Pinnacle Ministries was created with a passion for the local church and the pastors and leaders who serve it. Healthy Pastors, Healthy Leaders, Leading Healthy Churches has become the phrase that best encapsulates Pinnacle’s mission and vision. In the early years of ministry that focus was on churches in the United States.
In 2005, Pinnacle Ministries partnered with Converge Worldwide (then Baptist General Conference) to create a tool that would enable local churches to have greater impact in their communities. The desired outcome was churches reproducing disciples, leaders and congregations. The Church Retool Kit Pathway© was developed through a consortium of district leaders, researching best practices and resources, and creating a delivery system for the local church that utilizes trained coaches leading a six-retreat process with key church leaders over an 18-month period of time. The resulting shared vision and effective strategies for a three-year ministry plan has impacted churches and communities across the United States.
Initially, the ability to use the Pathway© in other language groups was an unknown factor. But God has enabled us to partner with Converge Worldwide cultural associations and people group leadership teams over the past 6 years in which the Church Retool Kit Pathway© has been developed and published. Currently, the materials have been fully translated into Vietnamese and Japanese, with portions also available in Spanish and Cebuano. Leaders and coaches have been trained in each of these language groups, laying the groundwork for further contextualization and application of the materials for the future.
The following timeline highlights the process of growth to various cultural and language groups nationally and globally:
Timeline of Key Events:
2006 – Cultural Association Summit, San Diego, CA
2007 – Ikthus, Bacolod, PI begins RTK Pathway
2008 –
- Initial Pastors’ Training Event, Bacolod, PI
- Annual Meeting of the Baptist Conference of the Philippines (BCP) – Keynote & Workshop
- Initial Meeting with 2 Rengo (Japan Baptist Church Association) directors & CWW missionary John Mehn, Tokyo
2009 –
- BCP Coaches’ Training Event, Manila
- Rengo Leaders and Japanese Ministry Team (CWW) Leaders’ Summit
- Vietnamese Leader’s Summit
2010
- Rengo and JMT Leaders’ Summit (II)
- Vietnamese Leaders’ Summit (II)
- FilAm Pastors Training Events – LA and Chicago
2011
- Rengo Pastor’s Conference (Feb/March) Hamamatsu, Japan
- Rengo Pastor’s Training Event, Kyoto (October)
- Filipino Mobilization Leader Summit, Cebu (September)
- Eric Johnson, Monterrey, Mexico, Cosecha pilot project begins
2012
- Rengo Pastors’ Training Event via Webex (February)
- Rengo Pastors’ Training Event via Webex (October)
- Latino Connection (Panama City, Monterrey, Tecate, Chicago) via Webex (October, November, December)
The impact of the mobilization process in the Philippines and Japan has been quite encouraging. The report shared by Pastor Joe Ascalon, Bacolod, PI, at the summit in Cebu showed significant growth and ministry development of the Ikthus Church, network of churches and newly planted churches. He is also beginning to shepherd a trained pastor and coach in the Mindanao region. The Cebu, PI, region (Pastor Boy Alfafara) has not progressed as quickly but is showing positive results and is being mentored by those in Bacolod for moving forward. In the Manila region (Bishop Cesar Puntzalan), new churches are being launched utilizing the principles and practices of the Pathway©.
