Introductory Message

Introductory Message From GCA President & CEO, Steve Childers

The Scriptures make clear that God takes great pleasure in pouring out His power and manifesting His presence on those who will dare to radically align their purpose with His. At GCA we understand our purpose to be establishing Kingdom Partnerships through which leaders are equipped to start, grow and multiply gospel-centered churches that result in the spiritual, cultural and social transformation of all nations.

The demise of the evangelical church in the Western world is now evident through widespread individualism, materialism, pluralism and skepticism. Western Christianity has lost sight of its historic theological roots by proclaiming a pragmatic and privatized faith that is often void of spiritual formation and ministries of mercy and justice. As a result, the evangelical Church in the Western world is steadily losing its global power and influence.
At the same time the Church in the two-thirds world (majority world) is rapidly gaining power and influence as the fresh wind of God’s Spirit begins to blow. Western church leaders must now break free from their captivity to American cultural realities and come alongside the Church in the non-Western world with a spirit of true humility and partnership.

GCA is deeply committed to the historic, Christian faith. But we are nonetheless also very committed to the ongoing, thoughtful reexamination of standard church practices in light of the Scriptures—especially when seeking to train church planters in cultural contexts other than our own. The Church is called to be always changing as the culture around it changes but in a way that always remains true to God’s Word.

Albert Einstein said, “The kind of thinking that will solve the world’s problems will be of a different order to the kind of thinking that created those problems in the first place.” If we are going to see a truly widespread spiritual awakening in our generation, it will probably be the result of a new kind of thinking, praying and serving—one that breaks out of the bonds of modernity and centers more on the reign of Jesus Christ as our Prophet, Priest and King through His Church.

Today, we are both deeply humbled and encouraged as we think back on all that the Lord has done in and through GCA and look ahead to what we believe He will do in the future. And we believe that the Lord is preparing people like you to partner with us.

For the Nations!

     Steve Childers
     President and CEO
     Global Church Advancement (GCA)