Evangelicals Back Initiative to Train One Million Mission Leaders

The Evangelical Alliance has united together with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and leading U.S. expert on pastoral training John C. Maxwell to create a new training programme entitled the "Million Leaders Mandate" (MLM), due for launch next month.

|PIC1|Christian leaders of the future will be trained at ten regional centres across the UK as part of an unprecedented international programme.

The leadership training is the brainchild of John C. Maxwell, author of best-selling leadership manual ‘21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ and will be facilitated through his worldwide organisation EQUIP.

Mr Maxwell aims to have thousands of leaders trained on the programme by 2008: “Jesus spent the majority of his time training 12 leaders to impact the world over the next generation,” he said.

“I am convinced that if Christian leaders are around the world are trained, resourced and encouraged, there is no limit to what can be accomplished in fulfilling the Great Commission.”

Participants on the programme will train at six day-long workshops spread across three years.

|QUOTE|Rev. Greg Haslam, senior pastor at Westminster Chapel, one of the host churches of the Million Leaders Mandate, praised the arrival of the programme in the UK: “MLM is a godsend to British Christians and church leaders. Here is some of the best biblical wisdom available from experienced practitioners who have developed into fine leaders themselves.

"We would be fools to miss out on this opportunity and I feel privileged to be one of the hosts of this first venture in the UK.”

John Smith, UK director of the Evangelical Alliance, said: “We are very impressed by John Maxwell’s vision. We have examined the workbooks and note their biblical framework, clear content and practical application. I would encourage anyone who feels they want to get involved, but has yet to sign up, to do so.”