence of the Church.
Speaking with Julie Green, Brewer challenged Christians to stop viewing child trafficking as someone else’s problem and instead recognize it as one of the defining spiritual battles of our generation.
‘It’s after your kids’
Brewer said one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding human trafficking is that it only happens overseas or in major cities.
“The biggest misconception is I would say that it’s over there and it doesn’t affect us,” Brewer said. “You don’t understand it’s in your neighborhood, it’s after your kids, I mean, right now it’s in your part of the world.”
He warned parents not to underestimate the role technology now plays in grooming children.
“If you’re giving your kids a telephone, you are giving access to predators to your children,” Brewer said. “Just because you’re ignorant of it doesn’t mean that they’re not.”
Brewer said his teams routinely investigate cases involving children lured from their homes through online communication before being trafficked.
‘If we don’t fight this, nobody else is coming’
While many assume governments or international organizations are addressing the crisis, Brewer argued the responsibility ultimately falls on the body of Christ.
“The governments of the world are not fighting this,” he said. “If godly people do not fight this, there is nobody else that is coming.”
Brewer added:
“I promise you, the UN is not fighting this. I promise you, Hollywood is not fighting this. … It’s only the body of Jesus worldwide that is actually fighting this.”
According to Brewer, child trafficking has become the world’s largest criminal enterprise.
“There’s a reason why this is a $236 billion a year industry,” he said. “It is the world’s largest criminal enterprise.”
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A call for the Church to act
Rather than remaining focused on internal debates, Brewer urged Christians to become actively involved in confronting evil.
“We’re worried about, is it pre-trib or post-trib,” Brewer said. “We’re worrying about, are you supposed to dunk somebody, are you supposed to sprinkle them? Give me a break, get up in the name of Jesus, and let’s do something.”
He also challenged what he described as a passive approach to Christianity.
“This is something we should be doing,” Brewer said. “It’s not something I should be doing… We all take ownership within this thing.”
For Brewer, combating child trafficking requires more than awareness campaigns.
It demands prayer, financial support, practical involvement and Christians willing to stand against evil.
Spiritual warfare requires spiritual people
Brewer repeatedly described child trafficking as more than organized crime.
He believes it is also a spiritual battle.
“The body of Jesus needs to catch up, and we need to believe, because the bad guys believe that this is a spiritual warfare,” Brewer said.
That conviction shapes the way his ministry approaches rescues around the world.
Alongside investigations and rescue operations, Brewer said the long-term work of restoring children is just as important as bringing them out of trafficking.
‘We need to stop being nice about this’
Brewer also challenged what he sees as a misunderstanding of Christian kindness.
“We are not called to be nice,” he said. “We are called to be kind.”
He continued by reminding Christians that Christ will return in power.
“When He comes back, He’s coming back to kick butt and to take names,” Brewer said. “He came to be the Lamb the first time. He is coming now to be the Lion, and you and I need to take up the charge… we need to stop being nice about this.”
The battle belongs to all of us
Brewer said his organization currently cares for more than 6,500 rescued children around the world, but he believes the mission extends far beyond one ministry.
“We’re not just trying to do a campaign,” Brewer said. “We’re trying to literally create a movement in the body of Jesus for people to go… and fight this thing.”
Rescuing children is not simply another ministry opportunity. It is a call for us to confront darkness with both compassion and courage. His message throughout the interview remained consistent: if we expect the child trafficking crisis to end, we cannot wait for someone else to answer the call.
To watch Julie Green’s full interview with Pastor Troy Brewer, click here.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
