Global Stories

Africa - GLS Accelerates Church's Double Vision

Walvis Bay, Namibia. Six years ago, a South African named TobiNel answered a call to help several families plant a new church in the neighboring country of Namibia. Walvis Bay Community Church was founded on a vision to reach local people, but from the beginning they also sensed God’s prompting to be an influence on a national and international level.

Three years ago, a businessman from the church attended The Leadership Summit in the U.S. and invited Tobi Nel to return with him the following year. Inspired by the level of excellence and the personal inspiration he received, Pastor Nel journeyed home longing to bring the GLS to his own country. After contacting GLS leaders in South Africa, he began challenging his congregation on how they might embrace this leadership development opportunity on behalf of their country.

The task was huge, but as their pastor walked them through past Summit sessions, the church became excited about the potential. By this point, Walvis Bay Community Church had grown to 400 people and had purchased a movie house for their services. To host the Summit, however, they’d need half a million Namibian dollars ($63,000 USD) to complete the needed facility renovations and purchase upgraded equipment. As the people began to embrace the bigger vision of impacting their country, the Lord provided the funds.

Afterhosting the first Namibian GLS a year ago, the church was overjoyed with the results. One local pastor, exhausted after 20 years of ministry in a financially struggling congregation, wrote, "Thank you, I was thinking of leaving, but I'm going back fired up and willing to lose everything for the sake of our work." An attendee from a large church in the capitol city, Windhoek, brought the DVDs back to his pastor, who took several days off of work just to process all God was saying to him through the messages. One worship leader, from a small traditional church in the north, returned home and shared what he'd seen and heard. The church, which had previously allowed only the singing of old hymns, made the decision to open their thinking to create more relevant services.

The Walvis Bay Community Church will host the second Namibian GLS, on MONTH, DAY. Like them, we can’t wait to see what God will do next.

Located in west Africa, Namibia is a sparsely populated country of two million people. Like their South African neighbors to the northwest, the country struggles with poverty and the ravages of AIDS. Reaching out to impact their region and country has given Walvis Bay Community Church a new infusion of energy to serve people locally. A defining moment for the congregation came during Gary Haugen's 2008 GLS session: "If you want your leadership to matter, lead in things that matter to God." Although counter to their culture, the church decided to put more resources into outreach. They now fund a project that feeds 100 to 250 township children every day, most who are orphans. Another dramatic change has come from the joy they experienced in serving others through the GLS. Every serving team now wants to "do it GLS style."

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Africa - Fixed Mindset

Most ordinary Zambians have fixed mindset. When you ask most people what they feel about the RB Capital deal, or Chiluba acquittal or lack of leadership at political level, this is what they say: “This is who we are.” “Why should I be concerned? I won’t change anything.” “I am a born loser.” “Zambia is peaceful but unlucky.” “God’s timing is perfect.” “Leaders come from God.” “We are fools and nobody will change that.” “What is there to do?” “What is your cut?”

But we must be concerned. We have children who will be born today who must be provided with quality health care for them to live life to the full years. We have ten-year-old children who must be equipped with character and competency to provide better leadership to benefit this nation. But if this generation can't cope with current problems of corruption and lack of leadership, our children will think bright people are those involved in shoddy deals and that quality leadership is greedy, selfish and self-centred. Currently, we have a nation that does not honor character, hard work, patriotism and competency. And it is becoming harder to find a people who will bother to put so much time and effort into doing well in anything.

The need for mindset change by the government and the citizen is more critical than never before. But who will provide leadership for this mindset change? It won't be the government. Its mind set is fixed-it has the monopoly of wisdom and whatever it does is right. It won't be the ordinary Zambian because it is not his business-his mindset is fixed-that is the way we are as Zambians. In fact most of the resources that are being mismanaged are not his as he is poor; has no job; and does not pay income tax. So, why should the ordinary Zambian worry when its' not his money? "Let those who benefit from the system (lawyers, politicians, selected NGO's and church leaders) talk", says the ordinary Zambian.

Our hope is in the hands of the Christians who form 80% of the Zambian population. Christians are not supposed to have a fixed mindset. The Bible says Christians ought to be transformed by the renewing of their minds everyday. Christians ought to "test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." Christians are not called to throw their hands up in the midst of risks and challenges. Changing mindset requires radical disciple making. Jesus spent three years with ordinary fishermen. At the end of three years their mindset were so transformed that they embarked on a journey to transform the world.

