Below are missionaries and organizations supported by Abundant Life Church
International
Irvin Rutherford
Global Ministry Team - GMT began in the heart of Irvin and Linda Rutherford who saw the need for others to answer the call of the Great Commission. The main vision that motivated Irvin and Linda was that a new generation should be empowered and the baton of missionary service passed on. This is being done with Global EvangelismTraining (GET), the equipping arm of GMT based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Led by a younger generation of workers, GMT is poised to be part of the final global harvest of souls using enlisting, empowering and educating to place the next generation of Kingdom workers for Christ's glory in the nations.
Stuart & Wendy Brown
Stuart works with the Sustainable Development department at CompassionLink. He is part of a team of dedicated consultants who partner with missionaries, community leaders, and ministers to create and restore healthy communities around the globe. Stuart is involved with numerous projects such as aquaponics, water filtration, hydroponics, improved agriculture, square-meter gardening, solar cooking systems, and much more.
Wendy recently completed her temporary assignment as Missionary in Residence at Evangel University. Now she serves as the new Regional Missionary Trainer at International Ministries. Wendy teaches and promotes AGWM competencies to our new missionaries and missionary associates.
Africa
Bernie & Brenda Smith
Togo, West Africa - The Smith's have served at the West African Advanced School of Theology since 1994. They primarily serve as instructors there. In addition to teaching at WAAST, they also travel to WAAST extension centers throughout West & Central Africa, teaching at different churches.
David & Donna Delp
Developing leaders is one of the greatest challenges in accelerating the advance of the gospel on the continent of Africa. We are answering the call to lend our experience in partnering with missionaries and national church leaders across the continent in creating new leadership development initiatives and partnering to strengthen existing initiatives. We will relationally interface with missionaries, national leaders, and urban church planters to partner, resource, coach, mentor, and equip.We’ve pastored, coached, mentored, resourced, and trained through 3 decades of ministry. David was a lead pastor and, for the past 20+ years, an executive district leader. Donna served as a missionary in Belgium and as an officer with the U.S. State Department in Africa.
Asia
Nathan & Lisa Turney
Nathan and Lisa Turney have been working in Asia Pacific as missionaries with the Assemblies of God World Missions for 24 years. In January 2020, they were officially assigned as the first AGWM missionaries appointed to New Zealand. The Turney's prior missionary work was directing Asia's Little Ones, the AGWM Asia Pacific child-compassion ministry, and serving as missionaries in Thailand. Nathan and Lisa have six children: Klaire, Elijah, Zachary, and Lily, who still live at home, and their adult children, Grace (who is married to Jeff) and Pierce.
Tanya Jo Shipley-Knapp
Indonesia - Tanya Jo's primary focus of ministry is in the area of Children's Ministry. She trains national church workers and assists in developing Sunday Schools for pioneer churches, as well as existing churches. She also teaches ESL as a means of reaching the majority religion in Indonesia.
Kevin & Sandy Barner
In February 2020 AGWM Leadership in the Asia Pacific Region invited them to consider a new assignment. They have graciously accepted this invitation and will be transitioning to Bangkok, Thailand, in March/April 2021 where they will serve as Area Pastors of Peninsular Asia providing Pastoral Care and Spiritual Leadership to the more than 200 Missionaries living and working in the five countries of PenAsia. [Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam]. Additionally, Asia Pacific Regional Director, Jeff Hartensveld has asked the Barners to be available to serve as Interim International Church Pastors throughout the 40 countries of the Asia Pacific Region as needed, to provide stability and continuity to any of our International Churches for Missionary Pastors who may need to be away from their congregations for an extended period of time.
Europe
Lisa Russi
Lisa Russi recently relocated to Grenoble, France. She is beginning her ministry there to Set the Captives Free and help rescue those who have been victims of human trafficking.
Jason & Andrea Morrison
The Morrison’s served as missionaries in Czechia for 20 years, where they worked in the areas of youth ministry, children’s ministry, leadership development, evangelism and church revitalization. They left behind numerous printed resources for pastors, curriculum for children and helped to develop training for new ministers.. Their influence has helped several churches launch new campuses and send out Czech missionaries to unreached people groups abroad.
In the summer of 2020, they received a call asking if they would consider relocating to another field where it has been difficult to send missionaries. The call resonated with what God had already been speaking to them about pioneering work in new territory. After prayer and seeking God's will, they made the difficult choice to relocate to Serbia.
With one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse territories in Europe, Serbia has been characterized by war, unrest and division. Jason and Andrea have felt God stirring their hearts to move to Serbia and help pave the way for others to come. Their first term will focus on language learning and looking for opportunities to build bridges and bring God’s ministry of reconciliation to this land.
In the summer of 2020, they received a call asking if they would consider relocating to another field where it has been difficult to send missionaries. The call resonated with what God had already been speaking to them about pioneering work in new territory. After prayer and seeking God's will, they made the difficult choice to relocate to Serbia.
