Testimonies from the 4th World Missions Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, February 2015:
The 4th World Missions Congress was held in Bangkok, Thailand, February 4–6, 2015. There were 700 delegates from 70 nations. I know of no international congress of this kind, dedicated to missions, that is taking place on a Pentecostal or charismatic level. That truly makes these events unique and special. We once again sensed the anointing of the Holy Spirit in the entire event. One missions leader commented, “It was worth it to come to Bangkok, if even only for the pre-congress leaders’ forum.” Those were three very productive and impacting days!
We have about ten pages of testimonies, but we’ll only present a few:
Kenya Delegation: From the speakers to group workshops, we were deeply impacted and challenged to return to our church and nation and implement lessons learned. The coaching and materials we received from the conference will enable us to create structure to train, empower, andsend missionaries. We have already begun to focus and implement the development of strategy and structure to impact how we will do missions better in the world around us.
Patrick Kuchio, Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM), Nairobi, Kenya: My experience at the World Missions Congress in Bangkok can best be described as a mental shift. My outlook to world missions was radically reconstructed as I was challenged to build enabling structures regarding recruiting, training, sending, and partnering. The truth that “missions never started with money but with people” (Luke 10:2) was revolutionary to my mind, which always thinks in figures and numbers. I came away asking, What would a Spirit-driven missions movement in Kenya look like? But probably the most transformative truth shared at the congress was, “The greatest task of missions is not raising national leaders but a missionary church.”
Rey Calusay, General Superintendent, Philippines: The World Missions Congress hit the nail on the head about what it takes to bring the gospel to the unreached world—the activation of the knees, the hands, and the feet of the global community of churches! The array of well-rounded speakers addressed these issues profoundly. I enjoyed the workshops; the one I attended was excellent and gave me a clearer understanding of the great challenges facing the Church in reaching the Muslim world. The highlight for me was the challenge on preparing missionaries and what kind of apostolic ministry is needed in the current hostile mission field.
Angelano Gargarno, Missions Director, Italy: The conference was wisely designed, carefully organized, and masterfully conducted. But all this would have not been worth anything without the powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit we enjoyed in every single meeting. How precious was the inspiration and anointing from on high. I am sure all of us have been instructed and sensitized to keep on fulfilling the Great Commission. It’s amazing what God is doing through the new senders. The Assemblies of God in Italy is a new entry in the field of foreign missions, but our desire is to play an active and important role in the achievement of men and women with the precious message of the gospel. Surely God will grant it.
Pat Lamborn, Missions Director, New Zealand : I look back on this as a watershed moment for me and our movement. I was deeply impacted by the size, scope, and passion of our global Fellowship in reaching the unreached. Inspiring messages, practical workshops, the forming of new friendships and partnerships—all surrounded in an atmosphere of prayer and praise—made this a time of great empowerment. I look forward to the next!
Arif, Pastor and WAGF Missions Commission Member, Indonesia: Thank you for pushing us forward as this “sleeping giant” is awakening. We started to talk about what we heard and learned in Bangkok and started praying for laborers. There is a student from our Bible college who has a calling to be a missionary, and some workers from our local churches do too. We are working on it now. This “sleeping giant” has just awakened from her sleep.
There were many other testimonies, and we thank God for the impact the congress made on the missions vision and momentum of our world movement.