Are you in the business of making disciples? Do you have women and men in your church who have what it take to grow in their mindset and to live by the rule of law? How many people in the church can say they have what it takes to be disciples of Christ? How many in your church have the courage of Peter whereby people can take note that these people love Jesus? Until the church of Christ in Zambia take the commitment to make disciples seriously, Christians and non-Christians alike will say, "There is nothing we can do to change our culture of complacency and corruption."

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Eastern Europe - Bulgaria - Experiencing a Taste of Heaven

When Anton Radoslavov was asked to serve as the technical director for the first GLS in Bulgaria in 2007, he was a little surprised by the detailed instructions he received from the WCA. After all, he worked as a producer and technician for a national Christian TV and radio station. He knew what he was doing. But as he soon discovered, the level of excellence expected in his country, especially for Christian events, was nowhere near what it could be. Working together with WCA representatives Marty O'Connor and Ulf Osterlund, Anton and his team were inspired to offer up their best in service to God and the Church.

This has created a seismic shift in Anton’s approach to ministry. No longer does he view himself as just a technician, but rather an instrument used by God to help communicate the vision, inspiration, and skill development that so many pastors and leaders in Bulgaria desperately need. God can use him to help redeem and restore his country. Realizing this has changed everything for him.

Looking for additional opportunities to fuel his passion and serve the Kingdom, in May 2009, Anton volunteered on the technical team for WCA’s Student Ministries Conference in Nuremberg, Germany. Together, with more than 50 volunteers from around the world, Anton and this team served more than 4,000 student leaders looking to get better at reaching the next generation for Christ in Germany. According to Anton, “It was an awesome experience that gave me a taste of heaven, a place where you are serving exactly as you were created to be.” Returning to Bulgaria, he felt a very real, but quiet confirmation from the Holy Spirit that he was living life to its fullest.

Bulgaria Facts:

Population: 7.2 million
Religious Breakdown: Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4%
Political: Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.

GLS Attendance:

2007: 165
2008: 187
2009: Pending

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Eastern Europe - Estonia

We have thousand reasons every day to worship God and one of those have been last days GLS in Estonia. It was one highlight or bright spot :-) of the year for more than 500 people. And we want to thank you personally and all Willow family for enabling us to use this powerful tool for our church leaders! We really believe that there will be changes in leaders lives and through them also churches and communities will change.

This year has been very meaningful in Christian landscape in Estonia. In May we had Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham in Tallinn. There were 30,000 people in three days gathering in the biggest sports arena of Estonia. More than 1,000 people gave their life to Jesus or renewed their relationship with Jesus. We that it was very important event for Christian family in Estonia. At the same time I hope churches have realized, that we can't change our country with just one big event. The change starts among ourselves every day if we are opened to that. And that's what GLS is up to. We must believe, that the church is the hope of the world every day and we must proclaim it to the society. So, I believe that GLS this year have given really hope and strength to the churches who have been also part of the Festival of Hope.

We are very glad, that there were lot of young people participating in GLS and I am sure that many of them will be our future leaders. Wouldn't it be just great if GLS is the place where young people get their calling to be a leaders and who commit themselves to God's kingdom! Estonian Christian ministry needs such young people so much. I am sure that GLS has made history in Estonia and not only made, but also changed history of Estonia :-) . We might not even be aware of the impact of GLS here.

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Western Europe - Germany - Doris Kühn – A Children’s Ministry Transformed

In a country where healthy, vibrant churches are all but extinct; God is breathing life into the stifled body of Christ through the ministries of the Willow Creek Association.

The church in Germany is alive, but barely. Consisting of two separate movements, the state church and the evangelical church, most congregations are made up of 60 some members. There may be a handful of children, but generally, as these children grow into their teenage years, they fall away from the church. As the older members of the churches age and pass on, so do the churches.

Enter Doris Kühn, a pioneer of sorts. A petite blonde woman with shining blue eyes, her passion and vision for children's ministry far exceed her stature. 7 years ago, early on in the Willow Creek Association's ministry in Germany, Kühn attended a Promiseland conference for the first time. It was here that she was first inspired to dream about what a children’s ministry could be. She left determined to start one of these dynamic, growing ministries in her own church.

