History of the Global Church Network
The Envisioning Years
The Early Years
On February 18, 2001, Dr. Bill Bright, Founder of Campus Crusade, and Dr. James O. Davis, Founder of Cutting Edge International, met to discuss how to they can help the Global Church get in position to complete the Great Commission by planting five million churches and winning a billion souls to Christ.
In January, 2002 – The first Synergize Conference (Synergize.tv) was held at First Baptist Church, in Orlando, Florida, bringing leaders from all parts of the globe and all streams of Christianity. The Billion Soul Network and the Global Church Divinity School were born. More than 5,000 attended.
By October 19, 2002, the Global Church Divinity School was training online in 114 nations. On Dr. Bill Bright’s 81st birthday, the Billion Soul Network, more than 800 leaders gathered at the Hyatt Regency inside the Orlando International Airport and the entire 2-day event was livestreamed via Internet worldwide.
In January, 2004 – A second Synergize Conference was held at Calvary Assembly, in Orlando to launch initiatives. More than 6,000 pastors and leaders attended. Mel Gibson’s, The Passion, was shown on the opening night. For the first time, training was videotaped for the Internet and edited for the Global Church Divinity School.
In August, 2004 – A Global Conference Call brought world leaders together. Focus was two tracks toward one goal: Both church planting and evangelism. This global call focused the vision and set the pace of the Billion Soul Network for the next fifteen years.
Global Church Planting Congress
In September, 2005 – The first ever Global Church Planting Congress convened in Dallas, Texas, with 500 leaders from 71 nations, to share Relationships, Resources, Research, Recommendations and Reports. These 5 pillars are the foundation of the Global Church Network today. At the Global Church Planting Congress, the 500 leaders committed together to help plant 5 million new churches for a Billion Soul Harvest. The Billion Soul Harvest numeric counting graph on the homepage of Global Church Network was activated and has remained until this day.
Synergize 2004, 6,000 Leaders
The Expanding Years
From 2005 to 2012, Billion Soul Summits Convene Around the World. More than 10,000 overseers, superintendents, elected officers, leading evangelicals, networkers, strategists, unreached peoples, experts, missionaries, missiologists, seminary and Bible college presidents, evangelists, and leaders of church fellowships met and talked face to face.
From 2002 to 2012, the Billion Soul Network rapidly grew from two leaders to 1,300 denominations and 400,000 plus churches. Billion Soul Summits were hosted in every world region, including in the underground church.
Launch of Global Church Network 2002
In January, 2006 – At the third Synergize Conference a “Finish Line” meeting where world leaders gather about the unreached people of the world.
In September 2006 – A Billion Soul Summit was held in South America – Peru.
In November 2006 – A Billion Soul Summit was held in South Africa and in Western Europe in Germany.
In November 2006, The Oceania Billion Soul Summit was held in Fiji.
In April 2007, The Eastern Europe Billion Soul Summit in Kiev, Ukraine.
In July 2007 – The East Africa Billion Soul Summit – Multiple countries.
In January, 2008 – The fourth Synergize Conference is held, Atlanta.
In June 2008 – The Southeast Asia Billion Soul in Indonesia.
In June 2008 & September 2010 Summit are held in Chennai (Madras).
June 2008, June 2010 – China
Bill Bright 81st Birthday, Macau, China: Internet Streaming To 114 Nations
August 2008 – East Africa – Kenya
In October 2009 – The Billion Soul Summit for Southeast Asia was held Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In August 2009, The Australasia Billion Soul Summit– New Zealand.
In October 2009 – The West Africa Summit in Liberia.
In January, 2010 the fifth Synergize Conference took place in Orlando.
In September, 2010 the First Finish Line Meeting inside the darkest region of the world, New Delhi, India
In September 2011 the Finish Line became an annual thrust for unreached peoples, New Delhi.
In January, 2012 the sixth Synergize Conference took place in Orlando. The Global Church Divinity School and first-ever solar-powered printing press premiere.
