Church Planting and Leadership Training
We believe in the Great Commission that Jesus spoke about in Matthew 28:19-20, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” These words are effectively Jesus’ marching orders to us as Christians. Therefore, at Word Life Connection, we are fully committed to this call as we carry out the specific vision for our organization.
We have partnered with different pastors and church leaders to help in the establishment of churches, with particular emphasis on the developing world. Our initial focus is the Caribbean. Our founder, Rodrick Walters, has enjoyed a life-long mentoring relationship with his spiritual father, Bishop Arthur Brown. They met while Rodrick was a child in Jamaica before he migrated to the United States. In the mid-1990s, with Rodrick being a young Christian seeking to be used of God, the two became reacquainted and have enjoyed a Paul to Timothy type of mentorship since then. They have worked closely together for over two decades, as they both envisioned carrying out this global work, which is now known as Word Life Connection.
For over four decades, Bishop Brown served as pastor of a thriving church in Clarendon, Jamaica. Along with his wife, Pastor Beverly Brown, he has overseen the growth of what was a small rural church into what is now a very influential ministry in that region of the world. Under their leadership, the church has adopted an evangelical approach to spreading the Gospel. It not only serves the community in which it has been established, but it has also planted several churches in surrounding communities. And it has trained leaders to head these churches so that they can experience sustained growth as they carry out their own mission.
In recognition of his exceptional leadership, in 2016 Bishop Brown was promoted to the office of General Overseer of the Full Truth Church of God Deliverance Centre, the highest office in that denomination. In that capacity, he leads all churches in that denomination that are based in the United States, Canada, Jamaica and Antigua. With the establishment of Word Life Connection, both Rodrick and Bishop Brown will work to an even greater degree on church planting and church expansion projects. The model for this part of the organization’s vision has been set; it will now be duplicated at different regions of the world.
Rodrick says, “Instead of being called to be a pastor in one local church, I have been called to work alongside pastors around the world. So Word Life Connection is committed to the establishment and expansion of churches, as well as the training and development of leaders. That way, the simple, life-changing message of the Gospel can be shared to an even greater degree and more lives can be transformed!”
Contributions that we receive will go towards funding these projects and training pastors and church leaders. Through our church planting and leadership training efforts, we seek to faithfully spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you partner with us in this regard, you help to bring others into the Kingdom of God!
