Global Pastors Network
Encyclopedia
Global Pastors Network, Inc. (GPN) is an incorporated educational, networking
and strategic
resource for evangelical
leadership
, founded in 2002 by Bill Bright
, the late Founder and Chairman of Campus Crusade for Christ
, and James O. Davis, Founder of Cutting Edge International. Over the next decade GPN hopes to help five million churches to be planted and, in their own words, "win 1 billion people to Christ
worldwide." It is based in Orlando, Florida
and boasts 800,000 members worldwide.
." They have a goal of carrying out that vision to the extent that five million churches are planted around the world and a billion people are converted.
GPN offers curriculum to help church pastors develop ministry skills, Biblical knowledge, and spiritual maturity. It helps provide its members with information and networking on church planting issues, and provides resources for participatory churches.
Bishop Kenneth Ulmer of Faith Central said "We have been given the opportunity to reach, win and disciple a billion souls for Jesus Christ".
at the Global Pastors Network Billion Soul Pastors Conference. A surprise guest, he said he depended on his faith in God and people in the 9/11 events. “Strong beliefs guide countries – and churches,” he said. “I know many of the men who died on 9/11 came from religious homes where they were taught there is no greater principle than to lay down your life for another,” Giuliani later added. Held on January 25-27 at Faith Assembly Church in Orlando, over 2,000 pastors and business leaders were in attendance. Bill Bright's widow Vonnette also spoke, reminding the assembly of her late husband's commitment to evangelism. Represented among the business sector speakers were Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Disney, and S. Truett Cathy
, founder of Chick-fil-A
. The network made plans to organize a Billion Soul Sunday, a day of worldwide prayer for a billion souls to be saved.
Social network
A social network is a social structure made up of individuals called "nodes", which are tied by one or more specific types of interdependency, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, dislike, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.Social...
and strategic
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
resource for evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
leadership
Leadership
Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task". Other in-depth definitions of leadership have also emerged.-Theories:...
, founded in 2002 by Bill Bright
Bill Bright
William R. "Bill" Bright was an American evangelist. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws in 1952 and produced the Jesus Film in 1979.-Early life:...
, the late Founder and Chairman of Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
, and James O. Davis, Founder of Cutting Edge International. Over the next decade GPN hopes to help five million churches to be planted and, in their own words, "win 1 billion people to Christ
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
worldwide." It is based in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and boasts 800,000 members worldwide.
Mission and strategic approach
GPN's current mission is "Helping to network, train and focus the church for the fulfilment of the Great CommissionGreat Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
." They have a goal of carrying out that vision to the extent that five million churches are planted around the world and a billion people are converted.
GPN offers curriculum to help church pastors develop ministry skills, Biblical knowledge, and spiritual maturity. It helps provide its members with information and networking on church planting issues, and provides resources for participatory churches.
Bishop Kenneth Ulmer of Faith Central said "We have been given the opportunity to reach, win and disciple a billion souls for Jesus Christ".
Billion Soul Pastors Conference
On January 31, 2006, GPN made mention in Time Magazine when it met with presidential hopeful Rudy GiulianiRudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
at the Global Pastors Network Billion Soul Pastors Conference. A surprise guest, he said he depended on his faith in God and people in the 9/11 events. “Strong beliefs guide countries – and churches,” he said. “I know many of the men who died on 9/11 came from religious homes where they were taught there is no greater principle than to lay down your life for another,” Giuliani later added. Held on January 25-27 at Faith Assembly Church in Orlando, over 2,000 pastors and business leaders were in attendance. Bill Bright's widow Vonnette also spoke, reminding the assembly of her late husband's commitment to evangelism. Represented among the business sector speakers were Al Weiss, president of worldwide operations for Disney, and S. Truett Cathy
S. Truett Cathy
Samuel Truett Cathy is the founder of Chick-fil-A, a quick service restaurant chain based in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, USA.-Early life:...
, founder of Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A |"fillet"]]) is a quick service restaurant chain headquartered in College Park, Georgia, United States, specializing in chicken entrées and is known for promoting the company founder's claims of Christian values. Long associated with the southern United States, where it has been a...
. The network made plans to organize a Billion Soul Sunday, a day of worldwide prayer for a billion souls to be saved.
Billion Soul Sunday
On September 17, 2006, the Billion Soul Sunday event was simulcast via the web.Soul Millionaires
'Soul Millionaires' is scheduled for January 29–31, 2008, also in Orlando.http://www.soulmillionaire.org/Partners
GPN has a partner organization, Global Pastors Wives Network, that provides similar support to the wives of men in church planting and evangelical ministries.Key people
- Mark AndersonMark AndersonMark Anderson is a journalist and author based in western Massachusetts. He has written for Harper's, The Boston Globe, Wired, Science, and the Rolling Stone and is a regular contributor to New Scientist and Wired News.Anderson is a proponent of the Oxfordian theory that the Elizabethan court...
, President - John C. MaxwellJohn C. MaxwellJohn Calvin Maxwell is an evangelical Christian author, speaker, and pastor who has written more than 60 books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow...
, Chairman - leadership author and pastor, founder of INJOY - Elmer Towns, Dean - co-founder of Liberty UniversityLiberty UniversityLiberty University is a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Liberty's annual enrollment is around 72,000 students, 12,000 of whom are residential students and 60,000+ studying through Liberty University Online...