Her church, Evangelisch Stadtmission, was a typical German church in the town of Nidda, Germany. About 60 members, with just 10 or 12 children. A volunteer would stay with the kids on Sunday morning, which was usually little more than babysitting. As a result, fewer and fewer children had any interest in coming to their church. But, after experiencing the Promiseland Conference, Kühn knew it could be more, and she had a vision to see that realized in her church.

With the approval of a supportive pastor, she cast a vision to the volunteers of the existing children's program. They were so inspired by her words that they canvassed the whole town with fliers and banners, placing ads in the local newspaper and going directly to the schools where the children studied to invite them directly. In their very first meeting, there was a huge turn-out of 60 kids. Abenteuerland – literally Adventureland, was born.

Now in its 7th year, the program averages between 40 and 60 kids during their Friday afternoon meeting – roughly the same attendance as the church which sponsors it. 80% of the kids in their ministry are not from the families of the church, but invited by children excited to bring their friends. While most ministries of this sort in Germany usually die out in the first couple of years, the longevity of Abenteuerland has largely been due to the leadership of Kühn, and her leadership has been sharpened by attending Promiseland conferences. "The training I received at the conference has helped me understand how to lead the team," Kühn tells. "Many of the children's volunteers I know have stopped doing Promiseland because their teams broke down." One of the biggest keys in a successful children's ministry is keeping your team intact. "Training at the conference helped me understand how to lead the team."

"I never expected that from our small church, something like this could happen," says Kühn. "It wouldn't have happened without Willow's ministry. I am sure that one of the important parts of Promiseland is that the message of the Bible is at the center. Some churches make a good program, but the difference with Promiseland is that the Bible is at the center."

The ripple effect of this ministry has begun to have its impact. Where initially there were no teenagers at Kühn's church, the original kids who started in Abenteuerland are now in their teens. Called "Reach Hessen" – the region where Nidda is located, these youth now have their own ministry complete with small groups and an intern. These same kids now serve as leaders in Abenteuerland where they first learned about Christ.

Imagine the impact of a child who finds Christ at a young age in a country where Christ is largely absent. Imagine what could be if that same child spent his formative years being taught by committed, loving volunteers about the love and grace of his Savior and his Savior's passion to see the rest of his country and the world come to know him. With the help of the Willow Creek Association, Kühn is working hard to multiply the impact of that vision.

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Asia - Singapore - The Impact of An Event: Vincent's Story

Many of us can remember a time when we sensed God clearly speaking to us. For some, it was a defining moment that radically impacted our life. In fact, we could not imagine our life had it not been for that experience and the ensuing journey it launched us on. That is the story of one WCA pastor in Singapore.

Vincent Lun is the Senior Pastor of RiverLife Church in Singapore. RiverLife was planted in 1991 by Vincent and a team from Bartley Christian Church in what was once an unchurched community in Singapore. In a mostly Buddhist country with only 10-15% of the population identifying as Christian, the need for a thriving church in every community is great.

Five years into his journey at RiverLife, Vincent was at a crossroads in his life. Feeling as if his temperament and gifting were not cut out for what he believed was the traditional role of a pastor, he was wrestling with the idea of returning to the marketplace where he began his career. Then, while attending a conference in Australia, he heard Bill Hybels talk on the critical importance of leadership in the church. Hearing for the very first time that leadership, strategic planning, and team building were not only needed in the church, but vital for the church to prevail was incredibly freeing to Vincent. He finally felt he had permission to pastor a church from his gifting, rather than feeling confined to the traditional roles and expectations of others. It was through this experience that Vincent received new direction and purpose in his role as a senior pastor.

With renewed zeal for the local church and a passion to reach people far from God, Vincent returned to Singapore excited to put his leadership gift to work. Like all great leaders, Vincent realized he had to develop his own leadership, but also the leadership potential in those around him. Playing a critical role in his team's development were the talks they listened to from The Leadership Summit, WCA's annual training event that took place in the United States. Each year they focused on applying a few key principles and gradually saw the effectiveness and impact of their church improve.

As The Leadership Summit grew into a global event, Vincent was one of many pastors asked to be part of the first Global Leadership Summit in Singapore. Since 2006, more than 2,100 people from more than 100 churches have been able to attend the Summit in Singapore. God is using the Summit to transform churches their country.

This year, the first Chinese speaking Summit in Singapore will take place—opening up even more opportunities for every local church in their country to prevail. Not only are Vincent and these other pastors impacting leaders in Singapore, but they are also transforming their region by freeing up their staff, resources, and facilities to train other countries hosting the Summit in Asia. Simply put, these pastors have developed a heart and passion to see the local church prevail throughout their region of the world.

