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How I See It
By John Lanferman
After declaring multiple times during creation ‘It is good’, God in His wisdom brings us up short when He shockingly declares, ‘It is not good’ in reference to Adam being alone. He then made a partner and mutually commissioned them to His eternal purpose.
My great joy in life is my partnership and marriage to Linda, who serves with me and supports me in so many ways. Her faith, amazing courage and partnership in our mutual mission has served as a foundation of my life and ministry. It is particularly fulfilling to have been called upon by leaders in several nations to teach leaders and wives seminars on such topics as ‘Husbands and Wives Together on Mission’.
Trinitarian theology has shaped my life, marriage and practices in ministry, particularly a Trinitarian concept of team leadership to which I am fanatically committed. Like our triune God, this means functioning together in community and mission. Team leadership is the foundation of all our leadership training and practice in the USA. The church and its leadership are called to echo or embody the eternal community that God is.
It is my privilege to lead a team of leaders that oversees the work of Newfrontiers churches in the USA. It is particularly fulfilling to enjoy deep friendship with them and to participate in the development of several teams that apostolically serve our churches in such a huge country as the USA.
It is a particular joy and passion to be a father to the next generation of emerging leaders by providing space, clearing the way, mentoring, developing and releasing them into the full extent of their calling. It is a priority of mine to make myself available to them, walking alongside them as they develop, assisting them in fully owning and modeling our values and mission. It would seem there’s no greater investment than giving oneself to ‘Timothy-like’ men.
My primary focus is leadership training with a view to planting reproducing churches in the 100 largest and most influential cities in the USA. We are resolute about planting reproducing churches committed to the multiplication of churches throughout geographical regions and nations. Reproducing churches engage in and transform culture and cities by expressing the influence of the kingdom of God into all areas of culture.
My home and base is Jubilee Church in St Louis, now led by Bryan Mowrey (above), a growing multi-site church that was my joy to plant in 1997. Jubilee is a church for which I have a passionate love and deep appreciation. Jubilee serves as an apostolic base blessed with an amazing team of leaders that has supported and sent people to be engaged in mission not only in the USA but also in the nations.
My passion is to see the kingdom of God expanded through vibrant local churches that are secure in the finished work of Christ, celebrating God's amazing grace, full of the Spirit, standing solidly on the Holy Scripture and committed together to our mission to see Jesus glorified throughout the nations.
In 1993 Wendy and I were surprised when God led us to uproot and move to the USA for two years. This led to a group of churches in the Mid-West, some of whom were already enjoying mutual friendship, to join us in the growing Newfrontiers family.
On our return to the UK John Lanferman was the obvious choice to invite to gather a team to serve these churches. St Louis was clearly the key city in the region, so I asked John and Linda if they would move there and plant a church which could grow and serve as a hub for the Newfrontiers work across the nation. They not only did so, but showed great courage, faith and tenacity in establishing a loving community of believers there. Jubilee Church continues to grow and is an effective base for John and his outreach across the US.
A strong believer in team-work, John has gathered guys no longer simply from the Mid-West but literally from coast to coast, from Oregon to New Hampshire.
His goal is to plant churches in the 100 leading cities of the USA.
His team has also contributed to the wider work of Newfrontiers particularly in sending and supporting Sam and Marlene Poe (right) in their work in Eastern Europe and more recently in Zimbabwe. It almost seems that wherever I turn up I find that Sam and Marlene are already there! Their cross-cultural skills are legendary. They are true servants of the Lord.
John gathers and trains leaders from across the USA, and his effective Trilogy programme has proved popular and effective among both existing pastors and also those being prepared for ministry.
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