Equipping Mission Leaders

From January 16-18, nearly 40 delegates attended PEACE Leader Training at Saddleback’s Rancho Capistrano Retreat Center. Led by Global PEACE Pastor, Mike Contantz and Conference Coordinator, Mary Ann McMillan, the event equipped mission leaders in the full implementation of The PEACE Plan in and through their churches.

In addition to delegates from Saddleback Church, attendees included International Partnering Church (IPC) leaders coaching churches in Haiti, Iraq, China, Liberia, and Botswana. There were also attendees simply wanting to learn more about becoming IPCS, as well as several seeking training for churches in other languages including Arabic.

The three-day training began with an overview of the PEACE Plan and its Biblical foundation, and then offered practical implementation through a four-step process: 1) The Foundation of a healthy church with a solid disciple-making process 2) Mobilization of members to live on-mission personally, locally, and globally 3) Transformation through local PEACE to follow Jesus’ model of going after the lost 4) Expansion to work from church to church, and ultimately complete the mission of going to all the unengaged people groups of the world.

According to Pastor Mike, “This final step moves members from local ministry to a place of crossing geographic, linguistic, and cultural barriers,” he says. “It’s about partnering church-to-church and equipping those church partners through all four steps.”

The main purpose of the training was to provide delegates with tools to establish the PEACE Plan process in their own churches and begin living out Local and Global PEACE. With a deeper understanding of PEACE, delegates are able to take action steps to mobilize members in their own churches as part of the Purpose Driven discipleship process. They will also be better equipped to analyze and think through appropriate responses to relief and environmental situations.

Since The PEACE Plan was first introduced in 2005, the fruits of the labor have been evident through churches around the world gaining tools to become Purpose Driven. In mid-January, Allen Jessee—Senior Pastor of Highlands Fellowship—led a Purpose Driven G3 Graduation in Arusha, Tanzania. This celebration was just one of three other PD graduations including those held in Dodoma, Tanga, and Dar. In total, 175 pastors of influence completed all eight steps of training over the course of a year.

In order for an International Partnering Church—such as Highlands Fellowship—to reach this level of international training, it must have completed PEACE Leadership Training and must be a Purpose Driven Church.

Offered quarterly at Saddleback Rancho Capistrano, and at other PEACE Training Churches around the country, these in-person PEACE training sessions allow for interactive discussion and case studies. Once PEACE Training is complete, church leaders can begin full implementation in and through their own churches.

According to Bob Bradberry, Saddleback’s Global Team Pastor, “With these tools in place, leaders can go back to their home churches and offer their own PEACE Training in each aspect of the letters of PEACE.”

Following the success of this event, another PEACE Leader Training will be held April 10-12, as well as the PEACE Summit in September.

To learn more about being trained in PEACE and the Purpose Driven Movement, visit pd.church.