The Equipping Phase
With a mission to finalize the Great Commission, Global Church Network (GCN) has set a goal of establishing 800 leadership training hubs worldwide in order to mobilize one million new ministers at a time when there is a global shortage of pastors. GCN has launched more 200 Hubs on six continents, putting the ministry on track to exceed its goal within this decade.
“Just like airline companies and major corporations have their hubs, the Church should have ‘Global Hubs of Christianity,’” said Dr. James O. Davis, founder/president of GCN, the largest pastors’ network in the world. “In order for us to equip and educate one million new ministers in the Body of Christ by 2030, we must move from production to reproduction, from addition to multiplication, which these hubs enable us to do.”
Korea Hub
The Global Hubs of Christianity are launched at regional FINISH Summits (FINISH2030.com), international pastors’ gatherings convened to strategize for reaching their part of the world with the Gospel message. During each FINISH Summit, Hub leaders are trained and launch dates are set, with the number of Hubs launched reflecting the same number of nations represented at that FINISH Summit.
The Hubs are then connected with the Global Church Divinity School, making accredited online theological training available for the participants via a new partnership with Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Each GCN Hub “synergizes the best relationships, systemizes the finest training, strategizes for unreached people groups, and in some cases scripturalizes new Bible translations,” according to Davis. The Hubs begin to multiply after two years of training, compounding growth on a global scale.
The first Hub was launched at Word of Hope Church in Manila in 2012. Church founder Dr. David Sobrepena explains, “Once the Hub training is completed after two years, the Hub multiples to 2, 4 or 6 more Hubs in the nation, with new leaders being trained at each location. We are now ramping up to 100,000 plus leaders being trained per year in the Global Hubs of Christianity here in the Philippines.”
Today, GCN has Hubs in some of the world’s hardest to reach places, such as Guyana in the Amazon, and in the highest places such as Nepal’s Himalayan Mountains. In the United States, Hubs are identified as regional campuses of the Global Church Divinity School hosted by local churches throughout the nation.
Dr. Davis says, “Everything in the Global Church Network has a reason, rhythm and a ramp. Nothing is random. Jesus said, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.’ We are praying for the Lord to raise up more Hub trainers worldwide to help keep up with the growth of the Global Hubs of Christianity.”
Panama Hub
Every Hub has a Hub Leader, a Hub Planning Committee, and two Hub trainers, who commit to visit the Hub four times – every six months over a two-year period. Over the two years, 30 courses are taught to the pastors and leaders who attend. Additionally, every Hub member receives complementary membership to GCDS, where they take the original 30 courses that are being taught by the two Hub trainers. GCN applies both an in-person and online approach. Upon the completion of the two years of training, graduation occurs with every pastor/leader receiving a diploma and a lifetime membership to GCDS.
Biennial Synergize Conferences
In 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022, the Global Church Network hosted the biennial Synergize Conference. During each of these conference, more than 100 Global Church Divinity School courses were videotaped.
In February, 2022 GCN launched the Million Ministers Mandate, to equip at least one million new ministers toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission. During each of the FINISH Summits, the leaders from the region establish a new ministers goal for their region.
The Exacting Phase
On October 30-November 1, 2017, as part of the strategy to help synergize the entire Body of Christ toward the fulfillment of the Great Commission, the Global Church Network (GCNW.tv) hosted The Wittenberg 2017 in Wittenberg and Berlin, Germany. World class leaders from every major denomination and Christian stream gathered to synergize efforts to launch FINISH 2030 (Finish2030.com) to help the Global Church complete the Great Commission during this generation.
Dr. Leonard Sweet, a Cohost Of The Wittenberg 2017 Summit, stated: “We are asking our Lord spark a fresh reformation for the 21st Century. There is no finer venue anywhere in the world where a Church leader can attend and return with a greater understanding of the Global Church than The Wittenberg 2017 Congress.”
“We will release a ‘global declaration’ regarding the combined future commitment of the Church worldwide,” states Dr. James O. Davis, Founder/President of the Global Church Network and Cohost of The Wittenberg 2017 Congress. “This isn’t about the West going to the Rest, but about the Best around the world going to the Rest of the world.”
