from your FTT Clearinghouse
Dear FTT Partners, Patrons, and Supporters:
What an amazing 4 th quarter this has been! 2023 is ending with winds of revival and renewal stirring on every continent.
Reports from you and so many other coworkers in fields all around the world confirm that a giant wave of God’s Spirit is growing globally. As the clearinghouse of the FTT movement, we have the privilege of hearing your stories and reports of how this renewed emphasis on the Great Commission of Jesus is spontaneously occurring at the same time in thousands of
different places.
At this very moment, while you read this, God is renewing all kinds of churches, denominations, networks, and ministries in fresh new ways as they have caught the vision of completing the Great Commission in the next decade. This mighty group of Christian Allies has committed to doing their part in the next ten years as we move toward 2033. Pentecost Sunday 2033 will be the 2000th birthday of the Church!
Already, denominations and churches are planning their celebrations but those who have committed to Finishing The Task believe that the greatest birthday gift we could give Jesus on the 2000 th Birthday of the Body of Christ on earth would be to obey the very last instructions Jesus gave us before he returned to heaven. God wants his lost children found.
We wish you had the time to hear the many stories and reports we receive about how Jesus is working in big ways to revitalize and mobilize his church. But let us summarize what we all learned from this fourth quarter:
We know without any doubt that the Holy Spirit is preparing Christ’s Church for something big. We know this because churches, denominations, and ministries in vastly different contexts and nations are reporting the same signs of revitalization and a new sense of expectation about the Great Commission. These are churches and ministries that have no connection or even knowledge of each other, but they are reporting the same thing, often using the exact same phases!
As you know, the purpose of the FTT Clearinghouse is to share free tools, training, encouragement, and ideas between the tens of thousands of partner churches, organizations, and denominations collaborating together for the Great Commission. Like the Allies in World War II, everyone in the FTT global movement is serving under their own flag but we share a common objective: the completion of the Great Commission in the next 10 years.
In this 4th quarter, over 20,000 more pastors around the world received some kind of FTT orientation and training.
Follow-Up of Thousands of Pastors Trained at Amsterdam2023
Much of the past three months was used to connect with the pastors who came to Amsterdam for a week in June to receive Great Commission training. Over 5,500 attenders came from 151 nations! We are committed to continuing to provide practical tools and additional training to these servants of Christ on every continent as they seek to do their part in finishing the task.
In October, Over 7,000 Asian Pastors Caught the FTT Vision at a Conference in
Seoul, Korea
In October, one of our FTT Ambassadors, Pastor Rick Warren presented the vision of Finishing the Task at Sarang Church, where Dr. John Oh and Dr. Sam Ko are pastors. Sarang is a Partner Church for Finishing the Task in Asia.
In November, Thousands of Africa Pastors from 39 Nations Attended The First FTT Healthy Church Conference in Kigali, Rwanda.
A teaching team of four well-known pastors from Africa and North America assisted Pastor Rick Warren in this training. These pastors shared how they are implementing the practical strategies that mobilized their own churches to become healthy and growing, then sending out their members for the Great Commission. Because we ran out of chairs, notebooks, and lunches, the doors had to be closed after the first 3,200 pastors registered. The training was simultaneously translated into 3 languages showing unity through diversity.
There is a great hunger for FTT Healthy Church training around the world. That’s why in 2024, the Finishing the Task Clearinghouse is adding a number of free tools and training events including:
The MADE FOR MORE Healthy Church Campaign will be available free for any local church to use. This 6-week all-church campaign is designed to revitalize and mobilize every member and every age for their Life Mission. Free campaign materials include weekend
messages, small group studies, project ideas, and a daily devotional guide. We are in the process of translating these tools into major languages. The Daily Devotional Guide has been translated into 180 languages.
THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE HEALTHY CHURCH MASTER COURSE will launch online in January. This 36-session course taught by Pastor Rick Warren, will be available free to all pastors who commit to mobilizing their church to be a part of Finishing the Task. Sharing his 53 years of experience in growing churches, Rick will mentor these pastors on a weekly basis.
Participants who complete this course will have the opportunity to earn diploma or degree credits from either Spurgeon’s College in the U.K. or Rockbridge Seminary in the U.S.A. Other Christian colleges are expected to join the Higher Education Great Commission Coalition soon.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support. You are making a difference all around the globe and we provide these resources for free to pastors everywhere. Early in 2024, we’ll send you a schedule of training events offered in the first quarter. We’d love for you to
attend and experience it firsthand!
To learn more about the role you can play in this global movement of all Christians follow us on social media, or email us at [email protected].
