Around the World: Global Updates & Leaders Retreat
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Benjamin Kreps:
Hey everyone, and welcome to the podcast, where our aim is to connect our global family of Sovereign Grace churches with our Executive Director. Mark, you were sharing some exciting news with me right before we started recording— we just added another emerging-nation partner church in the Philippines. There's a lot going on in the Philippines. Praise God. And so you want to tell us about that. But that's actually not the only one. So talk to us about what's going on.
Mark Prater:
Yeah. Yesterday the executive committee approved an Emerging Nation Partnership agreement for Cross of Christ Salvation Gospel Ministries — that's the name of the church — in Dasmarinas City, which is in the province of Cavite, just outside of Manila, really kind of a bigger extension of Manila. And by the way, that church name, Cross of Christ Salvation Gospel Ministries — Jeffrey Jo has helped plant or planted a number of churches that have that name. I've told Jeff that that is the longest church name in Sovereign Grace, and I would venture to guess even in church history.
Benjamin Kreps:
You get a lot of work done in that name. That's pretty clear what's going on there.
Mark Prater:
Pretty clear — you can tell by the name. So that church is led by Rey Lacbayo. And I've met Rey — he is a mature, godly pastor and a very good leader, not only of his church, but he also helps provide leadership in the Philippines alongside Jeffrey. So I just thank God for Rey. And I'm so excited personally that this church is now a full partner church in Sovereign Grace.
So we've added three partner churches since January — two in Costa Rica and one here in the Philippines. That takes us to 102 partner churches: 70 in the States and 32 outside of the States. And we've got three more that will likely happen by the fall, maybe the end of the year, from Colombia, because we just did ordinations down there of pastors in three different churches, which I've mentioned in a previous episode. So it's just exciting to see these partner churches added. And what's especially encouraging and faith-building for me is the quality of the men leading those churches. These are God's men. I've met the guys in Colombia as well — they are godly men, gospel-centered men who are very compatible with our theological convictions and gospel centrality. So it's very, very exciting.
Not only are partner churches being added, but church plants are coming as well. I mentioned in a previous episode, when I talked about my time in Guadalajara, that Mexico is looking at three church plants. One in Guadalupe and one in West Juárez — both in poor communities. And the men that will plant those churches are already living in those communities and just want to stay there. It's very humbling and compelling. So those will likely happen. And I know Carlos is also talking about planting in Chihuahua as well, so it could be that in the next year to two years, two or three more churches are planted in Mexico. And then Jeffrey Joe — he's kind of a church-planting machine. I know he's got another one planned in the Philippines. So just a few quick updates on how God is at work in and through our small family of churches, giving us opportunities to reach the nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Benjamin Kreps:
Excellent. That's such an encouraging update. And you know, one of the things that's essential in all of this is gifted leaders. And so, as you mentioned already in the update, there are a number of men that God has brought our way who are gifted and godly leaders. And so you guys — like we do and have for years and years in the States — are also having retreats for global leaders. You're having a Global Leaders Retreat in a couple of weeks. Talk to us about that.
Mark Prater:
Yeah. I wanted to mention it now because it ties to our global expansion as a family of churches. The leadership team — five members— will be there: myself, Jon Payne, Jeff Purswell, Jared Mellinger, and Dave Taylor. We will be in Sydney for a Global Leaders Retreat that'll happen June 10th through the 12th — so it's only a couple of weeks away. And I wanted to mention it now because it really is an expression of our strategic plan to build in a way that we invest into national leaders. But I also mention it now because I would ask you to pray for this retreat. This will be an important retreat.
Let me tell you who's going to be there. Ed O'Mara, who is our area leader in Europe, is just doing a wonderful job with church planting in Torino, Italy. Representing Latin America: both Carlos Contreras and Joselo Mercado will be there. Representing Asia: Jeffrey Jo from Manila, Philippines, who is our leader in the Philippines, and Andrew Leung, who is an elder in Sydney but helping with some work in the Philippines. And then Riley Spring, who is the senior pastor of Grace Church in Parramatta and is really our leader there in Australia. We had hoped that Emmanuel could come from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, but he just couldn't get a visa — there were immigration issues. So Bart Lipscomb, who is our area leader in Africa, will be there. And then, of course, the members of the leadership team.
As I read those names — these are men who are leading in each of their different nations or parts of the world. And what we want to do is pull them together and invest into them. The retreat has several purposes. One, we want to build relationally together with them and help them build relationally with one another. We also want to develop them and invest into them, because these men are the face of Sovereign Grace in their nation — and how Sovereign Grace goes in that nation depends upon them. So we want to invest into them through teaching, through prayer, through fellowship, through encouragement.
