| Dear friends, As you read this, I am currently in the far northeast state of Tripura, India – where the vision for GTN was birthed 20 years ago. Back in the mid-1990s, I was a Senior Pastor, and our church plant adopted an unreached people group (the Borok) in partnership with The JESUS Film Project (a ministry of CRU). Through that partnership, several thousand Borok people came to faith in Christ. On training trips, I always asked the pastors what their greatest need was and how our church could help. The same answer always came back: “We need pastoral and leadership training for all of our young (in faith) leaders.” This led our congregation to begin providing pastoral and leadership training to the young leaders of these fledgling churches. Seven years after launching this project to reach the Borok people for Christ, while Lisa and I sat on a rooftop overlooking the landscape of India, God grabbed my heart. He impressed upon me this thought, ‘Paul, I want you to spend the second half of your life investing in pastors and leaders in places like this. I’ve blessed you to be a blessing to the nations’ (Psalm 67). The seeds of Global Training Network were birthed there—among some of the most impoverished and least-resourced pastors on earth. |
| Psalm 67:1-2 tells us, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” In other words, we’ve been blessed for a reason. And the reason we have been blessed is to ‘be a blessing to all nations.’ God’s blessings, though intended for our delight and enjoyment, were never meant to end there. Ultimately, they are meant to go through us to bless others for His glory. As I sat on that rooftop 20 years ago, I realized I was a steward of the blessings God had given me—the gift of 25 years of pastoral and ministry experience, formal and informal biblical and theological education, quality books and resources to equip and encourage me in my life and ministry, and the health and ability to travel globally. When GTN was birthed, our mission was clear: We exist to equip and encourage indigenous church planters, pastors, and Christian leaders throughout the Majority World (2 Timothy 2:2). 20 years later, this continues to be our mission. I believed then, and even more deeply now, that one of the most effective ways to see a nation reached and discipled with the gospel of Jesus Christ is by training the indigenous pastors and leaders—who already know the language, culture, and customs—so they can then equip their congregations to reach their villages, regions, and nations for Christ. In fact, 85% of all pastors throughout the Majority World (primarily Asia, Africa, and Latin America) have no formal—and very little if any informal—biblical and theological education. GTN exists to help meet this massive global need. |
| Psalm 67:1-2 tells us, “May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us— so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.” In other words, we’ve been blessed for a reason. And the reason we have been blessed is to ‘be a blessing to all nations.’ God’s blessings, though intended for our delight and enjoyment, were never meant to end there. Ultimately, they are meant to go through us to bless others for His glory. As I sat on that rooftop 20 years ago, I realized I was a steward of the blessings God had given me—the gift of 25 years of pastoral and ministry experience, formal and informal biblical and theological education, quality books and resources to equip and encourage me in my life and ministry, and the health and ability to travel globally. When GTN was birthed, our mission was clear: We exist to equip and encourage indigenous church planters, pastors, and Christian leaders throughout the Majority World (2 Timothy 2:2). 20 years later, this continues to be our mission. I believed then, and even more deeply now, that one of the most effective ways to see a nation reached and discipled with the gospel of Jesus Christ is by training the indigenous pastors and leaders—who already know the language, culture, and customs—so they can then equip their congregations to reach their villages, regions, and nations for Christ. In fact, 85% of all pastors throughout the Majority World (primarily Asia, Africa, and Latin America) have no formal—and very little if any informal—biblical and theological education. GTN exists to help meet this massive global need. |
| The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Corinthian believers, described his ministry this way: “For we are co-workers in God’s service…” (1 Corinthians 3:9). The Apostle Paul could not have accomplished his (at the time) ‘global’ ministry without ‘co-workers’ or ‘partners in ministry.’ That is how God planned it. And many of you have faithfully ‘co-labored with us’ in this global endeavor to train indigenous pastors and leaders around the world. On behalf of these dear pastors and leaders, let me say, “Thank You.” This ministry would not be what it is today (85 countries, 170 staff, over 330,000 pastors and leaders having received training globally) without you! My prayer is that you would not just know about this partnership, but feel the significance of being a ‘co-worker’ with us in God’s service to the nations. God has blessed you, and you have been used to be a ‘blessing to the nations.’ God calls some to pray, some to give, and some to go – and some to do a combination of all three. But ultimately, it’s the beautiful symphony of these three missional aspects coming together that God uses to advance his Kingdom globally. All of this has been, and continues to be, for His glory! |
By God’s Grace and For is Glory, – Paul Madson, Founder and President, Global Training Network (GTN)
Global Training Network is a faithful partner of The Bolick Foundation.