News

Pray for God’s peace, love, and hope in a world of turmoil “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Phil 4:6 (NIV)

As we in the United States gather at our Thanksgiving tables this week, let us be grateful for the many blessings in our lives, remembering “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 (NIV).And as we reflect on what God has done this year, let us remember those whose lives have been forever changed by worlds that are shifting – torn apart by war, tumult and destruction. Many people around the world—including our brothers and sisters in Christ—have suffered greatly this year. Many have experienced persecution, been forced to leave their homeland, been robbed of their possessions, feared for their lives, or lost loved ones. When you offer prayers of thanksgiving, we invite you to ask God to reveal ways that you can you offer God’s hope to those who are suffering today. There is darkness in this world. But we are called to be the light of the world! Pray for those whose lives are filled with fear and uncertainty. In Romans 15:30, Paul urges the believers “to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.” Join us in praying for those who struggle. Then ask God how He is leading you to share His light, His love, and His hope in this lost and broken world.

Sitting in the audience of 2,500 pastor trainers from 100 countries around the world: humbling, inspiring, energizing!

That is how I felt as a participant in the first Global Proclamation Congress recently held in Bangkok, Thailand. Ramesh Richard of the Dallas Theological Seminary convened the Congress. The chief goal is better-trained pastors – thousands of them. I attended, along with Timothy Olonade, our Vice President of International Training, to launch Lystra Global, a system designed to support international pastor training. The response was overwhelming.

Thank you for your prayers and financial support of all we are doing. Completing The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible® series this month is an incredible milestone for the ministry. The Lord is opening doors for even more pastors, leaders and scholars to use the material. Markets in the UK and Australia are opening. Prison Fellowship is using our material as they train new pastors behind bars. And we are exploring the possibility of using Outline Bible Resources as high school curriculum for home schoolers.

Our prayer is that God will use those who, for centuries, have been providing insight and oversight of His Word to reach the next generation of His “proclaimers” – opening hearts and minds around the world to His love and the Good News of His Son!

Thanks again for partnering with us by praying, connecting and giving. It is making a difference!

Dave Worland, President/CEO, Leadership Ministries Worldwide

NOTES FROM THE GLOBAL PROCLAMATION CONGRESS

• The world population is 7.4 billion
• 50,000 new believers are baptized each day, creating a need for 1,000 pastors to shepherd their faith
• 5 million new faith communities will be planted in the next 4 years – but at the current rate, 70% of them will fail in the first year
• Of the 2.2 million leaders shepherding congregations, only 5% of them are trained for ministry

With the publication of Psalms Volume 3 (Chapters 107-150), Leadership Ministries Worldwide celebrates a milestone: every book of the Bible is now outlined verse by verse, with commentary, support Scripture, and practical application. This outstanding series assists pastors, teachers, and Bible students to better understand God’s Word and to fulfill His call to preach or teach His Word. The King James Version is complete, and the New International Version will soon follow. Praise God!

This work of love began in 1955, when the author of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® began outlining Scripture in his devotional time while in college. In 1970, he felt God calling him to prepare the outlines for God’s people.

In the 1980s, he was led by the Lord to begin writing the commentary, using all of the resources he could find, including commentaries, historical texts, original language studies, and theological wisdom and writings from over the centuries. He also felt led by God to remain anonymous, giving God alone all credit and honor for the writing.

Today, our series is one of the most popular commentaries available for pastors and Christian leaders. More than 1 million pastors worldwide are being equipped and empowered as they study from the series. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® can be found in 175 countries, with portions of the series translated into 17 languages.

There is still work to be done! We are excited about the future and are prayerfully considering the direction God wants us to take in regards to new writing. And of course, we will be revising, updating, and refreshing the series to make it as effective as it can be for the servants of God. Please join us in prayer for the future work to be done, and join us in celebrating this great accomplishment: the completion of The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^®.

DID YOU KNOW?

• About half of people who regularly read the Bible turn most often to the Psalms
• At 150 chapters, Psalms is the longest book in the Bible
• Psalm 117 is the shortest chapter in the Bible
• Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible

Gideon Umukoro of Akure, Nigeria, visited the Leadership Ministries Worldwide office in June, 2016. Gideon is affiliated with Equipping Leaders Internationally (ELI), and is eager to get quality resources like The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® to pastors in Nigeria.

“Pastors here have a passion for their call. They have a gift for bringing people together; but they don’t know how to feed them.The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® is a great reference source that is easy for pastors to understand. It uses simple language that a carpenter, a farmer, a fisherman can understand. Educated seminarians use it, but the semi-literate can also grasp the biblical truths presented. When we give this resource to a small village pastor, it is like giving them food. . . It is like a hook – they can go to a stream and catch fish for God!”

Gideon signed up as a trainer on Lystra Global, giving him unlimited access to The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® and other resources that he can share with pastors worldwide.

Leadership Ministries Worldwide’s Online Biblical Training System

In Acts 16, the apostle Paul met a young man named Timothy in the city of Lystra. As Paul mentored this new “son in the faith,” Timothy became an effective leader in the early church, helping Paul establish and shepherd many of the first congregations of believers.

Today, millions of trainers, missionaries, and church planters in the global church are raising up and training the next generation of leaders like Timothy. As many as 85% of them have no biblical training. Lystra Global was developed by Leadership Ministries Worldwide as a powerful tool using technology to train, connect, and empower this new generation.

Cloud-Based Software for Training, Translating, and Theological Resources

Lystra Global is a unique software system that makes biblical resources and training easily accessible. The system connects Bible trainers to students, trainers to trainers, and all users to The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® and other resources that will empower them to preach and teach effectively. A cloud-based, crowd-sourced translating system allows resources to be translated into languages spoken around the world.

Launching Lystra Global

The Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers, Bangkok, Thailand, June, 2016

Enthusiasm has been high among our international ministry partners who are testing Lystra Global. We will launch Lystra Global this summer at the Global Proclamation Congress in Thailand – a conference with anticipated attendance of over 5,000 Bible trainers from countries worldwide. Introducing this unique system to so many international trainers gives us the opportunity to put The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible^® in the hands of thousands of pastors.

At Leadership Ministries Worldwide, we believe that as God’s Word is preached by pastors who are trained and mentored in the faith, and as the Holy Spirit moves, the lives of individuals are changed, and communities are transformed. We invite you to partner with us by praying for the successful launch of Lystra Global and that it will be used for God’s glory as pastors are trained, connected, and empowered.

Learn more about Lystra Global HERE.