I began my teaching and preaching career over 40 years ago, and have served on the staff of a number of churches in a number of states. For the past four years, I have been off the staff of a local church, although at present I am functioning on the staff of the Greater Houston Church in Houston, Texas on almost a full-time basis. In 2011, Theresa and I spent many weeks in Houston, functioning in the roles of consultant and leadership trainer, and in 2012, we are in the role of interim lead evangelist couple as we help the church find a more permanent solution for this role. I am continuing to teach in the Asia-Pacific Leadership Academy and the Ukraine Institute of Ministry, although I will be making fewer trips to each of these locations in 2012 due to several reasons, the main one being my commitment to the Houston church. You can obtain more details about these matters in the current Newsletter (under the Newsletters tab). 

My other teaching will be done primarily through producing written and recorded (audio and video) materials.  In the past two years, Toney Mulhollan of Illumination Publishers International, has helped develop and publish a number of my teaching materials in both audio and video formats.  Adding these to my available books and booklets, my repertoire of teaching material is increasing fairly rapidly.  You will note a link on this web page that will take you to my materials on the IPI website. I am currently nearly finished with a comprehensive book on the topic of church leadership and the new edition of my practical exposition on Acts is now available, now entitled “World Changers.” Under the tab “Hard Questions Answered,” you will find a fairly lengthy Appendix from the book about the establishment and nature of the Kingdom. It has some rather unique material in it that not all have considered and with which all may not agree – but it is in-depth and interesting!  A new edition of “The Power of Discipling” was printed in the last part of 2010. I have many ideas for books that likely won’t come to fruition until my public teaching role slows down, and that likely cannot happen before at least the latter part of 2012.

The Asian opportunity came when key leaders in the Asia-Pacific group of churches asked me to head up the development of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Academy. Since the beginning of 2008, I helped established the Academy, and serve as the main teacher and as Dean of the program. The Academy consists of three tracks of training: a track for those who are church supported leaders (Ministry Track); a second track for more mature disciples who can be trained to fill shepherding roles, some of whom will ultimately be appointed elders (Shepherding Track); and a third, individually customized type track to further train those who serve in a variety of leadership roles (Elective Track). The first course of the Academy was taught in March of 2008, using an innovative approach to learning that is somewhat unique in our movement. A brochure describing the Academy in more detail is available on this web site (under the View Articles tab) to further explain the program and the approach.  The APLA Steering Committee consists of Frank Kim, Chris Jacobs, Cesar Lopez, Koko Enrile, Rolan Monje and me.  Our work together has been a joy and quite productive.  In November of 2010, we had our first graduates of the Ministry Track, with 17 students completing the 11 course curriculum. We had our first graduation ceremony of the Shepherding Track in November 2011 after courses were taught in Pattaya, Thailand. See the Newsletters tab for more information about this encouraging event.

Beginning in January 2010, we started a very similar program in Kiev, Ukraine at the request of Shawn Wooten.  I taught about 70 students in Kiev in August 2009 as a precursor of the upcoming more formalized program.  I have taught five sessions of this program, beginning in January of 2010, and the last one in September of 2011. All of the sessions have gone extremely well, for like those in my Asian work, the Russian speaking disciples are hungry to learn. The Kiev Steering Committee consists of Shawn Wooten, Pavel Golub, Masha Lyashenko and me, assisted by our excellent administrator, Sergii Skrypai.  We have a three year program designed, with three sessions being taught in 2010 and two sessions being offered in 2011 – for both the Ministry Track and for the Shepherding Track.  While the courses offered are quite similar to the courses in APLA, there are some variations, based on the different needs in that particular part of the world. 

I expect the international part of my work to be decreasing in 2012, by design, allowing me to work more on producing teaching materials.  However, as noted earlier, the work with the Greater Houston church will postpone this plan until at least the latter part of the year. I’m not getting any younger, and the travel is quite demanding for someone my age (69 in October of 2011).  God has blessed me to be able to travel all over the world for many years now, and it has been the ministry highlight of my life. To all of those who have heard my teaching or participated in it through my printed and audio/video materials, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the opportunity to hopefully influence you to know God’s Word better and to love him more.  Why he chose to bless me with these opportunities and with the multitudes of friends I have made in the process, I cannot explain. But I can explain that I am supremely grateful to him and to those with whom my path has crossed.  Please keep me, my family and my ministry in your prayers.  Thank you for doing that, for without doubt, God’s use of me has been the result of many prayers! God bless!

—Gordon Ferguson (February 2012)