Who's who in 50th CGI Conference

Church leaders and Christians from 50 countries are gathering in Seoul to take part in the 50th Church Growth International (CGI) Conference that will open Wednesday. They will share experiences and seek a path to revival that will be handed over to the next generation.

Among the notable speakers will be Hendrik Vorster, founder and president of Cornerstone Ministries International in Australia, which helps him lead church planting and discipleship efforts across the world. Specifically, he has trained more than 130,000 church planters in 78 countries since launching the Church Planting Institute in 2012. Vorster, who also serves as bishop of the Charismatic Churches of India Diocese, is doing whatever he can to strengthen churches and develop leaders across the world through structured discipleship.

Satish Kumar, a pastor, author, international speaker and humanitarian, leads Calvary Temple in Hyderabad, India, which boasts more than 400,000 members as one of Asia’s largest churches. He has won fame for his biblical teaching and humanitarian service and has led initiatives such as food distribution, free medical clinics, education and community support. Kumar conveys his messages through hundreds of TV programs in 17 languages. He holds a Doctor of Divinity from Dallas Baptist University and has received the Mother Teresa Award for humanitarian service.

Kong Hee, founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church in Singapore, started the church in 1989 with 20 young people. He has led the church’s growth, focusing on prayers, cell groups and the work of the Holy Spirit. Now, 23,000 people attend services every week at the church that boasts 45,000 registered members. Kong, a Pentecostal pastor and revival preacher, said he was deeply influenced by the Rev. Cho Yong-gi’s ministry and spirituality and that he has applied those principles in his own pastoral work. He continues to put an emphasis on evangelism, church growth and spiritual maturity, living a Christlike life in Singapore and abroad.

Dishan Wickramaratne is the senior pastor of People’s Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He leads the church that serves nearly 120,000 every week with his wife. He commits himself to raising up the next generation through small groups and ministries for children and youth. He has planted more than 60 churches across Sri Lanka.

Dag Heward-Mills is active in Africa. As the founder and presiding bishop of United Denominations based in Ghana, he leads a network of about 5,000 churches in 100 countries. Formerly a medical doctor, he has preached around the world through the large-scale Healing Jesus Campaigns. He has authored many Christian books and continues to serve the global church through leadership development and evangelism.

John Milton Rodriguez, co-founder of Mision Paz a las Naciones in Colombia, has committed himself to pastoral ministry and evangelism. His church began with five people but grew to be a community with over 25,000 members. Since 2003, the Mision Paz Foundation has provided social support programs for children, young people and adults, serving more than one million people. Apostle Rodriguez also works to nurture future leaders and advance evangelism in Colombia and abroad.

David Sumrall, the senior pastor of Cathedral of Praise in Manila, Philippines, has spent more than 40 years for pastoral ministry, church growth and evangelism since 1980. With Bible teaching at the heart of his ministry, he has led Cathedral of Praise to a community that includes Manila, other major Philippine cities and locations abroad. Cathedral of Praise became the country’s largest church with five satellite churches and 10 branch churches in the Philippines and elsewhere. Sumrall has a vision for planting more than 200 churches.

James Marocco, the senior pastor of King’s Cathedral and Chapels in Hawaii, has devoted more than four decades to church growth and evangelism since 1980. He obtained a Doctor of Ministry degree from Fuller Theological Seminary where he studied pastoral counseling and church growth. His leadership helped him expand from Hawaii to other parts of the country and countries around the world, resulting in 165 churches in 14 countries.

Andrii Tyshchenko leads a multifaceted ministry in Ukraine, focusing on evangelism, humanitarian aid, chaplaincy and church planting. Amid widespread displacement, he helped plant 49 new churches across Europe to support Ukrainian refugees. The new generation movement Tyshchenko initiated in 1992 has resulted in communities with about 400 churches and 25,000 members.