With one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse territories in Europe, Serbia has been characterized by war, unrest and division. Jason and Andrea have felt God stirring their hearts to move to Serbia and help pave the way for others to come. Their first term will focus on language learning and looking for opportunities to build bridges and bring God’s ministry of reconciliation to this land.
Rick & Gloria McCartney
The McCartneys have been in full-time ministry for 38 years. With each new assignment they heard the Lord specifically say to them, "Now is the time." This assignment in Wales is no different.
At the time that the Lord poured out His Spirit at the Azuza Street Revival in Los Angeles California begining in 1906, He also began pouring out His Spirit in Wales in 1907. We know that outpouring as the Great Welsh Revival. That revival saw many come and surrender their lives to Christ, many receive supernatural healings and numerous people filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Since then, unfortunately, there has been a great falling away. Where there was once a great light, now there is great darkness all across Wales. Yes, the church buildings still exist, but they are now devoid of people and pastors to pastor the few who remain faithful. The Holy Spirit who was once in great demonstration of power has been relegated to a blurb in history books.
The McCartney's ministry in Wales will include planting new churches and revitalizing existing churches that have no pastor. They will also assist in training potential pastors and lay leaders as well as raising up teams to reach university students in Wales.
At the time that the Lord poured out His Spirit at the Azuza Street Revival in Los Angeles California begining in 1906, He also began pouring out His Spirit in Wales in 1907. We know that outpouring as the Great Welsh Revival. That revival saw many come and surrender their lives to Christ, many receive supernatural healings and numerous people filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Since then, unfortunately, there has been a great falling away. Where there was once a great light, now there is great darkness all across Wales. Yes, the church buildings still exist, but they are now devoid of people and pastors to pastor the few who remain faithful. The Holy Spirit who was once in great demonstration of power has been relegated to a blurb in history books.
The McCartney's ministry in Wales will include planting new churches and revitalizing existing churches that have no pastor. They will also assist in training potential pastors and lay leaders as well as raising up teams to reach university students in Wales.
Central & South America
ChildHope
The Mission of ChildHope is the transformation of children by means of a relationship with Jesus Christ through a quality education and other ministries of compassion.ChildHope has been helping children since 1963. ChildHope represents the largest network of Evangelical Christian Schools in Latin America with 300 schools in 21 countries affecting the lives of more than 100,000 children each day. More than a million children have attended ChildHope schools. For many children the meal they receive in the school is the only meal they eat each day. The children most often live with parents or extended family.
Rich & Wanda Ferguson
Peru - Rich & Wanda minister to the 15 million youth and children in Peru. They currently serve as the National Directors for King's Castle Assembly of God, a ministry dedicated to reaching every child in Peru with the Gospel. There are currently 170 King's Castle teams working throughout the country, sharing the love of Christ on a weekly basis through street evangelism.
Damien & Mirla Zinicola
Cuba - The Zinicola's were appointed AGWM missionaries in 1996. They spent their first 13 years in Guatamala, where they focused on evangelism and church planting in remote, unreached villages. In 2009, God redirected them to work in the country of Cuba. Their burden is focused on reaching into the small communities in the interior of the country, using a 3-pronged approach: 1) Assisting local workers in church planting by holding evangelistic services, providing discipleship and renewal events, as well as resourcing new works. 2) Training church planters through practical pastoral seminars, as well as supporting the pastoral family through marriage and family events. 3) Touching the needy through relief efforts and other available venues.
Other Missions Organizations
BGMC
BGMC (Boys & Girls Missionary Challenge) is the missions education program for all kids in the Assemblies of God. BGMC equips kids to know, to care, to pray, to give, and to reach the lost. We have a two-fold purpose, to reach the children of the world and to create a heart of compassion in kids.
Speed the Light
Speed the Light is the student-initiated, volunteer, charitable program that provides much-needed equipment to missionaries across the nation and in over 180 countries around the world. It began in 1944 after Ralph Harris, then head of the National Youth Ministries department, prayed for a way to give Assemblies of God students the opportunity to help missionaries in their work.
One Child Matters
One Child Matters equips children living in poverty to reach their God-given potential by creating opportunities for transformational development: spirit, mind, and body.
Barnabas Task
Barnabas Task bridges transformation in local communities utilizing Christ-centered principles encouraging people to find solutions to their own problems.
Life Centers
The mission of Life Centers is to affirm the value of life by providing a network of care to those experiencing pregnancy-related decisions and by compassionately presenting biblical truth resulting in changed lives to the glory of God.
AGTS
AGTS (Assemblies of God Theological Seminary) reignites leaders already executing the Great Commission and infuses them with global context, spiritual growth, and imagery from the Holy Spirit, just like in the early days following the upper room experience. AGTS serves to stand in the gap between a generation reaching for something more and a God intent on touching a world slipping into relativism. Simply stated, AGTS is “Knowledge on Fire.” If it’s not on fire, then it’s not Spirit-driven and if it’s not Spirit-driven, then it’s not AGTS.
