TLC, The Leadership Connection, is an organization currently serving pastors and leaders in the United States with the motto, EnCouraging Kingdom Leaders Worldwide. Doug Stevens, the International Director for TLC, has already traveled in China and Mexico, and most recently in Haiti, seeking to expand our ministry model worldwide.
The TLC model is built around the concept of connecting leaders in small groups of 8-12, and providing a forum for them to share their challenges and conflicts in a peer group setting led by a skilled and trained servant-facilitator. 90% of pastors in a recent Gallup poll revealed they had no one to talk to about issues that "kept them awake at night". TLC provides an environment of support, encouragement and accountability for leaders and seeks to be a catalyst in moving them forward towards experiencing more meaningful fulfillment and greater effectiveness in their ministry.
Called to serve Haiti two and a half years ago, I have traveled there three times and am preparing for two trips this summer and fall. Additionally, I have had the privilege of challenging the church I currently pastor--Grace Fellowship--to partner with four churches in Haiti in what we characterize as a "sustainable relationship". We have sent five teams to work and share there in tasks including pastoral training, VBS for children, construction projects, the building of a well, and the development of a program that matches Haitian children with church families for monthly support enabling them to attend Christian schools.
We have recently joined with TLC in this endeavor, culminating in a TLC leadership seminar which resulted in the establishment of 60 small groups serving 480 Haitian pastors. I have recently been hired by TLC to direct their work in Haiti and will be retrofitting our servant-facilitator handbook for Haitian leaders, as well as working jointly with Haitian leaders to formalize the development of a pastoral training curriculum.
Our goal is to provide 3-4 training seminars a year as well as to equip servant facilitators to lead monthly meetings for the almost 500 pastors already connected with out ministry. We are blessed by our relationship with Gilbert Jules, our liaison there, who oversees four churches as well as the ongoing ministry we are developing on site.
These are critical days for Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Rocked by the earthquake of 2010 which took over 250,000 lives and wreaked havoc with the capital city of Port au Prince and the outlying areas, Haiti is still struggling to survive. Cholera has had a devastating effect and the tent cities have only recently begun to be replaced with more suitable housing. Unemployment is rampant and Haiti's government is still slow in establishing an infrastructure that will service the basic needs of its 9.000,000 people.
Our investment in pastors is an attempt to flesh out our motto--EnCouraging Servant Leaders Worldwide--realizing that the message of the gospel is the sustaining hope for all Haitians. My prayer is that you will join with us in this endeavor of training and encouraging Haitian pastors. For more information visit tlcinc,org.