And then one of the things Dave has planned so well is to have each of the guys give updates so they can learn about what's going on in different parts of the world. And what has happened in that kind of discussion before is they begin to ask questions of one another and learn from one another — Jeffrey Jo might be doing something in the Philippines that interests Carlos, and Carlos might be doing something that interests Ed O'Mara. It's just wonderful to watch.
So what we have planned: the very first day is set aside for updates from each nation — Dave sent out specific categories for them to address — and that will take the whole day. Wonderful dialogue will most certainly occur. Then we're going to take some time to invest into them. Jeff is teaching on 2 Corinthians and the power for pastoral ministry. I'm going to talk about important lessons for extra-local leadership, because these men are extra-local leaders and there are certain ways you've got to think in that role that we want to talk through. Then Jared is doing a session on keeping a watch over your pastors' doctrine — helping pastors stay focused on remaining theologically grounded and in their theological development. Jon Payne is going to do one on keeping a watch on your pastors' lives — that pastoral epistle text, "Watch your life and doctrine closely." Dave Taylor is going to talk through what tools they have available to them to build their nation, and we want to make sure they're clear on that. And I'm going to wrap it up with a shorter message on casting vision for our future and cultivating faith for the road ahead.
So that's what we've got planned. I'm really, really excited about it. Those men who will be there — I thank God for them, because they're working very hard on their continent or nation. We couldn't do what we do — we couldn't build relationally, we couldn't care for churches, we couldn't consider adoptions or church plants — without these men and their leadership. So please pray for them and pray for the members of the leadership team who will be there.
Benjamin Kreps:
Yes, please do pray. Sounds like an excellent time that has been planned and I'm sure will serve all those who are gathering. Now, before we end the podcast — we've been talking about leadership a good bit here, and somehow or another you want to connect this to the world of football. Or, for a Yankee like me, soccer — which I'm sure at this moment is of great interest globally to our audience, and to a small but righteous remnant here in the States. So have at it.
Mark Prater:
I want to talk about Premier League soccer — and that's real football. The Premier League is the professional English league, the highest league. And I want to talk about Tottenham Hotspur, which I have been a fan of for several years. And I've learned that there are other men in Sovereign Grace who are also Tottenham followers. Edo Möller is a big Tottenham fan. I know Matt Gruen, who's in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — Tottenham fan. Steve Whitaker's son, Jude Whitaker, is a Tottenham fan. And there are others I'm not remembering. So there are actually Tottenham fans in Sovereign Grace who are right now very excited that I'm doing this. And I'm doing this at the urging of my friend Mickey Connelly — he just said, "Mark, you should talk about this on your podcast."
So here's why — and yes, I'm talking about it right now, at the end of one of their worst seasons ever. Tottenham were about to be relegated. For those who don't follow soccer: if you get relegated, you get bumped down to the league below. And that would not only have been embarrassing for Tottenham — it would have been a financial loss of anywhere between $250 and $300 million. That's the kind of money that league generates. And they've got a new stadium they've just built, roughly two years ago, that they have to pay for. So that would have been a very interesting situation.
But it came down to the last Sunday — which was last Sunday — the final day when all the teams play together. Tottenham needed to win, basically, to stay in the Premier League. And they hadn't been relegated since 1975, so they've had success as a club typically — but not this year. And they beat Everton 1-0, and their season was saved. It was just a sigh of relief for Tottenham fans like myself, because I really didn't know whether they were going to make it or not. The manager that gave them that win was the fourth manager this year — which tells you something of the turmoil they've had. They've had a number of injuries as well.
Why am I connecting all of this to leadership? Here's the tie: there has been a failure of leadership. From what I'm reading, it really is the leadership of the club — the ownership and the board — who oversee and make decisions, and it really just hasn't been a good couple of years. There's been a change of ownership, and they just haven't been investing into the club — even into their training facilities. The culture has changed; it's not what it used to be. And all of that has produced a losing season.
And it's a reminder to us as pastors who lead in our churches: leadership is very, very important because the success of our churches, humanly speaking, does rest upon us. We need God's power and wisdom and help — God's activity is absolutely essential. But we still have to lead and take initiative. So there's the tie. And why we're investing in regional leaders in Sydney is precisely because how a nation goes really does hinge upon the leaders. So we want to continue to invest, so that our gospel culture doesn't change and that we continue to be purposeful in reaching out with the good news of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
Benjamin Kreps:
Wonderful. Well, thank you for the reminder and the encouragement, Mark. Hopefully, after your career in sports commentary has apparently been launched, you and I don't get relegated after this podcast.
Mark Prater:
That's what I'm praying for.
Benjamin Kreps:
Thanks for the updates and the encouragement. And thank you all for checking out the podcast. We'll see you here next week, Lord willing. Bye for now.