We hope you'll join us in prayer that God uses events like the Summit to "free up" thousands of leaders around the world, just like Vincent.

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Asia - Philippines - From Clovis Hill Community Church in Fresno, California

We have a relationship with two pastors in the Philippines and we are helping to plant some churches there. Out of the missions budget we sent the pastors to the Global Summit. Though expensive for them, it costs only $17 per person registration and $25 for hotel nights. Quite affordable for us to send them. It is our desire that those in under resourced areas would have the same training we are blessed to have at Clovis Hills. No less for them — we are partners in Kingdom work.

See his response:

My beloved in the Lord,

God is really good all the time. We are so thankful and blessed by what have been wonderfully and tremendously unexpected once in a life time kind of experience to be apart in these Global leadership summit. We learned a lot of things related to my leadership as a church planter and of course how to manage a local church. I and my wife, Pastor Albert and his wife Joy, wants to thank you for your generosity, and desire for us to be trained and equipped so that we could be able to do the work of God more easy and more effective. We learned so much from the speakers, Bill Hybels, he taught leading in a new reality; Wayne Cordero, teaches dead leader running, Harvey Carey, teaches against all odds, Dr. Wess stafford, of Compassion International he teached liveraging your past and many others. This conference contributed so much knowledge in our work in the ministry especially serving the Lord in doing church planting. We believe this is not just the beginning and the last conference of Global leadership summit, as far as we know they are holding every year in the philippines. About the hotel accomodation is very nice and we have eat all you can breakfast unforgetable experience. Glory be to God and yes of course, we are thankful about it. God bless you all, see you all soon on February 2010.

Thanks,

Ptr. Ding and Family

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Oceania - GLS 2009 Adelaide, Australia Finished - Personal Reflections

This 'report' is not like usual. It is not a list of the amazing moments of the GLS in Adelaide…although it has been an amazing time! More than anything…apart from the highlights evident amongst everyone else, my heart has been ministered to over the past 24 hours.

I came into this Summit run a few weeks ago feeling weary. Months of emails, vision-casting, planning, strategising has left me feeling drained and tired at the thought of leading another event.

Today, as Stafford spoke, God began a process of melting and then strengthening. I was facilitating this session and we had a 'ministry moment' planned. After Stafford, people were going to be invited to write their burdens down on a small piece of paper they were given as they entered the auditorium for this session, and then come to a cross that had been set up at the front of the stage area and place them there at the feet of Jesus. They would then be able to move to tables/ushers situated around the room to partake in communion. Even as I spoke to the delegates about allowing God to carry our burdens, the Holy Spirit began to speak to my heart. The worship team began to sing 'Breathe and the presence of God settled on us all. It was hard to stand and lead the people in this time as indeed my heart was touched so deeply. I was able to place my 'piece of paper' at the cross and then spend time watching others move all over the auditorium to do the same. The team began to sing 'Amazing Grace, my chains are gone' and there was a sense of victory in the room. I felt the Lord reach down and just fill me afresh.

We sat while over 600 people moved gently and reverently through the room…laying down burdens and taking communion whilst worshipping…and I was very much not overseeing them, but amongst them. The other facilitator finished the session and dismissed everyone to lunch, yet many of us just sat as the sounds of the worship team and the musicians gently washed over us. There was no hurry to lunch, no rushing to leave this moment where God supernaturally spoke and restored hearts.

So often in leadership and in our roles, we give and give and give. We don't always have the privilege of the time to withdraw from this…however, we do have the opportunity to engage in the midst of what we do. We can either sit and plan the next thing, checking runsheets, making sure people are ready for the next task…or every now and then we can turn our eyes toward Jesus and allow him to 'renew us on the run'. The message to me more than ever was about where my heart is when I am leading. If it truly remains on Christ and a readiness for Him to touch my life and the lives of others [in amongst the role I hold] then He becomes my strength. He becomes my motivation. He renews and restores as I serve. I live what I am asking others to do. Only God!

During this ministry moment, I lay burdens at the cross today that I will not pick up again. They belong to the Lord. Different ones knelt, others stood with arms in victory. All different expressions of a God who is alive and strengthening His Kingdom. Praise Him and Him alone.

My heart is full and the calling is strong.

Karen Wilson
GLS Australasia

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