Reading: House to House: Appendix A Practical Application in the DOVE Family

Appendix A

Practical Application in the DOVE Family

he DOVE International family of churches is committed to our Lord and to the small group "underground” principles found in this book. This is how we seek to apply these principles in our network of churches.

Redwood trees are known to be some of the largest trees in the world. The secret of their ability to stand tall is not in their deep root system. The secret is in the fact that the roots of the trees are interconnected with the roots of the trees growing around them. They are interdependent. Each one needs the others. Our family of churches is committed by relationship and a common vision to start new churches worldwide.

Our desire is to see churches planted in clusters in the same geographical area so spiritual leaders can easily meet together for prayer and mutual encouragement and find ways to be more effective in building His Kingdom together. Like the redwoods, they become interdependent upon one another.

The Blessing of Teamwork

Senior elders of DOVE churches in Pennsylvania and the surrounding states have the blessing of meeting together regularly for prayer and mutual encouragement. An Apostolic Council member also is committed to meet at least once each month individually with each senior elder. We maintain contact monthly with all senior elders.

The Lord, by His grace, has given us an extraordinary support team at DOVE. This team consists of the International Apostolic Council, Regional Apostolic Councils established throughout the world serving local church leaders in six continents, fivefold translocal ministers and various ministries such as the stewardship team, which handles financial matters. All are committed to resource the leadership and believers in DOVE partner churches and serve the greater Body of Christ. These various ministries offer leadership training and ministry development on many levels. For example, Peter Bunton, Ron Myer, Ibrahim Omondi, Diane Omondi, Steve Prokopchak, Brian Sauder, Hesbone Odindo, Chad Miller and I currently serve on the DOVE International Apostolic Council, traveling regularly to churches throughout the nations as we train leaders.

As was mentioned earlier, we recognized about twenty years ago, the need to more effectively train cell-based and house church leaders and church planters. Recognizing this need resulted in starting the DOVE Leadership and Ministry School.This 135-session leadership training school is producing lasting fruit by giving practical, scriptural leadership tools for both present and future small group leaders, elders and church planters.

Since many who wanted to receive this training could not move to Pennsylvania to participate in the school, we now have streaming video shown at remote campuses meeting in churches in various nations and we also produced a video correspondence school in three modules. This training is now being utilized by churches from different denominations and movements throughout the United States, Canada, and in six continents of the world.

Prayer Is the Key to the Harvest

An important 24-hour prayer ministry includes a team of "prayer generals” who recruit, train, and encourage a team of "prayer warriors” responsible to cover segments of time each week to pray for the entire DOVE family of churches. These "prayer generals” and "prayer warriors” are scattered throughout the nations of the world.

Resourcing the Body of Christ

What the Lord has given to us, He has called us to openly share with the rest of the Body of Christ. It will take all the existing churches and millions of new churches working together to see the harvest reaped. A team of experienced leaders from DOVE travel the world training church leaders throughout the Body of Christ in cell-based and house church ministry and practical Christian living through seminars and conferences at various times throughout the year to serve and resource the broader Body of Christ. Publications tools and resources from House to House Publications are used by churches of many denominations and movements throughout the United States, Canada, and the world.

The International Apostolic Council and leadership from DOVE partner churches worldwide meet together each March for an annual International Leadership Conference for the purpose of mutual encouragement, leadership training, relationship building, and to receive a common vision from the Lord. The Lord has called us to work as a team together--with a shared vision, shared values, a shared procedure, and to build together by relationship. In order for the DOVE family of churches and ministries to be effective in laboring together, our procedure is written in a publication called the DOVE Leadership Handbook.¹

Empowering the Next Generation

Each generation is different and has different needs and preferences. We are committed to empowering, releasing, and supporting the next generation as they fulfill their particular call in God.

As Elisha received a double portion of the spirit that was on Elijah, our desire is to see our spiritual children far exceed us in developing their spiritual gifts and church leadership. Believers will be called to various areas of leadership: small group and house church leadership, local church leadership, fivefold ministry, and apostolic leadership. Many spiritual leaders will be called to focus on the marketplace.

The long-term goal of DOVE is to continue to establish many more apostolic councils in various regions of the world. Ibrahim Omondi, from Nairobi, Kenya, gives oversight to an apostolic leadership team made up of African leaders who are responsible for oversight of DOVE churches inEast Africa. The leadership for the DOVE movement is an International Apostolic Council, whose members include apostolic leaders from various nations.

As an international family of churches and ministries, we are called to keep actively involved in what the Lord is doing in the world and participate in the present expressions of His anointing. We desire to empower, train, and release God's people at the grassroots level to fulfill His purposes. After all, it happened 2,000 years ago in the book of Acts. Let's join together as the Body of Christ, and in obedience to our God, trust Him to experience the book of Acts again!

Appendix A

1. DOVE International Leadership Handbook (Lititz, PA: DOVE International, 2014, updated 2014). www.dcfi.org