Networking Around The World
“The investment into a Church leader that The Wittenberg 2017 Congress made in just three short days is almost incalculable,” Dr. George O. Wood, General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God. “Whatever sacrifice it takes for a Church leader to attend, the take-away will be many times greater.”
If the Church is ever going to complete the Great Commission,” states Dr. Efraim Tendero, General Secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance Church, “then key global leaders will have to be willing to do their best to cross denominational and organizational lines like never before. The Wittenberg 2017 Congress gave us the synergistic opportunity to accomplish more for Christ throughout this generation.”
“Foursquare International is intently working toward the completion of the Great Commission in our generation” said President Emeritus Dr. Glenn Burris. “I am looking forward to joining forces with Christian organizations from around the world at The Wittenberg 2017 Congress.”
Dr. Doug Beacham, General Superintendent of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, “The Wittenberg 2017 Congress was for pastors and leaders, whose missional ambition is to listen to, learn from and to link with the Global Church that Christ has raised up in the 21st Century.”
“We are living in unparalleled times throughout the world,” stated, Dr. Kenneth C. Ulmer, Cohost of Wittenberg 2017 Congress. “The Wittenberg 2017 Congress created a global relationship opportunity throughout the Body of Christ to synergize our energies and efforts for the greatest evangelism and discipleship thrust in Church history.”
At the close of the Wittenberg 2017 Congress, Dr. Timothy Hill, General Overseer Emeritus of the Church of God led more than 600 leaders in the FINISH Declaration https://gcnw.tv/finish-declaration. FINISH is an acronym for Find, Intercede, Network, Invest, Send and Harvest. Six steps to the finish line.
On November 7, 2019, the Global Church Network surpassed the goal of helping to plant five million churches and win one billion souls to Christ. Over a fourteen year period of time, GCN synergized and mobilized key leaders, pastors and evangelists to plant churches and to win the lost.
Since the Wittenberg 2017 Congress, GCN has hosted FINISH Summits in West Africa, Southern Africa, East Africa, Northern Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
On August 29-30, 2024, GCN hosted the FINISH East Africa Summit in Kampala, Uganda, where attendees set an audacious goal. Hundreds of pastors and leaders from eleven different nations synergized their efforts as East Africa co-chair Dr. Alex Mitala explained, “For months, missional leaders in East Africa worked to develop a multiplication plan for future Hubs and GCDS. Over the next eight years, we believe more than 40,000 Hubs will be established in East Africa, and more than 2 million Christian leaders will be trained through the Hubs and the GCDS. Our goal is for every church to become a Hub.”
Rev. Ejaz Nabie, Senior Pastor of Faith Assembly, Queens, New York, and FINISH 2030 Executive Director states, “The Global Hubs of Christianity serve as a powerful model of multiplying Christ-centered, Kingdom-Minded pastors and leaders toward the completion of the Great Commission.”
Oceania Billion Soul Summit
In October, 2024 – Pastors and ministry leaders from across 22 Pacific Island nations converged in Fiji for the FINISH Oceania Summit, where they collaboratively developed missional strategies for leadership development, evangelism, discipleship, church planting and strategic networking. Convened by the Global Church Network (GCN) in synergistic partnership with Dr. Suliasi Kurulo, founder of World Harvest Center and Christian Missionary Fellowship in Suva, Fiji, the summit was the next part of the FINISH 2030 campaign to finalize the Great Commission by 2030.
During the final session of the FINISH Oceania Summit, newly appointed Hub leaders from all 22 Pacific Island nations entered the World Harvest Center sanctuary with a representative flag bearer, introduced by FINISH 2030 Director Dr. Ejaz Nabie, senior pastor of Faith Assembly in Queens, New York. Following the audience’s celebration, Dr. Davis brought a brief challenge and officially launched the 22 Oceania ministry training hubs: Australia, Fiji, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Niue, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Yap, Chuuk, Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, Guam, Samoa, Pitcairn, Tonga, Pohnpei, New Zealand, America Samoa, Kiribati, Kosrae and Nauru.
At the close of 2024, through the FINISH Summits, leaders have established a new ministers goal of 3.6 million. More than 225 Hubs have been established.
More Than 3.5 Million Goal Of New Ministers
