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The work of missions has always been the heartbeat of The Mission Church. Since 1990, we were sending and supporting missionaries as well as conducting short term missionary projects in South America, Africa and India. In the beginning our efforts focused on evangelism and church growth until 1997 when we felt led to concentrate our efforts more on training leaders. The more we worked with indigenous peoples we began to realize that their greatest need was not evangelism, it was leadership development.
We believe that evangelizing unreached peoples is of great importance. However, if pastors and church leaders are not trained to manage the growth enerated by evangelism, their ministries become frustrated and ineffective. The result is a failure to assimilate and disciple new converts. Instead of being integrated into the body of Christ, many of these will revert to cultural traditions and contaminate the Faith with heathen practices.
In 1997, we conducted our first leadership seminar in the Migori District of Kenya, East Africa. It was modestly attended by about 20 pastors, but was a great success. We avoided the usual hype and emotionalism often emphasized in African charismatic circles and focused on topics essential to effective leadership: the character and integrity of church leaders. Every pastor who attended praised our efforts and the vision for Global Leadership Training was born.
Over the next few years, we continued to develop our vision and refine our training material. Additional projects were conducted in South America and India. We were beginning to develop a network of pastors who would eventually serve as our promoters and conference coordinators for future events. In 2000, Global Leadership Training held several more conferences in Uganda and Kenya. Our teachings on character and pastoral ethics were gaining a much wider audience as more pastors responded to these needed teachings on practical ministry values.
2001 brought our vision for Global Leadership Training to a much higher standard. We conducted a ministry tour through Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya reaching over 1,300 pastors and church leaders. Also that year, we launched Leadership Teaching Magazine in which English speaking pastors could subscribe to and receive quarterly teachings on leadership and character free of charge. This magazine has been agreat success and is presently subscribed to over 4,000 English speaking pastors around the world.
By 2002 we had established a staff of conference coordinators throughout Africa and India. Pastor Andrew Ephraim, our West Africa Conference Coordinator held his first venue in Accra Ghana in November 2002 in which over 1,100 attended. A second conference was also conducted in the northern city of Kumasi. Rev. William Dontoh’s quote, General Superintendent of Ghana Assemblies of God was present at our conference to voice his support and encouragement.
Iin 2004 Global Leadership escalated its activity even more. Not only did our ministry mature to a higher level of planning, coordinating and execution, we began to providing more substantive material in the conferences including Pastor Gregg Johnson’s books "The Character of Leadership," "Raising the Standard of Leadership" and "Ethics for Church Leaders." In February of 2004, we held a conference in Nairobi Kenya, under the direction of Pastor Charles Mulema Kinusu our East Africa Conference Coordinaor; over 600 pastors attended from across the nation. From there we went to Uganda and held another venue for over 700 pastors and church leaders. In April of 2004, we held two conferences in India: one in Faridabad (outside of Delhi) and another in Panjim, Goa. Over 500 pastors and church leaders attended. Later that year, in November, we held another conference in Accra Ghana in which more than 1,200 pastors and church leaders attended from 5 different West African nations.
In 2005, we returned to East Africa to conduct another conference in Nairobi Kenya for 700 pastors. We rejoiced to be joined by delegates from various East African countries such as Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Congo and Rwanda. Rev. Jean Gatabazi's, the General Superintendent of Rwanda Assemblies of God attended and extended an invitation for us to launch Global Leadership in his country. In connection with this conference, Global Leadership combined efforts with The Mission Church to conduct several medical clinics in which over 6,000 patients were treated in Nairobi and Migori, Kenya.
In January 2006, we were compelled to return to Goa, India. The response was overwhelming as over 700 pastors and church leaders attended from as far away as Mumbai (Bombay) City. Also in 2006, we conduted our third West Africa conference in Accra Ghana in which over 700 attended.
In August of 2007, we conducted an East Africa conference tour through three countries: Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda and trained over 1,400 leaders. In February of 2008, we held an introductory conference in Bangalore, India for 300 pastors and church leaders and in the summer of 2008, conducted leadership conferences in Tanzania and Ghana for more than 2,300 pastors, church, corporate and civic leaders.
As Global Leadership expands, so does our vision. Not only do our conferences provide an opportunity for indigenous pastors to receive ongoing professional training, it also offers local, American pastors to experience missions in a very profound and rewarding way. For the past few years we have been bringing pastors from New York to New Jersey and as far away as North Carolina and even Africa to join us as conference presenters. Pastors from various denominations including Assemblies of God as well as a District and Sectional Officers have ministered in our conferences as lecturers.
To date, Global Leadership Training has made great strides. We presently employ 5 conference coordinators in 4 different countries and have a very effective system for organizing and conducting our venues. Contrary to common practices in most third world settings, we have developed an ambitious pre registration protocol which requires a minimal registration fee and provides meals, housing and sometimes transportation for those who pre-register. Also as part of the conference package, we give out complimentary books on leadership, a conference lecture manual, teaching tapes, a free subscription to our magazine and other conference amenities. Our conferences have become especially effective with the use of power point presentations that compliment our lecture materials (where possible).
We thank God for His blessing and great provision which has grown Global Leadership Training from a simple 20 student seminar to an international ministry reaching thousands of pastors with essential training on character, integrity and pastoral ethics.
If you would like to contact us to participate in a conference or partner with us financially, click here.
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