Cameroon (MNN) — Global Advance recently held a new kind of conference. David Shibley said it included 139 denominations and church planting leaders, as well as "very specific and we believe strategic young emerging leaders in the nation of Cameroon. So it was a ‘by invitation only' conference, not for all pastors and this higher level of leader who has
impact and influence over often many churches."
They gathered in Cameroon from four different French-speaking African countries. "They left with a real renewed vision for seeing their nations discipled for Christ, for evangelism to take great steps forward, and for the Great Commission to be
fulfilled," said Shibley.
Shibley said it is important for leaders from developed countries to "cross-pollinate" with church leaders in developing nations since "there is a lot that we need to download by way of what the Lord has taught us, or is teaching us, that is still very new and fresh to these wonderful leaders."
The conference will likely become a very important auxiliary program to Global Advance's Frontline Shepherds Conferences. They will hold 70 Frontline Shepherds Conferences this year alone. "We saw this as a pilot project. We intend now to refine it, fine-tune it, and to take it to other nations as well," Shibley said.
One of the challenges to getting this and any conference off the ground is stand-alone men who want to be independent spirits. However, Shibley said that the men who gathered in Cameroon understand that the key to the success of world evangelism is cooperation. Each man left with a vision for the future and literature to help keep that vision alive.
Shibley said, "We're very, very grateful for the opportunity to convene, by God's grace, some very strategic leaders who are in a position to really see significant advance for the
Gospel in their arenas of influence."
